Opéra comique topic

Opéra comique (plural, opéras comiques) is a French genre of opera that contains spoken dialogue. It emerged out of the popular vaudevilles of the Fair Theatres of St Germain and St Laurent (and to a lesser extent the Comédie-Italienne). The name first appeared in reference to Télémaque by A R Lesage (1715), but the tradition lasted well into the 20th century. Associated with the Paris theatre of the same name, it is, despite its name, not necessarily comic or light in nature—indeed, Carmen,... full article at wikipedia