Editing Libretto (section)

{{Short description|Text used in an extended musical work such as an opera or musical}}
{{About||the computer|Toshiba Libretto|the seat-back translation system used in some opera houses|electronic libretto|the song by Throwing Muses|Moonlight Concessions}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2022}}
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[[File:Libretto Cover Andrea Chenier.jpg|thumb|Cover of a 1921 libretto for [[Umberto Giordano|Giordano]]'s ''[[Andrea Chénier]]'']]
A '''libretto''' (From the Italian word {{lang|it|libretto}}, {{lit|booklet}}) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an [[opera]], [[operetta]], [[masque]], [[oratorio]], [[cantata]] or [[Musical theatre|musical]]. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as the [[Mass (liturgy)|Mass]], [[requiem]] and sacred cantata, or the story line of a [[ballet]].

The [[Italian language|Italian]] word {{lang|it|libretto}} ({{IPA|it|liˈbretto|pron}}, {{small|plural}} {{lang|it|libretti}} {{IPA|it|liˈbretti|}}) is the diminutive of the word ''[[wiktionary:libro#Italian|libro]]'' ("book"). Sometimes other-language [[cognates|equivalents]] are used for libretti in that language, ''livret'' for French works, ''Textbuch'' for German and ''libreto'' for Spanish. A libretto is distinct from a synopsis or [[scenario]] of the plot, in that the libretto contains all the words and stage directions, while a synopsis summarizes the plot. Some [[ballet]] historians also use the word ''libretto'' to refer to the 15- to 40-page books which were on sale to 19th century ballet audiences in Paris and contained a very detailed description of the ballet's story, scene by scene.<ref>See, for example {{cite book|last=Smith|first=Marian Elizabeth|year=2000|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GuQP-WQpClEC&pg=PA3|title=Ballet and Opera in the Age of Giselle|page=3|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=9780691049946}}</ref>

The relationship of the '''librettist''' (that is, the writer of a libretto) to the [[composer]] in the creation of a musical work has varied over the centuries, as have the sources and the writing techniques employed.

In the context of a modern English-language musical theatre piece, the libretto is considered to encompass both the [[Musical theatre#Book musicals|book]] of the work (i.e., the spoken dialogue) and the sung lyrics.