A Singspiel (; plural: ; ) is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libre ...

. It is characterized by spoken dialogue, which is alternated with ensembles, songs,

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

s, and

aria In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...

s which were often strophic, or folk-like. Singspiel plots are generally comic or romantic in nature, and frequently include elements of magic, fantastical creatures, and comically exaggerated characterizations of good and evil. __TOC__

History

Some of the first Singspiele were miracle plays in Germany, where dialogue was interspersed with singing. By the early 17th century, miracle plays had grown profane, the word "Singspiel" is found in print, and secular Singspiele were also being performed, both in translated borrowings or imitations from English and Italian songs and plays, and in original German creations. In the 18th century, some Singspiele were translations of English ballad operas. In 1736, the Prussian ambassador to England commissioned a translation of the ballad opera ''The Devil to Pay''. This was successfully performed in the 1740s in Hamburg and Leipzig. A further version of this was made by Johann Adam Hiller and C. F. Weiße in 1766 ('' Der Teufel ist los oder Die verwandelten Weiber''), the first of a string of such collaborations which led to Hiller and Weisse being called "the fathers of the German Singspiel."'' Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1980 edition), "Ballad opera." French operas with spoken dialogue ('' opéras comiques'') were frequently transcribed into the German and became very successful in Vienna in the late 1770s and early 1780s. By contrast, German translations of contemporary Italian '' opere buffe'', which were quite successful in England and France at the time, were significantly less frequent. Singspiele were considered middle-to-lower class

entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousan ...

– as opposed to the predominantly aristocratic genres of opera, ballet and stage play – and were usually performed by traveling troupes (such as the Koch, Döbbelin and Koberwein companies), rather than by established companies within metropolitan centers. Mozart wrote several Singspiele: '' Bastien und Bastienne'' (1768), '' Zaide'' (1780), '' Die Entführung aus dem Serail'' (1782), '' Der Schauspieldirektor'' (1786), and finally '' Die Zauberflöte'' (1791).

E. T. A. Hoffmann Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann (born Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann; 24 January 1776 – 25 June 1822) was a German Romantic author of fantasy and Gothic horror, a jurist, composer, music critic and artist. Penrith Goff, "E.T.A. Hoffmann" in E ...

, who admired him, composed Singspiele, such as '' Liebe und Eifersucht'' in 1807. In 1927, Kurt Weill created a new word, "Songspiel", to describe his work '' Mahagonny-Songspiel''.

References

Notes Sources * Barbara Russano Hanning, Donald Jay Grout: ''Concise History of Western Music'', W. W. Norton & Company, 1998. *'' Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', "Singspiel."

External links

* {{Authority control Opera genres Opera terminology German music history German literature