Has opera traditionally been enjoyed by aristocracy only or the masses too?

Question

I was reading *A History of Opera* by Abbate and Parker. On page 19, they say "And although its financial basis has gradually broadened...opera in its primary form, theatrical form has typically been the province of elite groups, only becoming more broadly popular when technologies of various kinds allowed it to spread from the opera house into the streets and into people's homes." Is this accurate? I was under the impression opera was quite popular amongst much of European society during the time of Mozart and Beethoven. Can someone offer a more substantially supported answer than this offhand comment by Abbate and Parker?

Answer 1

I think Abbate and Parker may have been referring to the earliest stages of Opera that predated Mozart and Beethoven. The first opera's were staged in Florence in the late 1500's by Italian baroque composers such as Caccini and Monteverdi. This was several hundred years before the time of Mozart and Beethoven who were writing in the late 1700's to early 1800's. Given this timeline, Abbate and Parker's statement makes sense as Opera would have started in the late Renaissance and Baroque as an elite art form and gradually became more accessible through the classical era of Mozart with the introduction of new technologies.

These are just some of the first things that come to my mind on this topic. I hope it helps!

Best,

-Gabriel S.