A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, sacred or secular oratorio and cantata, musical, and ballet. Andrea Chénier is an Opera in four acts by the Verismo composer Umberto Giordano, set to an Italian Libretto by Luigi Illica Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto Operetta is a genre of light Opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment which flourished in sixteenth and early seventeenth century Europe though it was developed earlier in Italy An oratorio is a large Musical composition including an Orchestra, a Choir, and soloists The oratorio was somewhat modeled after the Opera A cantata (derived from the Italian word 'cantare' meaning 'to sing' is a vocal composition with an instrumental Accompaniment and often Musical theatre is a form of Theatre combining Music, Songs spoken Dialogue and Dance. Ballet is a formalized form of Dance with its origins in the French court further developed in France and Russia as a Concert dance The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata. The Mass is the Eucharistic celebration in the Latin liturgical rites of the Roman Catholic Church. The Requiem (from Latin requiem, accusative case of requies, rest or Requiem Mass (informally a funeral Mass also known formally (in Latin as the A cantata (derived from the Italian word 'cantare' meaning 'to sing' is a vocal composition with an instrumental Accompaniment and often
Libretto (pl. libretti), from Italian, is the diminutive of the word "libro" (book). Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. A libretto is distinct from a synopsis or scenario of the plot, in that the libretto contains all the words and stage directions, while a synopsis summarizes the plot. A scenario (from Italian, that which is pinned to the scenery) is a synthetic description of an event or series of actions and events
The relationship of the librettist (that is, the writer of a libretto) to the composer in the creation of a musical work has varied over the centuries, as have the sources and the writing techniques employed. A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance
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Relationship of composer and librettist
Libretti for operas, oratorios, and cantatas in the 17th and 18th centuries generally were written by someone other than the composer, often a well-known poet. Metastasio (1698–1782) (real name Pietro Trapassi) was one of the most highly regarded librettists in Europe. Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi, better known by his Pseudonym of Metastasio, ( January 3, 1698 &ndash April 12, 1782 Year 1782 ( MDCCLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common His libretti were set many times by many different composers. Another noted 18th century librettist was Lorenzo da Ponte, who wrote the libretti for three of Mozart's greatest operas, as well as for many other composers. The 18th century lasted from 1701 to 1800 in the Gregorian calendar, in accordance with the Anno Domini / Common Era numbering system This article is about the librettist Lorenzo da Ponte For the Bishop of the same name see Vittorio Veneto. Eugène Scribe was one of the most prolific librettists of the 19th century, providing the words for works by Meyerbeer (with whom he had a lasting collaboration), Auber, Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini and Verdi. Augustin Eugène Scribe ( December 24, 1791 – February 20, 1861) was a French dramatist and Librettist. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar Giacomo Meyerbeer ( September 5, 1791 &ndash May 2, 1864) was a noted German -born Opera Composer, and Daniel François Esprit Auber ( January 29, 1782 – May 13, 1871) was a French Composer. Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini ( November 3, 1801 &ndash September 23, 1835) was a Sicilian Opera Composer Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti (29 November 1797 &ndash 8 April 1848 was an Italian composer from Bergamo, Lombardy. The French writers' duo Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy wrote a large number of opera and operetta libretti for the likes of Jacques Offenbach, Jules Massenet and Georges Bizet. Henri Meilhac ( February 21, 1831 &ndash July 6, 1897) French Dramatist and Opera Librettist, was Ludovic Halévy ( 1 January 1834 - 8 May 1908) was a French Author and Playwright. Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto Operetta is a genre of light Opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter Jacques Offenbach (born Jacob Offenbach 20 June 1819 in Cologne &ndash 5 October 1880 in Paris) was a German Jules (Émile Frédéric Massenet ( May 12, 1842 – August 13, 1912) was a French composer best known for his Operas Georges Bizet (25 October 1838 – 3 June 1875 was a French Composer and Pianist of the Romantic era Arrigo Boito, who wrote libretti for, among others, Giuseppe Verdi and Amilcare Ponchielli, composed two operas of his own. Arrigo Boito ( February 24, 1842 &ndash June 10, 1918) aka Enrico Giuseppe Giovanni Boito Pseudonym Tobia Gorrio was an Italian Amilcare Ponchielli ( August 31, 1834 &ndash January 16, 1886) was an Italian Composer, largely of Operas
Pietro Mascagni, flanked by his librettists,
Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti and Guido Menasci
