Classical Opera category: 1804 books

What is opera and how does it work? How has this dramatic form developed and what is its relevance in the modern world? Perfect for music students and opera-goers, this introductory guide addresses these questions and many more, exploring opera as a complete theatrical experience. Organised chronologically...

In this colorful and detailed history, Joshua Goldstein describes the formation of the Peking opera in late Qing and its subsequent rise and re-creation as the epitome of the Chinese national culture in Republican era China. Providing a fascinating look into the lives of some of the opera’s key...

"Rich in discussion-worthy arguments … an important contribution to musical aesthetics." — Die Tonkunst "An excellent and expansive view of where we now are in the larger world of contemporary art music." ― Academic Questions These essays by a prominent composer offer a thought-provoking...

Originally published in 1997, Collins Opera & Operetta is an invaluable guide to this fascinating but sometimes misunderstood art form, presenting essential information on over 180 major operas and operettas in an accessible, yet scholarly, way. The entry for each opera includes: • The composer,...

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...

In this book, Eugene J. Johnson traces the invention of the opera house, a building type of world wide importance. Italy laid the foundation theater buildings in the West, in architectural spaces invented for the commedia dell'arte in the sixteenth century, and theaters built to present the new art...

It started with a festival - three classic operas performed in a theatre in Toronto. But when it became apparent that there was a need for a national opera company, an organization was founded that would go on to become one of the largest performing arts organizations in the country. The Canadian...

Revolving around the opera, these tales are an “archaeological excavation of the slag-heaps of our collective existence” (W. G. Sebald) Combining fact and fiction, each of the one hundred and two tales of Alexander Kluge’s Temple of the Scapegoat (dotted with photos of famous operas and...

Reflecting a wide variety of approaches to eighteenth-century opera, this Companion brings together leading international experts in the field to provide a valuable reference source. Viewing opera as a complex and fascinating form of art and social ritual, rather than reducing it simply to music and...

Really Easy Piano: Classical Greats presents easy arrangements of twenty-four well-known classical pieces to ease any beginner into the basics of classical piano. These simplified arrangements are accompanied by background notes on the songs as well as handy playing hints and tips. Suitable...

The Piano Playbook: Classical Favourites is a collection of 62 timeless classical greats in superb new arrangements for solo Piano. From the early music of J.S. Bach to the contemporary works of Philip Glass, these are some of the greatest classical pieces ever composed. Within this collection...

How well do you think you know your opera? Match wits with Metropolitan Opera quiz master Father Owen Lee in forty-five opera-related puzzles, including straight-forward quizzes, anagrams, vertical patterns, crostics, and crossword puzzles. Each puzzle has a theme, such as baseball and opera, movies...

Of all operas in the standard repertory, none has had a more complicated genesis and textual history than Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann. Based on a highly successful 1851 play inspired by the short stories by the German Romantic writer E.T.A. Hoffmann, the work occupied the last decade of Offenbach’s...

“The aim of this book is to gather in one place a compendium of techniques specific to the classical guitar. Each technique has a written explanation, preliminary exercises and two original compositions, providing the opportunity to use the techniques in a musical context.” Steve Marsh Mel...