Operetta is the vital link between Opera and the Musical, it originated in Paris, and became highly popular in London and Vienna. Browse our sheet music and scores, and explore all the wonderful operettas on offer with Stretta Music today!
In Paris in the middle of the 19th century, operetta, which is shorter and lighter than ’serious opera’, developed out of the highly popular opera comique. This new form, consisting of frivolous parodies of bel canto opera and Meyerbeer’s grand opéra, and contemporary society, was first penned by Jacques Offenbach.
In Vienna, news of Offenbach’s success spread quickly, and it inspired composers like Johann Strauss II to take up the call, and the first great Viennese operetta was his “Die Fledermaus”. In contrast to the French can-can, the Viennese operettas are famous for their Waltzes. As the operetta grew in popularity, composers tried to reach the more affluent audience, and operetta soon became less frivolous, and more political, reflecting the rise of nationalism in the country.
In London, 1871, theatre manager Richard D’Oyly Carte, seeing the developments on the continent, brought together the literary and musical talents of W.S Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan, to form the great operetta duo Gilbert & Sullivan. Their operettas were so popular, that ten years later, he built the Savoy Theatre will the sole purpose of producing Gilbert & Sullivan operettas.
In Germany, the Bavarian operettas, and the Berlin operettas were very popular, reaching their high point with Paul Abraham and his “Viktoria und ihr Husar” in 1929. After the National Socialists took power, his extremely successful and popular works were labelled ’degenerate’, and were struck from the repertoire.
Towards the end of the first half of the 20th century, many musicians left Europe for the USA, and they took with them all the joys and experience of operetta, and a new genre was born, the Musical.
for: Voice, piano
Item no.: 124762
Unabridged Beautiful Operatta Arias with the Original Text
for: Piano; voice ad lib.
Music score (anthology)
Item no.: 288307
Walzer aus der Operette "Die lustige Witwe"
for: Mixed choir (SATB), piano
Choir score
Item no.: 1667957
Bericht über das internationale Symposium anlässlich des 200. Geburtstages von Jacques Offenbach
Beiträge zur Offenbach-Forschung 4
Book (Hardcover)
Item no.: 1678330
Goodmusic Concert Classics
for: Symphonic orchestra
Score, Parts
Item no.: 557940
Operette in drei Akten
for: Soloists, mixed choir (SATB), narrator, orchestra
Piano reduction
Item no.: 1664323
50 beliebte Klänge vom Alpenland zum Nordseestrand
Evergreenalben
for: Accordion
Item no.: 108446
Walzer nach den Motiven der Operette "Das Spitzentuch der Königin" op. 388
for: Salon orchestra
Piano conductor, orchestral parts
Item no.: 1669063
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