While the piece contains some of Puccini's most familiar arias (including the famous "Vissi d'arte" sung by the title heroine), it is largely set in through-composed style. The opera also utilizes Wagnerian-style leitmotifs, or short motive themes, to represent individual characters or ideas. A realist to the core, Puccini travelled to Rome to meticulously research the church processions, chant melodies, and bell sounds that he would include in the score of Tosca. His juxtaposition of Tosca's religion against the brutal and passionate circumstances within which she finds herself is what makes this one of the most exciting and beloved operas of all time.