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How did Christoph Willibald Gluck reform opera?

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Members of the Dnepropetrovsk State Opera and Ballet Theatre perform Il Trovatore, with a woman in tattered costume singing dramatically at center stage and other actors in period dress. — opera Performance of Giuseppe Verdi's *Il trovatore*, 2011.

Christoph Willibald Gluck reformed 18th-century opera by challenging the rigid conventions of opera seria, which he felt prioritized ornamental vocal displays over dramatic integrity.12

Guided by Enlightenment ideals and collaborating with poet Ranieri Calzabigi, Gluck sought to restore opera as a true drama set to music. His reform principles, famously outlined in the dedication to his opera Alceste, included:1

Serving Poetry: Music’s primary role was to support the text rather than showcase singers.1
Eliminating Excess: He removed "useless and superfluous ornaments," such as florid da capo arias, which impeded the narrative.1
Natural Expression: He championed a "beautiful simplicity" and emotional truth in musical composition.1
Structural Integration: Influenced by Jean-Georges Noverre, he integrated elements like ballet and choruses more cohesively into the dramatic structure.1

By utilizing a "sparseness of means" and focusing on dramatic strength, Gluck created a synthesis of French and Italian styles that influenced later composers like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Hector Berlioz.12