verismo

American  

[vuh-riz-moh, ve-reez-maw] / vəˈrɪz moʊ, vɛˈriz mɔ /

noun

1. the use of everyday life and actions in artistic works: introduced into opera in the early 1900s in reaction to contemporary conventions, which were seen as artificial and untruthful.

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verismo British  

/ veˈrismo, vɛˈrɪzməʊ /

noun

1. music a school of composition that originated in Italian opera towards the end of the 19th century, drawing its themes from real life and emphasizing naturalistic elements. Its chief exponent was Puccini

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Etymology

Origin of verismo

1905–10; < Italian: realism, equivalent to ver ( o ) true (< Latin vērus ) + -ismo -ism

Example Sentences

Puccini’s “Turandot,” a verismo opera set in a fabled version of ancient China, makes for an odd love story.

From New York Times • Feb. 29, 2024

It is verismo without the melodrama, a knowing soundtrack for how goodness is found in the quotidian.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2024

Some Stamos fans may enjoy this kind of Malibu verismo, but I found myself repeatedly looking floorward in search of a dog to pet.

From New York Times • Oct. 24, 2023

“Verdi has been for years and years, has been performed like a sort of parody of the verismo, like a bad Puccini,” he said.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 24, 2022

The Italian disciples of verismo are in full cry after nationalism and local color.

From Chapters of Opera Being historical and critical observations and records concerning the lyric drama in New York from its earliest days down to the present time by Krehbiel, Henry Edward