Lyric diction · Opera guides · Libretti · Role preparation
Sing the words the way the librettist heard them.
Vowel by vowel, language by language: IPA tables, opera guides and the traps singers fall into, each page checked against its sources.
Opera guides
All 34 operasAida
Verdi's Aida: librettist, Cairo premiere, premiere cast and voice types, synopsis by act, the famous arias with first lines, and diction notes for singers.
Updated 20 October 2026Opera guideCarmen
Bizet's Carmen in one page: librettists, premiere, voice types, synopsis by act, the Habanera, Seguidilla and Toreador Song, editions, French diction.
Updated 20 October 2026Opera guideCavalleria rusticana
Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana for singers: title, roles and voice types, the Easter plot scene by scene, the Siciliana, Easter Hymn and Intermezzo.
Updated 20 October 2026Opera guideCosì fan tutte
Mozart and Da Ponte's Così fan tutte: premiere cast, voice types, synopsis by act, the famous arias with first lines and Italian diction notes.
Updated 20 October 2026Opera guideDer Rosenkavalier
Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier in one page: librettist, premiere, voice types, the silver rose plot act by act, key musical numbers and German diction notes.
Updated 20 October 2026Opera guideDie Fledermaus
Strauss's Die Fledermaus: what the title means, premiere, roles and voice types, the plot act by act, the famous numbers, and notes on the spoken dialogue.
Updated 20 October 2026Opera guideDon Giovanni
Mozart and Da Ponte's Don Giovanni: premiere cast, voice types, synopsis by act, the famous arias with first lines, the Vienna version, diction notes.
Updated 20 October 2026Opera guideDon Pasquale
Donizetti's Don Pasquale: premiere, voice types, who Malatesta is, the plot act by act, the famous arias by act and character, and Italian diction notes.
Updated 20 October 2026Opera guideEugene Onegin
Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin in one page: premiere, voice types, the three acts, famous arias with first lines in Russian and notes for singers.
Updated 20 October 2026Opera guideFaust
Gounod's Faust: premiere cast, voice types, synopsis by act, the Jewel Song, Golden Calf and other famous numbers with first lines, and French diction notes.
Updated 20 October 2026Opera guideFidelio
Beethoven's only opera in one page: its three versions, librettists, voice types, the prison story, the main numbers and German diction notes.
Updated 20 October 2026Opera guideGianni Schicchi
Puccini's Gianni Schicchi in one page: the Dante story behind it, voice types, the plot, O mio babbino caro, premiere and Italian diction notes.
Updated 20 October 2026IPA, libretti and role preparation
IPA for singers: what the International Phonetic Alphabet is and how to use it
The International Phonetic Alphabet for singers: why one symbol equals one sound, the marks that matter, singers' charts and where to find IPA texts.
Updated 20 October 2026Lyric dictionHow to transcribe an aria into IPA: a step-by-step method for singers
Transcribe an aria into IPA: choose broad or narrow notation, use brackets, start from a ready-made IPA library and check the result by ear.
Updated 20 October 2026Lyric dictionWhat an opera diction coach does: lessons, preparation and how to use one
What an opera diction coach does: the training they bring, what a session covers, who needs one, how to find one and how a coach differs from a voice teacher.
Updated 20 October 2026Lyric dictionBrazilian Portuguese diction for singers: vowels, nasals, t and d, and the r
Sung Brazilian Portuguese in one page: the 1938 and 2007 norms, open and closed vowels, five nasals, t and d before i, the r, paragoge and word junctions.
Updated 20 October 2026Lyric dictionCzech diction for singers: short and long vowels, ř, fixed stress and voicing
Czech lyric diction in one page: five vowel qualities short and long, the trill ř, first-syllable stress, final devoicing and consonant clusters.
Updated 20 October 2026LibrettiHow to read an opera libretto: layout, cast list, stage directions and translation
How to read an opera libretto: what it contains, how an 1816 libretto is laid out, how verse and acts work, and where to find a text with translation.
Updated 20 October 2026LibrettiPublic-domain opera libretti: where to find free texts and what copyright allows
Where to find free public-domain opera libretti: Wikisource, IMSLP, Gutenberg, librettidopera.it and library scans, and what copyright still limits.
Updated 20 October 2026LibrettiNico Castel: Met diction coach, tenor and creator of the IPA libretti series
Nico Castel (1931-2015) was a Met comprimario tenor, staff diction coach for three decades and the translator behind the IPA libretti series.
Updated 20 October 2026LibrettiOpera terms glossary: forms, genres, voices, technique and theater roles
A working glossary of opera terms for singers: aria, recitative, cadenza, coloratura, opera buffa, voice types, periods and the people in a production.
Updated 20 October 2026LibrettiSinging translation vs literal translation: what opera singers need to know
The difference between a literal translation you study and a singing translation you perform: purpose, trade-offs, singability, surtitles, word-by-word texts.
Updated 20 October 2026Role preparationBeginner opera arias by voice type: what the student anthologies include
Beginner opera arias by voice type, drawn from Schott's student aria anthologies and the Schirmer 24 Italian Songs and Arias, with composer and opera for each.
Updated 20 October 2026Role preparationHow to learn an opera role: a step-by-step method from working singers
A practical order for learning an opera role: edition, text and IPA, rhythms and notes, recordings, coaching, memorization and staging.
Updated 20 October 2026Role preparationOpera audition package: how many arias, which languages, what to prepare
Build an opera audition package: how many arias to carry, which languages, how to contrast the list, and what UCLA and UNCSA require of applicants.
Updated 20 October 2026Role preparationOpera young artist programs compared: Merola, Santa Fe, Glimmerglass and more
Compare opera young artist programs: Merola, Santa Fe, Houston YAVA, Chautauqua, Glimmerglass and Jette Parker, with dates, eligibility and stipend.
Updated 20 October 2026Role preparationThe Fach system: voice types for opera singers explained
What Fach means, how opera houses use it to cast roles, the main soprano and mezzo categories, and how to use the system without being limited by it.
Updated 20 October 2026How these pages are made
Every number, date, rule and attribution on Diction Desk carries a numbered note that links to the page it came from: university diction courses, phonetics references, opera company synopses, public-domain libretto editions and the press. Translations of libretto lines are our own. Read the editorial policy.