Legato - A smooth and gliding style of singing or playing; the opposite of Iegato is marcato (in a marked, punchy style) or even staccato (in an even shorter, more aggressive style).

Leitmotiv - A short musical passage, sometimes no more than three or four notes, which instantly calls to mind a character or situation in a musical drama; although Wagner may not have invented the device, he is certainly the best known user of it. This example is the glance motive from Wagner's Tristan und Isolde.

Libretto - The text of an opera; the literal translation is "little book," which reminds us that in a Broadway show the texts of the songs are called the "lyrics" while the spoken text of the rest of the play is called the "book."

Lied - A German song; the pronunciation is "leed" and the plural is lieder (pronounced "leader"). In some pre-Wagnerian German operas, the songs that the characters sing are called "lieder" as opposed to "aria" which would be the Italian determination.

Maestro - A title of courtesy, given, especially in Italy, to conductors, composers and directors; translation (from the Italian), "Master."

Marking - The practice used by many singers to save their voices in rehearsals; singers will sing in what seems to be a mere whisper, or transpose the vocal lines so that they don't have to sing extremely high or low notes. This is done as a vocal protection--singing too strenuously, or without getting the voice properly warmed up can lead to vocal strain and severe throat problems.

Masque - A staged performance in which music, poetry, song and dance are blended; although the word is French, and pronounced "mask," the form is more frequently associated with English works which appeared in the time of Queen Elizabeth I.

Mezza Voce - Literally, "medium voice," literally; when singing mezza voce, the singer reduces the volume so as to intensify the emotion. When marking, singers use a kind of mezza voce, but not for dramatic purposes; in performance, it should be intentional.

Mezzo Soprano - The female voice range which lies between the soprano, which is the highest, and the contralto; the tone of a mezzo soprano can either be voluptuous (in the case of Delilah or Carmen) or it can be thinner and more agile (which might describe Rosina in The Barber of Seville).

Opera Buffa - A style of opera which revolves almost entirely around comedy; perhaps an outgrowth of the Italian intermezzo, the opera buffa as a form was popular in the baroque days as well as in Italy of the early 19th century. Its counterpart is opera seria, which implies opera almost entirely about lofty ideals or with tragic consequences.

Opéra Comique - A misleading term, French in origin, which would seem to describe opera that was funny; in fact, opéra comique describes opera in which there is some spoken dialogue as opposed to grand opera in which there is none. As a matter of fact, both Gounod's Faust and Bizet's Carmen were originally conceived with spoken dialogue and are, thus, opéras comiques even though their subject matter would seem to make them "grand" operas.

Operetta - Light, frothy musical entertainments which generally do not pertain to terrifically important subject material; spoken dialogue, dancing, practical jokes and mistaken identities seem to be the trademark of the operetta form, most popular in late 19th century Vienna or France, under the hands of the Strauss family or Offenbach. Die Fledermaus, The Merry Widow, La Périchole and Noel Coward's Bitter Sweet are all operettas.

Opus - A single work or composition, from the Latin; the plural form of "opus" is "opera" and it was that term that the Camerata (see above) adopted since their new stage presentations combined the musical work, the dramatic work and the staging work--thus making "works."

Oratorio - A musical composition (generally not staged) for chorus, orchestra and soloists, whose text is generally religious, serious or philosophical in nature; a long version of a cantata. It was to oratorio that Handel turned when the English public turned sour on his staged operas, although the story line and characterization of the oratorios are often totally operatic. Messiah and Israel in Egypt are oratorios; Julius Caesar and Rinaldo are not.

Orchestra - The group of musicians which accompany a staged presentation; in early operas (from 1600 to about 1750) the orchestra might consist of a few strings, pairs of oboes, bassoons, flutes, trumpets and continuo (see above). The orchestra grew from the time of Mozart through Beethoven, Berlioz, Wagner, Verdi, Puccini and Richard Strauss so that nowadays an opera orchestra can easily consist of 90 to 100 players. In America the first floor of a theatre is called the orchestra, whereas in England that area is called the stalls.

Ornamentation - The extra notes, like appogiaturas, scales, trills or cadenzas that can enhance a melodic line when it has to be repeated. Ornamentation and embellishment are probably interchangeable terms.

Overture - The instrumental introduction to a musical drama or oratorio; frequently the overture will incorporate musical themes that will later be heard in the course of the opera. In Don Giovanni, the ominous theme of the Stone Guest (from the Act II) is heard as a premonition at the beginning of the overture, thus setting an emotional tone as well as providing musical structure to the entire work.