For all practical purposes opera in America was, for a long period, a mere luxury product for the few, a social event much more than an artistic undertaking. It had not played any significant part in the spiritual and cultural development of the nation. To Europeans, opera in America meant only the making of as much money as possible in the shortest possible time. To Americans it meant the display of the most precious jewels and the most expensive gowns of a few hundred privileged families at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York. And for the rest of the population it meant practically nothing.