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After writing several small pop/easy listening style pieces, I have decided to go for it and write a larger work: an opera. I have the story down and I even named some of the characters after composers I really admire. I decided to outline the story and journal about my characters before doing anything else. Now I am going to move along and start writing the libretto. The biggest obstacle for me is writing for orchestra. I am a pianist and I can write for piano, voice and a solo instrument like one violin or one flute. But a full orchestra? I have zero experience in that. Maybe if I write a piano part and then transcribe it to various orchestra parts that will make my life easier. I also want to know the little nuances like the difference between writing for C Trumpet vs. B Flat Trumpet? Any recommendations on how to learn about this? My community college does not offer an orchestra writing class.

Act III Intro-Recitativ-Aria.mid Here the beginning of the third act of an opera that I never finished. Enjoy it!

I thought you guys might be interested in this opportunity:

FRONTIERS 2013 Fort Worth Opera’s New Works Showcase Contact: Kurt Howard, Curator at frontiers@fwopera.org Entry Fee: $25 Open to: All composers who are residents of the Americas (North America, Central America, South America, and associated territories) Prize: Six to eight winning pieces workshopped and showcased during the 2013 Fort Worth Opera Festival; housing and travel to Fort Worth will be awarded to the selected composers. Deadline: May 31, 2012 Receipt Type: Postmark or registered mail receipt The purpose of Fort Worth Opera’s FRONTIERS program is to give voice to unpublished 21st century operatic compositions. The initial launch of this showcase during the 2013 Festival will be chaired by Fort Worth Opera General Director Darren K. Woods and a jury of composers, directors, conductors, producers, opera administrators, and community leaders. DISCOVER. The jury selected by Fort Worth Opera will evaluate blind submissions for the workshop. Works considered should be unpublished (or self-published) operas with a minimum of 20 minutes of completed composition. Six to eight works will be selected for the final showcase. PREPARE. Fort Worth Opera artists will be coached on the selected pieces by the music staff during the annual opera festival in Fort Worth. Final music rehearsals will be overseen by a guest conductor and held during lunchtime previews open to the public during the final week of the Festival (May 6-8, 2013). The composers will be invited to participate in the final rehearsal process and will receive feedback following the workshop. INTRODUCE. Artistic directors for professional opera companies, classical music publishers, funding organizations, and Fort Worth Opera community members will be invited to attend the two afternoons of the workshop performances as part of the final weekend of the Festival (May 9-11, 2013). An emcee and the conductors will introduce each piece. Discussion about the works with the composers will follow each session. Awards: Six to eight pieces will be selected and showcased. Composers of the selected works must attend the rehearsal and showcase period (May 6-11, 2013). Lodging and round-trip travel will be provided, as well as an audio recording of the showcased selection. Works not selected will not be reconsidered for future showcases automatically but may be submitted again for the next year’s workshop. Eligibility: All composers who are citizens or residents of the Americas (North America, Central America, South America, and associated territories) are eligible. Only unpublished or self-published operatic works will be considered. A minimum of 15 minutes of the composition must be completed. The selection does not need to be contiguous. While the works may ultimately consist of grand scale personnel or orchestral forces, submitted selections may only utilize one to six singers. Only works that can be performed with solo piano accompaniment will be accepted for the showcase; no additional electronic, percussion, acoustic instrument, or other equipment shall be included in the showcase. Works submitted may be in any language. Composers may only submit one work for consideration for the FRONTIERS 2013 Showcase. Preparing Your Entry: Please contact Kurt Howard, Curator, at frontiers@fwopera.org for submission address and information. Fort Worth Opera - FRONTIERS 2013 - Call for Submissions.pdf For the anonymous submission, remove or mask all indications of the composer’s name on scores, recordings, synopsis, and libretti. Submissions shall be assigned numbers randomly by the administrator to be used by the jury in the review process. Only 15-25 minutes of a composition will be considered. Send 2 bound copies and 1 unbound copy of the piano/vocal score and 1 CD recording of the selection. MIDI recordings are permissible; recordings of piano and vocals are also acceptable. Electronic submission of the synopsis and libretto of the complete work are preferred; otherwise 3 copies of each should be included with submission. Works not in English should include an English translation of the synopsis and libretto, if available. Also, in a sealed, blank envelope include the composer’s name, address, telephone number, email (to be used for administrative purposes only), and a bio of the composer and associated artistic personnel. If you want your materials returned, enclose a self-addressed envelope bearing the proper postage. Fort Worth Opera is not liable for accidental loss or damage to materials. A non-refundable entry fee of $25US is due on submission. A check payable to Fort Worth Opera must be included with submission. Fort Worth Opera retains the right to select fewer than 6 works for the showcase. Entry fees will be returned if no selections are selected or if the showcase is cancelled.

