Greek Drama and the Beginnings of Opera
Illustrated lecture by Dr. R. P. Jain, musicologist

Introduction: Shri Sunit Tandon

The lecture traces the history of operas from its early beginnings at the end of the 16th century, when some intellectuals and nobles met in Florence who fired by the ideas of the Renaissance endeavoured to revive Greek drama. Its development over the centuries from classical traditions as themes to becoming more personal dramas in the 18th century; the use of literary texts and national elements of different countries in the 19th ; and a return to composers using Greek mythology as themes in the 20th century