Opera term and research papers are mainly written in MLA style but the writing style may vary depending upon the required word limit. Opera is the dramatic work of musicians and singers who combine musical store with a story text called the libretto. The dramatic work of opera includes a broad range of elements associated with spoken theatre such as costumes, acting, and scenery, often dance as well. Opera is also associated with the study of classical music in western traditions. Opera is typically performed in a purposely built opera house assisted with an orchestra but can also be a smaller musical ensemble.

The first opera was organized by Jacopo Peri's in Florence at the end of the sixteenth century. Opera soon spread throughout Europe and become national traditions in Germany, England and France around the seventeenth century. The wordings of an opera are known as libretto or little book. Traditional forms of opera consisted of two characteristic modes of singing. First, being the recitative in which the plot elements are sung in a non-melodic style while in aria (second characteristic mode) wherein the characters present their emotions in a structured melodic type. Opera term and research papers often tend to focus upon the composing and these styles used in famous opera pieces such as the Handel opera. The popularity of opera has decreased in the 21st century due to the emergence of different forms of arts such as cinema, musicals, television, radio and recordings. However, singers such as Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti and The Three Tenors have been supported by mass media despite opera’s decreasing popularity.