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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

verismo

“Fedora,” a verismo opera set against the backdrop of anticzarist uprisings in Russia in the 1880s, was a hit when it debuted in Milan, praised for its lush score and fast-paced drama.

From New York Times ● Dec. 29, 2022

“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 audience was so excited after this that she also sang the second one, “Acerba voluttà” from Cilea’s “Adriana Lecouvreur,” showing Italianate verismo fire, and power to spare.

From Washington Post ● May 5, 2019

Umberto Giordano’s verismo opera, under the direction of Mario Martone, will return to the Teatro alla Scala, where it debuted in 1896.

From New York Times ● Sep. 6, 2017

At the first I listened to some of the hot-blooded music of an Italian composer of the so-called school of verismo.

From A Book of Operas Their Histories, Their Plots, and Their Music by Henry Edward Krehbiel

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