singspiel

sing·spiel

noun \ˈsiŋ-ˌspēl, ˈziŋ-ˌshpēl\

Definition of SINGSPIEL

: a musical work popular in Germany especially in the latter part of the 18th century characterized by spoken dialogue interspersed with songs

Origin of SINGSPIEL

German, from singen to sing + Spiel play

First Known Use: 1876

Rhymes with SINGSPIEL

aiguille, all-wheel, anneal, appeal, big deal, big wheel, bilge keel, bonemeal, bonspiel, cam wheel, Castile, cartwheel, chainwheel, chenille, cogwheel, conceal, congeal, cornmeal, done deal, eared seal, enwheel, fifth wheel, fish meal, flywheel, forefeel, for real, four-wheel, freewheel, fur seal, genteel, get real, good deal, great seal, handwheel, harp seal, ideal, inchmeal, mild steel, mill wheel, misdeal, mobile, Mobile, monk seal, mouthfeel, New Deal, newsreel, nosewheel, oatmeal, O'Neal, pastille, piecemeal, pinwheel, prayer wheel, raw deal, repeal, reveal, schlemiel, self-heal, side-wheel, somedeal, spike heel, stabile, tahsil, Tar Heel, thumbwheel, unreel, unseal, worm wheel

singspiel

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Eighteenth-century opera in the German language, containing spoken dialogue and usually comic in tone. The earliest singspiels were light plays in which the dialogue was interspersed with popular songs. In Vienna the form had a brief but intense flowering that resulted in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's enduring Abduction from the Seraglio (1782) and The Magic Flute (1791). Singspiel evolved into transitional works such as Ludwig van Beethoven's Fidelio (1805) and ultimately gave rise to German Romantic opera. See also musical; operetta; zarzuela.