Today in History: Metropolitan Opera House
Today in History–October 22–the Library of Congress features New York’s Metropolitan Opera House, which opened its doors on this day in 1883. In addition to staging operas, the Met and other opera houses also hosted charity events, community dances, fairs, plays, vaudeville shows, and even funerals. Find out more about this prestigious cultural institution by visiting the Today in History section, then click the links below to access more primary sources related to the Met and opera. Be sure not to miss this Library treasure, The Victrola Book of the Opera, an interactive digital book that describes 110 operas and allows you to listen to nearly every recording referenced in the book!
The First Metropolitan Opera House – Topics in Chronicling America
More Metropolitan Opera House historical newspaper coverage
Metropolitan Opera House image set
Metropolitan Opera House printed ephemera
A Night at the Opera online exhibition
#Opera Before Instagram: Portraits, 1890–1955 online exhibition
Justice by Composer Roger Reynolds article
Justice streaming video of opera performance
Opera printed ephemera, articles & books
Guided Primary Source Analysis: Victrola Book of the Opera
Articles
- The Metropolitan Opera House Opens in New York America’s Library
- Marian Anderson Performed at the Metropolitan Opera America’s Library
- Opera The Library of Congress Celebrates the Songs of America
- Operas Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music, ca. 1820 to 1860
- American Opera
- 1950’s and 1960’s: Opera and Stylistic Diversity Aaron Copland Collection
Library blog posts about Opera
- All That Jazz … and Humor, Opera, Dance Music . . . Library of Congress Blog May 10, 2011
- The Belle Brown Collection: An American Opera Student at the Turn of the 20th Century In the Muse December 2, 2013
- Mary Cardwell Dawson: First Lady of Opera In the Muse March 1, 2019
- Of Cantonese Opera and Guatemalan Marimba Now See Hear! July 24, 2014
- Chinese Opera in North America Library of Congress Blog August 1, 2017
- A (Married) Life at the Opera Library of Congress Blog August 15, 2013
- Nancy Yunhwa Rao Speaks About Chinese Opera Folklife Today August 2, 2017
- No Opera, No X-Rays! Inside Adams August 23, 2013
- Nocturnal Sounds Inspired the Comic Opera The Frogs of Windham In the Muse July 21, 2016
- Opera Goes to the Bastille In the Muse July 7, 2011
- Opera Onstage, Drama Offstage (Metropolitan Opera) Library of Congress Blog October 22, 2014
- Sonneck’s Obsession and Putnam’s Pursuit: Commissioning Transcripts of Opera in Full Score In the Muse June 4, 2014
- Through the Lens of Opera Inside Adams January 5, 2012
- Un après-midi à l’opéra In the Muse June 5, 2013
Related resources