Euridice Premieres: Birth of Opera in Florence
Jacopo Peri's Euridice premiered at the Pitti Palace in Florence on October 6, 1600, performed for the wedding of Maria de' Medici and Henry IV of France. It is the earliest complete opera that survives with both libretto and music intact. Peri and librettist Ottavio Rinuccini were members of the Camerata, a group of Florentine intellectuals who believed ancient Greek drama had been sung, not spoken. Their attempt to recreate this lost art form produced something entirely new: continuous music supporting dramatic narrative. The premiere was a courtly affair, but the form it launched democratized rapidly. Within 40 years, Venice opened the first public opera house, and by 1700, opera was the dominant entertainment across European courts and cities.
October 6, 1600
426 years ago
Key Figures & Places
opera
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Florence
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Jacopo Peri
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Euridice (opera)
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Baroque Period
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Euridice (Peri)
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Baroque
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Henry IV of France
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Marie de' Medici
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Palacio Pitti
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Favola in Musica
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Jacopo Peri
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Opera
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Geschichte der Musik
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