Some musical terms: forms and structures

In the Western world, theatre owes the biggest debt to Greek drama. The stories of gods and heroes, the philosophy and moral dilemmas, the vulgar comedies, the epic dramas: the works of Aeschylus and Sophocles are still performed today. Here you had one actor, discussing his ideas with a chorus of people before Aeschylus expanded the dramatic possibilities by including a second actor; then Sophocles added a third. Monologues became conversations: dialogues and arguments. The scope for conflicting emotions was increased; events could now be acted rather than described. There were now three actors and a chorus and inventive playwrights could use them in different combinations. And what has all this to do with opera?

Some musical terms: voices

Let's start with the voices, from high to low:

Female: soprano, mezzo soprano (or mezzo), contralto.

Male: countertenor, tenor, baritone, bass-baritone, bass.

Here are some examples: