Associate Director of Access and Learning, Music Library
Learn the synopsis of an opera
- Oxford Music Online (Grove) This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
Includes access to Grove Music Online, the Oxford Dictionary of Music, and the Oxford Companion to Music. Comprehensive resource covering all musical topics. - Naxos Music Library
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Once you find a recording for your opera or ballet, look to the left of the screen for the word "booklet," which will contain a synopsis about the opera, as well as other information about the work's history, and more.
Books and encyclopedias!
There is reliable, easy-to-find information in print books and encyclopedias in the library.
The majority of these are on the first floor (reference section) under call number ML102.O
The very best options include:
- The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ML102.O6 N5
https://iucat.iu.edu/catalog/4211377
- The Simon and Schuster Book of the Opera: A Complete Reference Guide, ML102.O6 O63
https://iucat.iu.edu/catalog/3990527
- Opera Librettists And Their Works, ML102.O6 P251
https://iucat.iu.edu/catalog/2185885
- Dictionary of Opera Characters, ML102.O6 B68
https://iucat.iu.edu/catalog/8983293
Opera synopsis secret weapon: Sound Recordings!
CDs and vinyl LPs often contain "liner notes"--little booklets that give you the synopsis of an opera along with line-by-line text with translations! Simply search for a recording in IUCAT and ask the front desk to fetch it for you.