Opera

Opera

Opera (English plural: operas; Italian plural: opere) is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text (called a libretto) and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance. The performance is typically given in an opera house, accompanied by an orchestra or smaller musical ensemble.

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Famous quotes containing the word opera:

    “The opera house sparkled with tiers
    And tiers of eyes, like mine enlarged by belladonna,”
    —James Merrill (b. 1926)

    “The opera isn’t over till the fat lady sings.”
    —Anonymous.

    A modern proverb along the lines of “don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.” This form of words has no precise origin, though both Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations (16th ed., 1992)

    “I have witnessed, and greatly enjoyed, the first act of everything which Wagner created, but the effect on me has always been so powerful that one act was quite sufficient; whenever I have witnessed two acts I have gone away physically exhausted; and whenever I have ventured an entire opera the result has been the next thing to suicide.”
    —Mark Twain [Samuel Langhorne Clemens] (1835–1910)