from Act I of the French opera Samson et Dalila by Camille Saint-Saëns

Libretto: Ferdinand Lemaire

Role: Abimélech, Philistine satrap of Gaza

Voice Part: bass

Setting: the public square of Gaza, ancient Palestine

Synopsis: Abimélech enters to find Samson enticing the Hebrew slaves to regain faith in their God and themselves. Abimélech denounces the Israelites' God as a fraud and proclaims the superiority of the Philistine god, Dagon.

from Act I of the Italian opera Ascanio in Alba by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Libretto: Abbate Giuseppe Parini

Role: Aceste, priest of Venus

Voice Part: tenor       Fach: tenor leggiero

Setting: an altar in the countryside

Synopsis: After telling his followers that Ascanio, their future ruler, will be with them soon, he tells Silvia that Ascanio will marry her. He then expresses his joy that she will be happy.

from Act II of the Italian opera Ascanio in Alba by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Libretto: Abbate Giuseppe Parini

Role: Aceste, priest of Venus

Voice Part: tenor       Fach: tenor leggiero

Setting: the raised city of Alba Longa

Synopsis: Aceste tells Silvia that the veils that have hidden her love will soon been gone. She needs only to wait a little longer.

from Act II of the German opera Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss

Libretto: Carl Haffner

Role: Adele, Rosalinda's maid

Voice Part: soprano       Fach: soubrette

Setting: A party in Prince Orlofsky's house, Vienna, Austria, 1870.

Synopsis: Adele has run into her mistress's husband, Gabriel von Eisenstein. He believes that he recognizes her but she convinces him that a chambermaid would never be found at a party such as this one.

from Act III of the German opera Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauss

Libretto: Carl Haffner

Role: Adele, Rosalinda's maid

Voice Part: soprano       Fach: soubrette

Setting: A jail, Vienna, Austria, 1870.

Synopsis: Adele admits that she is not the cultured lady she is dressed up as, but she asserts that she can play any part to perfection, from country girl to queen.

from Act I, Scene 1 of the Italian opera L'Elisir d'Amore by Gaetano Donizetti

Libretto: Felice Romani

Role: Adina, a rich young farm owner

Voice Part: soprano       Fach: soubrette

Setting: The lawn of Adina's farm in an Italian village, 19th century

Synopsis: Adina has found the story of Tristan and Isolda and gathers her farmfolk to tell it to them. She tells them the story of how Tristan drank a love potion and caused Isolda fall in love with him. She wishes that she could find a potion like that.

from Act II, Scene 2 of the Italian opera L'Elisir d'Amore by Gaetano Donizetti

Libretto: Felice Romani

Role: Adina, a rich young farm owner

Voice Part: soprano       Fach: soubrette

Setting: The interior of Adina's house in an Italian village, 19th century

Synopsis: Adina has purchased Nemorino's enlistment papers back from the army. She has realized that she loves him and doesn't want him to enlist and so she advises him to stay at home where everyone loves him.

from Act I of the Italian opera Adriana Lecouvreur by Francesco Cilèa

Libretto: Arturo Colautti

Role: Adriana Lecouvreur, the star of the Comédie-Française

Voice Part: soprano       Fach: spinto

Setting: backstage at the Comédie-Française, Paris, 1730

Synopsis: The Prince de Boullion and the Abbe de Chazeuil meet the company at the Comédie-Française before the show. Although the Prince is the patron of Adriana's main competition as an actress, Duclos, he compliments Adriana. She replies to the compliments by saying that she is only the vessel through which the muses work.

from Act IV of the Italian opera Adriana Lecouvreur by Francesco Cilèa

Libretto: Arturo Colautti

Role: Adriana Lecouvreur, the star of the Comédie-Française

Voice Part: soprano       Fach: spinto

Setting: a room in Adriana's house, Paris, 1730

Synopsis: On her birthday, Adriana is sent a package which she believes is from Maurizio. Depressed and suicidal because of Maurizio's betrayal of their love, her mood is made worse when she opens the package and finds that it contains the decrepit remains of the violets that she gave Maurizio some time ago as a sign of their love. She sings to them of her sorrow. Little does she know, however, that the package is from Maurizio's other love, the Princesse de Bouillon, who has soaked the flowers in poison.

