Mapeh Music (Lesson 1)

• Vocal music in this period requires singers to perform a greater range of tone, color, dynamics and pitch
• OPERA - A drama set to music - It is a musical composition having all or most of its text set to music.
• LIBRETTO - It is the text of an opera
• SCORE - The book that the composer and librettist put
• RECITATIVE - Declamatory singing, used in the prose parts and dialogue of opera.
• ARIA - An air or solo singing part sung by a principal character.
• Tenor - highest male voice
• Bass - lowest male voice
• Baritone - middle male voice or the common male voice
• Soprano - highest female voice
• Coloratura - highest soprano voice
• Lyric - bright and full sound
• Dramatic - darker full sound
• Mezzo Soprano - most common female voice, middle voice, tone is darker or deeper than the soprano
• Contralto - lowest female voice and most unique among female
• Acts - Main division of an opera
• Scene - Setting or place
• Acapella - one or more singers performing without instrumental accompaniment
• Cantabile – Use for singing style
• Capo - Use for head the beginning appended to a movement or song
• Coda - Use for closing section appended to a movement or song.
• Dolce - use sweetly
• Falsetto - A weaker and more airy voice usually in the higher pitch ranges.
• Passagio - Parts of singing voice where register transitions occur.
• Rubato - Slight speeding up and slowing down of the tempo of a piece at discretion of the soloist
• Tessitura - The most comfortable singing range of a singer
• Vibrato - Rapidly repeated slight pitch variation during a sustained note, to give a richer and more varied sound.