The next and second German opera to be composed was in likeness to Schutz’s. It shared the same title; however, it was set to a different libretto written by Opitz in 1627. This version was longer than the original one that Schutz used. This Dafne was composed by Giovanni Andrea Bontempi and Marco Gioseppe Peranda in 1671. The song style within this opera seems to reflect upon the style of Monteverdi than that of typical German characteristics. It is unclear whether either intellectually knew Monteverdi but it is certain that his style had a profound influence upon these two gentlemen. Not more than two years later both Bontempi and Peranda wrote another opera called Jupiter and Jo. Little is known of the music for this opera, for only the libretto remains (Oxford 304).

In 1677 the first German opera house had be established in Hamburg Germany. Shortly after its opening in 1678 Hamburg became the center to all opera in Germany (Oxford 304). However, it took almost another twenty years for the German Baroque opera to take another step forward. Reinhard Keiser was born just a year after Jupiter and Jo was produced in Saxony and he become “the” operatic composer and producer of his time. He wrote over one hundred operas in his sixty-five years of living, three of which had been completed by the age of twenty, and his first ever being Basilius (“Composers” 198).

In 1696 Keiser followed his mentor to Hamburg where he became part of the renowned opera house. Immediately he got to work, and within that year he had Mahumeth II produced in that theater. Reinhard Keiser, although considered a second-rate composer in the twenty-first century, was praised by many for his work. He pushed German music further away from the styles of Italy. Instead of using typical Italian melodies and songs that were based on Greek mythology, Keiser leaned towards German folk lore and history. Additionally, his orchestration was unsurpassable for years to come (“Composers” 198). Keiser demanded much more from his performers than previous composers had. His music was much more difficult and required great feats of virtuosity (Oxford 309). Reinhard also had the ability to create genuine moods that reflected human emotions throughout his operas. Not only could he create them but he had a profound ability to sustain these moods when necessary, a feat that was not easy to accomplish (312). The boundaries were pushed once again.