Several comic operas were based on farcial plots dear to the hearts of Neapolitan audiences, and often the acts ended with comic duets. Eventually such comic scenes were played between the acts of serious operas and given the name intermezzi. Of this the most famous example was Pergolesi's "La serva padrona." The intermezzo developed into opera buffa, an operatic form featuring ordinary people whom one could make fun of, rather than heroes, gods, and legendary figures. The music for an opera buffa was lyrical and tuneful, with simple melodies mostly in major and with rapid solos for the always present basso. The orchestra joined in the fun with light, bubbling accompaniments. Both acts ended with long finales using all the principal characters.
While the Paris Opera was featuring opera on the grand scale, the Italians were developing opera buffa as well as their own style of grand opera. Opera buffa reached its peak in the works of Gioacchino Rossini. His arias are almost all coloratuta arias. He developed the so-called Rossini crescendo, heard in almost all his overtures.
Other Italians of the 19th century who contributed masterpieces were Gaetano Donizetti and Vicenzo Bellini.
Giuseppe Verdi brought to Italian opera a virile style that appealed to all classes. He chose plots that, in addition to being violent, were calculated to arouse the patriotic feelings of his countrymen. The stories followed violent action after violent action, making good theater and providing opportunities for passionate arias, stirring choruses, and ensembles that expressed conflicts of emotions.
Giacomo Puccini brought to opera an infallible sense of theater, a genuine gift for writing expressive melody, a talent for orchestration, and a searching mind that was aware of all that was happening musically in his time.