The libretto is not always written before the music. Cavalleria rusticana ( Rustic Chivalry) is an Opera in one act by Pietro Mascagni to an Italian Libretto by Giovanni Targioni-Tozzetti Some composers, such as Mikhail Glinka, Alexander Serov, Rimsky-Korsakov, Puccini, and Mascagni wrote passages of music without text and subsequently had the librettist add words to the vocal melody lines. Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (Михаи́л Ива́нович Гли́нка ( –) was the first Russian composer to gain wide recognition inside his own country Alexander Nikolayevich Serov (Александр Николаевич Серов in Cyrillic; Aleksandr Nikolaevič Serov in transliteration &ndash was a Russian Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov ( Николай Андреевич Римский-Корсаков, Nikolaj Andreevič Rimskij-Korsakov) also Nikolay WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section --> Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini ( December 22, 1858 WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section --> Pietro Mascagni ( December 7, 1863 &ndash August 2, (This has often been the case with American popular song and musicals in the 20th century, as with Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart's collaboration, although with the later team of Rodgers and Hammerstein the lyrics were generally written first. Richard Charles Rodgers ( June 28, 1902, Arverne Queens, New York City &ndash December 30, 1979, New York Lorenz "Larry" Hart ( May 2, 1895 &ndash November 22, 1943) was the lyricist half of the famed Broadway songwriting team Richard Rodgers (1902 &ndash 1979 and Oscar Hammerstein II (1895 &ndash 1960 were a well-known American songwriting duo )
Some composers wrote their own libretti. Richard Wagner is perhaps most famous in this regard, with his transformations of Germanic legends and events into epic subjects for his operas and music dramas. Alban Berg adapted Georg Büchner's play Woyzeck for the libretto of Wozzeck. Alban Maria Johannes Berg (February 9 1885 &ndash December 24 1935 was an Austrian Composer. Karl Georg Büchner ( October 17, 1813 &ndash February 19, 1837) was a German Dramatist and Writer of prose Woyzeck is a Stage play written by Georg Büchner. He left the work incomplete at his death but it has been variously and posthumously "finished" Wozzeck is the first Opera by the Austrian composer Alban Berg.
Sometimes the libretto is written in close collaboration with the composer; this can involve adaptation, as was the case with Rimsky-Korsakov and his librettist Bel'sky, or an entirely original work. Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov ( Николай Андреевич Римский-Корсаков, Nikolaj Andreevič Rimskij-Korsakov) also Nikolay In the case of musicals, the music, the lyrics, and the "book" (i. e. , the spoken dialogue and the stage directions) may each have their own author. Thus, a musical such as Fiddler on the Roof has a composer (Jerry Bock), a lyricist (Sheldon Harnick), and the writer of the "book" (Joseph Stein). Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set Jerry Bock (born November 23 1928) is a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize -winning American Musical theatre Composer Sheldon Harnick (born April 30, 1924) is an American Lyricist best known for his collaborations with Composer Jerry Bock Joseph Stein (born May 30, 1912) is a American Playwright best known for writing the books for such musicals as Fiddler
Other matters in the process of developing a libretto parallel those of spoken dramas for stage or screen. Drama is the specific mode of Fiction represented in Performance. There are the preliminary steps of selecting or suggesting a subject and developing a sketch of the action in the form of a scenario, as well as revisions that might come about when the work is in production, as with out-of-town tryouts for Broadway musicals, or changes made for a specific local audience. A scenario (from Italian, that which is pinned to the scenery) is a synthetic description of an event or series of actions and events Broadway, as the name implies is a wide avenue in New York City. A famous case of the latter is Wagner's 1861 revision of the original 1845 Dresden version of his opera Tannhäuser for Paris. Year 1861 ( MDCCCLXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Year 1845 ( MDCCCXLV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Dresden (etymologically from Old Sorbian Drežďany, meaning people of the riverside forest, Drježdźany is the Capital city of the German Tannhäuser (full title Tannhäuser und der Sängerkrieg auf der Wartburg / Tannhäuser and the Singers' Contest at Wartburg) is an Opera Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city
Literary characteristics
The opera libretto from its inception (ca. 1600) was written in verse, and this continued well into the 19th century, although genres of musical theater with spoken dialogue have typically alternated verse in the musical numbers with spoken prose. Since the late 19th century some opera composers have written music to prose or free verse libretti. Much of the recitative of George Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess, for instance, is merely DuBose and Dorothy Heyward's play Porgy set to music as written - in prose - with the lyrics of the arias, duets, trios and choruses written in verse. Recitative /rɛsɪtə'tiv/ (also known by its Italian name "recitativo" (/retʃita'tivo/ is a style of delivery (much used in Operas Oratorios George Gershwin (September 26 1898 &ndash July 11 1937 was an American Composer. Porgy and Bess is an Opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, Libretto by DuBose Heyward, and DuBose Heyward ( August 31, 1885 – June 16, 1940) was an American author best known for his 1924 Novel Dorothy Heyward (née Kuhns 1890 &ndash November 19, 1961) was an American Playwright. Porgy is a novel written by DuBose Heyward in 1925 as well as a play Dorothy Heyward helped him to write which debuted in 1927 This article is about the musical term "aria" For other meanings or uses of the word see Aria (disambiguation. A duet is a Musical composition or piece for two Performers In Classical music the term is most often used for a composition for two singers
