Singspiel

Singspiel, combines drama and music, may be considered a form of Opera containing spoken dialogue. Even though the term "Singspiel" had already been in use in Germany by the late 16^th century, the "typical" Singspiel did not become popular until the second half of the 18^th and the first half of the 19^th centuries. At about the same time, the Singspiel took on specific forms in England ("ballad opera"), France (Vaudeville), Northern Germany and Vienna. When the "National Singspiel" became established at the Burgtheater under Joseph II (1778), the Singspiel began to include a socio-political element, which was appreciated by the emperor but never fully accepted by the audience, and fell into oblivion soon after the emperor´s death. The Singspiel of the 19^th century again came closer to popular comedy (F.Raimund, J. Nestroy) and became a forerunner of the Viennese Operetta.