The New Grove Dictionary of Opera (also available online) by
This is an opera reference covering four volumes, with over 1300 contributions. The 11,000 articles are cross-referenced and deal with all of the varied aspects of the operatic experience, from the composer, librettist and their cultural background, through singers, conductors and directors, to cities, opera houses, costume, choreography and set design.
Historical Dictionary of Opera by
Opera has been around ever since the late 16th century, and it is still going strong in the sense that operas are performed around the world at present, and known by infinitely more persons than just those who attend performances. On the other hand, it has enjoyed periods in the past when more operas were produced to greater acclaim. Those periods inevitably have pride of place in this Historical Dictionary of Opera, as do exceptional singers, and others who combine to fashion the opera, whether or not they appear on stage. But this volume looks even further afield, considering the cities which were and still are opera centers, literary works which were turned into librettos, and types of pieces and genres. While some of the former can be found on the web or in other sources, most of the latter cannot and it is impossible to have the whole picture without them. Indeed, this book has an amazingly broad scope. The dictionary section, with about 340 entries, covers the topics mentioned above but obviously focuses most on composers, not just the likes of Mozart, Verdi and Wagner, but others who are scarcely remembered but made notable contributions. Of course, there are the divas, but others singers as well, and some of the most familiar operas, Don Giovanni, Tosca and more. Technical terms also abound, and reference to different genres, from antimasque to zarzuela. Since opera has been around so long, the chronology is rather lengthy, since it has a lot of ground to cover, and the introduction sets the scene for the rest. This book should not be an end but rather a beginning, so it has a substantial bibliography for readers seeking more specific or specialized works. It is an excellent access point for readers interested in opera.
Operas in German: A Dictionary by
With nearly three thousand new entries, the revised edition of Operas in German: A Dictionary is the most current encyclopedic treatment of operas written specifically to a German text from the seventeenth century through 2016. Musicologist Margaret Ross Griffel details the operas' composers, scores, librettos, first performances, and bibliographic sources. Four appendixes then list composers, librettists, authors whose works inspired or were adapted for the opera librettos, and a chronological listing of the entries in the A-Z section. The bibliography details other dictionaries and encyclopedias, performance studies, collections of plot summaries, general studies on operas, sources on locales where opera premieres took place, works on the history of operas in German, and selective volumes on individual opera composers, librettists, producers, directors, and designers. Finally, two indexes list the main characters in each opera and the names of singers, conductors, producers, composers, directors, choreographers, and arrangers. The revised edition of Operas in German provides opera historians, musicologists, performers, and opera lovers with an invaluable resource for continued study and enjoyment.
Operas in English: A Dictionary by
Although many opera dictionaries and encyclopedias are available, very few are devoted exclusively to operas in a single language. In this revised and expanded edition of Operas in English: A Dictionary, Margaret Ross Griffel brings up to date her original work on operas written specifically to an English text (including works both originally prepared in English, as well as English translations). Since its original publication in 1999, Griffel has added nearly 800 entries to the 4,300 from the original volume, covering the world of opera in the English language from 1634 through 2011. Listed alphabetically by letter, each opera entry includes alternative titles, if any; a full, descriptive title; the number of acts; the composer's name; the librettist's name, the original language of the libretto, and the original source of the text, with the source title; the date, place, and cast of the first performance; the date of composition, if it occurred substantially earlier than the premiere date; similar information for the first U.S. (including colonial) and British (i.e., in England, Scotland, or Wales) performances, where applicable; a brief plot summary; the main characters (names and vocal ranges, where known); some of the especially noteworthy numbers cited by name; comments on special musical problems, techniques, or other significant aspects; and other settings of the text, including non-English ones, and/or other operas involving the same story or characters (cross references are indicated by asterisks). Entries also include such information as first and critical editions of the score and libretto; a bibliography, ranging from scholarly studies to more informal journal articles and reviews; a discography; and information on video recordings. Griffel also includes four appendixes, a selective bibliography, and two indexes. The first appendix lists composers, their places and years of birth and death, and their operas included in the text as entries; the second does the same for librettists; the third records authors whose works inspired or were adapted for the librettos; and the fourth comprises a chronological listing of the A-Z entries, including as well as the date of first performance, the city of the premiere, the short title of the opera, and the composer. Griffel also include a main character index and an index of singers, conductors, producers, and other key figures.
