Libretto
The Italian word libretto means little book. It is the diminutive form of libro, which simply translates to book. This small text serves as the foundation for extended musical works like opera or oratorio. Sometimes the term extends beyond music to describe the story line of a ballet. It also refers to texts found in major liturgical works such as Masses or requiems. A libretto differs sharply from a synopsis because it contains every single word and stage direction. A synopsis merely summarizes the plot without providing the actual dialogue. In 19th century Paris, ballet historians used the word to describe 15 to 40 page books sold to audiences. These books contained detailed scene by scene descriptions of the performance.
Pietro Trapassi known as Metastasio lived between 1698 and 1782. He became one of the most highly regarded librettists across all of Europe. His words were set to music many times by numerous different composers. Lorenzo Da Ponte wrote the libretti for three of Mozart's greatest operas. Eugène Scribe provided words for works by Meyerbeer, Auber, Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini and Verdi. The French duo Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy created many opera and operetta libretti for Offenbach, Massenet and Bizet. Arrigo Boito wrote libretti for Verdi and Ponchielli while composing two operas himself. Richard Wagner is famous for writing his own libretti based on Germanic legends. Hector Berlioz wrote the texts for La damnation de Faust and Les Troyens. Some composers like Mikhail Glinka wrote passages of music before a text existed. They then had a librettist add words to the vocal melody lines later.
The opera libretto from its inception was written in verse. This practice continued well into the 19th century. Genres with spoken dialogue typically alternate verse in musical numbers with spoken prose. Since the late 19th century some composers have written music to prose or free verse libretti. Much of George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess recitatives are merely DuBose and Dorothy Heyward's play set to music as written in prose. The libretto of a musical is almost always written in prose except for song lyrics. Oklahoma! used dialogue from Lynn Riggs's Green Grow the Lilacs. Carousel borrowed dialogue from Ferenc Molnár's Liliom. My Fair Lady took most dialogue word-for-word from George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion. Show Boat uses chunks of Edna Ferber's original dialogue during the miscegenation scene. Lionel Bart's Oliver! uses chunks of Charles Dickens's novel Oliver Twist while billing itself as a free adaptation.
Librettists have historically received less prominent credit than the composer. In some 17th-century operas still being performed today, the name of the librettist was not even recorded. Even in late 18th century London reviews rarely mentioned the name of the librettist. Lorenzo Da Ponte lamented this silence in his memoirs. By the 20th century some librettists became recognized as part of famous collaborations like Gilbert and Sullivan. Today the composer usually receives top billing for the completed work. The writer of the lyrics is relegated to second place or a mere footnote. Gertrude Stein received top billing for Four Saints in Three Acts. Alberto Franchetti's 1906 opera La figlia di Iorio gave Gabriele D'Annunzio top billing. D'Annunzio was a celebrated Italian poet, novelist and dramatist of the day. Claude Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande became more famous than Maurice Maeterlinck's play on which it was based.
The text commonly gets published separately from the music. A booklet containing these words is usually included with sound recordings of most operas. Sometimes printed scores contain the entire libretto though significant differences exist between score and separate text. Extra repetition of words often appears in the actual score compared to the libretto. In Puccini's Turandot aria Nessun dorma the final lines in the libretto read Tramontate stelle All'alba vincerò. However in the score they are sung as Tramontate stelle Tramontate stelle All'alba vincerò Vincerò Vincerò. Modern musicals tend to be published in two separate but intersecting formats. Both the book and lyrics plus the piano-vocal score are needed for a thorough reading. Printed scores naturally contain the entire libretto although discrepancies remain common. The availability of printed or projected translations today makes singing in the original language more practical.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
What does the Italian word libretto mean?
The Italian word libretto means little book. It is the diminutive form of libro, which simply translates to book.
Who was Pietro Trapassi known as Metastasio and when did he live?
Pietro Trapassi known as Metastasio lived between 1698 and 1782. He became one of the most highly regarded librettists across all of Europe.
When did composers start writing music to prose or free verse libretti?
Since the late 19th century some composers have written music to prose or free verse libretti. This practice marked a shift from earlier traditions where opera librettos were written in verse.
Why did Lorenzo Da Ponte lament the silence regarding his name in 18th century London reviews?
Lorenzo Da Ponte lamented this silence in his memoirs because even in late 18th century London reviews rarely mentioned the name of the librettist. Librettists historically received less prominent credit than the composer.
How do printed scores differ from separate libretto texts in Puccini's Turandot aria Nessun dorma?
In Puccini's Turandot aria Nessun dorma the final lines in the libretto read Tramontate stelle All'alba vincerò. However in the score they are sung as Tramontate stelle Tramontate stelle All'alba vincerò Vincerò Vincerò.