Glossary
Aria: an elaborate melody for solo voice, with orchestral accompaniment
Libretto: the script (i.e. words, text) of an opera
Opera: a play whose script has been largely or entirely set to music for voice and orchestra
Overture: a piece of orchestral music performed as a prelude to an opera
Recitative: a vocal line for solo voice imitating the natural rhythms and inflections of speech, with instrumental accompaniment (one or two instruments or orchestra)
Voice Types
Soprano: highest female voice
Mezzo-soprano: female voice with a range between soprano and contralto
Contralto (or alto): lowest female voice
Tenor: highest male voice (excluding countertenor and treble voices, which range from contralto to soprano)
Baritone: male voice with a range between tenor and bass
Bass: lowest male voice
More on Opera
Want to explore more? Try some of the following:
OperaVision
Royal Ballet and Opera
Garsington Opera
Opera North
Glyndebourne
Cape Town Opera
Paris Opera
https://www.operadeparis.fr/en
The Metropolitan Opera
Washington National Opera
https://www.kennedy-center.org/wno/home/
Bavarian State Opera
Teatro alla Scala
https://www.teatroallascala.org/it/index.html
Teatro La Fenice
https://www.teatrolafenice.it/en/
Sydney Opera House
https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/
Vienna State Opera
https://www.wiener-staatsoper.at/en/
Paris Update
https://www.parisupdate.com/music/
Opera Now
References
Aucoin, M. 2021. The Impossible Art: Adventures in Opera. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Davidson, G. 1944. Standard Stories from the Operas. London: Werner Laurie.
Downs, P.G. 1992. Classical Music: The Era of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
Gioia, D. 2024. Weep, Shudder, Die: On Opera and Poetry. Philadelphia: Paul Dry Books, Inc.
Grant, M. 1962. Myths of the Greeks and Romans. New York: New American Library.
Graves, R. 1955. The Greek Myths. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.
Grout, D.J. and C.V. Palisca. 1988. A History of Western Music. London: J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd.
Hammond, N.G. Opera reviews at https://www.parisupdate.com/music.
Headington, C., R. Westbrook, and T. Barfoot. 1991. Opera: A History. London: Arrow Books Ltd.
Jacobs, A. and S. Sadie. 1964. The Pan Book of Opera. London: Pan Books Ltd.
Kerman, J. 1956. Opera as Drama. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Kobbé, G. 1969. Kobbé’s Complete Opera Book. Edited and revised by the Earl of Harewood. 8th ed. London: Putnam and Company.
MacMurray, J.M. (editor). 1996. The Book of 101 Opera Librettos. New York: Black Dog and Leventhal Publishers Inc.
May, R. 1977. A Companion to the Opera. Guildford: Lutterworth Press.
Nice, D. 1994. The Illustrated Story of Opera. London: Marshall Cavendish Books.
Osborne, C. 2004. The Opera Lover’s Companion. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Raeburn, M. 1998. The Chronicle of Opera. London: Thames and Hudson Ltd.
Riding, A. and L. Dunton-Downer. 2022. Opera: The Definitive Illustrated Story. 2nd ed. London: DK Penguin Random House.
Rosenthal, H. and J. Warrak. 1985. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Sadie, S. and S. Gabriel (editors). 2017. Definitive Opera Encyclopedia. New and expanded edition. London: Flame Tree Publishing.
Sadie, S. and L. Macy (editors). 2006. The Grove Book of Operas. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Schweitzer, V. 2018. A Mad Love: An Introduction to Opera. New York: Basic Books.
Steen, M. 2012. Great Operas: A Guide to 25 of the World’s Finest Musical Experiences. London: Icon Books Ltd.
The Opera Libretto Library. 1980. New York: Avenel Books.
Tommasini, A. 2004. Opera: A Critic’s Guide to the 100 Most Important Works and the Best Recordings. New York: Henry Holt and Company.
Vincent, C. 2026. Opera Wars: Inside the World of Opera and the Battles for its Future. New York: Scribner.
Walsh, M. 1994. Who’s Afraid of Opera? A Highly Opinionated, Informative, and Entertaining Guide to Appreciating Opera. New York: Diversion Books.
Wilson, A. 2025. Someone Else’s Music: Opera and the British. New York: Oxford University Press.