Editing List of major opera composers (section)

=== 1550–1699 ===
[[Image:Jacopo Peri 1.jpg|thumb|[[Jacopo Peri]] as Arion in ''La pellegrina'']]<onlyinclude>
* '''[[Jacopo Peri]]''' (1561–1633) [[Florence|Florentine]] who composed both the first opera ever, ''[[Dafne]]'' (1598), and the first surviving opera, ''[[Euridice (Peri)|Euridice]]'' (1600).<ref>''Viking Opera Guide'' p. 768</ref>
* '''[[Claudio Monteverdi]]''' (1567–1643) Generally regarded as [[List of operas by Claudio Monteverdi|the first major opera composer]].<ref>Orrey p. 18</ref> In ''[[L'Orfeo|Orfeo]]'' (1607) he blended Peri's experiments in opera with the lavish spectacle of the [[intermedi]].<ref>Professor Tim Carter in ''Viking Opera Guide'' (p. 678) writes: "Monteverdi's recitative owes much to [[Jacopo Peri|Peri]]&nbsp;... However ''Orfeo'' has much broader roots. There are many references to the tradition of the Florentine intermedi: the spectacular stage effects, the mythological subject matter, the allegorical figures, the number and scoring of the instruments and the extended choruses". See also Carter, writing about the intermedi in ''The Oxford Illustrated History of Opera'' (p. 4): "rich display and erudite symbolism made the intermedi an ideal projection of princely magnificence".</ref> Later, in Venice in the 1640s, he helped make opera a commercially viable form with ''[[Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria]]'' and ''[[L'incoronazione di Poppea]]'', one of the earliest operas in the present-day operatic repertoire.
* '''[[Francesco Cavalli]]''' (1602–1676) Amongst the most important of Monteverdi's successors, Cavalli was a major force in spreading opera throughout Italy and also helped introduce it to France. His ''[[Giasone]]'' was ''" the most popular opera of the 17th century".''<ref>''Viking Opera Guide'' p. 189</ref>
* '''[[Jean-Baptiste Lully]]''' (1632–1687) In close collaboration with the librettist [[Philippe Quinault]], Lully founded the tradition of ''[[tragédie en musique]]'',<ref>Orrey p. 35</ref> combining singing, dance and visual spectacle, which would remain the most prestigious French operatic genre for almost a hundred years. ''[[Cadmus et Hermione]]'' (1673) is often regarded as the first example of [[French opera]].
* '''[[Henry Purcell]]''' (1659–1695) First English operatic composer of significance. His masterwork is ''[[Dido and Aeneas]]''.<ref>Orrey p. 55</ref>
* '''[[Alessandro Scarlatti]]''' (1660–1725) Key figure in the development of [[opera seria]], Scarlatti claimed to have composed over 100 operas, of which ''[[Griselda (A. Scarlatti)|La Griselda]]'' is a notable example.<ref>''Viking Opera Guide'' p. 942</ref></onlyinclude>
* '''[[Jean-Philippe Rameau]]''' (1683–1764) Most important French opera composer of the 18th century. Following in the genre established by [[Jean-Baptiste Lully|Lully]],<ref name="Orrey p. 40">Orrey p. 40</ref> he endowed his works with a great richness of invention. Rameau's musical daring provoked great controversy in his day,<ref name="Orrey p. 40"/> but he was an important influence on [[Christoph Willibald Gluck|Gluck]].
* '''[[Johann Christoph Pepusch]]''' (1667–1752) Arranger of the first English [[ballad opera]], the biting political satire, ''[[The Beggar's Opera]]''.<ref>''Viking Opera Guide'' p. 343</ref>
* '''[[George Frideric Handel]]''' (1685–1759) Handel's  ''[[opera seria|opera serie]]'' set the standard in his day.<ref name="Orrey p. 59">Orrey p. 59</ref> Handel composed a series of over 30 operas.