Madama Butterfly
Vocabulary
Aria: A song that is sung by one character.
Adaptation: the process of taking an existing story and modifying it into another artistic form. Because of Winn Dixie was an award winning book, before it was adapted into a film
Baritone: A lower male voice that is typically used for older characters and villains. The Beast in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is a baritone.
Bass: The lowest male voice, often plays the father, comedic character or a villain. Scar from The Lion King is a bass. (In music, b-a-s-s is pronounced base, not bass like the fish)
Bravo: Italian for “Excellent”. This is sometimes shouted at the end of the opera if the performance was very good. (Say “Brava” if it is a female singer, say “Bravi” if it is a group of singers)
Climax the highest point of conflict in a story
Character: one of the people portrayed in a book, film or live performance. In a live performance characters are portrayed by actors or singers.
Chorus: A group of many voices singing together. “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast is an example of a chorus singing.
Coloratura Soprano: (koh-low-rah-TOO-rah) An Italian term used to describe a quick fluttering voice that goes up and down the scale. A coloratura soprano is the highest female voice. When Mary Poppins sings A Spoon full of Sugar, her voice is Coloratura.
Composer: The person who writes the music for the opera. They often work with a Librettist who writes the words.
Conflict the opposition of persons or forces giving rise to dramatic action in a play or opera.
Crisis the point of no return for the central character in a story
Denouement-the moment of art in a theatrical story, everything is made clear and no questions or surprises remain.
Design-the plan, conception or organization of a work of art to form a coordinated whole.
Dramatic Events-key moments in an opera when conflict causes the characters to change. As the characters change the story moves forward.
Dramatic structure-the theatrical form used to create an opera.
Duet: A song that is sung by two people at the same time. “A Whole New World” from Aladdin is an example of a duet.
Ensemble: A group of individuals singing together. This group is usually smaller than a chorus.
Librettist a person who write the words of an opera or musical.
Line-A point moving in space. Line can have width, length, curvature, color or direction.
Lyric Soprano: A high female voice. She usually plays the Princess or the heroine of the opera.
Mezzo-Soprano: A lower female voice, usually plays a comic or evil character and sometimes even plays a boy! The character of Mulan in the movie Mulan is a mezzo-soprano.
Musical motive-a recognizable musical idea that is associated with a particular character, emotion, or environment in an opera. Musical motives create a sense of unity in an opera or piece of music.
Orchestra: The group of musicians who accompany the singers. They play strings, brass, woodwind and percussion instruments.
Opera: A story that is sung.
Point of attack– the moment, early in a dramatic story, when the problem of the story is revealed.
Plot-the sequence of what happens in a story.
Rising Action the dramatic effect of conflict.
Tenor: The highest male voice. He usually plays the hero, Prince or romantic lead of the opera.