Opequan, BATTLE

OF. Sept. 19, 1864. See WINCHESTER. Opera. Dramatic composition in which music is an integral part: it roots in the ancient Greek tragedy, of which music was a part, the dialogue being chanted, the choruses having a more elaborate melodic structure and (probably) instrumental accompaniment. The effort of a coterie of literati at Florence ab. 1600 to revive the ancient tragedy gave rise to the opera. These men became di atisfied with the musical art of their day, which gave no heed to the words, they being lost in the contrapuntal web; they invented the solo style, in which the sentiment of the words was sought to be heightened by means of melody and a support of harmonic chords. This was called Monody. They began gan with excerpts from secular and biblical poetry. In 1594 they produced a musical play, Dafne, for which Rinuccini wrote the words and Peri and Caccini the music. The same composers afterward set the same poet's Euridice. Peri's version was produced and pub. 1600. With this work, aided greatly by a book of monodic songs by Caccini, Nuove music he, 1602, the new style began its career of conquest, being developed by Monte verde, All e andro Scarlatti, Leo, Durante, in Italy, Lulby, Monsigny, Philidor, Gretny, in France. Schütz, Keiser, Handel, in Germany. Purcell and others in England. The original purpose of the Florentine reformers, which was to use music as a means of heightening the effect of the poetry, was soon lost, and, from that time till the agitation begun by Gluck, music was the end instead of the means. The agitation begun by Gluck was continued by Weber and brought to a culmination by Wagner. The first representation of an Italian opera in the U.S. was given 1825 in New York; it was Ro ini's Barber of Seville.