Soprano – the highest voice type for female singers. Mezzo-soprano – lower than soprano. Contralto/Alto – lowest female voice.

A voice range lying below the soprano but above the contralto. A mezzosoprano’s voice is slightly deeper than that of a soprano, so mezzo-sopranos are often cast in supporting roles as older women, including nurses, confidantes, or maids. But in Rossini’s operas, the mezzo-soprano is usually the star of the show—especially in comic works like La Cenerentola. In his tragedies, on the other hand, the character with a “mezzo” range is more likely to be the (male) hero: In the early 1800s, heroic male roles were associated with very high voices, a relic of the 18th-century tradition of the castrato (a male singer who had undergone castration as a boy, and who therefore retained a powerful high voice as an adult). By Rossini’s time, these high parts were typically sung by women dressed as men, and they are called “trouser roles” as a result.

A musical structure consisting of only a single melody and a “rule” explaining how different voices should sing it (“canon” means “rule” in Latin). The simplest form of canon, also called a “round,” involves each voice singing the melody on the same pitch and at the same speed but beginning a certain number of beats after the previous singer, as in “Row, row, row your boat.” Composers can also write canons in which the second voice sings the tune backwards (“retrograde”), upside down (“inversion”), or upside down and backwards (a so-called “crab canon”); the second voice may sing the tune at a faster pace than the first (“diminution”), or more slowly (“augmentation”). Finally, there are so-called “puzzle canons,” in which a single line of music is presented with no instructions at all, and performers must figure out the rule before they can successfully sing or play the piece.

A term applied to Italian comic operas from the mid-18th through mid-19th centuries. The plot of an opera buffa often features scenes and characters from everyday life, addresses a light or sentimental subject, and concludes with a happy ending. Opera buffa had its last hurrah with Rossini, whose comedies are much better known today than his serious works. The generation after Rossini, however, was much more taken with tragedy, or a hybrid “semi-serious” genre that was more sentimental in outlook. Opera buffa declined considerably in popularity as a result, and hardly any opere buffe were written after around 1850.

Opera (the Italian word for ‘work’) is an art form that tells a story through music and singing. Unlike a musical, opera singers do not use microphones to amplify their voices, and the music, played by the orchestra, is completely live. The first ever public opera house opened in 1637 (the Teatro San Cassiano, Venice). This transformed Venice into Europe’s main centre for opera. As opera grew in popularity as an art form, more songs were included to please the crowds. Composers wanted their operas to be in the language of the audience. This is why, for example, Austrian composer Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro) was written with Italian words (its libretto).

The first recorded opera performance took place in 1597 in Florence, Italy, and was called "Dafne" by composer Jacopo Peri. Opera is a form of musical and theatrical performance that combines orchestral music, singing, acting, and often elaborate stage design.

A rapid and elaborate ornamentation by a solo singer, particularly common in operas of the 18th and 19th centuries. Requiring vocal agility and a wide and high range, coloratura showcases the virtuosity of a singer by featuring intricate melodic figures, rapid scales, trills, and other embellishments. At the time Rossini was writing La Cenerentola, singers were expected to be able to improvise such ornaments on the spot, especially when singing repeated sections within an aria; as a result, composers often didn’t bother to fully write out the ornaments in the score.

Referring to a predominantly Italian vocal style of the late 18th and 19th centuries, bel canto (literally, “beautiful singing”) emphasizes lyricism and ornamentation in order to showcase the beauty of the singer’s voice. Its focus on lyrical embellishment directly contrasts with a contemporary Germanic focus on a weighty, dramatic style. Bel canto singing is most closely associated with the music of Gioachino Rossini, Vincenzo Bellini, and Gaetano Donizetti.

A crescendo is a gradual raising of volume in music achieved by increasing the dynamic level. When music “crescendos,” the performers begin at a softer dynamic level and get incrementally louder. One of the most famous types of crescendos in opera, closely associated with Rossini, is appropriately known as the “Rossini crescendo”: It involves pairing an increase in volume with repeating melodic and rhythmic phrases, higher instrumental registers, and the gradual addition of instruments to create a particularly dramatic or comedic effect.

