How did Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice change the balance between music and drama?

Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice (1762) fundamentally shifted the balance of opera by prioritizing drama over the ornamental excesses of the prevailing Italian opera seria.12

Before this reform, opera seria was often criticized for its rigid structure, where predictable successions of da capo arias and displays of vocal virtuosity frequently interrupted the narrative flow. Gluck, alongside his librettist Ranieri Calzabigi, sought to restore opera to its function as a true drama set to music, guided by the Enlightenment ideal that music should serve poetry.12

Key changes included:
* Elimination of Superfluity: Gluck curtailed unnecessary vocal display and "useless" ornaments, ensuring that the music directly reflected the emotional and dramatic situation of the characters.12
* Natural Expression: He championed a "beautiful simplicity" and naturalness of expression, moving away from the artificiality of the Neapolitan style.12
* Integrated Structure: By focusing on emotional truth, Gluck created a more cohesive work where the music and drama were balanced, setting a precedent for the classical simplicity later perfected by composers like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.12