GRAND OPERA
can mean either a serious opera with no spoken dialogue or a particularly lavish, large-scale opera based on a mythological or historical theme. Most opera is grand, but not all operas are grand operas.
COMPRIMARIO
is a 19th century Italian term for a singer who plays a supporting role.
DIVA
means “goddess,” and was once used to describe the supreme female singers of an era. Nowadays, it has acquired the connotation of great temperament as well as talent.
LEITMOTIF
is a signature musical passage or theme used as a dramatic device to underline character motivations and actions.
COLORATURA
is an ornamental section in an aria that consists of rapid runs and trills that display the singer’s exceptional virtuosity, agility and range.
DRAMMA GIOCOSO
means “jocular drama,” an Italian term for a comic opera with tragic overtones. Mozart’s Don Giovanni is a perfect example of the form.
HELDENTENOR
is a “heroic tenor” with a voice of great stamina and size needed for long and demanding operas, particularly those by Richard Wagner.
LIBRETTO,
or “little book,” contains the words of an opera or operetta.
IMPRESARIO
is the Italian title of the manager of an opera company. The German term is INTENDANT.
TEMPO
means “time” and indicates the preferred pace of the music.
ADAGIO
is music played (or sung) at a slow tempo.
BEL CANTO
means “beautiful singing” and describes an ornate style of writing designed to show off the splendors of the human voice. Lucia di Lammermoor and Norma are representative of the form.
INTERMEZZO
is a musical interlude between scenes, normally featuring the orchestra performing alone.
DA CAPO
means “from the top” and refers to repeating material in arias from the Baroque and Classical period.
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