Gustav Albert Lortzing (October 23, 1801 - January 21, 1851) was a German Romantic composer of comic and romantic operas as well as oratorios, songs, and incidental music. He was especially renowned for his comic operas in which he combined spoken dialogue with musical segments and added in humorous elements. Lortzing derived a formula for his operatic successes that permitted him to give his audiences the music, drama, and humor they expected.Lortzing composed romantic opera that took middle-class interests into account and dramatic works that were more easily performed by amateur musicians. He overcame barriers of status and class by conforming his operas to the life styles of the working person.\r \r \r