As part of his plan in the 1770s to use theatre to uplift the masses, Emperor Joseph II embarked on a project to foster the development of German-language opera beyond its singspiel roots.
Joseph II's designation of the Burgtheater in Vienna as a national theatre in 1776 and subsequent founding of Das deutsche Nationalsingspiel was a significant step toward fulfilling his mission.
After Leonore and Rosalie sing a romance lamenting their marital fates, Sichel and Gotthold climb through the window, and the pairs of lovers decide on the spot to marry the next day.
The extensive dialogue is framed by arias in the simply harmonized and hummable manner of the singspiel, but incorporating complex stylistic elements of Italian opera buffa enriches the characters and elevates the music to a higher level of sophistication.
"Vermaledeit sei die Methode", the act 2 duet with Gallus and Krautmann, is a fast-paced patter song, another common feature of the buffa style.
Dittersdorf's music at the end of both acts uses contrasting tempi, frequent key changes, and textural variety to convey the heightened activity onstage.
The act 1 finales of Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni (exact contemporaries of Doktor und Apotheker), are famous examples of this approach, but Dittersdorf deserves credit for introducing the practice into German-language comic opera.