opera seria

American  

[op-er-uh seer-ee-uh, op-ruh, aw-pe-rah se-ryah] / ˈɒp ər ə ˈsɪər i ə, ˈɒp rə, ˈɔ pɛ rɑ ˈsɛ ryɑ /

noun

opera serias, plural operas seria, plural opere serie plural

1. Italian dramatic opera of the 18th century based typically on a classical subject and characterized by extensive use of the aria da capo and recitative.

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opera seria British  

/ ˈopera ˈsɛːrja, ˈsɪərɪə /

noun

1. a type of opera current in 18th-century Italy based on a serious plot, esp a mythological tale

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• operas seria
  plural
• opera serias
  plural
• opere serie
  plural

Etymology

Origin of opera seria

1875–80; < Italian: literally, serious opera

Example Sentences

My dating history featured a catalog of opera seria, each ending more tragic than the last.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2023

Night two for me was Mozart’s 1781 opera seria “Idomeneo,” set on the island of Crete in the aftermath of the Trojan War.

From Washington Post • Oct. 13, 2022

Jean-Pierre Ponnelle’s production of Mozart’s 1781 opera seria returns, with James Levine at the helm.

From New York Times • Mar. 2, 2017

Mozart's opera may be ignored because it was an opera seria, the already archaic formal style of tragic opera.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 24, 2015

You must write an opera seria and comique, an oratorio, and every kind of thing.

From The Letters of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — Volume 01 by Nohl, Ludwig