Category

Opera terminology

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A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to A5 in choral music, or to soprano C (C6) or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which often encompasses the melody. The soprano voice type is generally divided into the coloratura, soubrette, lyric, spinto, and dramatic soprano.

thumb|250px|Mélodrame, painted by Honoré Daumier between 1855 and 1860, depicting a typical Parisian scene on [[Boulevard du Temple]]

The tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest-voice type. Composers typically write music for the tenor in the range from the second B below middle C, to the G above middle C (i.e. B2 to G4) in choral music – and from the second B-flat below middle C, to the C above middle C (B2 to C5) in operatic music – but the range can extend at either end. Subtypes of the tenor include the leggero tenor, lyric tenor, spinto tenor, dramatic tenor, heldentenor and tenor buffo (also known as the ).

type of classical male singing voice

A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "low sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C (i.e. F2–F4) in choral music, and from the second G below middle C to the G above middle C (G2 to G4) in operatic music, but the range can extend at either end. Subtypes of baritone include the baryton-Martin baritone (light baritone), lyric baritone, Kavalierbarito

folds of throat tissues that help to create sounds through vocalization

A contralto () is a classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest of their voice types.

thumb|right|Spectrogram of the first second of an E9 [[suspended chord played on a Fender Stratocaster guitar. Below is the E9 suspended chord audio: File:9577 Guitarz1970 Clean E9 Guitar Chord (Mike Tribulas).ogg ]]

thumb|300px|Leitmotif associated with Siegfried's horn call in Richard Wagner's 1876 opera, Siegfriedcenter

theatre building used for opera performances

thumb|right|300px|This score for Handel's ''[[Lascia ch'io pianga'' shows the simple accompaniment for a recitative; much of the time, the basso continuo (the lower staff in bass clef) play half notes and whole notes underneath the vocalist's recitative part.]] thumb|right|200px|A recitative from J.S. Bach's Cantata 140, "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" Recitative (, also known by its Italian name recitativo (), is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms and delivery of ordinary speech. Recitative does not repeat lin

A countertenor (also contra tenor) is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice types, generally extending from around E3 to D5 or E5, although a sopranist (a specific kind of countertenor) may match the soprano's range of around C4 to C6. Countertenors often have tenor or baritone chest voices, but sing in falsetto or head voice much more often than they do in their chest voice.

thumb|right|250px|Poster of Doña Francisquita

thumb|Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (center) attending a performance of his Singspiel, [[Die Entführung aus dem Serail, in Berlin in 1789]] A Singspiel (; plural: ; ) is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera. It is characterized by spoken dialogue, which is alternated with ensembles, songs, ballads, and arias which were often strophic, or folk-like. Singspiel plots are generally comic or romantic in nature, and frequently include elements of magic, fantastical creatures, and comically exaggerated characterizations of good and evil. __TOC__

Gesamtkunstwerk

thumb|upright=1.35|Stairway of the Hôtel Tassel, an early example of Gesamtkunstwerk A Gesamtkunstwerk (, 'total work of art', 'ideal work of art', 'universal artwork', 'synthesis of the arts', 'comprehensive artwork', or 'all-embracing art form') is a work of art that makes use of all or many art forms or strives to do so. The term is a German loanword accepted in English as a term in aesthetics.

thumbnail| by Honoré Daumier, 1842 A claque is an organized body of professional applauders in French theatres and opera houses. Members of a claque are called claqueurs.

genre of French opera

A monodrama is a theatrical or dramatic piece played by a single actor or performer, usually portraying one character.

musical ornament consisting of a rapid alternation between two adjacent notes, usually a semitone or tone apart

thumb|upright|Costume for a Knight, by Inigo Jones: the plumed helmet, the "[[heroic cuirass" in armour and other conventions were still employed for opera seria in the 18th century.]]

brass instrument that combines tonal elements of both the French horn and the trombone

thumb|Soubrette by Alexander Mann A soubrette is a female minor stock character in opera and theatre, often a pert lady's maid. By extension, the term can refer generally to any saucy or flirtatious young woman. The term arrived in English from Provençal via French, and means "conceited" or "coy".

