Understanding Italian opera / Tim Carter.
| Author/creator | Carter, Tim, 1954- |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | New York : Oxford University Press, 2015. |
| Description | xi, 267 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm. |
| Subjects |
| Series | Paul Orsett collection Paul Orsett collection. UNAUTHORIZED |
| Contents | What is opera? -- Giovanni Francesco Busenello and Claudio Monteverdi, L'incoronazione di Poppea (Venice, 1643) -- Nicola Francesco Haym and George Frideric Handel, Giulio Cesare in Egitto (London, 1724) -- Lorenzo da Ponte and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Le nozze di Figaro (Vienna, 1786) -- Francesco Maria Piave and Giuseppe Verdi, Rigoletto (Venice, 1851) -- Giuseppe Giacosa, Luigi Illica, and Giacomo Puccini, La Bohème (Turin, 1896). |
| Abstract | Opera is often regarded as the pinnacle of high art. A "Western" genre with global reach, it is where music and drama come together in unique ways, supported by stellar singers and spectacular scenic effects. Yet it is also patently absurd--why should anyone sing on the stage?--and shrouded in mystique. In this engaging and entertaining guide, the author unravels its many layers to offer a thorough introduction to Italian opera from the seventeenth to the early-twentieth century. Eschewing the technical music detail that all too often dominates writing on opera, he begins instead where the composers themselves did: with the text. Walking readers through the relationship between music and words that lies at the heart of any opera, he then offers explorations of five of the most enduring, emblematic, and often performed Italian operas: Monteverdi's The Coronation of Poppaea; Handel's Julius Caesar in Egypt; Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro; Verdi's Rigoletto; and Puccini's La Bohème. Shedding light on the creative collusions and collisions involved in bringing opera to the stage, the various, and varying, demands of its text and music, and the nature of its musical drama, the author shows how Italian opera has developed over the course of music history. Complete with synopses, cast lists, and suggested further reading for each opera discussed, this book is a must-read for anyone with an interest in and love for opera. |
| Local note | JOYNER MUSIC LIBRARY--Copy has author's signature inscribed on title page verso. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| LCCN | 2015008480 |
| ISBN | 9780190247942 (hardback ; alk. paper) |
| ISBN | 0190247940 (hardback ; alk. paper) |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music | Music Stacks | ML1733 .C37 2015 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |