Donald Grout defines opera in his text, A Short History of Opera, as "a drama in music: a dramatic action, presented on stage with sets of actors in costume, words conveyed entirely or largely by singing, and all supported and amplified by orchestral music” (4). A literal translation of the word opera simply means work, and although the term opera was not coined until 1634, one of the first known operas was performed in 1597 (Grout 1). Grout explains that there are two types of opera. The first type is where the focus is on music (Grout 6). Examples of this type of opera can be seen in the works of Lully and Wagner (Grout 7). The second type of opera is characterized by the fact that music and other factors are equally important (Grout 6). Mozart, Bellini and Rossini composed operas that belong to this second type of opera (Grout 7). The origins of 17th-century opera can be traced back to Greek drama and medieval theater. Throughout the 17th century, different forms of opera were found in various countries, including Italy, Germany, France, and England. To have a thorough understanding of opera, it is important to locate its roots. Greek drama is considered “the model on which the creators of modern opera in the late 16th century based their work” (Grout 11). There are significant differences between Greek drama and opera. For example, the cast of Greek dramas consisted entirely of men (Grout 13). Additionally, Greek dramas were not entirely sung, many parts were spoken, and the majority of the singing was done by the chorus (Grout 12). The function of the chorus was to convey the audience's response (Grout 12). In the second century BCE, Greek drama underwent significant changes, including...... middle of paper...... England gave in to Italian taste, this is thought to be due to death by Henry Purcell (Grout 135). Henry Purcell was England's most important opera composer, and it was thought that with his death came despair "for the future of English musical drama" (Grout 146). Italian opera maintained its leading position throughout the Baroque era. The opera that we saw in the late Baroque era was far removed from its roots in Greek theater. Although by the end of the 17th century Italian opera was most popular in many parts of Europe, other countries made significant contributions to opera. Opera continues to evolve to this day and Baroque opera was very different from the modern opera we see today. Works Cited Grout, Donald Jay. A Brief History of Opera. 2nd ed. New York: Columbia UniversityPress, 1965. Print.