Outline of opera
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
- French opera
- Opera in English
- Spanish opera
- Russian opera
- Opera in Dutch
- Finnish opera
- Hungarian opera
- Polish opera
- Opera in Arabic
- Armenian opera
- Albanian opera
- Opera in Azerbaijan
- Opera in Canada
- Opera in Cuba
- Opera in Latin America
- Opera in Scotland
- Opera in Venezuela
- Western opera in Chinese.
Component parts
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.
- Azione teatrale
- Ballad opera
- Chamber opera
- Comic opera
- Dramma giocoso
- Duodrama
- Farsa
- Festa teatrale
- Grand opera
- Literaturoper
- Monodrama
- Music drama
- Opéra-ballet
- Opera buffa
- Opéra bouffe
- Opéra bouffon
- Opéra comique
- Opéra féerie
- Opera semiseria
- Opera seria
- Operetta
- Pasticcio
- Pastorale héroïque
- Radio opera
- Rescue opera
- Romantische Oper
- Sainete
- Savoy opera
- Science fiction opera
- Semi-opera
- Singspiel
- Spieloper
- Tragédie en musique
- Verismo
- Zarzuela
- Zeitoper
General opera concepts
Music concepts relevant to opera
- Concert version
- Libretto
- Offstage instrument or choir part
- Tessitura
- Vocal range
- Vocal weight
- Voice type, the classification of singers by the range, weight, and color of their voices
Theatre concepts relevant to opera
- Act
- Blocking
- Curtain call
- Prop (short for "theatrical property")
- Rake
- Rehearsal
- Stage clothes
- Stagecraft
- Theatrical scenery
- Ticket
Opera house
- Auditorium
- Backstage facilities
- Orchestra pit
- Stage
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
Participants in opera
The participants in an opera performance are similar to, but more specialized than those in other theatrical productions.[2] Opera performers are at the same time both singers and actors, and often dancers as well.
Other participants are:
- conductor
- choirmaster
- ballet dancer
- choreographer
- director (in the sense of stage director, not general manager or general director (often also called opera director)
- dramaturge
- impresario
- opera manager
- set designer
- costume designer
- dresser
- make-up artist
- lighting technician
- banda
- charge scenic artist
- extra
- fly crew
- pit orchestra
- prompter
- property designer
- répétiteur
- set constructor
- set dresser
- Special effects director
- stagehand
- stage manager
- supernumerary actor
- supporting role singer
- technician
- 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
Books about opera
Films about opera
- Il Bacio di Tosca
- Karajan: The Maestro and His Festival
- Pappano's Essential Ring Cycle
- This is Opera
- Wagner's Dream
See also
- Glossary of music terms – list of music topics, with definitions for ease of reference
- Country house opera
- Opera film
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.