Hello to all fellow composers. I have been thinking a lot about composing another opera, but I am having trouble in finding a good story that would be suitable for it. It might help if I tell you a bit about my previous operas that I have written in the past few years. My first attempt in this field was made in late 2008. I was only about eleven when I made up my mind to compose a two hour long opera based on the Andersen fairy tale "The Swineherd." It was about a prince who wants to win the heart of a princess in a nearby kingdom. He sends over priceless gifts which she pretty much ignores completely. The prince then disguises himself as a Swineherd to get a job at her palace. He makes musical toys for her, but she can have them for the price of giving the Swineherd a certain amount of kisses. At the end of the story the prince reveals himself and tells the princess that she would not accept his tokens of love, but would kiss a Swineherd for some simple toys. I abandoned this opera after several attempts. My first actual opera is called "The Death of Osiris." It tells the ancient Egyptian myth of Osiris' murder and how his sister/wife Isis came to find him only for their evil brother Seth (who killed him in the first place) to slice the body into so many pieces and scatter them all over the earth. The final scenes are about how Isis retrieved the segments of Osiris' body and gives them proper burial ceremonies while Osiris becomes the god of the afterlife. In the original myth, Osiris' genitals get eaten by a fish after he is sliced up and Isis has to make an artificial thing for him, but I decided to leave that part out. My parents disagree with that decision. My second opera is scored for only six instrumentalists and six singers and is over a third of the length of "The Death of Osiris." This comic chamber opera is called "The King's Horn." It is based on a Macedonian folk tale about a King who was born, much to his parents' dismay, with a horn growing out of the top of his head. Throughout his life he has managed to keep his secret under his hat (or rather crown) but one day he needs a barber to cut and style his hair to conceal his strange growth, but the barber (who is extremely talkative) has the difficult task not to tell anyone. With this overwhelming amount of pressure, he decided to run far away from everyone so no one finds out (the King said that he will cut off the barber's head if anyone finds out). He comes across a cave and feeling sure that no one is around he yells out the words "The King has a horn!" A short while later, some reed begin to grow in that spot and are made into flutes by the children, but when they play these flutes the words "the king has a horn" sing out. When the king finds out what happened and what the barber did, he realises that his horn isn't really anything to be worried about, but it's the person underneath that counts. The opera ends with the villagers singing "What Nature reveals, no one can conceal." So those are my operas so far. For my third, I have been thinking of using Shakespeare's comedy "Twelfth Night," but I have also come across a true story about a Russian aristocrat who is turned against by the other citizens and is to be killed, so he runs away from his country in fear that someone will find him. Is there anyone out there who could give me some advice on finding a suitable story for an opera? Perhaps you could tell me about some of your own operas as well. Thanks, froglegs

