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Operatic Terms
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Grand opera
A style of opera which is characterized by serious, fully-sung drama, massive cast and orchestration, and sumptuous sets and costumes.
Tenor
A male singing voice, and the highest male voice within the modal register.
Dramatic soprano
A voice that has the power, fullness and authority of a soprano voice, but is also capable of producing a rich and voluminous sound.
Operetta
A genre of light opera, often humorous and with spoken dialogue, that is less grandiose than traditional opera.
Libretto
The text of an opera or other long vocal work.
Basso profondo
The lowest bass voice type, with a vocal range that typically extends down to an E2, and characterized by a full, rich, deep sound with a dark timbre.
Soubrette
A young female opera character often a servant, who is pert and charming, flirtatious, and cunning with a light and nimble voice to match.
Aria
A long, accompanied song for a solo voice, typically one in an opera or oratorio.
Fach
A system classifying opera singers according to the range, weight, and color of their voices, used by opera companies to ensure roles are filled by the appropriate voice types.
Prima donna
The leading female singer in an opera company; term can also refer to someone who behaves in a demanding and temperamental fashion.
Pants role
A role in opera in which a female singer plays a male character, often a youthful and charming boy.
Intermezzo
A short connecting instrumental movement in an opera or other musical work, sometimes presented between the acts.
Leitmotif
A recurrent theme throughout a musical or literary composition, associated with a particular person, idea, or situation.
Helden tenor
A term used in opera to describe the voice of a tenor with both the range and power to sing heroic roles, especially those by Richard Wagner.
Bel canto
A lyrical style of operatic singing that emphasizes the beauty of the voice and the virtuosity of the singer.
Coloratura
An elaborate melody with rapid runs, trills, and leaps. A singer performing coloratura pieces is often called a coloratura soprano.
Spinto
A type of operatic singing voice that has the brightness and height of the lyric voice but is capable of dramatic intensity.
Counter-tenor
A male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice types, generally by using falsetto, or a modal register above the typical tenor range.
Overture
An orchestral piece at the beginning of an opera, setting the overall tone and often including themes from the opera.
Baritone
A male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices, often associated with a rich, mellow timbre.
Mezzo-soprano
A female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types.
Diva
A celebrated female opera singer; the term is also used to describe a woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, and by extension in theatre, cinema and popular music.
Recitative
A style of delivery in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms of ordinary speech; used for dialogues and narrations in operas.
Castrato
A male singer castrated before puberty to prevent the voice from breaking and dropping into the male range, enabling the singer to reach the pitch of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto.
Cadenza
A virtuoso solo passage inserted into a movement in a concerto or aria, typically near the end, and allowing the soloist to display their technical skill.
Basso buffo
A bass singer who specializes in comic roles, possessing both good comic timing and a resonant, flexible voice.
Lyrical soprano
A female singing voice that is lighter and more agile than the dramatic soprano, but still capable of conveying emotional depth.
Maestro
An honorific title of respect bestowed upon a master musician, such as a renowned conductor or music director of an opera.
Falsetto
A vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with the lower part of the whistle register, often used by males to sing notes higher than their normal range.
Comprimario
A supporting singing role in an opera, usually a secondary character.
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