An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venues are constructed specifically for operas, other opera houses are part of larger

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...

centers. Indeed, the term ''opera house'' is often used as a term of prestige for any large performing-arts center.

History

Italy is a country where opera has been popular through the centuries among ordinary people as well as wealthy patrons and it continues to have many working opera houses such as Teatro Massimo in

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...

(the biggest in Italy), Teatro di San Carlo in Naples (the world's oldest working opera house) and Teatro La Scala in Milan. In contrast, there was no opera house in London when

Henry Purcell Henry Purcell (, rare: September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer. Purcell's style of Baroque music was uniquely English, although it incorporated Italian and French elements. Generally considered among the greatest E ...

was composing and the first opera house in Germany, the

Oper am Gänsemarkt The Oper am Gänsemarkt was a theatre in Hamburg, Germany, built in 1678 after plans of Girolamo Sartorio at the Gänsemarkt square. It was the first public opera house to be established in Germany: not a court opera, as in many other towns. E ...

, was built in Hamburg in 1678, followed by the

Oper am Brühl The Oper am Brühl (also ''Barockoper Leipzig'') was the first opera house in Leipzig. It existed from 1693 to 1720 and was the second municipal music theatre in Germany, after the Oper am Gänsemarkt in Hamburg. It was initiated by Nicolaus Adam ...

in Leipzig in 1693, and the

Oper vorm Salztor The Opernhaus vorm Salztor (Opera house in front of the Salt Tower) was an opera house in Naumburg, then Saxe-Zeitz, that opened in 1701. The house was built during the regency of Moritz Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Zeitz, on his behalf. In 1716, it bur ...

Naumburg Naumburg () is a town in (and the administrative capital of) the district Burgenlandkreis, in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany. It has a population of around 33,000. The Naumburg Cathedral became a UNES ...

in 1701. In the 17th and 18th centuries, opera houses were often financed by rulers, nobles, and wealthy people who used

patronage Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

of the arts to endorse their political ambition and social position. With the rise of

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...

and capitalist social forms in the 19th century, European culture moved away from its patronage system to a publicly supported system. Early United States opera houses served a variety of functions in towns and cities, hosting community dances, fairs, plays, and vaudeville shows as well as operas and other musical events. In the 2000s, most opera and theatre companies are supported by funds from a combination of government and institutional

grants Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom *Castle Grant United States * Grant, Alabama *Grant, Inyo County, C ...

, ticket sales, and private donations.

Other uses of the term

In the 19th-century United States, many theaters were given the name "opera house," even ones where opera was seldom if ever performed. Opera was viewed as a more respectable art form than theater; calling a local theater an "opera house" therefore served to elevate it and overcome objections from those who found the theater morally objectionable.

Gallery

File:Bayerische Staatsoper - München - 2013.jpg, Bayerisches Nationaltheater from 1818 in Munich, Bavaria, Germany; one of the world's most renowned opera houses, burnt down and reconstructed twice: 1823–25 and after

WW II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

from 1958 to 1963. File:Moscow 05-2012 Bolshoi after renewal.jpg,

Bolshoi Theatre The Bolshoi Theatre ( rus, Большо́й теа́тр, r=Bol'shoy teatr, literally "Big Theater", p=bɐlʲˈʂoj tʲɪˈatər) is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, originally designed by architect Joseph Bové, which holds ballet and ope ...

, in Moscow, Russia, is one of the world's most recognisable opera houses and home for the most famous ballet company in the world File:Teatro Real de Madrid - 02.jpg, Teatro Real, in Madrid, Spain File:Novosibirsk KrasnyPr Opera Theatre 07-2016.jpg, The Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre, in

Novosibirsk Novosibirsk (, also ; rus, Новосиби́рск, p=nəvəsʲɪˈbʲirsk, a=ru-Новосибирск.ogg) is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the Russian Census ...

, is the biggest opera house in Russia File:Cairo opera house.jpg, The Cairo Opera House in Egypt File:Copenhagen Opera corner 1.jpg, The

Copenhagen Opera House The Copenhagen Opera House (in Danish usually called Operaen, literally ''The opera'') is the national opera house of Denmark, and among the most modern opera houses in the world. It is also one of the most expensive opera houses ever built at a ...

in Denmark File:LOpéra dHelsinki (2768446378).jpg, The

Finnish National Opera and Ballet The Finnish National Opera and Ballet ( fi, Suomen Kansallisooppera ja -baletti; sv, Finlands Nationalopera och -balett) is a Finnish opera company and ballet company based in Helsinki. It is headquartered in the Opera House on the coast of the T ...

building in Helsinki, Finland File:SydneyOperaHouse.jpg, The

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

is one of the world's most recognisable opera houses and landmarks File:Auditorio de Tenerife 013.JPG, Auditorio de Tenerife (

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

, Spain) File:Paris Opéra Garnier Fassade 1.jpg, The

Palais Garnier The Palais Garnier (, Garnier Palace), also known as Opéra Garnier (, Garnier Opera), is a 1,979-seatBeauvert 1996, p. 102. opera house at the Place de l'Opéra in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was built for the Paris Opera from ...

