Music

Art Song

A vocal music composition commonly written for a solo voice with piano accompaniment, often used as a musical setting for an independent poem or text.

Strophic Design

An art song design where all verses of a particular poem are sung to the same tune.

Through-Composed Design

An art song design in which each section of the text receives fresh music, though it may have some repetitions of musical materials.

ABA Form

A musical structure that consists of three sections: the beginning section, a contrasting middle section, and a return to the first section.

Lieder

A German tradition of art song composition that is considered the most popular way of composing art songs.

Libretto

The text or script of an opera, which consists of sung lyrics and spoken dialogue.

Giuseppe Verdi

An Italian composer known for his operas, famous for creating melody and theatrical effects during the Romantic Period.

Richard Wagner

A German dramatic composer known for creating complex epic operas and considered a master of orchestration.

Franz Schubert

Considered the last of the Classical composers and the first of the Romantic ones, known for his melodies and lieder.

Opera

A theatrical composition that includes solo and ensemble singing, often derived from themes in history, mythology, or literature.

Giocomo Puccini

An Italian composer known for his operas that exhibit realism, famous works include La Boheme and Tosca.