While the early opera derived its topics and material from the ancient drama and its form from the mediæval Mystery, it early settled into an arbitrary style of its own. The stories were at first wholly taken from Greek mythology, but tales from Roman, Jewish, Oriental or early Christian history were soon added, especially those that had already been used by Italian poets. The same subjects and the same plots constantly recurred with slight variations. Intrigues, entanglements through disguises and tricks, applications of magical or superhuman power, and the like, abounded. The dénouement was always happy, however tragic the story, while absolute comedy became more and more frequent. Personages were usually multiplied, both as actual participants and as a dumb spectacle. The action was divided into three or more acts, each containing many scenes with shifts of setting, while at the beginning was usually a considerable prologue by mythological characters or personified ideas and at the end a licenza or epilogue of a dedicatory or apologetic nature. Occasionally, poets of ability served as librettists (Busenello being named as the most gifted), but, as a rule, the texts were hack-work, often hasty, ill-conceived and bombastic. Especially where works were given as parts of lavish private festivities, but more or less in all cases, the expenditure for costumes, scenery and manifold accessories tended to be enormous. Great numbers of soldiers, slaves, citizens, etc., were introduced for spectacular effect, with quantities of animals, birds, plants and other natural objects. Huge or grotesque machines or figures were devised to heighten the illusions.
As an illustration, at the performance of Cesti's Il pomo d'oro at
Vienna (1666) a special theatre, seating 1500 persons, was built in the
castle courtyard, the scenery included landscapes and a harbor view, the
open sea with tritons, the nether world, and the Olympian heaven, each
with its respective divinities, and the number of characters was bewildering.
In the prologue appeared the personified divisions of the Empire,
Spain, Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, Germany, Italy—even America!
There were 5 acts and 67 scenes. The cost of production was said to be
100,000 thalers. Freschi's Berenice at Padua (1680) was another example
of prodigious display.
As a rule, the opera season was limited to the time of Carnival
(Epiphany to Lent), but supplemental seasons after Easter and
in the autumn were sometimes undertaken. Novelties were con-
