Singspiel
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Singspiel is form of German-language musical drama, similar to opera, but with a lot of spoken dialogue and simpler, folk-like, strophic songs. Although a very popular form of entertainment in late 18-century Austria, most Singspiel and their authors have gradually fallen into oblivion. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart touched the genre under an imperial commission for the New National Theatre in Vienna with Die Entführung aus dem Serail in 1782. His later work The Magic Flute, although in some ways connected with the Singspiel, incorporates a significant number of elements from various musico-drammatic genres, resulting in a work which defies clear-cut classification.
Another take: Singspiel is an archaic form resembling ‘operetta’ in some respects, although actors’ parts are often spoken over, rather than sung with, the music. Music provides the backdrop for the play-form which is most often comical in nature, tragedy being a less-frequent motif. Romantic interest nearly always plays a prominent part. Singspiel was seen as less elevated than opera proper, often being written in the vernacular (German or French). While celebrated composers such as Bach and Hiller are known to have worked in the form, Singspiel often introduced folksongs, marches and narrative songs into its repertoire. The plays were usually performed by traveling troupes and not necessarily by established companies within metropolitan centers. By the early twentieth century, the Singspiel had ceased to be an active category of musical performance anywhere.