Opera Basics

1
Opera Basics

• Created by
• Laura Dedic
• Madison Central High School

2
What is Opera?

• An Opera is a musical drama or comedy where the
  actors sing rather then speak their lines.
• "Opera" is derived from the Italian word opus,
  which means work of art.

3
The Opera Story

• An opera tells a story. It can come from many
  sources,
• including history, current events, magic, Bible,
  and fairy tales, legends, literature, poetry, and
  mythology.
• Opera can be funny, sad, scary, dramatic,
  mysterious, imaginary, or a combination of the
  above

4
The Art Forms Included in Opera

• Opera is a combination of many art forms
• singing,
• orchestra,
• music,

• acting,
• dancing,
• mime,
• costumes,
• scenic design and
• painting,
• lighting,
• and makeup design.

5
Structure

• An Opera is structured like a play, with acts,
  scenes, and a variety of vocal forms including
• Arias (solos),
• Ensembles (for 2 or more singers),
• and Chorus (for a large group of singers).

6
Operatic Terms

• The Libretto contains all of the words of an
  opera. The Librettist is the person who writes
  the words for the opera.
• Characters are the people in the story.
• A Synopsis is a short summary of what takes place
  in the story.

7
Operatic Terms

• The Composer writes the music for the opera. All
  of the music, both vocal (for singers) and
  orchestral (for instrumentalists) is written in
  the Score.
• The score should reflect the mood, events, and
  emotions of the characters in the story.

8
Operatic Terms

• Recitative is the sung narrative (speaking) which
  propels the action of the story.
• Aria is a solo number for a singer. This comes
  from the Italian word meaning tune or song. This
  is usually where the character expresses their
  feelings about a situation.

9
Opera Voices

• Classically trained singers learn to use their
  voices so that they can be heard over a full
  symphony. They do this by learning to strengthen
  their diaphragms so they can project a steady
  stream of air that helps create a big sound.
• Female voices are divided into three categories
• Soprano (highest) Prima Donna
• Mezzo-Soprano (middle range)
• Alto and Contralto (lowest)
• Male voices are divided into three categories
• Tenor (highest)
• Baritone (middle range)
• Bass (lowest)

10
Trip to the Kentucky Opera
11
Sources

• KET Enclyclomedia