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

plural

opera serias, operas seria,

plural

opere serie

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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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

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

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 14, 2017

Radamisto: That sounds a bit extreme, / But as this is opera seria / I suppose / I have no real alternative.

From The Guardian • Oct. 8, 2010

There must be as little learning and seriousness in an opera buffa as there must be much of these elements in an opera seria; but all the more of playfulness and merriment.

From Mozart: the man and the artist, as revealed in his own words by Kerst, Friedrich