, Paris, France File:Operniy-5.jpg, The

Odessa Opera and Ballet Theatre , logo_caption = Logo , image = Operniy-5.jpg , image_size = 270px , caption = Odesa Theatre of Opera and Ballet , address = Tchaikovsky Lane 1 , city = Odesa , country = , designation = Architectural Landmark , coordinates = , archite ...

Odessa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrativ ...

, Ukraine File:Basshall.JPG,

Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall The Bass Performance Hall (also known as Bass Hall) is a performing arts venue, located in Fort Worth, Texas. Overview The hall was first suggested by pianist Van Cliburn to philanthropist Nancy Lee Bass and her husband, Perry Richardson Bass.S ...

in Fort Worth, Texas File:Winspear Exterior.JPG,

Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House The Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House is an opera house (one of four venues in the AT&T Performing Arts Center) located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas (USA). Designed as a 21st-century reinterpretation of the traditional op ...

in Dallas, Texas File:SFOperaHouse.jpg,

War Memorial Opera House The War Memorial Opera House is an opera house in San Francisco, California, located on the western side of Van Ness Avenue across from the west side/rear facade of the San Francisco City Hall. It is part of the San Francisco War Memorial and ...

in San Francisco, USA File:Semperoper at night.jpg, The Dresden Semperoper in Germany File:Metropolitan Opera House At Lincoln Center 2.jpg, The Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center in New York City File:Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C LCCN2011632175.tif,

Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

in Washington, D.C.,

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

File:Catalunya 2013 Barcelona 008.JPG, Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, Spain File:Full Opera by night.jpg,

Oslo Opera House The Oslo Opera House ( no, Operahuset) is the home of the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, and the national opera theatre in Norway. The building is situated in the Bjørvika neighbourhood of central Oslo, at the head of the Oslofjord. It is ...

File:Berlin Opera UdL asv2018-05.jpg, The

Berlin Staatsoper The (), also known as the Berlin State Opera (german: Staatsoper Berlin), is a listed building on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic center of Berlin, Germany. The opera house was built by order of Prussian king Frederick the Great from ...

on Unter den Linden File:Palacio de las Bellas Artes (Mexico City).jpg,

Palace of Fine Arts The Palace of Fine Arts is a monumental structure located in the Marina District of San Francisco, California, originally constructed for the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition to exhibit works of art. Completely rebuilt from 1964 to ...

in Mexico City File:Alexandria Opera House.jpg, The Alexandria Opera House in Alexandria, Egypt File:El Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía, Valencia - Jan 2007.jpg, Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia, Spain File:Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires.jpg,

Colón Theatre Colón may refer to: Places ;Argentina * Colón, Entre Ríos * Colón Department, Córdoba * Colón Department, Entre Ríos * Colón, Buenos Aires ;Colombia * Colón, Nariño * Colón, Putumayo * Colón Department (Colombia) ;Costa Rica * Ciu ...

in Buenos Aires, Argentina File:Hannoveraner Opernhaus.jpg, Hannover State Opera in Hannover, Germany File:Aleksanterin teatteri.jpg, Alexander Theatre in Helsinki, Finland File:Palermo-Teatro-Massimo-bjs2007-02.jpg, Teatro Massimo in

, Italy, the largest opera house in Italy File:Royal Opera House and ballerina.jpg, The Royal Opera House London File:Milano-scalanotte.jpg, The

Teatro alla Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...

in Milan, Italy, the most famous opera house in the world File:Castro Pretorio - teatro dell'Opera di Roma (Costanzi) facciata piacentini 1010030.JPG, The

Teatro Costanzi The Teatro dell'Opera di Roma (Rome Opera House) is an opera house in Rome, Italy. Originally opened in November 1880 as the 2,212 seat ''Costanzi Theatre'', it has undergone several changes of name as well modifications and improvements. The pre ...