The libretto of a musical, on the other hand, is almost always written in prose (except for the song lyrics). The libretto of a musical, if the musical is adapted from a play, may even borrow their source's original dialogue liberally - much as Oklahoma! used dialogue from Lynn Riggs's Green Grow the Lilacs, Carousel used dialogue from Ferenc Molnar's Liliom, My Fair Lady took most of its dialogue word-for-word from George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, and the 1954 musical version of Peter Pan used J.M. Barrie's dialogue. Oklahoma! is the first musical written by composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. Rollie Lynn Riggs ( August 31, 1899 – June 30, 1954) was an author poet and playwright born on a farm near Claremore Oklahoma. Carousel is a musical by Richard Rodgers (music and Oscar Hammerstein II (book and lyrics that was adapted from Ferenc Molnar Ferenc Molnár (originally Ferenc Neumann 12 January 1878 in Budapest &mdash 1 April 1952 in New York City Liliom is a 1909 play by Ferenc Molnár. it was very famous in its own right during the early to mid-twentieth century but is best known today as the basis for the My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw 's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner George Bernard Shaw ( (26 July 1856 &ndash 2 November 1950 was an Irish Playwright. Pygmalion (1913 is a play by George Bernard Shaw based on the Greek myth of the same name. Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J Sir James Matthew Barrie 1st Baronet OM ( 9 May, 1860 &ndash 19 June, 1937) more commonly known as J
Language and translation
As the originating language of opera, Italian dominated that genre in Europe (except in France) well through the 18th century, and even into the next century in Russia, for example, when the Italian opera troupe in Saint Petersburg was challenged by the emerging native Russian repertory. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Saint Petersburg ( tr: Sankt-Peterburg,) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River Significant exceptions before 1800 can be found in Purcell's works, German opera of Hamburg during the Baroque, ballad opera and Singspiel of the 18th century, etc. Henry Purcell (ˈpɜrsəl 10 September 1659 (? – 21 November 1695 was an English Baroque Composer. Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany The term ballad opera is used to refer to a genre of English stage entertainment originating in the 18th century and continuing to develop in the following century For the racehorse see Singspiel (horse. Singspiel ("song-play" (plural Singspiele is a form of German-language
Just as with literature and song, the libretto has its share of problems and challenges with translation. Translation is the interpreting of the meaning of a text and the subsequent production of an equivalent text likewise called a " translation In the past (and even today), foreign musical stage works with spoken dialogue, especially comedies, were sometimes performed with the sung portions in the original language and the spoken dialogue in the vernacular. However, this reinforces the idea that the words to the songs do not matter, a common misconception in those who do not really understand musicals or operettas. This does not really harm musicals such as the old Betty Grable - Don Ameche - Carmen Miranda vehicles, but it is especially misleading in translations of musicals such as Show Boat, The Wizard of Oz, My Fair Lady or Carousel, in which the lyrics to the songs and the spoken text are often or always closely integrated, and the lyrics serve to actually further the plot, not merely to provide words to a nice song. Betty Grable ( December 18, 1916 &ndash July 2, 1973) was an American Dancer Singer, and actress Don Ameche (born Dominic Felix Amici; May 31 1908 – December 6 1993) was an American actor Carmen Miranda, pron. 'kaɾme͂j mi'rɐ͂dɐ (February 9 1909 – August 5 1955 birth name Maria do Carmo Show Boat is a musical in two acts with music by Jerome Kern and book (based on a novel by Edna Ferber) and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein The Wizard of Oz was a 1902 Musical play extravaganza based on The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L Availability of printed or projected translations today makes singing in the original language more practical, although one cannot discount the desire to hear a sung drama in one's own language.
The Spanish words libretista (playwright, script writer or screen writer) and libreto (script or screen play), which are used in the Hispanic TV and cinema industry, derived their meanings from the original operatic sense.
