Download or read book Wagner and the Wonder of Art written by M. Owen Lee and published by University of Toronto Press. This book was released on 2007-12-15 with total page 153 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Richard Wagner's Die Meistersinger has always called forth superlatives from those who have fallen under its spell. Toscanini wanted to lay his baton down for the last time only after he had conducted a performance of it. Paderewski called it 'the greatest work of genius ever achieved by any artist in any field of human endeavour.' H.L. Mencken declared, 'It took more skill to plan and write it than it took to plan and write the whole canon of Shakespeare.' And yet Wagner's many-splendoured comedy has come under severe criticism in recent years for what has been called its 'dark underside,' its 'fascist brutality,' and its 'ugly anti-Semitism.' In Wagner and the Wonder of Art, renowned opera expert M. Owen Lee addresses that criticism. He also provides an introduction to the opera and an analysis that will surprise even those veteran operagoers who may not have explored the work's intricate structure and the emotional drama at its centre. The book includes the on-air commentary that Father Lee gave during the first radio broadcast from the Metropolitan Opera after the events of 9/11. He thought it necessary, after attempting to refute the charges leveled against Wagner's opera, to say something about its truthfulness, its life-affirming music, its insight into the madness that can destroy human lives, and its witness to the importance of art for the survival of our civilizations.
Download or read book The Faber Pocket Guide to Wagner written by Michael Tanner and published by Faber & Faber. This book was released on 2010-05-06 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Richard Wagner remains, almost 130 years after his death, the most controversial composer in the history of music. Creator of huge and hugely ambitious operas, which have an immense immediate impact, as well as providing food for endless thought and discussion, Wagner has had an influence on many fields outside music. In this lively pocket guide, Michael Tanner gives concise accounts of all his operas - the likes of Parsifal, Lohengrin and Tristan und Isolde - showing how important it is to grasp the dramatic situations at every point, and indicating some of the key musical features. He also provides an outline of Wagner's astonishing life, and shows that he has often been unfairly criticised and made a scapegoat, especially for political events which took place long after his death. Key features include: - Wagner: his life year by year - Wagner: his music work by work - Things people said about Wagner - Essential Wagner: ten great moments - Wagner on CD and DVD - Wagner bibliography This indispensable Faber Pocket Guide provides a wealth of insights into Wagner and is essential reading for anyone with an interest in both and the man and his music. '[P]robably the best introduction ever written to this most complex of composers.' Simon Heffer, Telegraph
Download or read book The Wagner Compendium A Guide To Wagner s Life and Music written by Barry Millington and published by Thames & Hudson. This book was released on 2001-07-17 with total page 570 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The unrivaled single-volume survey of Wagner's life and work Edited by one of the leading Wagner scholars of modern times, and with contributions from seventeen experts from around the world, The Wagner Compendium is the key to a complete understanding of the composer— the most comprehensive, informative and well-organized guide to his life and times. Features include: calendar of Wagner's life, works and related events who's who of Wagner's contemporaries details of historical, intellectual and musical background exploration of Wagner's character and opinions full list of Wagner's prose writings comprehensive listing and discussion of the works
Download or read book NPR The Curious Listener s Guide to Opera written by William Berger and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2002-02-05 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Major composers including Mozart, Wagner, Verdi, Puccini, and Strauss * Legendary singers from the great divas to the Three Tenors * What to look for and listen to at the opera * The history of opera and why it endures * Stylistic variations and basic theoretical underpinnings * Appreciating the art form * Biographies of the opera's greatest artists * A survey of classic operas
Download or read book The Rough Guide to Opera written by Matthew Boyden and published by Rough Guides. This book was released on 2002 with total page 756 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sketches of opera composers, opera synopses, and CD reviews.
