opera buffa

[op-er-uh boo-fuh, op-ruh, aw-pe-rah boof-fah]

noun

plural

opera buffas, operas buffa ,

plural

opere buffe .

1. an Italian farcical comic opera originating in the 18th century and containing recitativo secco, patter songs, and ensemble finales.

2. the operatic genre comprising such works.

opera buffa

/ ˈbuːfə, ˈopera ˈbuffa /

noun

1. comic opera, esp that originating in Italy during the 18th century

Word History and Origins

Origin of opera buffa¹

Borrowed into English from Italian around 1795–1805

Word History and Origins

Origin of opera buffa¹

from Italian: comic opera

Example Sentences

This obscure and hilariously outrageous takeoff on the genre of Italian opera buffa, written in 1846, turned out to be the hit of the weekend.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

A comic opera ends with a wedding, and our opera buffa is no exception.

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The casual misogyny of Strauss’s only opera buffa — a work that unfolds like a love letter to Mozart, Rossini and Donizetti — was hardly a point of controversy when it premiered in Dresden in 1935.

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It turns out that this isn’t really tragedy or farce, grand opera or opera buffa: it’s corporate promotion.

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They turn courtroom trials into opera buffa, at least until the victim is shackled and pushed out the door to a prison cell.

Read more on Salon