Status of librettists and the libretto
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Librettists have historically received less prominent credit than the composer. In some 17th-century operas still being performed, the name of the librettist was not even recorded. {citation} As the printing of libretti for sale at performances became more common, these records often survive better than music left in manuscript. But even in late 18th-century London, reviews rarely mentioned the name of the librettist, as Lorenzo da Ponte lamented in his Memoirs. This article is about the librettist Lorenzo da Ponte For the Bishop of the same name see Vittorio Veneto.
By the 20th century some librettists became recognized as part of famous collaborations, as with Gilbert and Sullivan. Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian era partnership of Librettist W Today the composer (past or present) of the musical score to an opera or operetta is usually given top billing for the completed work, and the writer of the lyrics relegated to second place or a mere footnote, a notable exception being Gertrude Stein, who received top billing for Four Saints in Three Acts. Gertrude Stein ( February 3, 1874 &ndash July 27, 1946) was an American Writer who spent most of her life in France Four Saints in Three Acts is an Opera by American composer Virgil Thomson with a Libretto by Gertrude Stein. Another exception was Alberto Franchetti's 1906 opera La figlia di Iorio which was a close rendering of a highly successful play by its librettist, Gabriele D'Annunzio, a celebrated Italian poet, novelist, and dramatist of the day. Alberto Franchetti ( 18 September 1860, Turin - 4 August 1942, Viareggio) was an Italian Opera La figlia di Iorio ( The Daughter of Iorio) sometimes written as La figlia di Jorio, is an opera in three acts by Alberto Franchetti Gabriele d'Annunzio ( 12 March 1863 &ndash 1 March 1938) was an Italian Poet, Journalist, Novelist In some cases, the operatic adaptation has become more famous than the literary text on which it was based, as with Claude Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande after a play by Maurice Maeterlinck. Achille-Claude Debussy (aʃil klod dəbysi (August 22 1862 &ndash March 25 1918 was a French Composer. Pelléas et Mélisande ( Pelléas and Mélisande) is an Opera in five acts with music by Claude Debussy. Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Count Maeterlinck ( August 29, 1862 - May 6, 1949) was a Belgian Poet, Playwright,
On the other hand, the affiliation of a poor libretto to great music has sometimes given the libretto's author a kind of accidental immortality. Certainly it is common for works of classical music to be admired in spite of, rather than because of, their libretti. Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and Secular music An example is Mozart's inept librettist Varesco. Father Varesco (1735-1805 was a chaplain musician poet and (most famously librettist to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
The question of which is more important in opera — the music or the words — has been debated over time, and forms the basis of — of all things — an opera, specifically Strauss's last, Capriccio. Capriccio is the final Opera by German composer Richard Strauss, subtitled "A Conversation Piece for Music"
Publication of libretti
Libretti have been made available in several formats, some more nearly complete than others. Ernani is an Operatic dramma lirico in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, based The text — i. e. , the spoken dialogue, sung lyrics, and stage directions, as applicable — is commonly published separately from the music (such a booklet is usually included with sound recordings of most operas). Sometimes (particularly for operas in the public domain) this format is supplemented with melodic excerpts of musical notation for important numbers. Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of Musical notation; like its analogs -- books pamphlets etc A number in Music is a self-contained piece that is combined with other such pieces in a performance
Printed scores for operas naturally contain the entire libretto, although there can exist significant differences between the score and the separately printed text. Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of Musical notation; like its analogs -- books pamphlets etc More often than not, this involves the extra repetition of words or phrases from the libretto in the actual score. For example, in the aria 'Nessun dorma' from Puccini's Turandot, the final lines in the libretto are "Tramontate, stelle! All'alba, vincerò!" (Fade, you stars! At dawn, I will win!). This article is about the musical term "aria" For other meanings or uses of the word see Aria (disambiguation. Nessun dorma (English edition None shall sleep tonight) is an Aria from the final act of Giacomo Puccini 's Opera Turandot is an Opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, set to a Libretto in Italian by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni However, in the score they are sung as "Tramontate, stelle! Tramontate, stelle! All'alba, vincerò! Vincerò! Vincerò!"
Because the modern musical tends to be published in two separate but intersecting formats (i. e. , the book and lyrics, with all the words, and the piano-vocal score, with all the musical material, including some spoken cues), both are needed in order to make a thorough reading of an entire show.
See also
External links
- Public-Domain Opera Libretti and Other Vocal Texts
- 400 Librettos of the most famous Operas
- Либретто во сне и наяву [Libretto in dream and in reality], holding Russian and some Western libretti (in the Russian language, as Microsoft Word files), notably:
- Libretti of classic Russian operas (in Russian)
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