Opera and Neuroscience: A Historical Approach and Its Relevance Today

Opera has played an important musical and cultural role since the fifteenth century, representing a complete artistic form. However, not much importance has been given to its possible use in the medical field as a music therapy, despite many works having shown its development over the centuries and many composers having emphasized its benefits. Recent scientific attempts have been made to apply the melodrama as a therapeutic tool, including opera therapy. These few studies have highlighted the possible areas of its application, its mechanisms from the medical point of view and the diseases linking them to various works, and in particular to specific arias and composers. The ‘melodrama’ of the romantic period seems to be the preferred choice when applying opera therapy. This music genre could be used as an extra tool in alleviating the suffering of patients, allowing them greater openness towards the therapist and a better management of the disease in general.