Glossary of Operatic and Musical Theater Terms

ACT: Operas are generally composed and performed in large segments called acts. An act is one segment of the entire performance; several acts together comprise an opera. Although some operas have only one act, most have three or four. At the end of an act the curtain is drawn across the stage, at which time the set is often changed and an interlude is played.

ARIA: In opera, a musical work for solo voice that expresses the innermost thoughts and feelings of an operatic character. Arias usually do not drive the action of the drama; rather, they provide moments of reflection for the character, as well as opportunities for lyrical expression in the opera.

BALLET: A dance that tells a story, or a dance within an opera that is part of the fabric of the story. The earliest French operas (17th century) featured dance as an integral component of the performance; Italian composers often included dance in their operas as late as the 19th century.

BAROQUE: A period of time in Western music history that began in the late 1500s and ended in the early 1700s. Operas composed and performed during this period are characterized by highly stylized presentations and elaborately embellished vocal singing.

BEL CANTO: An Italian term meaning "beautiful singing," it refers to the elegant Italian vocal style of the 18th and early 19th centuries. The operas of Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti are examples of the bel canto style, although the term was in common usage earlier.

BROADWAY: While "Broadway" refers to the central street in New York City's theater district, the term is also used to describe the popular musicals and plays produced there.

CHORUS: A groups of singers. The term also refers to a musical selection in which more than one individual performs each voice part. In opera and musical theater, the chorus usually represents collective groups such as soldiers, priests, peasants, nymphs, etc. as required by the plot.

DUET: In opera and musical theater, a composition for two voices supported by instrumental accompaniment. A duet is often performed by pairs of lovers, but may also be used to express conflict between two chara

ENSEMBLE: In opera and musical theater, a work performed by more than two singers. The term can refer to a trio, a quartet, a quintet, etc. However, it is often used to refer to a sung portion of a work in which multiple characters are expressing different emotions simultaneously or are communicating concern when confronting a difficult situation.

FINALE: The concluding segment of an act or the concluding segment of the entire opera. The finale is often a formal, extended work during which the principal characters have the opportunity to dramatically evolve their situations either to a climactic point or to the completion of the drama.

GRAND OPERA: The term commonly refers to an opera that employs epic themes and exhibits them through the use of a large orchestra and chorus. An example of grand opera is Verdi's Aida, with its large processional scene in which hundreds of singers, dancers, and animals share the stage.

INTERLUDE: In opera, instrumental music performed between scenes.

INTERMEZZO: In opera, a short instrumental passage that connects the larger sections of a composition or provides a dramatic transition between moods. Intermezzos can be separate, self-contained works of music.

LIBRETTO: The complete text of an opera. It is an Italian term meaning "little book." The libretto was published for opera audiences to enable them to read the text before or during the performance. First appearing in the 18th century, libretti are not regularly published today, since audio recordings include complete texts, and opera houses project English translations during performances.

Excerpt from the libretto for Don Giovanni

MUSICAL THEATER: A type of theatrical production that combines music, song, spoken dialogue, and dance to convey a story. Musical-theater influences include opera, operetta, vaudeville, jazz, and popular song.

OPERA: A theatrical production that is entirely dependent on the use of singing and orchestral music to present and convey a story. In opera, the words or text are sung rather than spoken, and the music highlights, underscores, and supports the story. Topics of operas ranges from folklore, mythology, history, and religion to poems, plays, and novels.

OPERA BUFFA: The genre of opera in which the subject matter is entirely comic. Opera buffa rose to popularity in Italy and abroad during the course of the 18th century. These operas focused on people from all walks of life, often depicting characters from the lower classes outsmarting members of the upper classes.

OPERA SERIA: The genre of opera in the 18th century in which the subject matter is entirely serious. The topics of opera seria are usually drawn from Greek mythology or Roman history.

OPERETTA: Light-hearted musical entertainment containing dance, spoken dialogue, practical jokes, and mistaken identities. Operettas were especially popular in the late 19th century.

OVERTURE: The overture, which originated in opera, is an instrumental or orchestral musical composition that acts as an introduction to an opera or other theater work. The overture often introduces musical themes that will occur later in the performance. It is frequently a stand-alone composition that can be performed as part of a concert, independent of the opera for which it was written.

PRELUDE: A short instrumental work for orchestra that leads directly, with no pause, into the opening act of an opera or other theater work. Preludes differ from overtures in that they are shorter works, and usually are not works that could be performed independently from the opera for which they were written.

RECITATIVE: A type of vocal writing in opera that mimics speech or recitation. Often preceding arias, recitatives generally convey a course of action that a character will take, rather than expressing a state of mind or emotion that a character feels.

RENAISSANCE: The period of Western music between 1450 and 1600. In the latter years of the Renaissance period, the emergence of a group of writers, humanists, historians, poets, and composers (collectively known as the Florentine Camerata) marked the earliest beginnings of opera.

ROMANTIC: The period of Western music between the early 19th and early 20th centuries. Composers of romantic music frequently found inspiration in nature and painting. Beethoven was one of the earliest romantic opera composers, although the most famous are Wagner and Verdi.

SUPERTITLES: In American opera houses, English translations of an opera's libretto that are projected onto a screen above the stage during performances.

Supertitle from Glimmerglass Opera's 1996 production of L'italiana in Algeri. Photo by George Mott.

TESSITURA: An Italian term meaning "texture" that is used in opera to describe the vocal range of a role. It is also used to describe a piece of music in relation to the vocal type for which it was written. For example, Verdi's baritone roles are said to have a particularly high tessitura.

VERISMO: An Italian term meaning "realism," it refers to the movement in Italian literature and music reflecting naturalism or realism that was made popular through the novels of Émile Zola. Stories typically centered around every day people, and the moral ambiguities that they face within society. Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana and Leoncavallo's Pagliacci are examples of Italian verismo operas.

National Endowment for the Arts · an independent federal agency
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20506