
Metaphysical Song
An Essay on Opera
Gary Tomlinson(Author)
Princeton University Press
Published on 28. February 1999
Book
Hardback
192 pages
978-0-691-00408-2 (ISBN)
Description
Connecting opera to shifting visions of metaphysics and selfhood across the last four hundred years, this book examines the relationship between the self and metaphysics as described by philosophers from Ficino through Descartes, Kant and Nietzsche, to Adorno. He then argues that opera, in its own right, has brought these subjects to the stage. Among the composers featured are Peri, Wagner, Lully, Verdi, Mozart and Britten. The book details interactions of song, words, drama and sounds used by creators of opera to fill in the outlines of the subjectivities they envisioned.
Reviews / Votes
A well-written, wide-ranging, and thought-provoking look at opera. Highly recommended. Library Journal There is much in this book for philosophers and opera lovers to enjoy, to reflect on, and to disagree with. The Review of MetaphysicsMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New Jersey
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
7 Fotos bzw. Rasterbilder, 12 Notenblätter
7 halftones 12 music examples
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
454 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-691-00408-2 (9780691004082)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
09/2015
1st Edition
Princeton University Press
€188.95
Available for download
Person
Gary Tomlinson is Annenberg Professor in the Humanities at the University of Pennsylvania and has held Guggenheim and MacArthur fellowships. His books include Monteverdi and the End of the Renaissance and Music in Renaissance Magic: Toward a Historiography of Others.
Content
Preface II Late Renaissance Opera Excursus 1: A Cosmos of Apollinian Harmony III Early Modern Opera Excursus 2: The Borders of Theatrical Space IV Modern Opera Excursus 3: Noumenal Themes Excursus 4: Composing Schopenhauer V Nietzsche: Overcoming Operatic Metaphysics VI Ghosts in the Machine Excursus 5: Mechanical Reproduction of Opera Excursus 6: Film Fantasy, Endgame of Wagnerism VII The Sum of Modernity Notes Index