Why Grand Art Forms Like Opera and Ballet Flourished in Europe but Not in the Persian, Turkic, Arab, and Indian Worlds
Why Grand Art Forms Like Opera and Ballet Flourished in Europe but Not in the Persian, Turkic, Arab, and Indian Worlds Why did Europe birth the grand spectacles of opera and ballet in the 16th and 17th centuries, while the Persian, Turkic, Arab, and Indian worlds—despite vibrant traditions of music, dance, and drama—developed no direct equivalents? This essay explores the cultural, economic, technological, and political factors behind this divergence, with a focus on court versus public commercial patronage and its parallels with the stock market’s role in democratizing investment. Europe’s Renaissance humanism, colonial wealth, and theater innovations, rooted in Greco-Roman amphitheaters, fueled opera and ballet as symbols of prestige. In contrast, Persian Ta’zieh, Turkic âşık epics, Arab maqam recitals, and Indian Kathakali prioritized spiritual, communal, or oral traditions, often in temporary venues. By the 19th century, colonial influence spurred adoption of Western forms, but e...