The Oxford Illustrated History of Opera (Oxford Illustrated Histories) |
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You Are Here: Home > History Books > Iceland History > Item 219
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The Oxford Illustrated History of Opera (Oxford Illustrated Histories)
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by Roger Parker
Sales Rank: 438478
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List Price: $29.95
$19.77
At Amazon
on 11-1-2008.
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Features
Cover Type: Paperback with 584 pages
Published by: Oxford University Press, USA June 28, 2001
Written in: English
ISBN 10 Number: 0192854453
ISBN 13 Number: 978-0192854452
Book Dimensions:
9.6 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches
Weighs: 2.9 pounds
From Library Journal
There are few one-volume histories of opera available, and none includes the up-to-date information contained here. Nine leading authorities (all contributors to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, 4 vols., LJ 2/15/93) provide insightful chapters on periods in opera history, from a thorough account of opera in the 17th century through the works of present-day composers such as Philip Glass and John Adams. Because it is intended for the general reader, this work has no musical examples or footnotes and is therefore less useful as a reference source than other works such as Donald J. Grout's A Short History of Opera (Columbia Univ. Pr., 1965. 2d ed.). The chapters are not organized in a strictly chronological format but are built around a series of concepts or arguments, presented with a wealth of supporting information, making the index (not seen) essential to finding answers to specific questions. For both the casual and informed reader, however, the more than 250 illustrations-many rare, and all appearing with detailed captions-will be of particular interest. There is also a notable chapter on staging, and the fascinating opera trivia (from traffic jams and ticket scalpers to a history of lavatories) found in John Rosselli's chapter, "Opera as Social Occasion," will hold readers' attention. Attractively priced, this unique reader is highly recommended for both academic and public libraries.
Kate McCaffrey, Onondaga Cty. P.L., Syracuse, N.Y.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
Hardly any excuse is viable for a public library's passing on purchasing this gorgeous and edifying oversize book on an art form more popular than ever, considering the number of companies flourishing across the country and the large audiences they draw. This sumptuous book--the adept partnership of text and illustrations is one of its calling cards--has not an A-Z arrangement, but is a collection of essays presenting a chronological account of major and even minor movements and composers and works in the history of opera from its inception in Florence in the mid-1590s. The last three chapters are topical summaries: on the staging of opera, significant opera singers, and opera as a social occasion. The contributors of all the essays are specialists in their fields, though their audience is definitely the general reader; but this is not to be mistaken for a coffee-table book long on looks while short on substance. There's lots of well-presented information here. Brad Hooper
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Reader Reviews
The perpetrators of this volume make no bones about their belief that the most important word in its title is "illustrated". I fully acknowledge that some of the illustrations are of considerable interest. There is, for example, a triple portrait of the librettist Metastasio, some doubtless once-famous soprano and the fabulous castrato, Farrinelli, that encapsulates an operatic age in a single image. (I was astonished to find that Farrinelli looked like a perfectly ordinary Joe who might be found lounging in the background of any of a hundred 18th Century paintings.) On the whole, however, I can't overcome the impression that the illustrations are more often picturesque than informative. As something of a fan of opera, I actually sat down and read the text--not something often done, I imagine, nor a thing that I recommend to anyone who has claim to having a life. What a load of bumf--as we say here in the Frozen North. What a trove of uninteresting data on deservedly forgotten operas and theatrical practices. What dreary prose--a relentlessly bland and colorless splooge of critspeak. There is distinctly an academic air to this book, whatever the actual professions of its assemblers may be, as amply demonstrated in its determination to expound on the painfully, deservedly, bleeding obscure while all but ignoring operas which actually get performed before paying audiences. This is the sort of book that should be consulted in a public library, if for no other reason than its bulk and inconvenient heft demand that it be read on a library table. I can't imagine why anyone not in the throes of bibliomania would actually want to own such a book.
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The Oxford Illustrated History of Opera (Oxford Illustrated Histories)
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Price: $19.77
Updated on 11-1-2008.
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