Download or read book An Interpretive Guide to Operatic Arias written by Martial Singher and published by Penn State Press. This book was released on 2015-09-22 with total page 347 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A premier singer and master teacher here tells other singers how to get the most from 151 famous arias selected for their popularity or their greatness from 66 operas, ranging in time and style from Christopher Gluck to Carlisle Floyd, from Mozart to Menotti. “The most memorable thrills in an opera singer's life,” according to the author's Introduction, “may easily derive from the great arias in his or her repertoire.” This book continues the work Martial Singher has done, in performances, in concerts, and in master classes and lessons, by drawing attention “not only to precise features of text, notes, and markings but also to psychological motivations and emotional impulses, to laughter and tears, to technical skills, to strokes of genius, and even here and there to variations from the original works that have proved to be fortunate.” For each aria, the author gives the dramatic and musical context, advice about interpretation, and the lyric—with the original language (if it is not English) and an idiomatic American English translation, in parallel columns. The major operatic traditions—French, German, Italian, Russian, and American—are represented, as are the major voice types—soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, bass-baritone, and bass. The dramatic context is not a mere summary of the plot but is a penetrating and often witty personality sketch of an operatic character in the midst of a situation. The musical context is presented with the dramatic situation in a cleverly integrated way. Suggestions about interpretation, often illustrated with musical notation and phonetic symbols, are interspersed among the author's explication of the music and the action. An overview of Martial Singher’s approach—based on fifty years of experience on stage in a hundred roles and in class at four leading conservatories—is presented in his Introduction. As the reader approaches each opera discussed in this book, he or she experiences the feeling of participation in a rehearsal on stage under an urbane though demanding coach and director. The Interpretive Guide will be of value to professional singers as a source of reference or renewed inspiration and a memory refresher, to coaches for checking and broadening personal impressions, to young singers and students for learning, to teachers who have enjoyed less than a half century of experience, and to opera broadcast listeners and telecast viewers who want to understand what goes into the sounds and sights that delight them.
Download or read book The Operagoer s Guide written by M. Owen Lee and published by Hal Leonard Corporation. This book was released on 2001 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Offers brief summaries of the plots of one hundred operas, and includes background commentary and recommendations for favorite recordings of each opera.
Download or read book The Good Opera Guide written by and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 902 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Here is an excerpt of what The Good Opera Guide has to say about Cilea & rsquo;s Adriana Lecouvreur : & ldquo;The one about the star of stage and screen whose rival sends her a bouquet of poison gas violets. She sniffs it: snuffs it. & rdquo; The Good Opera Guide is not only for regular operagoers but also for people who are new to the world of opera, or indeed people who want to bluff their way through a performance! It is written with humor and is entertaining as well as informative. Where else would you find a & ldquo;dagger count & rdquo; for La Gioconda, and have Hansel and Gretel categorized as a & ldquo;Gingerbread Opera & rdquo;? From Adriana Lecouvreur to Mozart & rsquo;s Die Zauberfl & ouml;te, for each opera, Sir Denis details the plot and cast of characters, awarding stars to parts that are & ldquo;worth looking out for, & rdquo; & ldquo;really good, & rdquo; or, occasionally, & ldquo;stunning. & rdquo; He goes on to tell the history of each opera and its early reception. Finally, each work is graded from alpha to gamma, and Sir Denis has no qualms about voicing his opinion. The guide also presents brief biographies of the great composers, conductors, and singers. A glossary of musical terms is included, as well as & ldquo;Operatica, & rdquo; or the essential elements of opera, from the proper place and style of the audience & rsquo;s applause (and boos) to the use of subtitles. & ldquo;The first guide to take the sensible decision of separating comments on the music (serious and helpful) from descriptions of the plot (invariably flippant and often funny). & rdquo; & mdash; The Sunday Telegraph Sir Denis Forman (1917 & ndash;2013) was for many years chairman and chief executive of Granada Television. He was also deputy chairman of the Royal Opera House for nine years. Other works include The Good Wagner Guide.
Download or read book The Complete Classical Music Guide written by DK and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2020-08-11 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What makes Mozart's music so great? Why does a minor chord sound sad and a major chord sound happy? What's the difference between opera and operetta? From Bach to Bernstein, this definitive guide offers a complete survey of the history of classical music. Whether you already love classical music or you're just beginning to explore it, The Complete Classical Music Guide invites you to discover the spirituality of Byrd's masses, the awesome power of Handel's Messiah, and the wonders of Wagner's operas, as well as hundreds of more composers and their masterpieces. This guide takes you on a journey through more than 1,000 years, charting the evolution of musical instruments, styles, and genres. Biographies of major and lesser-known composers offer rich insights into their music and the historical and cultural contexts that influenced their genius. The book explores the features that defined each musical era - from the ornate brilliance of the Baroque, through the drama of Romantic music, to contemporary genres such as minimalism and electronic music. Timelines, quotes, and color photographs give a voice to this music and the exceptionally gifted individuals who created it.
