Opera (Baroque) is described as...

• A. A dramatic work in one or more acts, set to music for singers and instrumentalists. Baroque opera = secular
• B. A religious oratorio without costumes
• C. A short cantata for church service
• D. A purely instrumental concert

Answer: (A)

Opera is a dramatic work that combines music, singing, and acting, usually presented on stage with costumes and scenery. In the Baroque period it was typically secular in subject, which sets it apart from sacred forms. The other options describe forms that aren’t staged dramas: an oratorio is religious and performed without costumes or staging; a cantata is a shorter church piece; and a purely instrumental concert has no singers. So the description that best fits is a dramatic work in acts set to music for singers and instrumentalists, often with secular content in the Baroque era.