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Period: to
Baroque era
The era immediately following the Renaissance -
Euridice (Peri)
Jacopo Peri's Euridice is the earliest surviving opera -
Giulio Cesare (Handel)
Giulio Cesare is important because it is a child of the Italian opera tradition by a German composer. -
The Beggar's Opera (Gay)
John Gay's "anti-opera" can be considered a far precursor to modern musicals. -
Period: to
Classical era
Second era of the "common practice period". -
Period: to
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Composer of important operas such as Cosi fan tutti, Le nozze de Figaro, and Don Giovanni -
Orfeo ed Euridice (Gluck)
Christoph Willibald Gluck's opera is considered the first "reform" opera, breaking from the traditions of the Baroque era. -
Period: to
Gioachino Rossini
Prolific operatic composer of the classical era. Il barbieri de Siviglia, Guillaume Tell -
Period: to
Richard Wagner
The most important German operatic composer, his works were so grandiose that he had to build his own opera house to stage them. Famous for the Ring Cycle. -
Period: to
Giuseppe Verdi
Important Romantic operatic composer of Rigoletto, La traviata, and Aida. -
Period: to
Romantic era
The third era of the "common practice period." -
Der Freischutz (von Weber)
Carl Maria von Weber's opera is considered a landmark and hallmark of the Romantic era. -
Orphee aux enfers
The first French operetta, Jacques Offenbach's work is famous for the can-can dance. -
Period: to
Giacomo Puccini
"The most important composer of Italian opera after Verdi," he is famous for La boheme, Turandot, and Madama Butterfly. -
Prince Igor (Borodin)
Aleksandr Borodin's opera is probably the most well-known of all Russian operas. -
Period: to
20th Century
The twentieth century is its own era in music history! -
Wozzeck (Berg)
One of the most well-known atonal operas, Berg used an unfinished play as his story. -
Porgy and Bess (Gershwin)
Gershwin's opera is notable for being jazz-influenced and for featuring an all-African American cast. -
Candide (Bernstein)
Bernstein's Candide, based on Voltaire's novel, is a staple of modernist opera. -
Jesus Christ Superstar (Lloyd Webber)
Andrew Lloyd Webber's controversial work is considered the first rock opera. -
Einstein on the Beach (Glass)
Philip Glass's opera is the first in a minimalist style. -
Nixon in China (Adams)
John Adams's opera marked a return to tonalism and political themes. -
Rent (Larson)
Jonathan Larson's rock opera is based on Puccini's La boheme, but replaces the fear of tuberculosis with that of AIDS.
