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Opera Terminology
A bunch of opera terms
93
Music
Undergraduate 4
09/02/2008

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Term
Acoustic enhancement
Definition
A subtle type of sound reinforcement system made to redirect and enhance sound in a space.
Term
Aria
Definition
A self-contained song in an opera or oratorio sung by a solo singer and usually accompanied by an orchestra.
Term
Aria di sorbetto
Definition
Also known as a sherbet aria, this 19th century Italian aria was meant to be sung while vendors sold food.
Term
Arioso
Definition
Sung between the recit and the aria.
Term
Azione teatrale
Definition
A genre of Italian opera in late 17th and early 18th centuries, typically one act and performed in small aristocratic settings.
Term
Baritone
Definition
A type of male voice lying between bass and tenor, range A2 to F4.
Term
Bass
Definition
F2 - E4, lowest male voice.
Term
Bass-baritone
Definition
A high bass with clear low resonance, sings some Wagnerian roles.
Term
Bel canto
Definition
An Italian style of vocal technique focusing on evenness throughout the voice.
Term
Breeches role
Definition
Pants role, in which a woman plays a man.
Term
Burlesque
Definition
Burlesque refers to theatrical entertainment of broad and parodic humor, which usually consists of comic skits (and sometimes a strip tease).
Term
Burletta
Definition
A brief comic opera, also sometimes used to refer to the intermezzo between two acts of an opera seria.
Term
CNN opera
Definition
Derogatory term given to new operas dealing with headline news events, or new settings of old operas incorporating that idea.
Term
Cabaletta
Definition
A Cabaletta is form of aria within 19th century Italian opera. It usually refers specifically to the second half of a double aria: a faster or more rhythmic movement following a cantabile section, nowadays often referred to as the cavatina.
Term
Cadenza
Definition
In music, a cadenza (Italian for cadence) is, generically, an improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a soloist or soloists, usually in a "free" rhythmic style, and often allowing for virtuosic display.
Term
Cantabile
Definition
Song-like, or the first part of a double aria (followed by the cabaletta).
Term
Castrato
Definition
Castrated male singer
Term
Cavatina
Definition
A simple, melodious air in an opera or oratorio, simpler than an aria.
Term
Chest voice
Definition
The vocal register used in normal speech.
Term
Claque
Definition
Professional clappers
Term
Coloratura
Definition
Elaborate ornamentation, or particularly agile voices.
Term
Coloratura soprano
Definition
Sopranos specializing in music containing agile leaps and runs.
Term
Comic opera
Definition
Light, comic operatic works with happy endings.
Term
Comprimario
Definition
Supporting role in an opera, or the singers who specialize in such roles.
Term
Comédie mêlée d'ariettes
Definition
18th century French comic opera
Term
Concert aria
Definition
Self-contained work accompanied by orchestra for solo singer meant for concert performance, not part of an opera.
Term
Contralto
Definition
The lowest female voice, G3 to G5.
Term
Convenienze
Definition
Literally conveniences, these were the rules relating to the ranking of singers (primo, secondo, comprimario) in 19th-century Italian opera, and the number of scenes, arias etc. that they were entitled to expect.
Term
Countertenor
Definition
Adult male who sings like a girl.
Term
Coup de glotte
Definition
Singing technique which incorporates hard glottal attacks to start the voice.
Term
Da capo aria
Definition
Ternary baroque aria
Term
Diva
Definition
Celebrated female singer
Term
Dramatic soprano
Definition
Lower soprano with lots of core and lots of power that can sing over an orchestra.
Term
Dramma giocoso
Definition
Genre of opera attributed to Mozart in the mid-18t century.
Term
Electronic libretto
Definition
System of projecting supertitles.
Term
Entr'acte
Definition
Music between acts of an opera.
Term
Fach
Definition
German system of classifying singers by vocal range, weight, and timbre.
Term
Falsetto
Definition
The term falsetto (Italian diminutive of falso, false) refers to the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave.
Term
Farsa
Definition
A genre of opera associated with Venice in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, one act.
Term
Fioritura
Definition
Flowery, embellished vocal line.
Term
Gesamtkunstwerk
Definition
Term attributed to Wagner, meaning an opera that incorporates music, theatre, and visual arts.
Term
Grand Opera
Definition
19th century serious 4 or 5 act opera with full orchestra.
Term
Género chico
Definition
Subform of zarzuela, like a soap opera.
Term
Haute-contre
Definition
Rare very high tenor voice predominant in baroque and classical music.
