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 rjɑ /

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

Noun Inflected Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of opera seria

1875–80; < Italian: literally, serious opera

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

opera seria

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

Mozart had long since tossed out the archaic opera seria format.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2017

A treasure of the highly stylized, rule-driven, 18th-century opera seria genre, “Idomeneo” isn’t popular like “Don Giovanni” or “Le Nozze di Figaro.”

From New York Times ● Aug. 12, 2016

The first performance of the opera seria at Rome, in 1606, consisted of scenes in recitative and airs, exhibited in a cart during the carnival.

From The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction Volume 12, No. 337, October 25, 1828 by Various