Why is Don Pasquale considered an opera buffa?

Don Pasquale is considered a masterpiece of opera buffa—a genre of comic opera—because it epitomizes the stylistic and narrative conventions established in 18th-century Italian tradition.123

The work is defined as opera buffa due to several key characteristics:

• Archetypal Characters: The plot features classic comic types common to the genre: a clever leading lady, her winsome admirer, a conniving facilitator who aids the lovers, and an old buffoon—the titular Don Pasquale—who attempts to outwit them.3
• Musical Style: It utilizes bright, colorful vocal writing and skillful musical depiction of plot and character, similar to other staples of the genre like Gioachino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville.3
• Genre Conventions: As an opera buffa, it adheres to the tradition of sung dialogue and the use of the operatic finale, a formally organized conclusion to an act involving the principal characters.2

Ultimately, the opera is celebrated for its buoyant, comedic nature, which remains a hallmark of the Donizetti style.13