Hello My name is Ashot Arakelyan. I am a private record collector. I sell very rare transfers (CDs) from 78s, mostly of italian, spanish and russian opera singers of Caruso era. Italian opera singers, whose recordings I sell primarily sang in the Italian smaller opera Houses and in Europe.This recordings are extremely rare and are impossible to find on the web. I mean recordings of tenors Francesco Bravi (1870-1904), Alfredo Cecchi (1875-?), Italo Cristalli (1879-1932), Carlo Cartica (1865-?),Antonio Fassino (1874-1915),Remo De Giovanni (?-?)and many many others. Recordings was made for Fonotipia, Zonophone, Phonodisc Mondial, Fonografia Nazionale etc... This is an example of CDs Fulgenzio Abela Marina: Brindisi Columbia C468 22512 Fulgenzio Abela Manon: Ah! dispar vision Edison unpubl 44905 Luigi Abrate, Giuseppina Baldassare Tedeschi Piccolo Marat: Duetto, p1, pt 2 Columbia 70844, 70845 Luigi Abrate Andrea Chenier: Improvviso Columbia D17548 74832 Luigi Abrate Andrea Chenier: Come un bel dì di maggio Columbia D17548 74833 Luigi Abrate Il Trovatore: Ah! si, ben mio Columbia D 4899 70407 Lorenzo Abrunedo, Alfredo Papi Faust: A moi les plaisirs Puerto y Novella cylinder Giuseppe Acerbi Don Pasquale: Sogno soave e casto Victor 62624 7105b / [1] Giuseppe Acerbi, Renzo Minolfi Lucia di Lammermoor: O sole piu rapido Victor 62644 9361b/[1] Giuseppe Acerbi Don Pasquale: Cerchero lontana terra Fonotipia 92021 XPh2760 Giuseppe Acerbi Lucia di Lammermoor: Tombe degl'avi miei... Fra poco a me ricovero Fonotipia 92038, 39 XPh2792, XPh2793 Giuseppe Acerbi Lohengrin: Cigno fedel... S'ei torna alfin Fonotipia 92018, 19 XPh2759, XPh2758 Giuseppe Acerbi Aida: Celeste Aida Phonodisc Mondial 360 Giuseppe Acerbi L'africana: O paradiso Phonodisc Mondial 1 Giuseppe Acerbi Andrea Chenier: Come un bel di di maggio Phonodisc Mondial 371 Giuseppe Acerbi Andrea Chenier: Un di all'azzurro spazio Phonodisc Mondial 372 Giuseppe Acerbi Tosca: Recondita armonia Phonodisc Mondial 705 Giuseppe Acerbi Pagliacci: Vesti la giubba Phonodisc Mondial 796 Giuseppe Acerbi Cassandra: Sortita di Agamennone Phonodisc Mondial 368 Giuseppe Acerbi Cassandra: Ver' gli occhi Phonodisc Mondial 369 Giuseppe Acerbi Lucrezia Borgia: Di pescatore ignobile Artiphon 8036 Giuseppe Acerbi, Francesco Cigada, Linda Brambilla I pescatori di perle: Terzetto Victor 58304 915c Giuseppe Acerbi, Francesco Cigada, Mario Capiello La Favorita: Orsu Fernando G&T 54328 9525b Giuseppe Acerb, Linda Brambilla, Francesco Cigada, Aristodemo Sillich Lucia di Lammermoor: Maledizione G&T 54326 9497b Giuseppe Acerbi, Eva Tetrazzini Rigoletto: Giovanna ho dei rimorsi...E' il sol dell'anima Phonodisc Mondial 357, 358 Giuseppe Acerbi, Eugenia Burzio Tosca: O dolci mani...Amaro sol per te Phonodisc Mondial 708, 709, 710 Giuseppe Acerbi, Eugenia Burzio Cavalleria rusticana: Tu qui Santuzza?