Download or read book Verdi and the Art of Italian Opera written by Steven Huebner and published by Boydell & Brewer. This book was released on 2023 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Verdi's art emerged from a rich array of dramatic and musical practices operative in the Italy of his day. Drawing the reader into his creative world, this study (translated from the French original by the author himself) begins where Verdi began when it came time to set notes to paper: the libretto. Designed for the non-Italophone reader, Steven Huebner's Verdi and the Art of Italian Opera explains key principles of Italian poetry that shaped his music. From there, Huebner outlines the various musical textures available to the composer, including an exploration of the characteristics of recitative and aria. Working outward, subsequent chapters explore the syntax of Verdi's melodic writing and the larger-level forms that he used. A concluding chapter considers ways of conceiving musical unity in his operas. Huebner's long-needed study provides significant insights into Verdi's musico-dramatic strategies, pulling together-and making more easily accessible-principles and insights that are spread widely across the scholarly literature. Verdi remains by far the most performed opera composer on world stages today: singers, vocal coaches, stage directors, and opera lovers more generally will welcome this compact perspective on his art"--

Download or read book Waiting for Verdi written by Mary Ann Smart and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2018-06-22 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The name Giuseppe Verdi conjures images of Italians singing opera in the streets and bursting into song at political protests or when facing the firing squad. While many of the accompanying stories were exaggerated, or even invented, by later generations, Verdi's operas—along with those by Rossini, Donizetti, and Mercadante—did inspire Italians to imagine Italy as an independent and unified nation. Capturing what it was like to attend the opera or to join in the music at an aristocratic salon, Waiting for Verdi shows that the moral dilemmas, emotional reactions, and journalistic polemics sparked by these performances set new horizons for what Italians could think, feel, say, and write. Among the lessons taught by this music were that rules enforced by artistic tradition could be broken, that opera could jolt spectators into intense feeling even as it educated them, and that Italy could be in the vanguard of stylistic and technical innovation rather than clinging to the glories of centuries past. More practically, theatrical performances showed audiences that political change really was possible, making the newly engaged spectator in the opera house into an actor on the political stage.

Download or read book Verdi in Victorian London written by Massimo Zicari and published by Open Book Publishers. This book was released on 2016-07-11 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now a byword for beauty, Verdi’s operas were far from universally acclaimed when they reached London in the second half of the nineteenth century. Why did some critics react so harshly? Who were they and what biases and prejudices animated them? When did their antagonistic attitude change? And why did opera managers continue to produce Verdi’s operas, in spite of their alleged worthlessness? Massimo Zicari’s Verdi in Victorian London reconstructs the reception of Verdi’s operas in London from 1844, when a first critical account was published in the pages of The Athenaeum, to 1901, when Verdi’s death received extensive tribute in The Musical Times. In the 1840s, certain London journalists were positively hostile towards the most talked-about representative of Italian opera, only to change their tune in the years to come. The supercilious critic of The Athenaeum, Henry Fothergill Chorley, declared that Verdi’s melodies were worn, hackneyed and meaningless, his harmonies and progressions crude, his orchestration noisy. The scribes of The Times, The Musical World, The Illustrated London News, and The Musical Times all contributed to the critical hubbub. Yet by the 1850s, Victorian critics, however grudging, could neither deny nor ignore the popularity of Verdi’s operas. Over the final three decades of the nineteenth century, moreover, London’s musical milieu underwent changes of great magnitude, shifting the manner in which Verdi was conceptualized and making room for the powerful influence of Wagner. Nostalgic commentators began to lament the sad state of the Land of Song, referring to the now departed "palmy days of Italian opera." Zicari charts this entire cultural constellation. Verdi in Victorian London is required reading for both academics and opera aficionados. Music specialists will value a historical reconstruction that stems from a large body of first-hand source material, while Verdi lovers and Italian opera addicts will enjoy vivid analysis free from technical jargon. For students, scholars and plain readers alike, this book is an illuminating addition to the study of music reception.

Download or read book Verdi in America written by George Whitney Martin and published by University Rochester Press. This book was released on 2011 with total page 498 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A renowned Verdi authority offers here the often-astounding first history of how Verdi's early operas -- including one of his great masterpieces, Rigoletto -- made their way into America's musical life.

