Common Opera Terminology

A capella
[ah kah-peh-lah] (Italian) Literally, "in the chapel." Choral music sung without instrumental accompaniment.

Act
One of the main divisions of a drama, opera or ballet, usually completing a part of the action and often having a climax of its own.

Aria
[ah-ree-ah] A solo piece for voice within the context of an opera, operetta or oratorio. In Italian, aria means "air," "style," "manner." The aria had a central place in early opera and throughout operatic history, arias have been used to highlight an emotional state of mind and accentuate the main characters.

Baritone
The most common category of the male voice; lower than a tenor, but higher than a bass. Baritones were more commonly used in during the Romantic opera era. Famous baritone roles: Verdi's Rigoletto, Escamillo (Bizet's Carmen), The Dutchman (Wagner's The Flying Dutchman).

Bass
The lowest male voice. Many bass roles are associated with characters of authority or comedy. Famous bass roles: Wotan (Wagner's The Ring Cycle), Verdi's Falstaff, Sarastro (Mozart's The Magic Flute).

Brava
"Well done" in Italian. Audiences say this to a female artist to express their appreciation.

Bravi
"Well done" in Italian. Audiences say this to a group of performers to express their appreciation.

Bravo
"Well done" in Italian. Audiences say this to a male artist to express their appreciation.

Buffa
Exaggerated comedic opera. From the Latin bufo meaning toad and from the Italian Buffone, which were inflated gloves that actors used to exchange comic blows on the stage.

Chorus
A group of singers usually divided into sections based on vocal range. The chorus was originally an ancient Greek practice of underscoring portions of the drama through music. The chorus is often used for crowd scenes and to play minor characters.

Composer
The person who writes the vocal and/or orchestral music (score).

Conductor
The person in charge of all the musical aspects of an opera; both orchestrally and vocally.

Contralto
The lowest female voice. Famous contralto roles: Prioress (Poulenc, Diaglogues of the Carmelites), Mama Lucia (Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana), Erda (Wagner's Das Rheingold)

Costumes
The clothing worn on stage by the performers. Costumes can be used to reflect the personality of a character, the historical time period, country of origin or social ranking.

Designers
The people who create the sets, costumes, make-up, wigs and lighting for the opera performance.

Duet
Two people singing together.

Dynamics
The degrees of volume (loudness and softness) in music. Also the words, abbreviations, and symbols used to indicate degrees of volume. Piano (soft) and forte (loud) are most common.

Finale
The ending segment of an act or scene.

Leitmotif
A theme or other musical idea the represents or symbolizes a person, object, place, idea, state of mind, supernatural force or some other ingredient in a dramatic work. An idea used widely throughout German opera, though associated with Richard Wagner in most of his operas.

Librettist
The person who writes the text (words) of the opera.

Libretto
[lih-breh-toh] The text of the opera. In Italian, it means "little book."

Lyrics
Words of an opera or of a song.

Mezzo soprano
Italian term meaning "medium soprano". In range, lower than a soprano, yet higher than a contralto. Used to designate the female voice in opera, the equivalent of which in choral music is the "Alto." Famous mezzo-soprano roles: Carmen (Bizet's Carmen), Delilah (Saint-Saens Samson and Delilah), Azucena (Verdi's Il trovatore)

Musical
A staged story similar to opera, though most of the dialogue is spoken.

Opera
A staged musical work in which some or all of the parts are sung. In Italian, the word "opera" means a work which is derived as the plural of the Latin opus. Opera is a union of music, drama and spectacle.

Orchestra Pit
A sunken area in front of the stage to accommodate the orchestra.

Overture
An orchestral introduction played before the action begins. The overture is often used to set the mood of the opera. Many composers used the overture to introduce themes or arias within the opera and sometimes the overture became more well known than the opera itself.

Pants Role
A young male character who is sung by a woman, usually a mezzo-soprano, meant to imitate the sound of a boy whose voice has not yet changed. Famous pants roles: Cherubino (Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro), Ottavian (Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier), Siebel (Gounod's Faust)

Props
The visual elements of a scene other than the set. Furniture is called "set props" and smaller items (anything held by the performer) are called "hand props."

Quartet
Four people singing together.

Recitative
Dialogue which is "sing-speak." The recitative helps get through a lot of text quickly and moves the action along. Often precedes an aria or ensemble.

Set
The visual background on stage. The set shows the location of the action.

Soprano
The highest female voice. The soprano is commonly the lead female character. Famous soprano roles: Aida (Verdi's Aida), Tosca (Puccini's Tosca), Brunnhilde (Wagner's The Ring Cycle)

Tempo
The speed of the music.

Tenor
The highest natural male voice. Often the lead male character within the opera. Famous tenor roles: Rodolfo (Puccini's La boheme), Siegried (Wagner's The Ring Cycle), Otello (Verdi's Otello)

Trio
Three people singing together.
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