A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding an Opera’s Libretto

Much like the scenario of a play or of that of a movie, the beginning of an opera starts with a multitude of words or a detailed script. Libretto translates to little book in Italian since these words are sung, it takes time three times longer and with music, it becomes a full evening in the theatre.

However, these librettos are often ignored and not given the recognition they deserve. Take pop music as an example, you can easily remember the singer, the music but can you remember the composer? Even librettos are ignored and forgotten far too often as most people are too focused on other aspects of the opera. Nonetheless, librettos are certainly a joyous form that is quite similar to scriptwriting.

Librettists are often undervalued due to the lack of recognition they receive in the opera setting. Normally, people tend to give more priority to the opera singers instead of the person who wrote the words that they are singing. Moreover, librettos are also a form of expression, unlike any other.

Opera’s Famous Librettist: Euan Tait

Euan Tait is one of the best librettists to date, and this is merely due to the dedication and perseverance that Tait has shown in the entirety of his career. Euan Tait is a name that is known by many people and also has worked hard to get the point that he is in now.

Additionally, Tait is also known widely for arranging musical retreats that not only help people understand music, but also helps them enjoy a peaceful time by targeting mental health wellness and overall serenity.

Euan Tait has garnered commissions internationally with high profile composers such as Kim Andre Arnesen, Janet Wheeler, Chris Hutchings, Carson Cooman and Paul Spicer. These collaborations helped him release most of his major work and his best seller “Flight Song”. His librettos are widely known and respected all around the world, with much thanks owing to his skills when it comes to writing libretto.

How Are Librettos Written?

Many people assume that librettos are very complicated to write and that it would require one to have a degree in the English language to ensure that their vocabulary is on point. However, this is not the case when it comes to writing librettos. As a matter of fact, writing a libretto is very simple.

Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to have the vocabulary of a graduate to write a libretto. In fact, this can be done easily using the vocabulary of an eighth grader. This is mainly due to the fact that librettos are written in simple language and the singers, as well as the writers, make sure that they do not complicate the message that they are trying to convey through their art.

Moreover, writing a libretto is a lot like writing poetry, except you do not have to focus on matching every single line or making sure that the last word of each line will rhyme with the next. In fact, most librettists do not pay attention to his at all. The only thing that they pay attention to is to convey their words in a simplistic way to ensure that the singer is able to pronounce them conveniently and also make sure that the listeners and the overall crowd face no difficulty in understanding them either.

At the end of the day, librettos have certainly gone out of style but with amazing librettists, such as Euan Tait, they are quickly making a comeback and ensuring that people still enjoy operas.