The Singspiel (in the plural, Singspiele ) is a musical drama in German language, near to the opera or operetta. It is characterized by the intervention from dialogs spoken, sometimes even on music, intersected with songs and arias often of popular coloring.

Origins

First Singspiele were probably translations of Balad operated S of the end of the 18th century and comic operas French translated into German. These popular entertainments were often the fact of itinerant troops rather than of companies established in the metropolitan centers.

The booklets of Sinspiele, often coloured magic elements, are generally of comic or romantic nature, present caricatural visions of the good and evil, and put in scene fantastic creatures. However, of the more serious subjects are sometimes approached, especially by the major type-setters: Fidelio of Ludwig van Beethoven, Der Freischütz of Carl Maria von Weber, the Magic Flute of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, etc

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote its first Singspiel, Removal with the seraglio, in 1782 on ordering of the Emperor Joseph II. He continued in the kind with Zaïde, Der Schauspieldirektor, and the Magic Flute (though this work included elements of other kinds).

Posterity

The German romantic Opera of Ludwig van Beethoven, Carl Maria von Weber, Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss, is the musical heir to Singspiel, which quickly becomes obsolete at the 19th century. Very little Singspiele will consequently be written.