Searching for a 3D multiferroic material with a strong magnetoelectric coupling and high critical temperature is a major challenge in modern condensed matter research. CuO is the building block of high-temperature superconductors and triggered a new interest when it was established as potential high temperature multiferroic. We have succeeded in growing high quality single crystals of CuO with two different methods, namely the floating zone under high oxygen pressure and the chemical vapor transport growth. The fact that we are able togrow crystals of the same compound by different techniques makes it possible to study the effect of slightly different chemical compositions, various kinds of defects and variable strain on the final properties of the compound. Optical spectroscopy has been deployed to study the optical response of cupric oxide. Thereby we achieved a deeper insight of the optical, electronic and structural properties by measuring the infrared reflectivity under a magnetic field and the Raman shift under hydrostatic high pressure.