The world of opera has inspired tributes to its extravagant art from composers and performers since its inception. These tributes have come in many forms, from the sublime transcriptions of Wagner by Franz Liszt to the ridiculous parodies by P.D.Q. Bach (intentional) and Florence Foster Jenkins (unintentional?). In between these two extremes are more practical paeans to the noble form, such as the transcriptions of arias and scenes from Mozart’s operas (some by Mozart himself) for Harmonie (wind band), which were utilized as “advertisement” for his operas.

There are also many fine opera fantasies (most less lofty than those by Liszt) written by instrumental virtuosos to exploit the expressive and technical capabilities of their instruments.