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Aria - Italian word for "air." A song for solo voice with instrumental accompaniment Baritone - the medium male voice; lies between the low bass voice and the higher tenor voice Bass - the lowest of the male voices Bass-baritone - a male voice that combines the quality of the baritone with the depth of the bass, avoiding the extremes of either range Basso profundo - the most serious bass voice Bel canto - Italian for "beautiful singing." In a bel canto style opera, the beauty of singing is more important than the plot or the words Bravo! - Italian word for expressing appreciation to a male performer Brava! - Italian word for expressing appreciation to a female performer Bravi! - Italian word for expressing appreciation to two or more performers Cadenza - near the end of an aria, a series of difficult, fast high notes that allow the singer to demonstrate vocal ability Coloratura soprano - a very high-pitched soprano. Also the description of singing which pertains to great feats of agility - fast singing, high singing, trills, and embellishments Crescendo - getting progressively louder Diminuendo - getting progressively softer Duet - a musical composition for two performers Falsetto - the high part of a man's voice, sounding like a woman's voice Finale - last song of an act, usually involving a large number of singers Finale ultimo - the final finale Grand opera - opera that is sung from start to finish, as opposed to opera that may have spoken dialogue Heldentenor - German for "heroic tenor." A heldentenor has a brilliant top register (high notes) combined with a strong lower voice, almost like a baritone, and is capable of long passages which require great vocal stamina Libretto - Italian for "little book." The libretto is the text of an opera Maestro - Italian for "master." A title of courtesy, given, especially in Italy, to conductors, composers and directors Mezza voce - Italian for "medium voice." When singing mezza voce, the singer reduces the volume so as to intensify the emotion Mezzo soprano - the female voice between the soprano (highest) and the contralto (lowest) Opera seria - a formal, serious opera, particularly prevalent in the 18th century Prelude - the instrumental introduction to an individual act within an opera Prima donna - Italian for "first lady." The female star of an opera Range - the division of the human voice according to six basic types: soprano, mezzo soprano, contralto, tenor, baritone and bass Romantic - the period of music between the early to mid 1800's and the early 1900's Soprano - the highest female voice Staccato - characterized by short, clipped, rapid articulation Stage right/stage left - the division of the stage from the performer's point of view; when a performer goes stage right, he moves to his own right and to the audience's left Supernumerary - a performer who appears in a non-singing role Tempo - the speed of a musical passage or composition Tenor - the highest male voice Trill - Two rapidly and repeatedly alternated notes. Upstage/downstage - the position on stage farthest or nearest the audience. When a performer moves downstage, he goes toward the audience Verismo - Italian for "truth." A documentary style of opera involving melodramatic situations Vibrato - the slightly wavering quality that a singer has in his voice while sustaining a tone
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