View source for Singspiel

{{Short description|Opera genre}}
{{For|the racehorse|Singspiel (horse)}}
[[File:Entfuhrung aus dem Serail484.jpg|thumb|[[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]] (center) attending a performance of his Singspiel, ''[[Die Entführung aus dem Serail]]'', in Berlin in 1789]]
A '''Singspiel''' ({{IPA|de|ˈzɪŋʃpiːl|-|de-Singspiel.ogg}}; plural: {{lang|de|Singspiele}}; {{literally|sing-play}}) is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of [[opera]].<ref>According to the 1908 edition of ''[[Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians|Grove's Dictionary of Music]]'', the main distinction between [[opera]] and Singspiel is: "[Singspiel] by no means excludes occasional [[recitative]] in place of the spoken dialogue, but the moment the music helps to develop the dramatic denouement we have to do with Opera and not with Singspiel."</ref> It is characterized by spoken [[dialogue]], which is alternated with [[Musical ensemble|ensembles]], [[song]]s, [[ballad]]s, and [[aria]]s which were often [[Strophic form|strophic]], or folk-like. Singspiel plots are generally comic or romantic in nature, and frequently include elements of [[magic (paranormal)|magic]], fantastical creatures, and comically exaggerated characterizations of good and evil.
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==History==
Some of the first Singspiele were [[Mystery play|miracle play]]s in Germany, where dialogue was interspersed with singing. By the early 17th century, miracle plays had grown profane, the word "Singspiel" is found in print,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?lr=&num=100&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html&as_brr=0&q=Singspiel+OR+Singspiele&btnG=Search+Books&as_drrb_is=b&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=1600&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=1680 |title=GoogleBooks search result for "Singspiel"' 1600–1680 |access-date=2014-08-11}}</ref> and secular Singspiele were also being performed, both in translated borrowings or imitations from English and Italian songs and plays, and in original German creations.<ref>[[John Alexander Fuller Maitland|Maitland, J. A. Fuller]], ed. [https://books.google.com/books?id=FBsPAAAAYAAJ&dq=Singspiel+OR+Singspiele&pg=PA468 ''Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', Vol. IV.] London: MacMillan and Co., 1908. pp. 468–470.</ref>

In the 18th century, some Singspiele were translations of English [[ballad opera]]s. In 1736, the [[Prussia]]n ambassador to England commissioned a translation of the ballad opera ''The Devil to Pay''. This was successfully performed in the 1740s in Hamburg and Leipzig. A further version of this was made by [[Johann Adam Hiller]] and [[Christian Felix Weiße|C. F. Weiße]] in 1766 (''[[Die verwandelten Weiber|Der Teufel ist los oder Die verwandelten Weiber]]''), the first of a string of such collaborations which led to Hiller and Weisse being called "the fathers of the German Singspiel."<ref>''[[Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians]]'' (1980 edition), "Ballad opera."</ref>

French operas with spoken dialogue (''[[opéra comique|opéras comiques]]'') were frequently transcribed into German and became very successful in Vienna in the late 1770s and early 1780s. By contrast, German translations of contemporary Italian ''[[opera buffa|opere buffe]]'', which were quite successful in England and France at the time, were significantly less frequent. Singspiele were considered middle-to-lower class [[entertainment]] – as opposed to the predominantly aristocratic genres of opera, ballet and stage play – and were usually performed by traveling [[Wikt:troupe|troupe]]s (such as the Koch, Döbbelin and Koberwein companies), rather than by established companies within metropolitan centers.

[[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]] wrote several Singspiele: ''[[Bastien und Bastienne]]'' (1768), ''[[Zaide]]'' (1780), ''[[Die Entführung aus dem Serail]]'' (1782), ''[[Der Schauspieldirektor]]'' (1786), and finally ''[[The Magic Flute|Die Zauberflöte]]'' (1791). [[E. T. A. Hoffmann]], who admired him, composed Singspiele, such as ''[[Liebe und Eifersucht]]'' in 1807.

In 1927, [[Kurt Weill]] created a new word, "Songspiel", to describe his work ''[[Mahagonny-Songspiel]]''.

==References==
'''Notes'''
<references />

'''Sources'''
*[[Barbara Russano Hanning]], [[Donald Jay Grout]]: ''Concise History of Western Music'', [[W. W. Norton & Company]], 1998.
*''[[Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians]]'', "Singspiel."

==External links==
*{{commons category-inline|Singspiele}}

{{Opera genres}}
{{Opera terms}}
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[[Category:Opera genres]]
[[Category:Opera terminology]]
[[Category:German music history]]
[[Category:German literature]]
[[Category:Singspiele| ]]