from Act I of the Italian opera Il Rè Pastore by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Libretto: Pietro Metastasio

Role: Agenor, Alexander's friend, in love with Tamyris

Voice Part: tenor       Fach: tenor leggiero

Setting: the countryside of Sidon

Synopsis: Agenor is reunited with his love, Tamyris, who has disguised herself as a shepherdess to flee the country. When Agenor meets her, she is angry at him for helping Alexander to overthrow her father and wonders how he can still love her. He responds with this aria, which is Agenor's plea to the stars of love to show her how much he loves her. They have known all the ways of his heart ever since they captured him in the first place.

from Act II of the Italian opera Il Rè Pastore by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Libretto: Pietro Metastasio

Role: Agenor, Alexander's friend, in love with Tamyris

Voice Part: tenor       Fach: tenor leggiero

Setting: the Greek military camp

Synopsis: After Tamyris has just reproached him for being cold to him, Agenor discloses his own heartbreak and pain with losing his love to Amintas by way of Alexander's decree. He sings that the only one who could understand his situation is one who has experienced it oneself. He cannot bear the torture and pain he is facing.

from Scene 4 of the German opera Das Rheingold by Richard Wagner

Libretto: Richard Wagner

Role: Alberich, a Nibelung, brother of Mime

Voice Part: baritone       Fach: dramatic baritone

Setting: an open spot on a mountaintop, Germany, mythical times

Synopsis: After Wotan and Loge chain him and take both his magic gold and magic ring from him, Alberich angrily curses the ring, saying that any person (or god) who owns the ring will be cursed to die.

from Scene 3 of the German opera Das Rheingold by Richard Wagner

Libretto: Richard Wagner

Role: Alberich, a Nibelung, brother of Mime

Voice Part: baritone       Fach: dramatic baritone

Setting: Nibelheim, home of the Nibelungs, Germany, mythical times

Synopsis: Alberich becomes angry at his work crew and violently orders them to get back to work.

from Act II, Scene 2 of the English opera Albert Herring by Benjamin Britten

Libretto: Eric Crozier

Role: Albert Herring, clerk in his mother's grocery store

Voice Part: tenor       Fach: tenor leggiero

Setting: Mrs Herring's greengrocery, Loxford, East Suffock, England, the night of May first, 1900

Synopsis: At the party at which he is named King of May as a testament to his virtuous behavior, Albert discovers the joys of alcohol. After the party, he revels in the joyous food and drinks of which he partook. He especially enjoyed the lemonade that was spiked with rum, unbeknownst to him. His thoughts shift to Nancy, who was with him at the celebration. He wonders why she paid so much attention to him at the party. He doesn't think that she could be interested in him because he is shy and no girl could really like him. The mere thought of a girl liking him sends him floating on a cloud of ecstasy.

from Act III of the English opera Albert Herring by Benjamin Britten

Libretto: Eric Crozier

Role: Albert Herring, clerk in his mother's grocery store

Voice Part: tenor       Fach: tenor leggiero

Setting: Mrs Herring's greengrocery, Loxford, East Suffock, England, May 2nd, 1900

Synopsis: The whole town has been looking for Albert, who disappeared after being named the King of May the day before. He finally shows up and, when asked where he was, replies that he stayed out all night. He says that he decided that it was time he experienced some of the more sinful parts of life. He explains that he went to several pubs and got roaring drunk and eventually got into a fight. He finishes it all by explaining that he did it because of the unrealistic expectations of virtue that his mother and the town had of him.

from Act II, Scene 1 of the Italian opera Alcina by George Frideric Handel

Libretto: A. Marchi

Role: Alcina, a sorceress, sister of Morgana

Voice Part: soprano       Fach: lyric coloratura

Setting: the palace on Alcina's enchanted island

Synopsis: Alcina finds out that her captive Ruggiero has escaped from her. She then wails her discontent to the gods.

