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

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

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

We often hear solemn Themas stalking majestically along in comic operas, playful little ditties in opera seria, and masses and oratorios of operatic cut in the churches.

From The Serapion Brethren, Vol. I. by Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann