Opera is a musical scenery, a musical atmosphere in which the characters move and talk.
Source: In The New Webster's Dictionary of Quotations and Famous Phrases, by Donald Bolander, 1987.
-- Erik Satie, (May 17 1866-1925), French composer; He is remembered for his avant-garde works for the piano, e.g., Socrate, 1918 and for influencing Debussy and Ravel.