Ballad Opera

The Ballad Opera is a genre designation of the English musical theater in the 18th century.

Description

In the " Ballad opera" the structure of the Italian opera of the period was maintained, with the recitatives were replaced by spoken dialogue and mostly simple folk melodies using found. In the form of a Singspiel mocked and parodied the "Songs opera " serious works of theater or musical theater. The first notable example of the genre is "The Gentle Shepherd " ( 1725) by Allan Ramsay, with the highlight undoubtedly John Gay's famous " Beggar's Opera " ( The Beggar's Opera, 1728) was that of the template for the " Threepenny Opera" (1928 ) Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill formed. Around a quarter of a century enjoyed the "Ballad opera" as a contrast to the serious musical theater at the London audience popularity. Her most famous creators Colley Cibber count, Henry Fielding and D. Garrick. The last notable example is Richard Sheridan's " The Duenna ". It was created in 1775 when the great time the genre was already over.

Effects

The "Ballad opera" can be seen as a critical reaction to the predominant form of Italian opera. Because of the foreign language, the artificial dialogues in the form of recitatives and unrealistic acts more like an upper-class audience was attributable reserved The pieces of the new genus were able to lure even men of the British lower and middle class in the musical theater. Your success urged the Italian opera back further and further, so that, for example, George Frideric Handel ceased in 1741 to compose more operas.