Opera Glossary
Parts of an Opera
OVERTURE:
An orchestral introduction to an opera.
ARIA:
A solo piece written for a main character, which focuses on the character's emotion.
RECITATIVE:
Words sung in a conversational style, usually to advance the plot.
FINALE:
The last musical number of an opera or the last number of an act.
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.
DIFFERENT KIND OF VOICES
Women
COLORATURA:
Very high and mobile soprano that can handle many fast notes and trills.
SOPRANO:
High women's voice.
MEZZO-SOPRANO or ALTO:
Low women's voice.
CONTRALTO:
Very low women's voice.
Men
TENOR:
High men's voice.
BARITONE:
Low men's voice.
BASS:
Very low men's voice.
Aspects of Singing
TO MARK:
To sing very softly or not at full voice.
TESSITURA:
Literally "texture" - refers to the average pitch of a role. Two roles may have the same range from the lowest to the highest note, but the one with a higher average note has the higher tessitura.
TROUSER ROLE:
A role depicting a young man or boy but sung by a woman (can be a soprano or mezzo).
VIBRATO: A natural wavering of frequency (pitch) while singing a note.
VOCAL REST:
Period of time required for the vocal cords to rest after performance, or to recover from illness.
BLOCKING:
Directions given to singers for on-stage acting and movements.
CUE:
A signal to a singer or orchestra member to begin singing or playing.
ROLES OF PLAYERS AND SINGERS
CONCERTMASTER:
The first-chair violinist who plays occasional solos and is responsible for coordinating all of the stringed instruments.
PRINCIPAL:
Singer who has a big role.
COVER:
An understudy who replaces a principal in case of illness or other misfortune.
MAESTRO:
Literally "master;" is used as a courtesy title for the male or female conductor.
CHORUS MASTER:
The one in charge of the chorus during rehearsals and performances.
HOUSE MANAGER:
The person who is responsible for the audience and everything related to the audience.
ORCHESTRA REHEARSALS
ORCHESTRA READ:
The rehearsal for an orchestra in a rehearsal studio or a pit without singers.
SITZPROBE:
Means "seated rehearsal". It is the first rehearsal of all singers with the orchestra and no acting.
TECH:
Short for technical rehearsal.
DRESS REHEARSAL:
A final rehearsal that uses 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 performance as possible.
SYNOPSIS:
A written description of an opera's plot (in some cases including instructions for acting). LIBRETTO: Exact words of the whole opera.
The Stage
PROSCENIUM:
Short for proscenium arch.
APRON:
The rounded area in front of the proscenium.
PIT:
The "apron" is usually a lift that goes up and down. It becomes an orchestra pit once it's all the way down.
CYC:
[saik] Short for cyclorama. It is a curved plain cloth filling the rear of the stage. Backwall of the stage.
HOUSE:
Seating area for audience and a lobby.
OVERTURE:
An orchestral introduction to an opera.
ARIA:
A solo piece written for a main character, which focuses on the character's emotion.
RECITATIVE:
Words sung in a conversational style, usually to advance the plot.
FINALE:
The last musical number of an opera or the last number of an act.
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.
DIFFERENT KIND OF VOICES
Women
COLORATURA:
Very high and mobile soprano that can handle many fast notes and trills.
SOPRANO:
High women's voice.
MEZZO-SOPRANO or ALTO:
Low women's voice.
CONTRALTO:
Very low women's voice.
Men
TENOR:
High men's voice.
BARITONE:
Low men's voice.
BASS:
Very low men's voice.
Aspects of Singing
TO MARK:
To sing very softly or not at full voice.
TESSITURA:
Literally "texture" - refers to the average pitch of a role. Two roles may have the same range from the lowest to the highest note, but the one with a higher average note has the higher tessitura.
TROUSER ROLE:
A role depicting a young man or boy but sung by a woman (can be a soprano or mezzo).
VIBRATO: A natural wavering of frequency (pitch) while singing a note.
VOCAL REST:
Period of time required for the vocal cords to rest after performance, or to recover from illness.
BLOCKING:
Directions given to singers for on-stage acting and movements.
CUE:
A signal to a singer or orchestra member to begin singing or playing.
ROLES OF PLAYERS AND SINGERS
CONCERTMASTER:
The first-chair violinist who plays occasional solos and is responsible for coordinating all of the stringed instruments.
PRINCIPAL:
Singer who has a big role.
COVER:
An understudy who replaces a principal in case of illness or other misfortune.
MAESTRO:
Literally "master;" is used as a courtesy title for the male or female conductor.
CHORUS MASTER:
The one in charge of the chorus during rehearsals and performances.
HOUSE MANAGER:
The person who is responsible for the audience and everything related to the audience.
ORCHESTRA REHEARSALS
ORCHESTRA READ:
The rehearsal for an orchestra in a rehearsal studio or a pit without singers.
SITZPROBE:
Means "seated rehearsal". It is the first rehearsal of all singers with the orchestra and no acting.
TECH:
Short for technical rehearsal.
DRESS REHEARSAL:
A final rehearsal that uses 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 performance as possible.
SYNOPSIS:
A written description of an opera's plot (in some cases including instructions for acting). LIBRETTO: Exact words of the whole opera.
The Stage
PROSCENIUM:
Short for proscenium arch.
APRON:
The rounded area in front of the proscenium.
PIT:
The "apron" is usually a lift that goes up and down. It becomes an orchestra pit once it's all the way down.
CYC:
[saik] Short for cyclorama. It is a curved plain cloth filling the rear of the stage. Backwall of the stage.
HOUSE:
Seating area for audience and a lobby.