…No,no Turiddu Phonodisc Mondial 711, 712 Giuseppe Acerbi, Linda Brambilla, Luigi Baldassarri, Laura Del Lungo Rigoletto: Quartetto P.I° P.II° Phonodisc Mondial 165, 166 Giuseppe Acerbi, Elvira Tetrazzini Don Pasquale: Tornami a dir che m’ami Phonodisc Mondial 305 Guido Agnoletti, Amelia Armolli Si: I tasti saltellanti in fila Edison Bell X549 X1829L Guido Agnoletti, Amelia Armolli Si: M'amassi tu Edison Bell X549 X1830L Isidoro Agnoletto I Puritani: A te, o cara ? Giuseppe Agostini Tosca: E lucevan le stelle Odeon 37100 Xm258 Giuseppe Agostini, Oreste Luppi Manon Lescaut: Guardate, pazzo son Odeon 37042 Xm64 Carmelo Alabiso Lohengrin: Racconto Columbia D6012 WB2460 Carmelo Alabiso, Nadia Svilarova Ruy Blas: Grazie signor…O dolce volutta Columbia D 6061, D 6061 WB 2546, WB 2553 Carmelo Alabiso, Giannina Arangi-Lombardi Aida:Gia i sacerdoti ... Misero appien Artiphon 8166, 8167 Carmelo Alabiso Wally: Quando e solden Fonografia Nazionale 4616 Carmelo Alabiso Fanciulla del west: Che’lla mi creda Fonografia Nazionale 4519 Carmelo Alabiso Isabeau: Canzone del Falco Columbia D 5404 WB 2555 Carmelo Alabiso Trovatore: Ah! si, ben mio Columbia D6032 WB2472 Carmelo Alabiso Fedora: Racconto di Loris Columbia D6032 WB2463 Ramon Alarcon, Emilio Sagi-Barba Encanto de un vals : Duo Victor 45289 H-149/[1] Sr. Alba, Gurina Leyenda del monje (Chapí): Duo G&T 64052 7072F Carlo Albani, Luigi Manfrini, Fernanda Chiesa I Lombardi alla prima crociatta: Gran trio Fonotipia 1813, 1913 Carlo Albani, Fernanda Chiesa Sonnambula: D'un pensiero Odeon X110353 Xm1797 Carlo Albani, Rosina Zotti Carmen: Ah, mi parla di lei Odeon X110277 Xm 1648 Carlo Albani, Rosina Zotti Carmen: Ti baciava mia madre Odeon X110278 Xm 1649 Carlo Albani, Maria Verger, Emilia Corsi Aida: Qual insolita luce...Vieni o diletta Odeon 110405, 110406 Carlo Albani, Emilia Corsi Poliuto: Deh, fuggi da morte...Il suon dell'arpe angeliche Odeon X110198 Xm1664 Carlo Albani, Emilia Corsi Norma: In mia man Odeon 110164 Xm1638 Carlo Albani, Bianca Besalu Gioconda: Dal carcere m'hai tratto...O furibonda iena Odeon A82628, A82629 Carlo Albani, Emilia Corsi Otello: Venga la morte Odeon X10256 Carlo Albani Norma: Meco all'altar di Venere...Me protegge Odeon X110097 X110098 Carlo Albani Otello: Dio mi potevi scagliar Odeon A82633 Carlo Albani Andrea Chenier: Un di all'azzurro spazio Gramophone Unpubl. A.G.S.B 65 Carlo Albani Guglielmo Tell: Asile hereditaire Pathe 4907 Carlo Albani Rigoletto: Ella mi fu rapita...Parmi veder le lagrime Odeon X110155, X110156 Carlo Albani Prophete: Roi du ciel Pathe 4905 Carlo Albani Juive: Rachel, quand du Seigneur Odeon 4908 Carlo Albani O sole mio (di Capua) (Fr) Odeon 97294 XP4646 Carlo Albani Huguenots: Plus blanche Odeon 4904 Carlo Albani Tosca O dolci mani Odeon X110153 Carlo Albani Sigurd: Esprits gardiens Odeon 4906 Carlo Albani Il Trovatore: Ah! si, ben mio Odeon A82609 Carlo Albani L'africana: O paradiso Edison cylinder