by Mimi Lu

Created on: January 10, 2008

Opera buffa was first informally used to refer to Italian comic operas, which were distinctive by their everyday settings, local dialects and the simplicity of the vocal composition.

In order to fully understand opera buffa, it must be placed within its chronological context, regarding operatic development. Opera buffa was a reaction against the extravagance and often excessive wantonness of the opera seria form. Opera buffa endeavoured to revise opera so that the everyman could relate to it, so that opera was not limited to the ranks of aristocracy, so that the sufferings, the joys, the loves, the traumas depicted in opera would be a reflection of the sufferings, the joys, the loves, the traumas of the common man. It would almost seem that Aristotle's idea of catharticism where the common man is purged by watching the fall of a great noble man was outdated in the 18th century.

The precursor for the opera buffa were the comic operas played in the intermezzo, a one-act interlude that entertained the audience between the two halves of the opera seria. The fully-developed adult opera buffa of these first juvenile fledglings would emerge in the late 18th century. La serva padrona by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi is a fine example of this new genre, which is still frequently performed to this day.

The subjects, the aria forms and even the voice types of opera buffa deviated from the opera seria model. Whilst mythoogical beings, ancient heroes and elevated aristocrats primarily dominated the plot of opera seria, opera buffa featured numerous comic scenes and ordinary characters. Seeing as opera buffa's target audience were the multitudes of common men and women, the tunes were appropriately the catchy songs that such a class would enjoy.

Also unlike its progenitor, the opera buffa had four acts, not three. As can be inferred from its name, opera seria dealt with serious subjects, mythical settings and high voices. The final requirement was followed to the letter there were no basses or baritones, only sopranos and castrati,' men who had been castrated before puberty to preserve their pre-teen high voices. In contrast, the opera buffa utilised the entire range of human voices. In fact, basso buffo' became a staple of this new genre this low-voiced male singer often featured in the centre of comic action. The language of opera buffo was also significantly modified to the dialects of the lower classes.

A major criticism of opera buffa is that it lacks the breadth of fantasy,

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