Encyclopedia of American Opera by
This encyclopedia lists, describes and cross-references everything to do with American opera: works (both operas and operettas, including separate entries for the most popular arias), composers, librettists, singers, and source authors, along with relevant recordings. The approximately 1750 entries range from ballad operas and composers of the 18th century to modern minimalists and video opera artists. Each opera entry consists of plot, history, premiere and cast, followed by a chronological listing of recordings, movies and videos. An introduction provides an excellent overview of the general subject of American opera.
International Dictionary of Opera by
An internationally recognized group of contributors and advisors have collaborated to provide this reference source. It contains evaluations of the most important operas, along with biographies of the composers, librettists, producers, designers, performers and conductors who made them great.
The St. James Opera Encyclopedia: A Guide to People and Works by
Brief essays cover operas, composers, and singers.
The Grove Book of Operas by
The Grove Book of Operas is an insightful collection of synopses and descriptions of over 250 operas. Entries include a full synopsis of the plot, a cast list, and a note on the singers in the original production. A glossary offers definitions of terms and indices of role names and of arias and ensembles, allow the reader to find operas containing their favourite aria or character. This edition brings the book up to date with recently composed operas and includes an introductory essay by David Levin.
Opera: An Encyclopedia of World Premieres and Significant Performances, Singers, Composers, Librettists, Arias and Conductors, 1597-2000 by
This work includes entries for 1,153 first performances of operas from Europe, the U.S., Latin America and Russia. Entries offer details about key persons, arias, other significant performances, interesting facts, and date and location of each premiere. There is a biographical dictionary with 1,288 entries on historical and modern operatic singers.
Encyclopedia of Opera on Screen: A Guide to more than 100 years of opera films, videos, and DVDs by
This bountiful book is a comprehensive guide to the thousands of films, DVDs, and videocassettes featuring operas and opera singers from 1896 to the present. From ABC Television to Franco Zeffirelli, the encyclopedia is a storehouse of fascinating information for film and opera aficionados and casual browsers alike. Find answers to such questions as: * What were the first operas filmed? * Why did they make silent films of operas? * Why was a pseudo-opera written for Citizen Kane? * What was the title of Maria Callas's only film? Organized alphabetically with more than 1,900 fully cross-referenced entries, the book casts a wide net that covers not only expected topics?operas, operettas, zarzuelas, composers, singers, conductors, writers, and film directors?but also the unexpected and offbeat?animated opera, first operas on film, puppet opera films, silent films about opera, and many other lesser-known topics. Encyclopedia of Opera on Screen illuminates the many intersections between opera and film as never before. ]]>
The Opera Manual by
You are getting ready for a performance of Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore and you have a few questions. How many clarinets are in the orchestra? How many orchestra members appear onstage? How many different sets are there? How long does the opera typically run? What are the key arias? Are any special effects or ballet choreography required? Who owns the rights? Where was it premiered? What are the leading and supporting roles? The Opera Manual is the only single source for the answers to these and other important questions. It is the ultimate companion for opera lovers, professionals, scholars, and teachers, featuring comprehensive information about, and plot summaries for, more than 550 operas--including every opera that is likely to be performed today, from standard to rediscovered contemporary works. The book is invaluable, especially for opera professionals, who will find everything they need for choosing and staging operas. But it is also a treasure for listeners. Similar reference books commonly skip over scenes and supporting characters in their plot summaries, lacking even the most basic facts about staging, orchestral, and vocal requirements. The Opera Manual, based on the actual scores of the works discussed, is the only exhaustive, up-to-date opera companion--a "recipe book" that will enable its readers to explore those operas they know and discover new ones to sample and enjoy.
Opera: A Research and Information Guide (also available online) by
Opera is the only guide to the research writings on all aspects of opera. This second edition presents 2,833 titles--over 2,000 more than the first edition--of books, parts of books, articles and dissertations with full bibliographic descriptions and critical annotations. Users will find the core literature on the operas of 320 individual composers and details of operatic life in 43 countries. All relevant works through to November 1999 have been considered, covering more than fifteen years of literature since the first edition was published.
Women Opera Composers: Biographies from the 1500s to the 21st Century by
The history of women in the opera is a grand story. Women were singers and patrons, of course, but from opera's beginnings in Renaissance Italy, they were also opera composers and librettists. At first it was exclusively for the nobility. In the 19th century, with the emergence of the middle class and the rise of nationalism, there were more public theaters and opera seemed to be everywhere. This meant more opportunities for composers, though men predominated. This book focuses on the women, from the 16th century to today, who had successful careers in opera, many of them well known in their time.
