Il soprano legge lo spartito.

Soprano can refer to either a male or a female singer, but the article usually matches the grammatical gender being used for that person.

• il soprano = the soprano, masculine
• la soprano = the soprano, feminine

So Il soprano legge lo spartito most naturally refers to a male soprano, or it is using the masculine form. In modern usage, for a female singer, many speakers also say il soprano because some profession names can stay unchanged, but la soprano is also possible.

In Italian, lo is used instead of il before certain sounds, including s + consonant.

Since spartito begins with sp-, you say:

• lo spartito
• not il spartito

This is the same pattern as:

• lo studente
• lo sport
• lo specchio

Legge here means reads and comes from the verb leggere = to read.

This is the third person singular form in the present tense:

• io leggo = I read
• tu leggi = you read
• lui/lei legge = he/she reads

So Il soprano legge means The soprano reads.

Italian often does not use subject pronouns like he, she, or it when the verb form already makes the subject clear.

Here, legge tells you the subject is third person singular: he/she reads. The noun il soprano gives the actual subject, so no pronoun is needed.

Italian commonly prefers:

• Il soprano legge lo spartito.

rather than:

• Lui legge lo spartito.

unless you want emphasis.

Yes, in this sentence the order is the basic Italian pattern:

subject + verb + object

• Il soprano = subject
• legge = verb
• lo spartito = object

So it works very much like English:

The soprano reads the score.

Italian can change word order for emphasis, but this version is the neutral, standard one.

Spartito means musical score or sheet music, depending on context.

It is a masculine noun:

• lo spartito = the score
• uno spartito = a score
• gli spartiti = the scores

In this sentence, it means the written music the soprano is reading.

Legge is pronounced roughly like LEJ-jeh.

A few important points:

• the e in le- is pronounced like eh
• gg before e makes a sound like the j in judge
• the double gg is pronounced more strongly than a single consonant

So it is not like English leg. It sounds closer to LEJ-jeh.

Yes. Two common pronunciation points are:

1. legge

   • as noted above, gg + e sounds like a strong j sound

2. soprano and spartito

   • the s at the beginning stays an s sound
   • sp is pronounced together, as in spa

Also, lo spartito is pronounced smoothly across the two words, but both words remain distinct.

Because leggere can take a direct object in Italian.

So Italian says:

• leggere lo spartito = to read the score

There is no preposition needed here. English sometimes uses slightly different phrasing, but in Italian the object comes directly after the verb.

Yes, but only as a noun when written with an article or in a different context.

• la legge = the law
• legge = reads

In your sentence, legge is clearly a verb because it comes after the subject Il soprano and before the object lo spartito.

So here it can only mean reads.

The plural would be:

I soprani leggono gli spartiti.

Changes:

• il → i
• soprano → soprani
• legge → leggono
• lo → gli
• spartito → spartiti

So it means The sopranos read the scores.

Yes. That would mean The soprano is reading the score and gives more of an action in progress feeling.

Compare:

• Il soprano legge lo spartito. = The soprano reads / is reading
• Il soprano sta leggendo lo spartito. = The soprano is reading

Italian often uses the simple present where English might prefer is reading, so the original sentence is perfectly normal.

It can be both, depending on context.

As a noun:

• il soprano = the soprano singer

As an adjective:

• voce soprano = soprano voice

In your sentence, soprano is clearly a noun because it is the subject of the sentence: the soprano is the person doing the reading.