from Act II, Scene 2 of the Italian opera Alcina by George Frideric Handel

Libretto: A. Marchi

Role: Alcina, a sorceress, sister of Morgana

Voice Part: soprano       Fach: lyric coloratura

Setting: a cavern on Alcina's enchanted island

Synopsis: Alcina, upset over the escape of Ruggiero, who she cast a love spell upon, invokes the spirits to cast the spells she needs to take him back.

from Act III, Scene 1 of the Italian opera Alcina by George Frideric Handel

Libretto: A. Marchi

Role: Alcina, a sorceress, sister of Morgana

Voice Part: soprano       Fach: lyric coloratura

Setting: atrium of the palace, Alcina's enchanted island

Synopsis: Alcina tries once more to cast a spell on Ruggiero to make him love her. The spell fails though and Alcina realizes that her love for Ruggiero will never be realized.

from Act 2, Scene 7 of the English opera Lost in the Stars by Kurt Weill

Libretto: Maxwell Anderson

Role: Alex, a young boy in the village of Ndotsheni

Voice Part: soprano

Setting: Ndotsheni, a small village in South Africa, first half of the 20th century

Synopsis: Alex is digging a hole in the ground and sings a story about the best digger in the world, Big Mole.

from Act II of the Italian opera Il Rè Pastore by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Libretto: Pietro Metastasio

Role: Alexander, King of Macedonia

Voice Part: tenor       Fach: tenor leggiero

Setting: the Greek military camp

Synopsis: Alexander has decided to leave Sidon now that Amintas has taken the kingship. He leaves Agenor as the royal counselor. As a last act, he proposes to wed Tamyris to Amintas to tie up all loose ends. He, of course, doesn't know of any of the other characters' respective loves and Agenor is too obedient to bring it up. He believes that he has made everyone happy and he expresses these feelings in this aria, singing that if he leaves only peace and happiness behind him, he has fulfilled all of his wishes.

from Act I of the Italian opera Il Rè Pastore by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Libretto: Pietro Metastasio

Role: Alexander, King of Macedonia

Voice Part: tenor       Fach: tenor leggiero

Setting: the countryside of Sidon

Synopsis: Alexander is convinced that Amintas is the right man to be king of Sidon. After so much war and violence, installing Amintas as king would be the perfect way to end the whole affair in a good way. In his aria, Alexander compares the war and violence to storms and lightning saying that, while they do damage initially, the rain they provide nourishes the soil in the long run.

from Act II of the Italian opera Il Rè Pastore by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Libretto: Pietro Metastasio

Role: Alexander, King of Macedonia

Voice Part: tenor       Fach: tenor leggiero

Setting: the Greek military camp

Synopsis: Alexander asks the gods to help his decision to marry Amintas and Tamyris to work out correctly since they always make his decisions in war to work out correctly.

from the one act Italian opera Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni

Libretto: Guido Menasci

Role: Alfio, a village teamster, married to Lola

Voice Part: baritone       Fach: dramatic baritone

Setting: Easter Sunday in the main square of a Sicilian village, Italy, late 1800s

Synopsis: Alfio sings that, though the world is full of troubles, it doesn't bother him for he has a wonderful wife and a fun life.

from Act I of the Italian opera Lucrezia Borgia by Gaetano Donizetti

Libretto: Felice Romani

Role: Alfonso d'Este, the Duke of Ferrara, fourth husband of Lucrezia Borgia

Voice Part: baritone       Fach: lyric bass|heavy bass

Setting: a public place in Ferrara, Italy, early 1500's

Synopsis: Duke Alfonso has found that his wife is the lover of a young nobleman named Gennaro. He vows vengeance upon Gennaro and expresses his fury at the audacity of Lucrezia.

from Act II of the Italian opera La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi

Libretto: Francesco Maria Piave

Role: Alfredo Germont, a young man in love with Violetta

Voice Part: tenor       Fach: lyric tenor

Setting: Violetta's country house

Synopsis: Alfredo and Violetta have moved in together. Alfredo sings of his happiness from living with her and of how much she loves him.