A History of Opera

A new form of art
                 More than 400 years ago in Italy, a group of fans of ancient Greek drama got together.  They believed the ancient Greek plays had told their stories with music.  They wanted to try the same thing.
                 This fan club included a lot of musicians and poets. Creating this new art "opera in musica," which means "musical work."  It got shortened to "opera." 
                 One of the fans, Jacopo Peri, composed what we think of as the first opera.  After that, this new kind of musical drama caught on fast.  Soon, it spread throughout Europe.  Opera stars and composers became like the rock stars of today.
Opera at the movies
                 Opera is very expensive to produce.  The sets, costumes, orchestra and singers all cost a lot of money.  Opera tickets can be costly.
                 But about five years ago, the Metropolitan Opera of New York found a less expensive way to bring opera to many more people.  It began broadcasting live opera in movie theaters throughout the world.
                 "The Met: Live in HD"  shows operea to millions of fans in about 50 countries.  English subtitles help American fans translate the words.