Italian opera it reached the republic of Venice. It was here that the first public opera house, the Teatro di San Cassiano, was opened in 1637 by Benedetto Ferrari and Francesco Manelli. Its success moved opera away from aristocratic patronage and into the commercial world. In Venice, musical drama was no longer aimed at an elite of aristocrats and intellectuals and acquired the character of entertainment. Soon many other opera houses had sprung up in the city, performing works for a paying public during the Carnival season. The opera houses employed a very small orchestra to save money. A large part of
Chester City Hall and Opera House Chester City Hall and Opera House Chester City Hall and Opera House is a historic city hall and theatre located at Chester, Chester County, South Carolina. It was built in 1890-1891, and is a Romanesque Revival style brick building. The façade consists of three sections: a four-story tower, gabled three-story central section, and a less ornate section three-story section. The interior was renovated following a fire in 1929, which destroyed the original spire tower containing a four-faced clock. Since 1891, this building has housed the town's administrative offices. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.