October 19

Today, I began the libretto writing for my piece. I changed my product to 1 aria in English instead of 1 scene in German because I am so short on time. I am more proficient in English than German seeing as it is my first language, and since I already have a difficult time rhyming in English, it would be torture in German. If I have extra time, perhaps I’ll translate it. The aria I decided to compose was Athena’s aria because I enjoy the mezzo-soprano voice type, and she has the coolest costume concept in my opinion.

The first thing I did before I started writing was I looked up the structure of an aria. There are many, but I feel that the two that fit best are either Da Capo or Rondo. The difference between the two is that a Da Capo aria is structure ABA, meaning there is an A verse, then a B verse (which is slightly faster than the A), and then the A verse is repeated. A Rondo aria is ABACA, meaning there is an A verse, a B verse, the A verse is repeated, then a C verse, then the A verse is repeated again. I will pick one depending on how much information I want to include in her aria; if there is minimal content, I’ll pick the Da Capo structure, if not, I’ll pick Rondo.

I also felt that it would be better to make a free-verse outline before writing the serious aria, like making a rough shapes before drawing in the details of a face. I wrote a an outline of the aria that is poetic, but doesn’t rhyme - it’s just inspiration for content. The aria is Athena explaining to Paris, why he should give the golden apple to her and all of the things she will give him if he gives it to her. I will go back over it and work on making it rhyme tomorrow. Here is the document with my rough outline.

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