This week I'm looking at the term 'Opera Buffa'

What is Opera Buffa?
Another glorious Italian phrase. It literally means comic opera.  This is an opera with a plot that has a deliberately light and humorous subject albeit with appropriate serious deviations.
This is very different from the suspiciously similar French opéra comique genre which is not always necessarily full of comedy despite its title.

Origins and growth?
It first appeared in the 18th century as entertainment that drew heavily on real life.
A great early example is Pergolesi's La serva Padrona.
Gradually librettists added more moral heroines and further serious and emotional episodes.
Examples with these qualities include Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia and Donizetti's Don Pasquale.

Musical Features
Two of the most important identifiable features include:
1. Rapid recitativo secco underscoring the dramatic escapades on stage.
2. Extended multi-section finales to the acts littered with dramatic surprises.

During the 19th century the genre became indistinguishable from many other types of opera due to the demise of recitativo secco as a popular dramatic vehicle. This made serious operas with humorous elements and humorous operas with serious elements essentially one and the same.

That's this week's 'Secco 60' see you next week.