A bold, engaging exploration of opera's fundamental nature and enduring appeal, from the sixteenth century to the present. There are lively discussions of opera's social, political, and literary backgrounds, its economic circumstances, and the almost continual polemics that have accompanied its development through the centuries. The authors examine the problems that opera has faced in the last half century, when new works-- once opera's lifeblood-- have shrunk to a tiny minority and have largely failed to find a permanent place in the repertoire. Yet opera as an art form remains extraordinarily buoyant and challenging.