Term
Head voice
Definition
Above middle register in women, above chest register in men.
Term
Intermezzo
Definition
Comic musical interlude in opera seria performed between acts.
Term
Kammersänger
Definition
Literally chamber singer, it is a German title of honor for singers.
Term
Legato
Definition
Smooth and connected singing or playing.
Term
Leitmotif
Definition
Recurring musical theme associated with a specific character or idea.
Term
Libretto
Definition
The text of an opera.
Term
Literaturoper
Definition
Opera with music composed for a pre-existing text instead of having a libretto composed specifically for the opera.
Term
Lyric soprano
Definition
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A lyric soprano is a type of operatic soprano that has a warm quality with a bright, full timbre which can be heard over an orchestra. C4 to D6
Term
Mad scene
Definition
Enactment of insanity in opera.
Term
Maestro
Definition
Teacher or master, usually the conductor.
Term
Masque
Definition
Form of courtly entertainment involving singing, dancing, acting. 16th century Europe.
Term
Melodrama
Definition
Music is used to enhance the audience's response to the drama. Often music played underneath spoken drama.
Term
Melodramma
Definition
Italian libretto, or another word for opera used by the Italians.
Term
Messa di voce
Definition
Gradual crescendo and decrescendo.
Term
Mezzo-soprano
Definition
Range between contralto and soprano, A3 to A5.
Term
Money note
Definition
Vocal moment that causes the audience to take notice. Often a high note.
Term
Monodrama
Definition
Opera with one role.
Term
Monologue
Definition
One person talking or singing for a long time with no other characters doing anything interesting.
Term
Opera buffa
Definition
Italian comic operas
Term
Opera house
Definition
Theatre meant for opera.
Term
Opera seria
Definition
Italian noble or serious opera.
Term
Operetta
Definition
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter.
Term
Opera bouffe
Definition
French 19th century operetta.
Term
Opera bouffon
Definition
French name for opera buffa.
Term
Opéra comique
Definition
French genre of opera that contains spoken dialogue.
Term
Opéra-ballet
Definition
Popular during the French baroque era.
Term
Parsifal bell
Definition
Bell used as a substitute for church bells in Wagner's Parsifal.
Term
Passaggio
Definition
Pitches where the voice transitions to a new register.
Term
Pastorale héroïque
Definition
Pastorale héroïque is a genre of French Baroque opera.
Term
Portamento
Definition
Sliding between two pitches.
Term
Prima donna
Definition
First lady, lead female singer in an opera company.
Term
Recitative
Definition
Style of delivery in which the singer can adopt the rhythmic patterns of normal speech.
Term
Regietheater
Definition
Director can change the composer's given stage directions, etc, to present the opera in a new way.
Term
Register
Definition
In music, a register is the relative "height" or range of a note, set of pitches or pitch classes, melody, part, instrument or group of instruments.
Term
Rescue opera
Definition
19th century operas dealing with the rescue of the main character, such as Fidelio.
Term
Ritornello
Definition
In Baroque music, ritornello was the word for a recurring passage for orchestra in the first or final movement of a solo concerto or aria (also in works for chorus).
Term
Romantische Oper
Definition
Nineteenth century German opera.
Term
Répétiteur
Definition
In opera, répétiteur is the name given to the person responsible for coaching singers and playing the piano for music and production rehearsals.
Term
Semi-opera
Definition
Early form of opera developed in England, associated with Purcell.
Term
Singspiel
Definition
German form of music-drama in which text is spoken dramatically over music.
Term
Sitzprobe
Definition
Sing-thru with orchestra designed to bring together the two groups.
Term
Sopranist
Definition
Adult male soprano
Term
Soprano
Definition
Highest female voice, C4 to C6.
Term
Soprano sfogato
Definition
In the art of singing, the term "soprano sfogato" designates a singer (contralto or mezzo soprano) capable of by sheer industry or natural talent to extend her upper range and be able to encompass the coloratura soprano tessitura.
Term
Soubrette
Definition
In classical music and opera, the term soubrette refers to both a soprano voice type and a particular type of opera role. A soubrette voice is light with a bright, sweet timbre, a tessitura in the mid-range, and with no extensive coloratura.
Term
Spinto
Definition
Tenors or sopranos with the ability to sing with lots of drama and core, sing over orchestra.
Term
Sprechstimme or sprechgesang
Definition
Between singing and speaking, German.
Term
Squillo
Definition
Italian word for "ring", resonance.
Term
Stagione
Definition
Organizational method of presenting opera, often used by large companies.
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