What is Opera?
{{for|the web browser|Opera (web browser)}} [[File:Mariinsky Theatre.jpg|thumb|[[Mariinsky Theatre]] is a world-famous opera house in [[St. Petersburg]]]] '''Opera''' is a drama set to music. An opera is like a [[Play (theatre)|play]] in which everything is sung instead of spoken. Operas are usually performed in opera houses. The singers who sing and act out the story are on the [[stage (theatre)|stage]], and the [[orchestra]] is in front of the stage but lower down, in the [[orchestra pit]], so that the audience can see the stage. == Musical numbers of an opera == An opera is normally divided into two, three, four or even five acts. In older operas the music was mostly [[recitative]] and [[aria]]s. During the recitative things would happen in the story. The aria was a song for a solo singer, a setting of a lyric. As well as recitative and aria there would be choruses. The chorus were a group of singers who sing in the crowd scenes. The opera would start with an overture for the orchestra. The overture would usually include tunes that are going to be heard later in the opera. In operas from the [[19th century]] onwards there is often little or no difference between recitative and aria. Composers like [[Richard Wagner|Wagner]] wanted to get away from operas which had lots of separate arias in which the singers showed off, with the audience clapping loudly after each one. He wanted continuous music so that the mood would not be broken. Sometimes operas have a lot of dancing in them. [[France|French]] opera especially would often have one act which was full of dances. == Types of opera == Not all operas have music all the time. '''Grand opera''' is opera which is all set to music. '''Opéra bouffe''' (French) or '''Opera buffa''' (Italian) is comic opera. The story is very light-hearted and funny. '''Opéra comique''' is a French term for opera which has some spoken words. Surprisingly it does not mean a “comic” opera. An opera like ''Carmen'', which is a tragedy, is still an opéra comique due to the fact tha