Last
week we discussed serious opera during the early classical period. But what
about operas with comic subjects? Unlike opera seria that extended beyond
borders, comic opera was a bit different depending on the nation. Today we will
look at a few of these forms found in Italy.
Opera
buffa was the main form of comic opera found in Italy during the classical
period. Unlike other nations, the opera was sung throughout with no spoken
dialogue. It typically contained around six or more characters and took place
during present day rather in historical times as in many opera serias.
Another
form of comic opera found in Italy is known as an intermezzo. Intermezzos are
two-act comic operas performed in between the acts of an opera seria. They
typically only contained two singing characters with one possible third
character acting as a mute.
One
example of an intermezzo is Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s La Serva padrona which sparked the Quarrel of the Comic
Actors in France. Here is a clip. Notice the
simplicity of the recitative and accompaniment. What do you think? How does
this compare to other operas we’ve looked at so far?
