Opera is a glorious spectacle, a splendid but uneven fabric of music, drama, dance, poetry, and stage architecture, imperfect by nature yet endowed with magic. -Mary Jane Matz, Opera: Grand and Not So Grand Opera was originally a pure art, surviving on subsidies from royalty, nobility, and aristocracy. But with the opening of the first public opera house in Venice in 1637, opera has gradually become a marketable commodity, competing with popular entertainments. Today, this art form carries numerous stereotypes that mildly retard the spreading of its popularity. Younger generations often perceive opera as an activity appreciated by the wealthier and older population. Classical music in gen