A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three Wagnerian roles: the title role in Der fliegende Holländer, Wotan/Der Wanderer in the Ring Cycle and Hans Sachs in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. Wagner labelled these roles as Hoher Bass ("high bass")—see fach for more details.

a particular musical chord used by Richard Wagner

group of voices with similar vocal ranges

''' (or , ; and ', , and ) means 'between the acts'. It can mean a pause between two parts of a stage production, synonymous to an intermission (this is nowadays the more common meaning in French), but it more often (in English) indicates a piece of music performed between acts of a theatrical production. But despite this, an entr'acte is often paired with a longer intermission, as an intermission is usually "between acts." However, there can also be an entr'acte on its own, usually between the two acts without an intermission.

measure of the breadth of pitches that a human voice can phonate

Opéra-ballet (; plural: opéras-ballets) is a genre of French Baroque lyric theatre that was most popular during the 18th century, combining elements of opera and ballet, "that grew out of the ballets à entrées of the early seventeenth century". It differed from the more elevated tragédie en musique as practised by Jean-Baptiste Lully in several ways. It contained more dance music than the tragédie, and the plots were not necessarily derived from classical mythology and allowed for the comic elements, which Lully had excluded from the tragédie en musique after Thésée (1675). The opéra-ballet co

tragédie en musique

french opera genre

' (, "spoken singing") and ' (, "spoken voice"), more commonly known as speak-singing in English, are expressionist musical vocal techniques between singing and speaking. Though sometimes used interchangeably, is directly related to the operatic recitative manner of singing (in which pitches are sung, but the articulation is rapid and loose like speech), whereas is closer to speech itself (because it does not emphasise any particular pitches).

A sopranist (also known as male soprano) is a male singer who is able to sing in vocal tessitura of a soprano, usually through falsetto or head voice technique. This voice type is a specific kind of countertenor. In rare cases an adult man may be able to sing in the soprano range using his normal or modal voice (high chest voice) and not falsetto due to endocrinological reasons, like Radu Marian, or as a result of a larynx that has not completely developed, as is allegedly the case with Michael Maniaci.

stage role representing a male character played by a female actor

dramatic soprano

type of operatic soprano

range of a musical note, set of pitches, melody, or instrument

French overture

performance in clothes of the opposite sex

The haute-contre (plural hautes-contre) was the primary French operatic tenor voice, predominant in French Baroque and Classical opera, from the middle of the seventeenth century until the latter part of the eighteenth century.

In music, a pasticcio or pastiche is an opera or other musical work composed of works by different composers who may or may not have been working together, or an adaptation or localization of an existing work that is loose, unauthorized, or inauthentic.

opera genre; operas written to be performed with a chamber ensemble rather than a full orchestra

Kammersänger (male; ) or Kammersängerin (female; ), abbreviated Ks. or KS, is a German honorific title for distinguished singers of opera and classical music. It literally means "chamber singer". Historically, the title was bestowed by princes or kings, when it was styled Hofkammersänger(in), where Hof refers to the royal court.

range of tones a certain voice type can reliably produce.

study of the art and science of voice instruction for singing, particularly opera

French opera genre

'''''' is a German word that means a unity of prose and music. Initially coined by Theodor Mundt in 1833, it was most notably used by Richard Wagner, along with , to define his operas.

Baritenor (also rendered in English-language sources as bari-tenor or baritenore) is a portmanteau (blend) of the words "baritone" and "tenor". It is used to describe both baritone and tenor voices. In ''Webster's Third New International Dictionary it is defined as "a baritone singing voice with virtually a tenor range". However, the term was defined in several late 19th century and early 20th century music dictionaries, such as The American History and Encyclopedia of Music, as "a low tenor voice, almost baritone [sic'']."

pastorale héroïque

specific term regarding the human voice the definition of which can vary by art medium

The German system (; literally "compartment" or "subject of study", here in the sense of "vocal specialization") is a method of classifying singers, primarily opera singers, according to the range, weight, and color of their voices. It is used worldwide, but primarily in Europe, especially in German-speaking countries and by repertory opera houses.

thumb|upright=1.4|Blank surtitle screen visible above the stage at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

thumb|Heldentenor Ludwig Schnorr von Carolsfeld and his wife, Malvina, in the title roles of [[Tristan und Isolde, 1865.]]

Italian overture

Intermède (also intermédie, intramède, entremets) is a French theatrical entertainment or spectacle, often involving song and dance and inserted between the acts of a play. It was similar to the Italian intermedio.

Romantische Oper