Opéra comique

From ESAT
(Redirected from Opera comique)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Opéra comique is the name given to a specific a genre of French opera that had its origins in the popular "opéras comiques en vaudevilles" performed at the various fairs in Paris and in part also to style popularised by the various Comédie-Italienne[1] troupes.

The works contain spoken dialogue and arias, based on existing popular tunes and is associated with the Paris theatre of the same name.

It is important to note that the term cannot simply be translated as "comic opera", it is more complex, for it does not deal with comical or shallow material, but can encompass even tragedy. (see for example Bizet's Carmen, possibly the most famous opéra comique).


Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opéra_comique

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comédie-Italienne

Go to ESAT Bibliography

Return to

Return to The South African Context/General Terminology and Thematic Entries

Return to South African Theatre/Terminology and Thematic Entries

Return to South African Film /Terminology and Thematic Entries

Return to South African Media/Terminology and Thematic Entries

Return to The ESAT Entries

Return to Main Page