librettist

A librettist is a writer who creates the libretto, the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, oratorio, or musical theater piece. The libretto typically includes dialogue, sung text, and sometimes stage directions. The term comes from the Italian libretto, meaning a small book, itself from libro, book.

The librettist collaborates closely with the composer to shape a coherent dramatic narrative that fits the musical structure. They develop the plot, create characters, and establish the dramatic arc, often adapting plays, novels, or poems for the stage. A central task is crafting lines that suit musical settings, balancing prosody, rhyme, and natural speech patterns with the composer’s melodic ideas. In opera the librettist may designate the division of scenes, arias, duets, and choruses, and must revise the text in response to musical realities, singer capabilities, and stage constraints. In musical theater the librettist also writes dialogue and scene transitions that connect songs, maintaining narrative clarity between numbers.

Historically, Italian and European opera saw librettists playing a key role from the 18th century onward. Notable figures include Pietro Metastasio, whose dramatic structures influenced many opera seria texts; Lorenzo Da Ponte, who wrote the libretti for Mozart’s Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Così fan tutte; Salvadore Cammarano; Felice Romani; Antonio Ghislanzoni (notably for Aida); Arrigo Boito (Otello and Falstaff); and Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, known for their collaborations with Puccini on works such as La Bohème and Tosca.

In modern practice, the term librettist remains widely used for opera and for certain musical theater works, where the writer’s craft continues to shape narrative pace, character development, and the interplay between dialogue and music.