Opera Buffa

The world of opera can be divided into two distinct parts; that of opera seria or the serious opera and opera buffa or the comic opera.

Opera buffa came to light in the southern regions of Italy in Naples during the early decades of the seventeen hundreds. It took a few decades before this particular style of the comic opera made it into northern Italy and then on to the rest of Europe. It was at this point that other non Italian composers got into the act and wrote some of their own musical comedies.

Opera buffa was not a newly created genre but a refinement of the earlier comedic works in Rome and Venice.

Opera seria is known for it's long drawn out arias. But opera buffa is characterized by short quick dance like numbers.

In opera seria the musicality and singing ability of the performer is stressed. The ability to sing long arias and hold the notes for an extended period of time is important. With the opera buffa the acting ability of the performer is stressed. Like a big Broadway production the performers must be actors who can sing and do so very well.

Opera seria is known for its dramatic flavour. In opera buffa the plots are farcical with machinations bordering on anarchy. The opera contained repetitions which would appear like clockwork. The style of the opera buffa allowed for situations to develop more quickly than those of the dramatic format in the opera seria; which also allowed for a smoother work in the opera buffa.

Opera buffa as a rage for composers was short lived and came to an end in the early decades of the eighteen hundreds; but not before Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Gioachino Rossini got into the act with their own versions of the opeera buffa. It was "The Barber of Seville" for Rossini and "Don Giovanni" and "Figaro" for Mozart.