Finding Librettos
To find a specific libretto, search the catalog for the title of the opera, the composer's name, and the word "libretto."
Click here to view all the librettos for operas held by Princeton.
You can also browse the shelves. Most librettos have call numbers starting between ML47 and ML54.9, and can be found on the second floor of Mendel, row 14.
Collections
- The Book of 101 Opera LibrettosCall Number: Reference (SV) ML 48 .B66 1996Complete original-language texts with English translations and plot summaries.
- Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung: A CompanionCall Number: Reference (SV) ML 50 .W14R32 1993The full German text with a new translation and commentaries.
- Krauss Libretti CollectionScanned collection of nearly 3,500 mostly Italian opera librettos ranging from early Baroque through the first decades of the 20th century. Searching made easy via the Krauss Libretti Database.
Specific Composers
- The Metropolitan Opera Book of Mozart OperasCall Number: Reference (SV) ML 49 .M8 M42 1991Includes the librettos in Italian or German with English translations of the 7 most famous Mozart operas with authoritative historical introductions for each opera. The translations convey as precisely as possible the meaning and nuances of the original texts.
The Complete Puccini Libretti by Call Number: Reference (SV) ML49.P75 C37 1993Includes international phonetic alphabet transcriptions, word for word translations, including a guide to the I.P.A., and notes on the Italian transcriptions
Handel Opera Libretti, Vol. 1 & Vol.2 by Call Number: ML49 .H236 2005 vol.1-vol.2
