Glossary of Opera Terms
“Glossary of Opera Terms Courtesy of
Knoxville Opera, Brian Salesky, General Director and Conductor."
A
ACCELERANDO: An acceleration or speeding up of the tempo of a particular aria, chorus or ensemble.
ACT: A portion of an opera designated by the composer, which has a dramatic structure of its own.
ARIA: A solo piece written for a main character, which focuses on the character's emotion.
ASIDE: A secret comment from an actor directly to the audience that the other characters cannot hear.
ARTIST MANAGER OR ARTIST REPRESENTATIVE: An agent who represents artists, publicizing their talents, finding them roles, negotiating contracts and handling other business matters for them.
B
BALLET (French): A form of dance that tells a story.
BANDA (BAHN-dah) (Italian): A small group of instrumentalists who play either on the stage or backstage, not in the pit, often as part of a crowd or military scene.
BARITONE: The male singing voice that is higher than bass but lower than tenor.
BASS: The lowest male singing voice.
BATON: A short stick which the conductor uses to lead the orchestra.
BEL CANTO: Italian phrase literally meaning 'beautiful singing.' A traditional Italian style of singing emphasizing tone, phrasing, coloratura passages, and technique; also the operas written in this style.
BUFFO: From the Italian for 'buffoon'. A singer of comic roles (basso-buffo) or a comic opera (opera-buffa).
BLOCKING: Directions given to the actors for movements and actions on the stage.
BOW, BOWING: The bow is the wand used to play string instruments. The concertmaster determines when the bows should rise or fall, and this bowing is noted in the score so that all move in the same direction.
BRAVO (Italian): Literally A form of applause when shouted by members of the audience at the end of an especially pleasing performance. Strictly speaking, "bravo" is for a single man, "brava" for a woman, and "bravi" for a group of performers.
C
CABALETTA (cah-bah-LEHT-tah) (Italian) - Second part of a two-part aria, always in a faster tempo than the first part.
CADENZA: A passage of singing, often at the end of an aria, which shows off the singer's vocal ability.
CANON: A musical device in which a melody is stated in one voice and then repeated by one or more other voices. The popular round Row, Row, Row your boat is a simple example.
CANZONE, CANZONETTA (Cahn-TSOH-neh, cahn-tsoh-NEHT-tah) (Italian) -
A folk-like song commonly used in opera buffa.
CARPENTER: The carpenter works on the construction of the sets. Production Carpenter is the title given to the one in charge of the backstage crew, even though he may not actually work with wood.
CAVATINA: (cah-vah-TEE-nah) (Italian) - The meaning of this term has changed over the years. It now usually refers to the opening, slow section of a two part aria. In Rossini's time it referred to the entrance, or first, aria sung by a certain character. Norma's Casta diva is an example of a cavatina in both senses. See also SCENA
CHORD: Several different notes sounded together. Often misused for vocal cord.
CHOREOGRAPHER: The person who designs the motions of a dance.
CHOREOGRAPHY: The act of setting movement to music to create a dance.
CHORUS: A group of singers who portray servants, party guests, or other unnamed characters; also the music written for them.
CHORUS MASTER: The one in charge of choosing chorus members and rehearsing them for the performance. If there is a back-stage chorus, it is usually conducted by the chorus master who is in communication with the conductor of the orchestra.
CLAQUE (French): A group of people hired to sit in the audience and either applaud enthusiastically to ensure success, or whistle and boo to create a disaster. In past years, leading singers were sometimes blackmailed to pay a claque to insure they would not create a disturbance. Even now, a claque is sometimes used but rarely acknowledged.
COLORATURA: Elaborate ornamentation of music written for a singer using many fast notes and trills.
COMMEDIA DELL'ARTE (cohm-MEH-dee-ah dehl-AHR-teh) (Italian) - A type of comic opera popular in Italy in the 16th to 18th centuries. They toured with both literary plays and others that were improvised using stock characters and gestures. The characters were often masked to represent certain archetypes.
COMPOSER: The person who writes the music.
COMPRIMARIO (cohm-pree-MAH-ree-oh)(Italian) - A secondary or supporting role or a person singing such a role.
CONCERTATO (cohn-chehr-TAH-toh) (Italian) - A large ensemble of soloists and chorus generally to be found as the second movement of a central finale, to which it forms the lyrical climax.
CONCERTMASTER - The "first chair" violinist who plays occasional solos and is responsible for coordinating all of the stringed instruments. The concert master decides on the bowing, so that all of the string player's bows move in unison.