in Rome, Italy File:Teatro Verdi.JPG,

Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi The Teatro Lirico Giuseppe Verdi is an opera house located in Trieste, Italy and named after the composer Giuseppe Verdi. Privately constructed, it was inaugurated as the Teatro Nuovo to replace the smaller 800-seat "Cesareo Regio Teatro di San Pie ...

in Trieste, Italy File:Ljubljanska Opera 2.jpg, Ljubljana Slovene National Theatre Opera and Ballet File:SNG Maribor - Slovene National Theatre Maribor.jpg, Maribor Slovene National Theatre Opera and Ballet File:Teatro Solis.jpg,

Solís Theatre Solís Theatre (''Spanish'': Teatro Solís) is Uruguay's most important and renowned theatre. It opened in 1856 and the building was designed by the Italian architect Carlo Zucchi. It is located in Montevideo's Old Town, right next to the Plaza ...

Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

, Uruguay File:Teatro Municipal de São Paulo 8.jpg,

Theatro Municipal Teatro Municipal, Theatro Municipal, Théâtre Municipal or Teatro Municipale (= Municipal theatre) may refer to: * Théâtre municipal d'Albi * Teatro Municipal de Caracas * Teatro Municipal de Chacao * Théâtre municipal de Grenoble * Théâtre ...

in São Paulo, Brazil File:Teatro amazonas.jpg, Amazon Theatre in

Manaus Manaus () is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Amazonas. It is the seventh-largest city in Brazil, with an estimated 2020 population of 2,219,580 distributed over a land area of about . Located at the east center of the s ...

, Brazil File:Belem-TeatroPaz1.jpg, Theatro da Paz, Belém, Brazil File:OperaDeArame.WireOperaHouse.CuritibaBrasil.jpg,

Ópera de Arame The Ópera de Arame, in Portuguese, or the Wire Opera House, in English, is a theatre house located in the city of Curitiba, the capital of the state of Paraná, in southern Brazil. It is one of the major tourist attractions of the city. The op ...

, Curitiba, Brazil File:Taiwan 2009 Taipei National Theater at Chian Kai Shek Cultural Center FRD 7363 Pano Extracted.jpg, National Theater in Taipei, Taiwan File:Taichung-opera-house-taiwan.jpg,

National Taichung Theater The National Taichung Theater () (POJ: Tâi-Tiong Kok-Ka Koa-Ke̍k-Īⁿ) is an opera house in the Taichung's 7th Redevelopment Zone in the Situn District of Taichung, Taiwan. The estimated area of the structure is . It was designed by Japanese ...

in Taichung, Taiwan File:National Grand Theatre.jpg,

National Centre for the Performing Arts (China) The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) (), and colloquially described as The Giant Egg (巨蛋), is an arts centre containing an opera house in the Xicheng District of Beijing, People's Republic of China. Designed by French architect P ...

in Beijing,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

File:Lviv.Theatre.of.Opera.and.Ballet.jpg, Lviv Theatre of Opera and Ballet, Ukraine File:Warszawa, ul. Senatorska 21, 25 20170516 001.jpg, Grand Theatre in Warsaw, Poland

References

Notes Sources * Allison, John (ed.), ''Great Opera Houses of the World'', supplement to ''Opera'' Magazine, London 2003 * Beauvert, Thierry, ''Opera Houses of the World'', The Vendome Press, New York, 1995. * Beranek, Leo. ''Concert Halls and Opera Houses: Music, Acoustics, and Architecture'', New York: Springer, 2004. * Hughes, Spike. ''Great Opera Houses; A Traveller's Guide to Their History and Traditions'', London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1956. * Kaldor, Andras. ''Great Opera Houses (Masterpieces of Architecture)'' Antique Collectors Club, 2002. * Lynn, Karyl Charna, ''Opera: the Guide to Western Europe's Great Houses'', Santa Fe, New Mexico: John Muir Publications, 1991. * Lynn, Karyl Charna, ''Italian Opera Houses and Festivals'', Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 2005. * Plantamura, Carol, ''The Opera Lover's Guide to Europe'', Citadel Press, 1996, * Sicca, Luigi Maria, "The management of opera houses: The Italian experience of the Enti Autonomi", Taylor & Francis, ''International Journal of Cultural Policy'', 1997,

External links

"The Layout of a Traditional Opera House"
on h2g2
"Great Opera Houses of the World"
on h2g2
Vintage postcard images of opera theaters from historicopera.com"History of Opera" on historyworld.net
{{Authority control Opera terminology Opera history Theatres Italian inventions

History

Other uses of the term

Gallery

See also

References

External links