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

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

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

It was his last opera seria, a dramatic form that was already going out of fashion when it was written.

From The Guardian • Jan. 26, 2013

Had the young composer been successful in the ordinary opera seria, there is reason to fear that the great dramatic reform, initiated by him, might not have taken place.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 2 "Gloss" to "Gordon, Charles George" by Various