Definitions for "Ballad opera"
This dramatic form is made up of a combination of spoken dialogue and popular ballads. Gay's opera is the first ballad opera of its kind.
A form of English operatic entertainment made popular in the early 18th century, combining spoken dialogue, popular tunes and dances. The most typical example is John Gay’s The Beggars Opera. Ballad opera was particularly popular in Dublin. Mozart’s The Abduction from the Seraglio (which Opera Pacific will perform in January of 2003) is considered a “singspiel” which is a German form of ballad opera. Modern operas that are considered part of this genre include Vaughan William’s Hugh the Drover, and Weill’s The Three Penney Opera.
A popular eighteenth-century English dramatic form characterized by spoken dialogue on topical themes interspersed with popular folk songs.