Opera: Romantic Period, Voice Types & Musical Terms

• Opera became increasingly popular during the Romantic Period
• It's a performance where actors sing most or all of the words, accompanied by an orchestra

Components of an Opera

• Libretto: The opera's book or story (text)
• Score: A document with all notes, words, and ideas to guide performers
• Recitative: Declamatory singing used in the prose and dialogue
• Aria: A solo singing part performed by a principal character
• Arias are often the most memorable part of the opera for the audience

Types of Voice

Male Voices:

• Tenor: Highest male voice
• Baritone: Middle male voice, between Bass and Tenor, and the most common male voice
• Bass: Lowest male voice

Female Voices:

• Soprano: Highest female voice
  • Coloratura: Highest soprano voice
  • Lyric: Bright and full sound
  • Dramatic: Darker and full sound
• Mezzo-Soprano: Most common female voice with a strong middle range
• Contralto: Lowest female voice

Musical Terms

• A Capella: Singing without instrumental accompaniment
• Cantabile: In a singing style
• Capo: Head, the beginning
• Coda: Closing section appended to a song
• Falsetto: Weaker, airy voice in higher pitch ranges
• Rubato: Slight speeding up or slowing down of tempo at the soloist’s discretion

Famous Operas

La Traviata

• Music by Giuseppe Verdi (1813 – 1901)
• Categorized as a Romantic tragedy
• Set in Paris, France (1850)

Madame Butterfly

• Music by Giacomo Puccini (1858 – 1924)
• Libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Giacosa & Luigi Ilica
• Based on John Luther’s short story, derived from Pierre Loti’s tale "Madame Chrysantheme"
• Romantic tragedy set in Nagasaki, Japan