What to Listen For in Opera

This handbook contains famous operas from fourteen Italian, French, and German composers. The text is designed to help listeners understand and appreciate the special skills required to sing famous operatic songs. The songs are introduced in their dramatic settings along with the vocal requirements for the most demanding passages. There are interactive literary and rhyming exercises to help the reader become more engaged and knowledgeable. The foreign language passages are translated into English and key words are highlighted in each language. Operatic vocabulary is defined to help the listener better understand the technical demands for a highly trained voice. The appendices provide useful information on singers, recordings and useful references.