
The Urbanization of Opera
Music Theater in Paris in the Nineteenth Century
Anselm Gerhard(Author)
University of Chicago Press
Published on 15. August 1998
Book
Hardback
488 pages
978-0-226-28857-4 (ISBN)
Description
Why do so many operas end in suicide, murder, and death? Why do many characters in large-scale operas exhibit neurotic behaviours worthy of psychoanalysis? Why are the legendary "grands operas" so seldom performed today? Anselm Gerhard argues in this text that such questions can only be answered by recognizing that daily life in rapidly urbanized mid-19th-century Paris introduced not just new social forces, but also new modes of perception and expectations of art. He attempts to provide a realistic portrayal of life in a metropolic, librettists and composers of "grand opera" developed new forms and conventions, as well as new staging performance practices. For example, the "tableau", in which the chorus typically plays the role of a destructive mob. These larger urban and social concerns are brought to bear in Gerhard's discussions of eight operas, composed by Rossini, Auber, Meyebeer, Verdi, and Louise Bertin.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Chicago
United States
Publishing group
The University of Chicago Press
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
ISBN-13
978-0-226-28857-4 (9780226288574)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Content
Preface to the English-Language Edition Acknowledgments Chronology Introduction Ch. 1: Realities of a Metropolis Ch. 2: Victor-Joseph Etienne de Jouy, a Hermit in the City Ch. 3: Rossini and the Revolution Ch. 4: Eugene Scribe, an Apolitical Man of Letters Ch. 5: Meyerbeer and the Happy Medium Ch. 6: Victor Hugo, the Illustrious Poet as Librettist Ch. 7: Meyerbeer and Reaction Ch. 8: The Composer as Librettist Ch. 9: Verdi and an Institutional Crisis Ch. 10: The International View Ch. 11: Verdi and Interior Space Bibliography Index of Titles of Operas and Plays Index of Names