Opera
The Great Artists, Composers, and their Masterworks
Published on 14. August 2008
Book
Hardback
224 pages
978-1-84533-275-4 (ISBN)
Description
This invaluable reference book explores the background to 400 years of opera the composers, the singers, plus the buildings and festivals that have developed to showcase them. The development of opera is explored and set in its political and social context. At the heart of this book are concise biographies of major composers, accompanied by portraits and illustrations relating to their works, together with recommended recordings (both historical and contemporary).
Reviews / Votes
Opera attendance has been rising steadily since 1982. The US opera audience grew by 35% between 1982 and 1992. This trend continued through 2002 when the opera audience grew by an additional 8.2% (the largest increase of all performing arts disciplines) Source: National Endowment for the Arts.More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Octopus Publishing Group
Dimensions
Height: 295 mm
Width: 240 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
1354 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84533-275-4 (9781845332754)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Born in Hull, Yorkshire, Joyce Bourne has lived in Manchester since 1952. Married to the critic and writer Michael Kennedy, she has for over 25 years, acted as his researcher, typist and, on the Oxford Dictionary of Music, as his associate editor. She has a lifelong interest in music generally and opera in particular. She is the author of Whos Who in Opera, which was published by Oxford University Press in 1998 and analyses 2,500 roles from 280 operas. From 1958 until her retirement in 1990 she practised as an anaesthetist and general practitioner. Her other interests include photography, embroidery, entertaining, reading, and cricket.
Content
Contents Forewords by Lord Harewood and Bryn Terfel Preface The Growth of Opera A short history of the development of opera from the Baroque period to the present day Voices and Singers A discussion of voice production and vocal techniques and an analysis of male and female voices in the world of opera, and how these must be adapted to the different styles of singing required by different periods and different composers. Liberally illustrated by examples of artists in their various roles and with recommended recordings Theatres, companies, and festivals A description of important opera houses throughout the world, the opera companies that work in them, and the modern growth of opera festivals Composers and their operas A discussion of the major operas of each composer with recommended recordings; a short mention of their other significant operas; a listing of significant numbers; and a listing of their lesser operas The Baroque Period: the beginning of opera Monteverdi (Italian, 1567-1643); Cavalli (Italian, 1602-76); Purcell (English, 1659-95); Handel (German, 1685-1759); Rameau (French, 1683-1764) The Classical Period: opera established as an art form Gluck (German, 1714-1787); Mozart (Austrian, 1756-91); Beethoven (German, 1770-1827) The Romantic Period: from the bel canto operas to the beginnings of the 20th century Rossini (Italian, 1792-1868); Weber (German, 1796-1826); Donizetti (Italian, 1797-1848); Bellini (Italian, 1801-35); Glinka (Russian, 1804-57); Berlioz (French, 1803-69); Verdi (Italian, 1813-1901); Wagner (German, 1813-83); Gounod (French, 1818-93), Bizet (French, 1838-75); Mussorgsky (Russian, 1839-81); Tchaikovsky (Russian, 1840-93); Massenet (French, 1842-1912), Rimsky-Korsokov (Russian,1844-1908); Puccini (Italian, 1858-1924); Debussy (French, 1862-1918); Strauss (German, 1864-1949), The 20th Century - and beyond Jancek (Czech, 1854-1928); Vaughan Williams (English, 1872-1958); Schoenberg (Austrian, 1874-1951); Ravel (French, 1875-1937); Bartk (Hungarian,1881-1945); Stravinsky (Russian, 1882-1971); Berg (Austrian, 1885-1935); Prokofiev (Russian, 1891-1953); Gershwin (American, 1898-1937); Poulenc (French, 1899-1963); Weill (German, 1900-50); Walton (English, 1902-83); Tippett (English, 1905-98); Shostakovich (Russian, 1906-75); Menotti (Italian, b 1911); Britten (English, 1913-76); Henze (German, b 1926); Birtwistle (English, b 1934); Maxwell Davies (English, b 1934); Maw (English, b 1935); Glass (American, b 1937); John Adams (American, b 1947); Judith Weir (English, b 1954); Thomas Ads (English, b 1971) The World of Operetta INDEX ACKNOWLEDGMENTS