The Bel Canto style of opera began in Italy in the late 1700s. It focuses on long, lyrical phrases that highlight the singer's voice more than the actual words she is singing. The phrase "bel canto" means "beautiful singing" in Italian. The singer displays immense breath control, a wide vocal range and plays with tone in the Bel Canto style, singing loudly and softly at different times for emotional impact.
The style of Grand Opera is also Italian in origin and came into vogue in the mid to late 1800s. The plots in a Grand Opera are intricate and in addition to singing, involve everything from stage combat to ballet. Grand Opera plot lines often revolve around acts of heroism and the lives of royalty. Grand Operas use elaborate stage sets and large casts wearing multiple intricate costumes.
Verismo is another Italian style of opera which began in the late 1800s, perhaps in answer to the large scale of Grand Opera. Verismo means "realism" in Italian, and this style of opera stays true to that description. The plot line of a verismo style opera is grounded intentionally in everyday activity and the struggles of the every man. These opera scores are filled with the regional phrases and local customs of the setting.
Opera Seria translates to "serious opera" and Opera Buffa means "comic opera." These two styles are both performed most often in Italian. Both styles tell stories that take place usually in kingdoms. Opera Seria focuses on tragedy and involves kings and queens and often even Gods as its main characters. Opera Buffa centers on the lives of servants and peasants and uses humor to tell stories that have happy endings.
A modern style of opera began in the early 1900s in the United States known as American Opera. For years, musical styles dictated the difference between an opera and a musical. Opera contained classical music, while musicals were written in contemporary or jazz styles. As the 20th century progressed, those lines became blurred with works such as George Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" which has strong elements of both a musical and an opera.