The Origin of Opera

How we got the art of sung music drama. [Happy 416th birthday, Baroque era.]
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Classical Nerd is a weekly video series covering music history, theoretical concepts, and techniques, hosted by composer, pianist, and music history aficionado Thomas Little.
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Music:
Thomas Little: Gossamer Limerence, Op. 9b, performed by Wooram Kwon and Thomas Little
Thomas Little: Dance! #2 in E minor, Op. 1 No. 2, performed by Rachel Fellows, Michael King, and Bruce Tippette
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Contact Information:
Questions and comments can be directed to:
nerdofclassical [at] gmail.com
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All images and audio in this video are for educational purposes only and are not intended as copyright infringement. If you have a copyright concern, please contact me using the above information.

[@TehSeig3]

I've been following your videos for a few months now. I can't believe that you have less than 100 subscribers, these videos are great and informative!
Thanks, from a music composition major.

[@lindseydonley5860]

I have never known so much opera. This is so much information on this about it! Your videos are so informative

[@ClassicalNerd]

Thanks!

[@SeadogDriftwood]

As a bonus, one of the members of the Florentine Camerata, one who studied the few known surviving Ancient Greek songs, was Vincenzo Galilei - Galileo's father!
Music of the spheres indeed!

[@johnprentice1527]

Thank you for this brief yet highly informed history on the beginnings of opera. I'm surprised there isn't more on RUclips about opera's origins, but yours is a very concise introduction. Again, thank you.

[@retiredmusiceducator3612]

This is so cool i never knew so much about Opera!

[@ChowMeinWarrior]

Thanks for the lesson!

[@Yamikaiba123]

Not only were ancient Greek plays performed this way, but it is probable that the Psalms too were like 'opera', Hebrew X.LE/'Selah' roughly meaning 'Action!' to signal a break in the singing so that Israelite actors could perform just physically at a climactic moment.
Mind you, this is a new hypothesis that I am discussing with Cambridge's Hebrew scholars of Psalm-translation. But it's more explanatory of Selah's occurence in the text than any other hypothesis.

[@Yamikaiba123]

And, obviously: all traditions of Biblical Cantillation are performed as 'recitatives'

[@4stringed]

Can't believe this mature guy from classial nerd channel was at some point a regular teenager

[@ClassicalNerd]

Teenager, yes. Regular ... not so sure about that one

[@4stringed]

@@ClassicalNerd okay, right. Was at some point an absolutely great, beautiful and incredibly smart teenager