opera seria

E600006

Opera seria is an 18th-century Italian operatic genre characterized by serious, often classical or mythological subjects, virtuosic vocal writing, and a formal structure centered on da capo arias.

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Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Italian opera
opera genre
hasAlternativeLabel dramma per musica
serious opera
hasComposer Antonio Vivaldi NERFINISHED
Christoph Willibald Gluck NERFINISHED
George Frideric Handel NERFINISHED
Johann Adolf Hasse NERFINISHED
Leonardo Vinci NERFINISHED
Nicola Porpora NERFINISHED
Tommaso Traetta NERFINISHED
hasDeclinePeriod late 18th century
hasDramaticFeature focus on noble characters
moral conflicts
rigid dramaturgical conventions
hasInfluenced Gluckian reform opera
classical-era opera
hasLibrettist Apostolo Zeno NERFINISHED
Pietro Metastasio NERFINISHED
hasLibrettoLanguage Italian
hasMusicalFeature da capo aria
ornamented melodies
recitative and aria alternation
virtuosic vocal writing
hasOriginCountry Italy NERFINISHED
hasPatronage aristocratic courts
royal courts
hasPeakPeriod first half of the 18th century
hasPerformanceContext public opera houses
hasPerformancePractice accompanied recitative with orchestra
improvised vocal ornamentation
secco recitative with continuo
hasStructuralFeature closed number format
separation of recitative and aria
three-act structure
hasSubjectMatter ancient history
classical mythology
heroic themes
serious themes
hasTheatricalConvention exit aria convention
limited use of ensembles
minimal chorus use
hasTimePeriod 18th century
hasTypicalForm ABA da capo aria form
hasTypicalLanguage Italian
hasVocalType bass roles
castrato roles
coloratura soprano roles
tenor roles

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Don Giovanni genre opera seria
Pietro Metastasio influenced opera seria