Two opposite types of articulation. A melody that is “legato” (literally “connected” in Italian) is played without any spaces or gaps between the notes, thereby creating a smooth line. By contrast, the notes in a “staccato” (“detached”) melody are short, with noticeable space between them. Both legato and staccato articulations are associated with vocal virtuosity: While the clarity of a staccato line can help very fast melodies with lots of leaps sparkle, legato lines take a great deal of control over both the voice and the breath.

Countertenor – the highest in the male voice range, this also falls within a woman’s voice range. Tenor – most often the highest male voice in an opera. Baritone – most common male voice in an opera. Bass – comes from the Italian word ‘basso’, which means low.

The word ‘aria’ comes from the Italian for ‘air’ and is a piece of music written for one singer which may or may not be accompanied by the orchestra.

A type of vocal writing between speech and song that imitates the accents and inflections of natural speech. Composers often employ recitative for passages of text that involve quick dialogue and the advancement of plot, since the style allows singers to move rapidly through a large amount of text. Recitative may be accompanied either by a single instrument (such as a harpsichord or fortepiano), a small ensemble, or the whole orchestra. Because recitative is so formulaic, it was often the last part of an opera to be written; in fact, Rossini contracted out the writing of La Cenerentola’s recitatives to another composer, Luca Agolini, who also contributed a showy aria for Clorinda.

One of the scariest aspects of a opera for newbies is knowing exactly when to clap. Does one applaud at the end of an entire piece or between individual movements or arias? And how do you know when a piece has ended? Inevitably, at most concerts, you’ll encounter someone who begins clapping at the wrong time, but you don’t need to be “that guy.” The simplest solution is to wait a few seconds and let other people begin clapping first; then, follow their lead.

Most tickets to performances will specify whether late arrivals will be seated at all, so showing up fashionably late will keep you out completely. But, even if you are allowed in, finding your seat is disruptive to others in your row and even the performers themselves in a small venue. The best approach is to treat the show as an important appointment, like catching a train, and arrive suitably in advance.

As people fill in on one or either side of you, nod, smile or say hello. There’s no need to take it further than that, but if the person next to you seems interested in talking, use the art of conversation to chat a bit before the performance starts. Perhaps you will continue to say a few words during intermission or after the show is over.

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In the past, prior to the mid- to late-19th century, performances of all sorts were less rigorous in terms of rules. Often, concerts were accompanied by dinners or parties in which the participants talked while an orchestra played or a vocalist sang. Theatrical performances at Shakespeare’s Globe or on the streets of medieval Europe were either part of a fair-like atmosphere that involved walking around, eating and talking back to the actors on stage. Only in the past 150 years or so have performances of classical content become more rigid, perhaps influenced by a Victorian sense of propriety that spread beyond the confines of Great Britain.

Unless you are at the center of a row, odds are that others will arrive after you and will need to pass to get to their seats. Rather than turning your knees to the side, good etiquette dictates that you should rise to let others go by if you are physically able. Otherwise, if you remain sitting, you’ll likely have people’s rear ends or crotches right in front of your face, which is potentially embarrassing for all parties. If you are the one that needs to go by, “pardon me” or the equivalent is good form, though you can’t really insist that others rise for you.

This is one that we’re constantly reminded of; after all, if movie theaters inevitably announce prior to the start of a performance that cell phones should be turned off, it’s even more important to do so in a live venue where performers can be distracted or interrupted. Because there is no amplification at most stage plays or operas, cell phone notifications or ringtones are extremely disruptive. Imagine a phone ringing in the middle of a great line in Hamlet or during a quiet and moving passage of classical music. Don’t count on turning down the volume or putting the phone on vibrate, as this may not “take.” Play it safe and turn off your phone entirely. This will also keep you from the temptation of checking your email or social media in the middle of the performance as well, along with the accompanying bright shaft of light emanating from your device. Concentrate fully on what is happening on the stage, a rare few hours without technological distractions.