Act: A section, or piece, of an opera; it usually has its own dramatic structure
Apron: The front part of the stage that lies between the curtain and the pit
Aria: A long, emotional solo sung by the main character of an opera
Aside: A comment or speech made by an actor onstage to the audience that is supposedly not heard by the other actors on stage
Banda: Instrumentalists in an opera who do not play in the pit, but instead play either onstage or backstage as part of the crowd
Baritone: A male singing voice, higher than a bass but lower than a tenor
Bass: A male singing voice, the lowest in the scale
Baton: A short stick used by a conductor to lead the singers onstage as well as the orchestra in the pit
Bel Canto: A style of Italian singing or an opera written in such style that emphasizes phrasing, tone, and technique; literally means “beautiful singing”
Buffo: The comedian of an opera; comes from the Italian term for “buffoon”
Blocking: Directions given to the actors by the director to let them know where to go and what movements to make for each scene
Bravo: A term shouted at the end of an operatic performance; “bravo” is shouted for a male, “brava” for a female, and “bravi” for a group of performers
Cabaletta: A faster, more upbeat, second half of an aria
Cadenza: A segment at the end of an aria that shows off a singer’s vocal ability
Canzone: A folk song used in a opera, usually sung by the buffo in a comedic way
Cavatina: The slower, first half of an aria; in the past it referred to the first aria sung by a character; sometimes instrumental rather than vocal
Choreographer: The individual who makes up the dances for an opera
Chorus: The group of singers who act as extra in an opera; they may be townspeople, party guests, etc.
Chorus Master: The individual in charge of the chorus; he chooses the chorus members and coordinates their rehearsals
Claque: People who are hired to sit in an audience to clap and applaud during a performance
Coloratura: Fast notes and trills written for vocals
Composer: An individual who writes music
Comprimario: A supporting actor or actress
Concertato: Soloists and the chorus who sing in the second movement of a central finale to form the lyrical climax
Concertmaster: The individual responsible for coordinating the orchestra; the responsibility generally falls to the first-chair violinist
Conductor: The individual who leads the orchestra and singers
Contralto: A female singing voice in the lower vocal range
Costume Designer: The individual who designs and/or chooses the costumes in cooperation with the director
Countertenor: A male with a tenor or baritone voice who can elevate his voice to that similar to a woman’s alto voice
Cover: An actor’s understudy, or the one who replaces an actor if he is ill for a performance
Crescendo: An increase in volume which is done gradually
Cue: A signal by the conductor for a singer to begin singing or an orchestra member to begin playing
Curtain Call: The bows at the end of the performance
Da Capo Aria: A n aria that follows a particular pattern of having a shorter section following a longer section with the first section repeated, usually with some added flair and ornamentation
Director: The individual who decides what the actors should do onstage with blocking and how they should interpret their roles
Diva: An important female actress or star; a male is referred to as a “divo”; the term often has a negative connotation now
Double Aria: A aria having two parts, the slower cavatina, and the faster cabaletta
Dresser: An individual backstage who helps to dress characters between scenes; a principle character will often have his/her own dresser
Dress Rehearsal: The final rehearsal before the opening night of a show; the rehearsal should run just as a show would run with costumes, lights, sounds, and orchestra
Duet: A song performed by two singers or musicians
Embellishment: The act of adding notes to a melody line
Encore: Historically, a repeat of an aria when shouted by an audience; rarely is it done today; also refers to any time a performer will come back out and perform either the same piece or a different piece when the audience applauds enthusiastically enough
Falsetto: Singing above the natural range of a vocal range; usually this is done by a male comically to imitate a woman
Finale: Refers to either the final song or number in an opera or the final scene
Fly: A space either above the stage or to the sides of the stage where members of the backstage crew use ropes and levers to raise and lower curtains and other pieces onto the stage
Grand Opera: Refers to an opera without any spoken dialogue; utilizes a large orchestra and chorus
Impresario: The general director of an opera company or someone who financially sponsors theatrical entertainment
Interlude: A short piece of music, instrumental, played between acts or scenes in an opera
Intermission: A break during the show, generally between acts, to give patrons the opportunity to stretch their legs or get a drink; usually lasts 15 or 20 minutes
Leitmotiv: A recurring musical sound that precipitates the appearance of a particular character or event
Librarian: The individual in charge of obtaining and preparing the musical scores for the orchestra; the librarian will note cuts or additions as needed
Libretto: Refers to the words in an opera
Lyrics: The sung words in a song
Maestro: Refers to the conductor; comes from the word “master,” but refers to male and female
Magic Opera: An opera that utilizes magic and often uses animals during the course of the show; the plot usually involves the rescue of one of the main characters
Makeup Designer: he individual who decides upon and applies the makeup for a theatrical production
Mark: The act of singing more softly than usual in order to save ones voice; an actor will “mark” his or her voice during rehearsals other than dress rehearsals
Masque: A theatrical performance that blends music, poetry, song, and dance
Melodrama: A passage of work that involves alternating dialogue with song
Mezzo-Soprano: A female singing voice, lower than a soprano but higher than an alto
Number Opera: Refers to an opera with various elements such as arias, recitative, ensembles, etc.
