Meaning of Ballad Opera in Music
Ballad opera is a genre of English stage entertainment that originated in the early 18th century and continued to develop over the following century. It is a form of musical theater that combines spoken dialogue with songs. Ballad operas were created as a response to the dominance of Italian opera in London during that time. Unlike Italian opera, which often featured aristocratic themes and music, ballad operas focused on lower-class characters and used popular folk songs as their musical foundation The stories of ballad operas typically revolved around the lower, often criminal, orders, and often satirized the high moral values of Italian opera.
The term "ballad" in ballad opera refers to a work in dance form that imitates a folk song and has a narrative structure These ballads were adapted to new words or borrowed from popular operas, and they were often deliberately kept very short to minimize disruptions to the flow of the story. The dialogue in ballad operas was typically spoken in English, and the songs were interspersed throughout the performance.
One of the most influential ballad operas is "The Beggar's Opera" by John Gay, first performed in 1728. It satirized the political and social climate of the time and became a significant cultural phenomenon In the 20th century, Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht's "The Threepenny Opera" reworked the story and characters of "The Beggar's Opera" while maintaining its satirical nature.
In summary, ballad opera is a genre of English stage entertainment that combines spoken dialogue with songs. It originated in the early 18th century as a response to the dominance of Italian opera and often featured lower-class characters and popular folk songs as its musical foundation.
References: 'Ballad opera | English, 18th Century, Comedy | Britannica' - Source: 'Ballad opera - Wikipedia' - Source: 'Ballad opera - Wikipedia' - Source: 'An introduction to The Beggar's Opera | The British Library' - Source:
English comic opera, usually featuring spoken dialogue alternating with songs set to popular tunes.
In addition, you can familiarize yourself with the terms:
- [English] comic opera
- [French] opéra comique (m)
- [French] opéra bouffe (m)
- [German] komische Oper (f)
- [German] heitere Oper (f)
- [Italian] opera comica
- [Italian] opera buffa (f)
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