What does a Librettist do?
While composers tend to receive the lion's share of the public's praise and recognition, no musical or opera could be created without the work of a dedicated librettist. A particular variety of playwright who specializes in the intersection between text, music, and theater, librettists exist in two fields, opera and musical theater, where they perform slightly different roles. In either case, the librettist's first job is often to create a "treatment," or a short document which contains an outline of the characters, story, dramatic structure, and scripted dialogue of the work.
At a Glance
Librettists come from a wide range of backgrounds. Many enter the field through work as a playwright, screenwriter, novelist, or other professional writer. While some are amateur musicians, songwriters, or lyricists whose musical backgrounds help them to collaborate with composers, others don't possess a lick of musical ability—although they do have a vast appreciation for it. Knowledge of, love for, and immersion in either opera or musical theater is in many ways the most important prerequisite for the career. Book writers or librettists might take musical theater adaptation gigs—or turn it into their full-time career.
Working as a librettist is a twofold process, requiring first partnering with a composer to create a treatment or completed show, and second connecting with a producer, director, company, festival, or artistic director who is interested in producing the finished work. Receiving a residency or commission from a major company or festival could provide a one-time shortcut through the latter step, but more often, getting a show from libretto to the stage requires extensive networking and pitching.
- Playwriting
- Dramatic structure
- Narrative arcs
- Dialogue
- Research
- Revision
- Collaboration
- Networking
Librettists are writers and storytellers who are fascinated by the relationship between text, music, and theater. Collaborative skills are key to this profession, which requires responding to and sharing space with the ideas of composers. Good librettists understand that sometimes words tell the story better than music, whereas other times the opposite is true.
At the beginning of the process of creating a new work, librettists might work independently wherever, whenever, and however they like to write. If working under commission—which is the exception, not the rule—they have a responsibility to manage their time effectively and meet deadlines. Once librettists partner with a composer and/or lyricist, they may begin group writing and revision sessions leading up to workshop performances.