CONDUCTOR : The leader of the orchestra sometimes called maestro.
CONTINUO (cohn-TEE-noo-oh) (Italian) - An extemporized chordal accompaniment for recitativo secco, usually by a harpsichord, cello or double bass. Opera seria often used an ensemble of harpsichord and theorbo (member of the lute family). Opera buffa used a single keyboard and string bass.
CONTRALTO: The lowest female singing voice.
CORD, VOCAL - The wishbone-shaped edges of muscles in the lower part of the throat whose movements creates variations in pitch as air passes between them. Often spelled incorrectly as "chord".
COSTUME DESIGNER - Works with the set designer to prepare costumes which are appropriate for the rest of the production. Often oversees the preparation of the costumes.
COSTUME SHOP - A special area set aside for the making of the costumes or for adjusting of those which are rented.
COUNTERTENOR - The countertenor is a natural tenor (or sometimes baritone) with an elevated range at the top. With training and practice this higher range, similar to that of a woman alto, becomes the 'natural' voice.
COVER - The name given to an understudy in opera; someone who replaces a singer in case of illness or other misfortune.
CRESCENDO (Italian) - A gradual increase in volume. Orchestral crescendos were one of Rossini's trademarks.
CUE - In opera, a signal to a singer or orchestra member to begin singing or playing.
CURTAIN CALL - At the end of a performance all of the members of the cast and the conductor take bows. Sometimes this is done in front of the main curtain, hence the name curtain call. Often, however, the bows are taken on the full stage with the curtain open.
CUT - Omit some of the original material from the score.
D
DA CAPO ARIA - (DAH CAH-poh) (Italian) : An aria in the form ABA. A first section is followed by a shorter second section. Then the first is repeated, usually with added ornamentaion.
DESIGNER: The person who creates the lighting, costumes or sets.
DIAPHRAGM - A muscle beneath the lungs and above the stomach which acts as a trampoline does, pushing the air from the lungs at the desired rate.
DIRECTOR: The person who instructs the singer-actors in their movements on-stage and in the interpretation of their roles.
DIVA (Italian) - Literally "goddess", it refers to an important female opera star. The masculine form is divo.
DOUBLE ARIA - An aria which consists of two parts. The first part, or cavatina, is usually slow and the second, or cabaletta is faster. There is often recitative between the two sections.
DOWNSTAGE - See STAGE AREAS
DRAMATIC (Voice type) - The heaviest voice, capable of sustained declamation and a great deal of power, even over the largest operatic orchestra of about 80 instruments. This description applies to all voice categories from soprano to bass.
DRESS (a wig) - To prepare a wig for wear.
DRESSER - A member of the backstage staff who helps the artists don their costumes. The principal singers usually have their own. Supers and chorus members share dressers.
DRESS REHEARSAL - The final rehearsal, using all of the costumes, lights, etc. While sometimes it is necessary to stop for corrections, an attempt is made to make it as much like a final performance as possible.
DUET - An extended musical passage performed by two singers. They may or may not sing simultaneously or on the same musical line.
DYNAMICS - The degree of loudness and softness in the music. See
PIANO and
FORTE .
E
ENCORE (French) - Literally means "again". It used to be the custom for a singer to repeat a popular aria if the audience called "Encore" loudly enough. This is still done in the middle of an opera in countries such as Italy, but it is rare elsewhere. Soloists still frequently give encores at the end of a concert but not an opera.
ENSEMBLE: Two or more people singing at the same time, or the music written for such a group.
F
FALSETTO - A method of singing above the natural range of a voice. Often used in opera for comic effects such as a man imitating a woman.
FINALE: The last musical number of an opera or the last number of an act.
FLY, FLY TOWER - If there is high space above the stage called a fly tower, pieces of the set are often raised up or flown out of sight when not in use.
FORTE, FORTISSIMO (FOHR-teh) (Italian) - Loud, very loud.
G
GENERAL DIRECTOR - The head of an opera company. The one ultimately responsible for all artistic and financial aspects of everything in which the company is involved.
GRAND OPERA - Strictly speaking, means opera without spoken dialogue. It is usually used to refer to opera which uses a large orchestra and chorus and grand themes.
H
HELDEN - German prefix meaning "heroic". Can apply to other voices but usually used in Heldentenor .
I
IMPRESARIO (Italian) - The general director of an opera company.
INTERLUDE: A short piece of instrumental music played between scenes or acts.
INTERMISSION: A break between acts of an opera. The lights go on, and the audience is free to move around. Intermissions usually last about twenty minutes.
K
KEY: The specific tonality of a piece of music, indicating the precise pitch, which is to serve as the tonal center.
L
LEGATO (Italian) - A smooth line of music with no noticeable breaks.
LEITMOTIV (German) or MOTIF - A short musical phrase associated with a particular character or event.
LIBRARIAN - In charge of preparing the music for the orchestra. Scores are usually rented. They have to be annotated to reflect cuts and other changes for a given production.
LIBRETTO: The text or words of an opera.
LIGHTING DESIGNER - Lights affect the appearance and mood of a show. The audience is not aware of it, but there are often hundreds of light changes during a show. All this has to be designed and entered into the computer which controls the lights.
LYRICS: The sung words or text of a musical comedy or operetta song.
M
MAESTRO (mah-EHS-troh) (Italian) - Literally "master"; used as a courtesy title for the conductor. The masculine ending is used for both men and women.
MAGIC OPERA - An opera in which there are many magical effects and often animals appearing on stage. Often the plot of a magic opera involves the rescue of one of the major characters.
MAKEUP DESIGNER - Stage makeup often has to be specially designed to make the singer assume a different appearance, for example to be made older or fit an ethnic role. Even if the singers appearance doesn't need to be changed, stage makeup has to be designed to look right under the lighting used for the show.
MARK - To sing very softly or not at full voice. A full-length opera is very hard on a singer's voice so most mark during rehearsals. During dress rehearsals singers try to sing at full voice for at least some of the time.
MELODRAMA - In a technique which originated with the French, short passages of music alternate with spoken words.
MELODY: The tune of the music.
MEZZO-SOPRANO: The middle female singing voice, lower than soprano, but higher than contralto.
MUSICAL COMEDY - See
OPERETTA .
N
NUMBER OPERA — An opera composed of individual numbers such as recitative, arias, duets, ensembles, etc. Between the numbers there is often a chance for applause
O
OPERA: Italian for 'the work'. A libretto acted and sung by one or more singers to an instrumental accompaniment. In short: words plus music plus staging
OPERA BUFFA (OH-peh-rah BOOF-fah)(Italian) - An opera about ordinary people, usually, but not always comic, which first developed in the eighteenth century.
OPERA SERIA (OH-peh-rah SEH-ree-ah)(Italian) A "serious" opera. The usual characters are gods and goddesses, or ancient heroes. Rossini was one of the last to write true opere serie.
OPERA TEXT - See
SUPERTITLES
OPERETTA or
MUSICAL COMEDY - A play, much of which is spoken but with many musical numbers. See also
SINGSPIEL below.
ORCHESTRA : The group of instrumentalists or musicians who, led by the conductor, accompany the singers.
ORCHESTRATION : The art of writing for the orchestra. Decisions about what instruments should play which parts of the music can affect the sound of a composition a great deal.
OVERTURE : The orchestra's introduction to an opera that shows the mood or tone of the opera (French: ouverture; German: ouverture; Italian: sinfonia).
P
PANTS ROLE - See
TROUSER ROLE
PARLANDO (pahr-LAHN-doh) (Italian) - A style of singing like ordinary speech. It can occur in the middle of an aria.
PATTER SONG - A song or aria in which the character sings as many words as possible in the shortest time.
PIANO, PIANISSIMO - Quiet, very quiet.
PIANO-VOCAL SCORE - See
SCORE .
PIT - A sunken area in front of the stage where the members of the orchestra sit.
PITCH: The highness/lowness of a sound or tone.
PIZZICATO (pit-tsee-CAH-toh) (Italian) - When a string instrument is played by plucking the strings instead of using the bow.
PRELUDE - Usually a short introduction without an ending, that leads into an act without pause, as opposed to an overture which is longer and can be played as a separate piece. Wagner called his introductions preludes even though some are quite long.
PRIMA DONNA (Italian) - Literally "first lady", the leading woman singer in an opera. Because of the way some of them behaved in the past, it often refers to someone who is acting in a superior and demanding fashion. The term for the leading man is primo uomo.
PRINCIPAL : A major singing role, or the singer who performs such a role.
PRODUCTION - The combination of sets, costumes, props, lights, etc.
PRODUCTION CARPENTER - In charge of organizing and handling all aspects of the sets and equipment.
PRODUCTION MANAGER - The administrator responsible for coordinating the sets, costumes, rehearsal facilities and all physical aspects of a production. Is often the one who negotiates with the various unions representing stage hands, musicians, etc.
