Composers | Genres | Operas | Libretti | Arias | About
Opera buffa (18th and early 19th century) - Comic opera with everyday settings and local dialects contrasting the formal, aristocratic opera seria.
Opera seria (18th century) - Serious, noble opera with formal conventions and ancient, heroic or mythological themes .
Azione teatrale (18th century) - Small-scale one-act opera or musical play. Early form of chamber opera.
Verismo (Late 19th and early 20th century) - Opera movement inspired by naturalism and realism literary.
Tragédie en musique (17th and 18th century) - Lyric genre with themes from Classical mythology. Unity of time, drama and plot.
Opéra-ballet (Late 17th and 18th century) - Lighter version of tragédie en musique with more dance music and with plots that are not necessarily derived from Classical mythology.
Opéra comique (Early 18th till 20th century) - Comic opera with themes ranging from light to serious and tragic. Contains spoken dialogue, recitatives and arias.
Grand opéra (19th century) - Large-scale casts, orchestras and spectacular staging, often based on historical themes.
Opérette (Mid 19th and 20th century) - Light opera, both in music and subject.
Opéra bouffe (19th century) - Comic genre of opérette including satire, parody and farce.
Ballet opera (18th century) - Entertainment combining opera and ballet.
Singspiel (18th and 19th century) - Comic or romantic entertainment combining spoken dialogue, ensembles, folk-coloured ballads and arias.
Romantic Opera (Early 19th century) - Opera with 'German' themes of nature, the supernatural and folklore. Contains spoken dialogue, recitatives and arias.
Gesamtkunstwerk (19th century)