Opera, a History of the Impossible Genre

Opera, a History of the Impossible Genre offers an accessible and chronological survey of opera. Beginning in the 16th century, each chapter hones its focus on a representative opera and composer, and provides discussion on historical and political context.

Autorentext

Jeffrey Langford is Associate Dean for Doctoral Studies at the Manhattan School of Music in New York, NY. He is author of A History of the Symphony (Routledge, 2019) and Evenings at the Opera (Amadeus Press, 2011).

Klappentext

Opera, a History of the Impossible Genre offers an accessible and chronological survey of opera. Beginning in the 16th century, each chapter hones its focus on a representative opera and composer, and provides discussion on historical and political context.

Inhalt

1 First steps toward a new genre ; 2 Claudio Monteverdi, the first genius; 3 The rise of Italian opera seria; 4 French opera of the 17th and 18th centuries; 5 The birth of comic opera; 6 Gioachino Rossini, a bridge to the 19th century; 7 Gaetano Donizetti, a master of Italian Romantic opera; 8 Giuseppe Verdi, Part I: Italian opera in revolution; 9 The rise of German Romantic opera; 10 Hector Berlioz and 19th-century French grand opera; 11 Charles Gounod and French opéra lyrique; 12 Russian opera, Part I: Modest Mussorgsky and the nationalist style; 13 Russian opera, Part II: Pyotr (Peter) Ilyich Tchaikovsky andthe cosmopolitan style; 14 Giuseppe Verdi, Part II: The final years; 15 Bizet, Puccini, and the rise of verismo opera; 16 Richard Strauss and the changing styles of symphonic opera; 17 Claude Debussy and Impressionism in opera; 18 Alban Berg and the problem of atonal opera; 19 Béla Bartók, a 20th-century nationalist; 20 Benjamin Britten and 20th-century operatic conservatism; 21 Igor Stravinsky and neoclassical opera; 22 Minimalist opera; 23 Opera today: A sample