PROMPT - To help a singers remember lines. In some opera houses, the prompter sits in a box below and at the very front of the stage. It is not customary for Knoxville Opera to use a prompter.
PROPS (PROPERTIES) - Small items carried or used by singers during the performance.
Q
QUARTET: Four singers or the music that is written for four singers. Also quintet, sextet, etc
QUINTET: Piece for five singers..
R
RECITATIVE: The sung words which often come before an aria or ensemble. The purpose of recitative is to advance the plot.
REDUCTION - In a piano reduction, the orchestra parts are condensed into music which can be played by one person on the piano.
RÉPERTOIRE (French) - The stock of pieces a singer or company has ready to present. Often refers to a company's current season.
RÉPÉTITEUR (reh-peh-ti-TEUR) (French) - A member of the music staff who plays the piano for rehearsals and, if necessary, the piano or harpsichord during performances. Frequently coaches singers in their roles and assists with orchestra rehearsals.
ROULADE or RUN - A quick succession of notes sung to one syllable.
S
SCENA (SCHAY-nah) (Italian) - Literally a scene. A dramatic episode which consists of a variety of number types with a common themes. A typical scena might consist of a recitative, a cavatina and a cabaletta.
SCORE: The written music of an opera or other musical work.
SET, SET DESIGNER - The background and furnishings on the stage.
SERENADE: A piece of music honoring someone or something, an extension of the traditional performance of a lover beneath the window of his mistress.
SEXTET - A piece for six singers.
SINGSPIEL (ZING-shpeel) (German) - German opera with spoken dialogue and a comic or sentimental plot.
SITZPROBE (ZITS-proh-bah) - German for 'seated rehearsal', it is the first rehearsal of the singers with the orchestra, with the former seated, and no acting.
SOPRANO: The highest female singing voice.
SOUBRETTE (French) - Pert young female character with a light soprano voice.
SPINTO (Voice type) - A lyric voice that has the power and incisiveness for dramatic climaxes.
STAGE AREAS - Refers to the various sections of the stage. Left and right are as seen by those on stage, not in front. Since many stages are raked, that is higher in back than in front, upstage is at the back, and downstage at the front. If an actor stays upstage, all the others have to turn their backs to the audience when speaking to him. This is the origin of the phrase "to upstage someone".
STAGE DIRECTOR - The one responsible for deciding the interpretation of each character, the movements of the singers on stage, and other things affecting the singers. Is in charge at rehearsals.
STAGE MANAGER - The one in charge of the technical aspects of the entire opera while it is running. Cues all light changes, sound effects, entrances (even of the conductor) and everything else that happens.
STROPHIC - Refers to an aria in which all stanzas of the text are sung to the same music.
SUPERNUMERARY - An "extra", someone who is part of a group on stage but doesn't sing. It is usually shortened to Super.
SUPERTITLES - Translations of the words being sung which are projected on a screen above the stage.
SYNOPSIS - A short version of the story of the opera, usually one or two pages.
T
TEMPO: The speed of the music.
TENOR: The highest adult male singing voice.
TESSITURA (Italian) - Literally "texture", it defines the average pitch level of a role. Two roles may have the same range from the lowest to the highest note, but the one with a greater proportion of high notes has the higher tessitura.
THROUGH-SUNG - An opera in which the music is continuous, without divisions into recitative and aria.
TRAGÉDIE LYRIQUE (French) - Early form of French opera which recognized a distinction between the main scenes and divertissements which consisted of choruses, dances, etc.
TREMOLO (Italian) - A variation in amplitude (volume) for the duration of a note.
TRILL: Very quick alternation of pitch between two adjacent notes. See coloratura.
TRIO: An ensemble of three singers or the music that is written for three singers.
TROUSER ROLE - A role which depicts a young man or boy, but is sung by a woman.
V
VERISMO (Italian) - Describes the realistic style of opera that started in Italy at the end of the nineteenth century. Although the peak of the movement was past by the time of Puccini, his operas are a modified form of verismo. He takes realistic situations but treats them as romances and sets them in exotic locations, such as in the China of Turandot .
VIBRATO (Italian) - A wavering of frequency (pitch) while singing a note. It is usually inadvertent as opposed to a trill.
VOCAL COACH - A member of an opera company who coaches singers, helping them with the pronunciation, singing and interpretation of a role.
W
WIG DESIGNER - Designs and oversees the creation of the wigs used in a production.