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Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work (called an opera), which combines a text (called a libretto) and a musical score.^[1] Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition. While the scale of opera can be larger or smaller—there are many different genres of opera—performance typically involves different types of artist (singers, instrumentalists and often dancers and actors) and technical staff. Usually an orchestra led by a conductor accompanies the singers. In contrast to spoken theatre, the opera world is international. Italian, German, French, English, and Russian works are performed worldwide in their original languages, and artists travel from country to country performing.^[2]

The following is a list of articles on general opera topics:

Essence of opera

History of opera

Opera in different national traditions

Operas have been written in a diversity of languages with many countries or regions developing their own operatic style, tradition and history.^[3]

Italian opera

Opera in German

Russian opera

Polish opera

Opera in Arabic

Opera in Azerbaijan

Component parts

Overture – Instrumental introduction to an opera, ballet, or oratorio
- French – Musical form from the Baroque period
- Italian – Opening orchestral music for operas, operettas and other large scale works
Aria – Musical piece for a single voice as part of a larger work
- Aria di sorbetto – Short solo by a secondary character
- Arioso – Vocal solo between recitative and aria in style
- Cabaletta – Two-part musical form favored for arias
- Cantabile – Musical term meaning "songlike"
- Catalogue aria – Opera aria in which the singer recounts a list of information
- Da capo aria – Baroque musical form
- Insertion aria – Aria added to previously unrelated operatic composition
- Rage aria – Operatic aria expressing rage
Cavatina – Musical term
Intermezzo – Opera genre
Mad scene – Conventional scene depicting madness in opera
Recitative – Ordinary speech-like singing in opera, cantata, mass or oratorio
Chorus – On-stage performers other than the featured players.
Ballet – Form of performance dance

Operatic genres

Over the centuries, the original form of opera, as established by Claudio Monteverdi and his contemporaries, has diversified into distinct and recognisable genres, in addition to the national traditions listed above. These include, but are not limited to, the following.

General opera concepts

English opera terms

French opera terms

German opera terms

Italian opera terms

Prop – short for "theatrical property"

Rake

Stagecraft

Opera house

People in opera

Opera composers, librettists, directors

List of major opera composers – an annotated compilation of the most frequently named composers on ten lists by opera experts.
List of opera librettists – inclusive list of libretto writers.
List of opera directors (in the sense of stage director, not general manager or general director (often also called opera director).

Opera singers categories

Boy soprano
Soprano
- Coloratura
- Soubrette
- Lyric
- Spinto
- Dramatic
- Soprano sfogato
Mezzo-soprano
Contralto (Alto)
Castrato
Countertenor
- Sopranist
Tenor
Baritenor
Baritone
Bass-baritone
Bass
- Basso profondo

Participants in opera

Opera performer – similar to, but more specialized than performers in other theatrical productions.^[2] Opera performers are at the same time both singers and actors, and often dancers as well.

Other participants are

Director – in the sense of stage director, not general manager or general director (often also called opera director)

Dresser
Banda
Charge scenic artist
Dramaturge
Extra
Fly crew
Impresario
Lighting technician
Make-up artist
Opera manager
Pit orchestra
Pit orchestra conductor
Prompter
Property designer
Répétiteur
Set constructor
Set designer
Set dresser
Special effects director
Stagehand
Stage manager
Supernumerary actor
Supporting role singer
Technician
Understudy – also called "cover", a singer who prepares to perform a role in case the principal singer is unable to appear.
Video designer
Wardrobe supervisor

Opera lists

List of Christmas operas
List of fictional literature featuring opera
List of films based on operas
List of historical opera characters
List of important operas – an annotated chronological list of operas which are included for their historical significance or widespread popularity (or both).
List of opera festivals
List of opera genres
List of opera houses – lists opera houses by name (or name of performing arts centres in which they are located, if appropriate and best known that way).
List of operas by composer – an extended list of more than 2,300 works by more than 720 composers.
List of operas by title – an alphabetical list by title of operas with Wikipedia articles.
List of operas set in the Crusades
List of Orphean operas – list of operas dealing with the myth of Orpheus.
List of radio operas
List of television operas
Lists of opera companies

Opera discographies

Opera discographies

Books about opera

Films about opera

References

^ Some definitions of opera: dramatic performance or composition of which music is an essential part, branch of art concerned with this (Concise Oxford English Dictionary); any dramatic work that can be sung (or at times declaimed or spoken) in a place for performance, set to original music for singers (usually in costume) and instrumentalists (Amanda Holden, Viking Opera Guide); musical work for the stage with singing characters, originated in early years of 17th century (Pears' Cyclopaedia, 1983 ed.).
^ ^a ^b Plotkin, Fred (1994). Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera. Hyperion. ISBN 978-0-7868-8025-6.
^ Silke Leopold, "The Idea of National Opera, c. 1800," Unity and Diversity in European Culture c. 1800, Tim Blanning and Hagen Schulze (eds), Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 19–34; The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Stanley Sadie (ed), Grove's Dictionaries of Music, 1992, passim

Additional sources

Apel, Willi (1968). Harvard Dictionary of Music (Second ed.). Belknap Press. ISBN 978-0-674-37501-7.
Grout, Donald (2003). A Short History of Opera. Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-231-11958-0.
Sadie, Stanley, ed. (1992). The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-522186-2.
Boyden, Matthew (2007). The Rough Guide to Opera. Rough Guides. ISBN 978-1-84353-538-6.
Boldrey, Richard (1994). Guide to Operatic Roles and Arias. Caldwell Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1-877761-64-5.
Warrack, John and West, Ewan (1992), The Oxford Dictionary of Opera, 782 pages, ISBN 0-19-869164-5

External links

Operabase – database for opera companies, artists, managers and performances
OperaGlass – a resource at Stanford University including libretti, source texts, performance histories, synopses, discographies and lists of rôle creators.
Operissimo – resource for composers and works as well as houses, companies and artists.

[1] Some definitions of opera: dramatic performance or composition of which music is an essential part, branch of art concerned with this (Concise Oxford English Dictionary); any dramatic work that can be sung (or at times declaimed or spoken) in a place for performance, set to original music for singers (usually in costume) and instrumentalists (Amanda Holden, Viking Opera Guide); musical work for the stage with singing characters, originated in early years of 17th century (Pears' Cyclopaedia, 1983 ed.).

[Plotkin-2] Plotkin, Fred (1994). Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera. Hyperion. ISBN 978-0-7868-8025-6.

[3] Silke Leopold, "The Idea of National Opera, c. 1800," Unity and Diversity in European Culture c. 1800, Tim Blanning and Hagen Schulze (eds), Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 19–34; The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, Stanley Sadie (ed), Grove's Dictionaries of Music, 1992, passim

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