This study investigates the entire Italian operatic tradition, approaching opera not only as a distinctive musical genre but also as a form of extravagant theatre and as a complex social phenomenon. The text traces the social, economic and artistic history of the production of opera from its origins around 1600 to contemporary stagings. Although it has always been a deficit-producing enterprise, opera has maintained unchallenged pre-eminence in the culture of all Italians for centuries. The first half of the book explores the central role of theatre impresarios in putting on these complex productions and in increasing the output of librettos and scores. The second half considers the roles of the three key figures in the creation of any opera: the librettist, the composer and the singer.