BA28127 Carlo Albani Carmela (de Curtis) (Fr) Odeon 97296 XP4661 Carlo Albani Norma: Mecco all' altar di venere Edison cylinder 30045 Carlo Albani La forza del destino: O tu che in seno agli angeli Edison cylinder 30042 Carlo Albani La Gioconda: Cielo e mar Edison cylinder BA28116 Carlo Albani Lucrezia Borgia: Di pescatore ignobile Victor 74098 C4887-1 Carlo Albani Il Trovatore: Deserto sulla terra Victor 64081 B 4891-1 Carlo Albani Lolita (Buzzi-Peccia) Victor 74096 C4889-1 Carlo Albani Ballo in maschera: Di tu se fedele Victor 64082 B4899-1 Alberto Amadi Cavalleria Rusticana: O Lola ch'ai di latti la camisa Victor 63677-B B11800-2 Alberto Amadi Cavalleria Rusticana: Viva il vino spumeggiante Victor 63677-A B11796-1 Alberto Amadi Il Guarany: Il torvo sguardo... Vanto io pur Victor 68427-B C14127-3 Alberto Amadi Ebrea: Rachele allor che iddio Victor 65752 B13517-2 Alberto Amadi Adriana Lecouvreur: L'anima ho stanca Victor 63319 A B10551-1 Alberto Amadi I Puritani: A te, o cara Victor 63318 B-10565 / 2 Alberto Amadi La Serenata (Tosti) Victor 63321 B-10566 / 1 Alberto Amadi Lolita (Buzzi-Peccia) Victor 63321 B-10555 / 2 Alberto Amadi Mignon: Addio, Mignon Victor 63318 B-10556 / 1 Alberto Amadi Rigoletto: La donna e mobile Victor 63316 B-10562 / 3 Alberto Amadi Rigoletto: Questa o quella Victor 63316 B-10552 / 4 Alberto Amadi Tosca: E lucevan le stelle Victor 63315 B-10564 / 1 Alberto Amadi Tosca: Recondita armonia Victor 63315 B-9896 / 2 Alberto Amadi Traviata: Scena della borsa Victor 63314 B-9892 / 1 Remo Andreini, Maria Galvany La Traviata: Sempre libera Gramophone Monarch .054209 1456c Remo Andreini, Riccardo Tegani Manon: La catena Victor 55001 Remo Andreini, Gemma Bosini, Vincenzo Bettoni, Ernesto Badini Boheme Gramophone Angelo Angioletti Un Ballo in Maschera: Di tu se fedele Fonotipia 39852 Xph2182 Giovanni Apostolu Marcos Botsaris (Carrer): O Gero Demos (Old man Demos) G&T 12123 5514a (W2) Giovanni Apostolu Ghiati? (Perchè?) (Pennino) G&T 12133 5517a ® Giovanni Apostolu Manon Lescaut : Tra voi belle G&T 52284 5521a ® Giovanni Apostolu, Cesira Ferrani Faust: Tardi si fa, addio G&T 54035 2931b Antonio Aramburo Africana: Ho veduto, signori Cylinder Antonio Aramburo Poliuto: D'un alma troppo fervida Cylinder Antonio Aramburo, unknown baritone La forza del destino: Solenne in quest'ra Cylinder Antonio Aramburo Aida: Morir sì pura e bella Cylinder Antonio Aramburo Aida: La fatal pietra Cylinder Antonio Aramburo Ideale (Tosti) Cylinder Antonio Aramburo La Partida (Alvarez) Cylinder Antonio Aramburo Otello: Morte di Otello Gramophone Unpubl. Antonio Aramburo Carmen: Il fior che m'avi tu dato Cylinder Antonio Aramburo Ave Maria (Luzzi) Cylinder Enrico Arenson Juive: Recha, als Gott Gramophone .042439 1206s Enrico Arenson Juive: Gott erleuchte meine Gramophone .042438 1211s Enrico Arenson Africana: O paradiso Gennett 15002 B 1420 Enrico Arenson Aida: Celeste Aida Gennett 15004 A Enrico Arenson Pagliacci: Vesti la giubba Gennett 15002 A Enrico Arenson, Nadine Legat Rigoletto: E' il sol dell'anima Gennett 15004 B Enrico Arenson At the ball (Tchaikovsky) Victor 72769 B21593-2 Enrico Arenson Rusalka (Dargomyzhky): Aria Victor 72769 B21593-2 Giuseppe Armanini, Riccardo Stracciari, Ester Mazzoleni, Nazzareno de Angelis La Gioconda: Gia ti veggo Fonotipia 69021 xxxPh 3801 Giuseppe Armanini, Irma Mion Lohengrin: Mai devi domandar Columbia D16336 74727 Giuseppe Armanini Zaza: Mai piu Zaza Fonotipia 92274 XPh3496-3 Giuseppe Armanini Aida: Se quel guerrier io fossi...Celeste Aida Columbia D 4375 11395 Giuseppe Armanini Aida: La fatal pietra...Morir si pura e bella Columbia D 4375 11396 Giuseppe Armanini Iris: Oh come al tuo sottile Columbia D1065 42212 Giuseppe Armanini Iris: Or dammi il braccio tuo Columbia D1065 42214 Giuseppe Armanini Lohengrin: Prova maggior Fonotipia 74115 Giuseppe Armanini Lohengrin: Da voi lontan Fonotipia 74116 Renato Azzarri Ernani: Merce diletti amici Lyrophon J 528 Renato Azzarri, Gaetano Rebonato La forza del destino: Solenne in quest'ora Lyrophon J 532 Renato Azzarri, Margherita Del Metauro Trovatore: Miserere Lyrophon J 545 Marie Michailowa Barbiere di Siviglia: Una voce poco fa G&T .023000 9y Marie Michailowa, Nasilova Lakmé: Sous le dôme épais G&T .024001 102Hp Marie Michailowa Nocturne (Chopin) Lyrophon Rss226a 226 Marie Michailowa Roméo et Juliette: Je veux vivre (Valse) G&T 23115 265x Marie Michailowa Ah! che assorta in dolce incanto (Grande valzer) (Venzano) G&T 23167 271z Marie Michailowa Cradle song (Tchaikovsky) G&T 23169 273z Marie Michailowa Lucia di Lammermoor: Alfin son tua G&T 23172 312½z Marie Michailowa Perle du Brésil (David): Charmant oiseau (Fr) G&T 23170 313z Marie Michailowa Sérénade (Gounod) (Fr) G&T 23171 314z Marie Michailowa, Orolov Guarda che bianca luna (Campana) G&T 24087 352z Marie Michailowa, Orolov Crucifix (Faure) G&T 24088 354z Marie Michailowa, Orolov Wanderers Nachtlied (Rubinstein) G&T 24090 358z Marie Michailowa, Davydov, Kastorskij In the wild North (Dmitriev) G&T .024031 419s Marie Michailowa, Nikitina, Labinskij, Sibiriakov Life for the Tsar: The rose which blooms G&T .024030 422s Marie Michailowa, Bolshakov Traviata (Verdi): Libiamo nei lieti calici G&T 24445x 1139½r Marie Michailowa Oprichnik (Tchaikovsky): Little nightingale G&T 2-23057 1140r Marie Michailowa Rusalka (Dargomyzhsky): Once a husband asked his wife G&T 2-23058 1141r Marie Michailowa Faust (Gounod): Ah! je ris de me voir si belle G&T 2-23097 1142r Marie Michailowa Life for the Tsar (Glinka): I look over the bare field G&T 2-23059 1143r Marie Michailowa Life for the Tsar (Glinka): On the river's far side G&T 2-23060 1144r Marie Michailowa Eugen Onegin (Tchaikovsky): I write to you G&T 2-23062 1146r Marie Michailowa Demon (Rubinstein): The night is calm G&T 2-23064 1148r Marie Michailowa Traviata (Verdi): Addio del passato G&T 2-23065 1152½r Marie Michailowa, Chuprynnikov, Filippov Life for the Tsar (Glinka): Do not torture me G&T 24300x 1312½z Marie Michailowa, Nasilova Pikova Dama (Tchaikovsky): Evening already G&T 24304 1317z Marie Michailowa, Nasilova Pikova Dama (Tchaikovsky): O viens, mon doux berger G&T 24309 1327z Here is my email stampanoni@rambler.ru