The Opèra Comique: A Sourcebook by
Opera-comique, like grand opera, a specifically French genre of opera, emerged from the political changes and intellectual discussion that played a recurrent role in determining the nature of artistic expression and production in Paris from the late 17th until the mid-18th centuries. Opera-comique is distinguished by its use of spoken dialogue to link the arias and sung parts, and its more restrained use of recitatives. It emerged out of the popular entertainments, called operas-comiques en vaudevilles, that were a feature of the theatres held at the seasonal Parisian fairs of St Germain and St Laurent, and of the Comedie-Italienne. The similarity of the entertainments provided by the Comedie-Italienne and the fairs resulted in their amalgamation on 3 February 1756, when they established a theatre for their joint productions, the Hotel Bourgogne. Their type of entertainment, combining existing popular tunes with spoken sections, lent its generic name to this house, which, regardless of its changing venue, would become known as the Opera-Comique. The genre of opera-comique exercised a powerful popular appeal because of its unique fusion of fixed musical form with fluid improvised dialogue. The well-known airs of the day, invariably strophic, came to be the genre's staple medium of artistic expression-the couplets. But opera-comique was not necessarily comic or light in nature. Indeed, the most famous example, Bizet's Carmen (1875), is a tragedy. The genre, with its unique mixture of comedy and drama, its captivating musical fluency, its handling of serious and Romantic themes-expertly crafted by its most famous librettist Augustin-Eugene Scribe (1791-1861)-became universally popular in the masterpieces of its heyday between 1820 and 1870: Adrien Boieldieu's La Dame blanche (1825), Daniel-Francois-Esprit Auber's Fra Diavolo (1830) and Le Domino noir (1837), Ferdinand Herold's Zampa (1831) and Le Pre aux clercs (1832), Fromental Halevy's L'Eclair (1835) and Ambroise Thomas's Mignon (1866). The history of the opera-comique between 1762 and 1915 reflects the political and cultural life of France-from the last days of the ancien regime, through the tumult of the Revolution and Napoleonic era, the July Monarchy and Second Empire, to the shattering defeat of France by Prussia in 1870. After this, apart from isolated works (by Bizet, Delibes, Offenbach, Massenet), new works by the younger generation of musicians now tended to be French adaptations of the Wagnerian aesthetic and the record of success is very thin. Hardly any native French works in this imitative mode premiered at the Opera-Comique between 1870 and 1915 have survived-apart from Debussy's unique Pelleas et Melisande (1902). This study serves as a sourcebook for this very French genre, with details of forgotten composers, their operas-performance dates, plot summaries, the singers who created them, the names of important numbers in the works (from libretti and scores that are either now to be found only in the Paris libraries, or are lost completely), often with contemporary observations about the reception of particular works, the effectiveness of their dramaturgy and music. It provides a resource for operatic culture and convention, from the late 18th to the early 20th centuries. The record of the fortunes of the Opera-Comique provides a way into the changing culture and aesthetic values of an age.
The Opera Lover's Companion (also available online) by
This engaging guide to the 175 most popular operas will enhance the experience of every opera lover. Written by a well-known authority, the book consists of entries that set each opera within the context of its composer’s career, outline the plot, discuss the music, and give relevant background information on the libretto, the staging, and the most famous and influential interpreters of the principal roles. In addition, the entries recount details of the first performance and subsequent performance history and provide guidance on the relative quality of available recordings. Aimed at opera lovers and committed newcomers rather than specialists, The Opera-Lover’s Companion does not set out to cover every opera but only those most frequently encountered in opera houses or on recordings. Although the book is dominated by the five great opera composers--Mozart, Verdi, Wagner, Puccini, and Strauss--fifty-eight other composers are also represented. It is always more pleasurable to go to the opera with a knowledgeable and experienced companion. If you can’t, you’ll want to take this book.
The Cambridge Verdi Encyclopedia by
Verdi's enduring presence on the opera stages of the world and as a subject for study by scholars in various disciplines has placed him as a central figure within modern culture. His operas, including La traviata, Rigoletto and Aida, are among the most frequently performed worldwide and his popularity from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day is undisputed. The Cambridge Verdi Encyclopedia covers all aspects of Verdi's life, his music and his world. Appendices list Verdi's known works, both published and unpublished, the characters in his operas and the singers who created them, and a chronology of his life. As a starting point for information on specific works, people, places and concepts associated with Verdi, the Encyclopedia reflects the very latest scholarship, presented by an international array of experts and will have a broad appeal for opera lovers, students and scholars.
