Aria: a set piece song for a single singer or possibly a duet, accompanied by the orchestra.

Bel canto; Italian "Beautiful song or singing", Used as a general term to describe early 19th century operas from which come most of the stereotypes of opera in popular culture.

Coloratura: elaborate ornamentation of melody, often by a soprano but a tenor also.

Da capo aria. One for the posers this. A standard 3 part aria in the 18th century. The first part was repeated in the third with lots of flourishes enabling a soprano to flash her coloratora.

Gesamtkunstwerk: German "Complete/total work of art”. Coined by Wagner.

Grand opera: usually an opera  on a serious theme which is entirely sung

Leitmotif ( also leitmotive): from the German meaning leading theme or motive. In opera it is most associated with Wagner who introduced recurrent musical themes associated with particular characters or situations.

Opera Buffa: a comic opera. Cf Opera seria

Opera seria: a serious opera most often used to refer to 18th century Italian works on serious themes, typically with a classical plot. Cf Opera Buffa

Operetta (also Light Opera or Comic Opera)

A form of music theatre, popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries, simpler and lighter in structure and form than “grand” opera and often comic or satirical. Many opera companies will include an operetta in their repertoire. (The Musical or Music Theatre is more or less the current equivalent).

Popular Examples of operetta are

• Offenbach “Orpheus in the Underworld” (1858/1874)      with the Can-Can
• Lehar- “The Merry Widow” (1905)
• Johann Strauss II - “Die Fledermaus”      (1874)
• Gilbert and Sullivan - “The Mikado” (1885)
• Britten - “Paul Bunyan” (1941/1976)  - US folk legend
• Bernstein - “Candide” (1956/74)  - after Voltaire

Park and bark: the traditional, now often regarded as old-fashioned, method of presenting an Aria. The implication is that the drama stops while the Aria is sung like a set piece.

Patter Song 

A song or aria  (or part of) with rapid delivery, close to speech. 

Patter songs are often comic in content.  Examples are 

• “Largo al factotum” from Rossini - “The Barber of Seville”
• The Major General's Song from Gilbert & Sullivan - “The Pirates of Penzance”.

Prima Donna: Italian,  referring to the leading lady in an opera company. Some such ladies gained a reputation for being difficult and demanding. 

“The Ring “(The Ring Cycle - “The Ring of the Nibelung” 

Four linked operas ( “Music Dramas”) by Richard Wagner, telling the story of the downfall of the ancient Northern gods. (Written and composed between 1848 and 1874)

• The Rhinegold
• The Valkyrie (“The Ride of the Valkyries” in Act 3)
• Siegfried
• The Twilight of the Gods” - Gotterdammerung

Recitative: sung speech

Singspiel: a typically German light opera combining spoken dialogue and singing. 20th century musicals like Guys and Dolls might be described as Singspiels. Mozart's The Magic Flute is the best known.

Trouser role: also described as breeches role. A male character in an opera played by and sung by a woman. Cherubino in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro is the best known. Such parts are often sung by a woman with a contralto voice. 

Verismo: realism in an opera plot set in a realistic modern or recent real context. Puccini’s La Bohѐme would be a good example.

 Voice types (high to low)

   Women: Soprano, Mezzo-(soprano), Contralto

   Men: Counter tenor, Tenor, Baritone, Bass