Definitions for "Opera seria"
Keywords:  seria, buffa, peh, serious, seh
C18 "serious opera" in three acts and in the Italian style of A. Scarlatti or Handel (contrasts the "opera buffa" - comic opera, in two acts).
The genre of opera in the 18th century in which the subject matter is entirely serious. The topics of opera seria are usually drawn from Greek mythology or Roman history.
A serious, heroic form of eighteenth century opera featuring historical or mythological figures in stereotypical plots stressing the tension between love and duty.