Das Grosse Operettenbuch: 120 Komponisten und 430 Werke by 
Guide to the Aria Repertoire by
An invaluable guide to some of the most demanding aria excerpts
A Dictionary of Opera Characters by
A unique and authoritative A-Z reference work that will answer all your questions on who's who in opera. Contains over 2,500 lively entries on operatic characters, with information on the creator of the role and notable performances. From Aeneas to Zaida, A Dictionary of Opera Charactersprovides extensive coverage of all the characters in operas from around the world and gives synopses for over 200 operas and operettas. It includes feature articles written by well-known personalities from the world of opera, such as Placido Domingo and Dame Janet Baker, plus, new to this edition,articles contributed by Christine Brewer and Joyce DiDonato. Recommended opera-related web links are listed for relevant and up-to-date extra information. The appendix of contemporary opera of the last ten years provides detailed synopses followed by the cast list of people who sang at the worldpremiere. This book is an invaluable source of reference for professionals and amateurs alike, and a fascinating read for anyone curious about opera.
Who's Who in Opera: A Guide to Opera Characters by
This guide to over 2,500 operatic characters provides both an invaluable source of reference and an absorbing and enjoyable read. Covering a wide range of works across the whole compass of opera and operetta, it contains plot synopses for over 250 operas as well as full information about eachoperatic role, including its creator and notable performers. Box features, illustrated with photographs, commissioned from well-known personalities in the world of opera, such as Janet Baker, Placido Domingo, Thomas Hampson, and Jonathan Miller, who write about their favourite opera characters.Over 2,500 characters from 280 operasArticles by well-known personalities from the world of opera about the roles they have played, directed, or enjoyed - from Janet Baker, Placido Domingo, Anne Evans, and Thomas Hampson to Jonathan Miller, Robert Tear, Theodor Uppman, and Susanna WaltonFrom Arabella to Wozzeck, entries give a description of the role, its vocal category, by whom the part was created, and notable performers and performancesDetails of who first performed a particular rolePlot synopses for over 250 operasImportant arias and ensembles mentioned, with English translations'a reference book for operaphiles who read synopses, but feel short-changed about information on the characters touched upon in such potted accounts . . . the answer to a prayer for those who attend operas without doing their homework properly . . . simply enjoy the fruits of her researches - withthe bonus of coming out considerably better informed and much the wiser.'From the Foreword by Sir George Christie, (Chairman, Glyndebourne)
Who Married Figaro?: A Book of Opera Characters by
A unique and authoritative A-Z reference work that will answer all your questions on who's who in opera. Contains over 2,500 lively entries on operatic characters, with information on the creator of the role and notable performances. From Aeneas to Zaida, A Book of Opera Characters providesextensive coverage of all the characters in operas from around the world and gives synopses for over 200 operas and operettas. It includes feature articles written by well-known personalities from the world of opera, such as Placido Domingo and Dame Janet Baker, plus, new to this edition, articlescontributed by Christine Brewer and Joyce DiDonato. Recommended opera-related web links are listed for relevant and up-to-date extra information. The appendix of contemporary opera of the last ten years provides detailed synopses followed by the cast list of people who sang at the world premiere.This book is an invaluable source of reference for professionals and amateurs alike, and a fascinating read for anyone curious about opera, for example, who did marry Figaro?
The Grove Book of Opera Singers by
Covering over 1500 singers from the birth of opera to the present day, this marvelous volume will be an essential resource for all serious opera lovers and an indispensable companion to the enormously successful Grove Book of Operas.The most comprehensive guide to opera singers ever produced, this volume offers an alphabetically arranged collection of authoritative biographies that range from Marion Anderson (the first African American to perform at the Met) to Benedict Zak (the classical tenor and close friend andcolleague of Mozart). Readers will find fascinating articles on such opera stars as Maria Callas and Enrico Caruso, Ezio Pinza and Fyodor Chaliapin, Lotte Lehmann and Jenny Lind, Lily Pons and Luciano Pavarotti. The profiles offer basic information such as birth date, vocal style, first debut, mostmemorable roles, and much more. But these articles often go well beyond basic biographical information to offer colorful portraits of the singer's personality and vocal style, plus astute evaluations of their place in operatic history and many other intriguing observations. Many entries also includesuggestions for further reading, so that anyone interested in a particular performer can explore their life and career in more depth. In addition, there are indexes of singers by voice type and by opera role premiers. The articles are mostly drawn from the acclaimed Grove Music Online and have beenfully revised, and the book is further supplemented by more than 40 specially commissioned articles on contemporary singers.A superb new guide from the first name in opera reference, The Grove Book of Opera Singers is a lively and authoritative work, beautifully illustrated with color and black-and-white pictures. It is an essential volume--and the perfect gift--for opera lovers everywhere.