Download or read book The Operas of Verdi written by Julian Budden and published by . This book was released on 1978 with total page 554 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Understanding Italian Opera written by Tim Carter and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2015 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Eschewing the technical musical detail that all too often dominates writing on opera, Carter begins instead where the composers themselves did: with the text. Walking readers through the relationship between music and poetry that lies at the heart of any opera, Carter then offers explorations of five of the most enduring and emblematic Italian operas: Monteverdi's The Coronation of Poppea; Handel's Julius Caesar in Egypt; Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro; Verdi's Rigoletto; and Puccini's La Bohaeme"--Dust jacket flap.

Download or read book Italian Opera written by David R. B. Kimbell and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1991 with total page 708 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: David Kimbell traces the history of Italian opera from the Renaissance to the early twentieth century.

Download or read book Opera in Theory and Practice Image and Myth written by Lorenzo Bianconi and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2003-11 with total page 516 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The History of Italian Opera marks the first time a team of scholars has worked together to investigate the entire Italian operatic tradition, rather than limiting its focus to major composers and their masterworks. Including both musicologists and historians of other arts, the contributors approach opera not only as a distinctive musical genre but also as a form of extravagant theater and a complex social phenomenon. This sixth volume in the series centers on the sociological and critical aspects of opera in Italy, considering the art in the context of an Italian literary and cultural canon rarely revealed in English and American studies. In its six chapters, contributors survey critics' changing attitudes toward opera over several centuries, trace the evolution of formal conventions among librettists, explore the historical relationships between opera and Italian literature, and examine opera's place in Italian popular and national culture. In perhaps the volume's most striking contribution, German scholar Carl Dahlouse offers his most important statement on the dramaturgy of opera.

Download or read book Verdi s Otello written by Giuseppe Verdi and published by Opera Journeys Publishing. This book was released on 2005 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive guide to Verdi's OTELLO, featuring Principal Characters in the opera, Brief Story Synopsis, Story Narrative with Music Highlight Examples, a complete, newly translated LIBRETTO with Italian/English translation side-by-side and music examples, selected Discography and Videography, Dictionary of Opera and Musical Terms, and an insightful and in depth Commentary and Analysis by Burton D. Fisher, noted opera author and lecturer.

Download or read book The Operas of Giuseppe Verdi written by Abramo Basevi and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2013-12-26 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abramo Basevi published his study of Verdi’s operas in Florence in 1859, in the middle of the composer’s career. The first thorough, systematic examination of Verdi’s operas, it covered the twenty works produced between 1842 and 1857—from Nabucco and Macbeth to Il trovatore, La traviata, and Aroldo. But while Basevi’s work is still widely cited and discussed—and nowhere more so than in the English-speaking world—no translation of the entire volume has previously been available. The Operas of Giuseppe Verdi fills this gap, at the same time providing an invaluable critical apparatus and commentary on Basevi’s work. As a contemporary of Verdi and a trained musician, erudite scholar, and critic conversant with current and past operatic repertories, Basevi presented pointed discussion of the operas and their historical context, offering today’s readers a unique window into many aspects of operatic culture, and culture in general, in Verdi’s Italy. He wrote with precision on formal aspects, use of melody and orchestration, and other compositional features, which made his study an acknowledged model for the growing field of music criticism. Carefully annotated and with an engaging introduction and detailed glossary by editor Stefano Castelvecchi, this translation illuminates Basevi’s musical and historical references as well as aspects of his language that remain difficult to grasp even for Italian readers. Making Basevi’s important contribution to our understanding of Verdi and his operas available to a broad audience for the first time, The Operas of Giuseppe Verdi will delight scholars and opera enthusiasts alike.

Download or read book Verdi at the Golden Gate written by George Martin and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2023-12-22 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Opera is a fragile, complex art, but it flourished extravagantly in San Francisco during the Gold Rush years, a time when daily life in the city was filled with gambling, duels, murder, and suicide. In the history of the United States there has never been a rougher town than Gold Rush San Francisco, yet there has never been a greater frenzy for opera than developed there in these exciting years. How did this madness for opera take root and grow? Why did the audience's generally drunken, brawling behavior gradually improve? How and why did Verdi emerge as the city's favorite composer? These are the intriguing themes of George Martin's enlightening and wonderfully entertaining story. Among the incidents recounted are the fist fight that stopped an opera performance and ended in a fatal duel; and the brothel madam who, by sitting in the wrong row of a theater, caused a fracas that resulted in the formation of the Vigilantes of 1856. Martin weaves together meticulously gathered social, political, and musical facts to create this lively cultural history. His study contributes to a new understanding of urban culture in the Jacksonian–Manifest Destiny eras, and of the role of opera in cities during this time, especially in the American West. Over it all soars Verdi's somber, romantic music, capturing the melancholy, the feverish joy, and the idealism of his listeners.

