German opera

Mozart's German singspiel The Magic Flute (1791) stands at the head of a German opera tradition that was developed in the 19^th century by Beethoven, Weber, Heinrich Marschner and Wagner.

Wagner pioneered a through-composed style, in which recitative and aria blend into one another and are constantly accompanied by the orchestra. Wagner also made copious use of the leitmotif (Weber had used a similar device earlier), a musical device which associates a musical line with each character or idea in the story.