Don't mention the O-word!

The article discusses the social, cultural and political history of the opera and determines whether the Court or the Public is responsible for the early growth of the opera. "Orfeo," which epitomizes court opera, was a through-composed music-drama with dance sequences and was written to be fully staged. Venice, Italy, was a city of theaters and shows were aimed to attract to a wide pubic in the 1590s. In the mid-17th century, both court and public opera were taking root beyond Italy.