Opera seria

Opera seria is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and 'serious' style of Italian opera that predominated in Europe from the 1720s to ca 1770. The only popular rival to opera seria was opera buffa, the 'comic' opera that took its cue from the improvisatory commedia dell'arte.

Structure

Opera seria built upon the strict dramma per musica ('drama through music') conventions of the High Baroque era by developing and exploiting the da capo aria, with its A-B-A form. The first section presented a theme, the second a complementary one, and the third a repeat of the first with ornamentation and elaboration of the music by the singer.

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A typical opera would start with an instrumental overture of three movements (fast-slow-fast) and then a series of recitatives containing dialogue interspersed with arias expressing the emotions of the character. After an aria was sung, the character usually exited the stage, encouraging the audience to applaud. This continued for three acts before being concluded with an upbeat chorus or duet. The leading singers each expected their far share of arias of varied mood, sad, angry, heroic or meditative.

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