Download or read book The Opera Singer s Career Guide written by Pearl Yeadon McGinnis and published by Scarecrow Press. This book was released on 2010-08-12 with total page 351 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Any singer longing to have a career in opera, particularly in Europe, should be familiar with the European system of classifying voices know as Fach. The Opera Singer's Career Guide: Understanding the European Fach System presents valuable information to help readers learn, understand, and use the Fach system to their professional advantage. More than just soprano, alto, tenor, or bass, students and professionals alike should know the 25 different Fach categories fully defined here, along with the examples of roles, audition arias, and European opera houses and agents provided. Based on careful research and personal experience, singer and teacher Pearl Yeadon McGinnis describes the features, characteristics, and benefits of the Fach system, including voice categorization and classification and using Fach to train the young voice. She provides practical information on maintaining a career in opera, such as the different types, procedures, and pitfalls of opera auditions; types of opera contracts and contract negotiations; and the value of networking. She explains the different styles of European opera houses and gives an example of life in a state level German opera house, including the various performance spaces, the makeup and responsibilities of an ensemble, and the jobs and functions of opera house personnel. A glossary and several appendixes supply tools for auditioning, such as newly classified roles for Children, Lyric, and Beginner singers; roles for the established Fach categories; lists of opera agents and houses in the German speaking countries; and suggested audition arias by Fach. In addition, practical details are offered about establishing and maintaining residency in Europe, obtaining permission to live and work in Europe, and helpful hints about customs and travel.
Download or read book The Rough Guide to Classical Music written by Joe Staines and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2010-05-17 with total page 691 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This expanded and completely revised fifth edition is a unique ebook, spanning a thousand years of music from Gregorian chant via Bach and Beethoven to current leading lights such as Thomas Adès and Kaija Saariaho. There are concise biographical profiles of more than 200 composers and informative summaries of the major compositions in all genres, from chamber works to operatic epics. Topics such as the influence of jazz, notation, conducting, the madrigal, and why Stradivarius made such great violins are covered fully in feature boxes. The Rough Guide to Classical Music in a new ebook (PDF) fromat has been praised for its mix of well-known composers with more obscure, but interesting, figures (like Antoine Brumel and Barbara Strozzi), and for the way it takes contemporary music seriously.
Download or read book The New Grove Guide to Wagner and His Operas written by Barry Millington and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2006-08-15 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the most controversial figures in the history of ideas as well as music, Richard Wagner continues to stimulate debate whenever his works are performed. Drawing upon the scholarship of The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, the most comprehensive dictionary of opera in the world, Barry Millington offers a concise, portable survey and guide, which will make a welcome addition to the shelf of anyone who loves opera. Millington has completely updated the original pieces and contributed four new chapters on Wagner, including a summary of Wagner productions from 1876 to the present day, a suggested listening and viewing gyide, complete chronology of Wagner's operas, and a glossary of terms that will delight any opera-goer. In addition, there are detailed entries on each of Wagner's operas, a main biographical section, and a group of separate articles on such topics as Leitmotif and Gesamtkunstwerk, as well as a newly revised updated article on Bayreuth. Complete with a new preface, updated bibliography, glossary, and discography--including first release dates of each recording--The New Grove Guide to Wagner and his Operas furnishes both seasoned Wagner-lovers and neophytes with all they require for an in-depth appreciation of this unique historical figure.
Download or read book The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge written by The New York Times and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2004-11-05 with total page 1112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the "New York Times" comes a thorough, authoritative, easy-to-use guide to a broad range of essential subjects.
Download or read book The Young Person s Guide to the Opera written by Anita Ganeri and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This book was released on 2001 with total page 64 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An introduction to the world of opera told through words, pictures, and music.
Download or read book The Metropolitan Opera Guide to Recorded Opera written by Paul Gruber and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 1993 with total page 808 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A guide to recordings of operas.
Download or read book Richard Wagner written by Michael Saffle and published by Psychology Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 460 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Acknowledgements To Users of this Research Guide I. Introduction II. Introducing Wagner: Compendia and Other Survey Studies III. Researching Wagner: Reference Works of Various Kinds IV. The Documentary Legacy V. Wagner's Life and Character VI. Wagner as Composer: Studies in Techniques, Styles, and Influences VII. Wagner as Music-Dramatist VIII. Wagner as Instrumental and Vocal Composer and Arranger IX. Performing Wagner X. Wagner as Poet, Prose Writer, and Philosopher XI. Criticizing Wagner XII. Wagner and Culture, Past and Present XIII. After Wagner: Bayreuth, the Festivals, and Wagner's Descendents Index
Download or read book LIFE written by and published by . This book was released on 1972-06-16 with total page 98 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: LIFE Magazine is the treasured photographic magazine that chronicled the 20th Century. It now lives on at LIFE.com, the largest, most amazing collection of professional photography on the internet. Users can browse, search and view photos of today’s people and events. They have free access to share, print and post images for personal use.
