singspiel

[ sing-speel; German zing-shpeel ]

noun

1. a German opera, especially of the 18th century, using spoken dialogue and resembling ballad opera.

Singspiel

/ ˈzɪŋʃpiːl /

noun

1. a type of comic opera in German with spoken dialogue, popular during the late 18th and early 19th centuries

Word History and Origins

Origin of singspiel¹

1880–85; < German, equivalent to sing ( en ) to sing + Spiel play

Word History and Origins

Origin of singspiel¹

literally: singing play

Example Sentences

Stoute was known for his patience with horses and trained numerous champions including Harbinger, Shareef Dancer, Singspiel and Pilsudski.

From BBC

Since the premiere of Taymor’s staging in 2004, her diaphanous puppets and George Tsypin’s translucent set pieces have brought a welcome weightlessness to Mozart’s hard-to-stage singspiel, which wraps fairy-tale monsters, young love and a Masonic quest in melodies of direct and abundant charm.

From New York Times

In Mozart and Schikaneder’s singspiel, women lurk in the dark, wild outskirts beyond the gates of Sarastro’s shining, orderly sanctum.

From New York Times

“Fidelio” being a singspiel, the dialogue is spoken rather than sung recitative.

From Los Angeles Times

In Beethoven’s original singspiel — a music theater form in which sung numbers are set up by spoken scenes — a woman named Leonore disguises herself as a man, Fidelio, to infiltrate the prison where her husband, Florestan, is being held for political reasons.

From New York Times