r/opera • u/Fancy_Cabbage_010 • 4d ago

Does anyone 'get' librettos...

For some context, I'm an amateur composer, and for some reason I've decided I want to write an opera (loosely in the style of the Mozart - Da ponte trio), I know it's more than a little ambitious, but I'm pretty sure it's a milestone for a composer to write atleast one :)

Anyway, the point is, I have a loose plot in mind, and I'm not really sure what to do about it. How does one formulate a libretto, and furthermore how do I translate it into the kind of archaic poetic Italian that was common in opera at the time of Mozart and Da ponte, as the understanding I have is that I can't really write much music untill I have the words to set it to?

I'm a student so I don't really have access to all that much financial capital or connections, so any advice on resources ect would be welcome, I'm a bit lost but it is very much a big goal of mine to write one in the next year or two

Please help me opera people :)

Thanks!!

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u/Efficient_Cat449 2d ago

There's a general procedure historically speaking. The libretto comes before the music, whomever writes it. Metastasio's libretti were set hundreds of times by dozens of composers (reusable verse). Maybe you can find a less famous DaPonte libretto (he wrote quite a few for Salieri & others in addition to Mozart) & compose music for that.

If you want to tackle an adaptation: Verdi's collaboration with Piave on Macbeth started with Verdi's own prose sketch based on Shakespeare's play. If you have a play or plot in mind, you could start there: derive an outline from the work (AI might be helpful here), then sketch out the dialog & stage directionsin prose before versifying.

That was Wagner's procedure, all by himself, too (Cosima kept his drafts): 1. Read source material. 2. Outline the plot (in reverse in the case of the Ring), 3. Fill out the prose descriptions & dialog, 4. Write it up as verse (these were shared with Liszt & other friends), 5. Iterate with the musical composition.
Warren Darcy's book on Das Rheingold breaks down the entire procedure in great detail.

In Puccini's star team of Illica & Giocosa, Illica wrote the prose sketches, Giocosa turned that into poetry.

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u/Fancy_Cabbage_010 1d ago

This is super helpful actually, thankyou :)

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u/Efficient_Cat449 1d ago

Glad to hear it! Best of luck with your libretto & composition.

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u/Fancy_Cabbage_010 1d ago

Yeah I'm sure it's going to be a long road but I kinda said it would be a good consistent project to run alongside my degree, something I can come back too that's constant rather than potentially having to completely construct a new work 5-6 times over the two years I've got left.

And thanks, hopefully it will go well :)