Download or read book Verdi s Aida written by Giuseppe Verdi and published by Opera Journeys Publishing. This book was released on 2005 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Annotation -- Engaging Commentary and Analysis about the composer, the opera and its characters.-- Story Narrative with Music Highlight Examples-- A complete Libretto (newly translated) that incorporates Music Highlight Examples-- A Discography-- A Videography-- A Dictionary of Opera and Musical TermsEach Opera Classics Library edition is a comprehensive guide and complete analysis and evaluation of a specific opera; each is a unique "encyclopedia" that integrates important and pertinent information about each timeless classic. The objective of Opera Classics Library is to unlock opera's mysteries for the general audience, and enlighten and educate. Understanding and knowledge are the master keys to enhance enjoyment and appreciation of this great art form.After the premier of Verdi's 26th opera, Aida, the venerable composer commented quite humorously, "Aida is certainly not one of my worst operas." Aida is a grand opera spectacle achieved through a magnificent combination of a large cast that includes six major singing roles, a huge chorus and orchestra, three ballets, exotic scenery, and oriental ambience. But more importantly, Aida is a story about profound human passions, towering emotions, and passions of individuals as they face conflicts and tensions of love, honor, and duty.

Download or read book Seven Verdi Librettos with the original italian written by Giuseppe Verdi and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 1977 with total page 548 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Verdi, like most great opera composers, attached supreme importance to the words he was setting to music.

Download or read book Verdi for Kids written by Helen Bauer and published by Chicago Review Press. This book was released on 2013 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Along with learning about various opera jobs, opera production, what takes place at rehearsals, and opera house history, inquisitive kids will gain a fuller understanding of the influential 19th century composer's life, times, and music and how Verdi intersected with the great musicians and events of his lifetime.

Download or read book Verdi s Opera Ernani written by Giuseppe Verdi and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2018-09-16 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Verdi's Opera Ernani: Containing the Italian Text, With an English Translation and the Music of All the Principal Airs Dwight's Journal of. Music says: Hundreds of Opera habitues, though they may have but the barest smattering of the art of reading music, will wish to possess for reference sake this copy of the opera entire; how it will brighten up melodious reminiscences, and re -connect the broken threads of memory 1 Then again, when the amateur singer of a single song or two can have the whole opera so cheap, will he not seize the Opportunity to furnish himself therewith. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Download or read book Opera on Stage written by Lorenzo Bianconi and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2002-07 with total page 449 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The History of Italian Opera marks the first time a team of expert scholars has worked together to investigate the Italian operatic tradition in its entirety, rather than limiting its focus to individual eras or major composers and their masterworks. Including both musicologists and historians of other arts, the contributors approach opera not only as a distinctive musical genre but also as a form of extravagant theater and a complex social phenomenon-resulting in the sort of panoramic view critical to a deep and fruitful understanding of the art. Opera on Stage, the second book of this multi-volume work to be published in English-in an expanded and updated version-focuses on staging and viewing Italian opera, from the court spectacles of the late sixteenth century to modern-day commercial productions. Mercedes Viale Ferrero describes the history of theater and stage design, detailing the evolution of the art well into the twentieth century. Gerardo Guccini does the same for stage and opera direction and the development of the director's role as an autonomous creative force. Kathleen Kuzmick Hansell discusses the interrelationships between theatrical ballet and Italian opera, from the age of Venetian opera to the early twentieth century. The visual emphasis of all three contributions is supplemented by over one hundred illustrations, and because much of this material-on the more "spectacular" visual aspects of Italian opera-has never before appeared in English, Opera on Stage will be welcomed by scholars and opera enthusiasts alike.

Download or read book The Autumn of Italian Opera written by Alan Mallach and published by UPNE. This book was released on 2007-11-30 with total page 516 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first full-length study of the last great era of Italian opera