Opera lovers watch an opera performed at La Scala Opera House.
A HOUSE FOR SONGS
La Scala in Milan, Italy, is a house built for singing—an opera house.
It is built on the same ground where the Church of Santa Maria della
Scala once stood. The opera house is named for the same family as the
church was.
An opera is a play told to music. The performers sing the parts they
play. Sometimes they may talk, and sometimes they may even dance. What
they do depends on the kind of opera it is.
Some of the most famous operas, such as Madame Butterfly by Puccini
and Falstaff by Verdi, were first performed at La Scala. The
world-famous director Arturo Toscanini once directed music there for
such famous opera singers as Renata Tebaldi and Rosa Raisa.
La Scala is the most important opera house in Italy and one of the most
famous opera houses in the world.