Opera: Comes from the Italian word “work” and refers to a theatrical performance that is sung rather than spoken
Opera Buffo: A performance that focuses on ordinary people; sometimes it is comedic in nature
Opera Seria: A performance that focuses on gods, goddesses, and heroes; considered a “serious” opera
Orchestra: The group of musicians who play in the pit and accompany the singers on the stage; led by the conductor
Overture: The musical introduction to a theatrical performance; many times it will be a combination of many of the songs of the show
Parlando: Singing that sounds like ordinary speech that may occur in the middle of an aria
Patter song: A song in which an actor sings an excessive number of words in a short amount of time
Pit: The area in the front of the stage or under the front part of the stage in which the orchestra sits during a theatrical performance; many times the pit can be covered by the stage when not in use
Pizzicato: The act of plucking the string of a stringed instrument rather than bowing
Prima Donna: T he leading lady in a theatrical production; the male counterpart is referred to as the “primo uomo”; often refers to sometimes who is overbearing and demanding due to a history of past leading men and women
Principal: The major singing role in a theatrical production
Production Manager: The administrator of a production; he or she will coordinate the designers, director, conductor, and all others necessary to ensure the success of a production
Prompt: An individual sometimes placed in a box at the very front of the stage who is responsible for feeding actors their lines in case they are forgotten
Props: Refers to all items used by actors on the stage
Property Manager: The individual responsible for making decisions on the props for a production; he will acquire or make any props needed for the show
Recitative: A song that is sung in a conversational style
Répertoire: A block of performance of pieces that a company can perform without any further preparation; usually part of a season of shows
Rigger: The individual who works on the ropes, lifts, and other technically physical aspects of a theatrical production
Roulade: A quick run of notes sung on a single syllable
Score: The written piece of music for a theatrical production
Set Designer: The individual responsible for designing and creating the set of a theatrical production
Singspiel: Refers to a German opera; contains spoken dialogue and many times has a comic or sentimental plot
Sitzprobe: Refers to the first rehearsal that the singers have with the orchestra; there is no acting, the singers practice only their songs; the term means “seated rehearsal”
Soprano: A female singing voice of the highest vocal range
Stagehand: An individual who works backstage during a production; he may be responsible for lights, sound, the fly gallery, or moving set pieces
Stage Manager: The individual in charge of all technical aspects and the technical crew of a production; this would include light changes, entrances and exits, and sound effects
Strophic: An aria in which text is sung with the same music repeated
Supernumerary: Refers to an individual who is onstage during a number but does not sing
Supertitles: Used during foreign operas, they are the texts projected on a screen above the stage
Synopsis: A summary of the plot of the production
Tenor: A male singing voice of the highest vocal range
Tremolo: Refers to a rapid reiteration of pitch
Trio: A song performed by three singers or musicians
Trouser Role: A role of a young man or boy that is sung by a female
Vibrato: Refers to a wavering of frequency of pitch while singing a single note
Zarzuela: A Spanish musical theatrical production in one to three acts that blends music and dialogue that deal with daily life, but with satire