| Scenes extracted from the wealth of available operatic literature have served for many years as an educational and performance resource for professional and collegiate opera workshops, private voice studios, and summer opera institutes. Scenes may range from the solo aria enacted by a vocalist in a recital situation to an extended excerpt requiring a company of singing actors and actresses performing on stage with all the accouterments of a complete productionorchestra, costumes, makeup, props, scenery, and lighting. In every circumstance, the selection is dependent upon a director, conductor, or teacher who knows the vast operatic repertory and can select appropriate material with ease. Such selection requires more than a general knowledge of operas and their casts. |
| Some years ago, faced with the problem of having to make such selections of scenes literally overnight, we began notating appropriate excerpts on cards and filing them for quick reference. These cards were our computer; they were indexed to remind us of scenes which used various combinations of voices, and they also contained additional pertinent information. How long was the excerpt? What were the vocal ranges, not of the entire opera role, but of the portion included in the scene? On what pages of readily accessible piano-vocal scores would we find this scene? The demand for this kind of information has not diminished, and at the urging of opera directors, conductors, voice teachers, students, and friends, this book has become a reality. |
|
