The studies collected in this volume deal with the interpretation of opera. In most cases the results are based on structural analysis, a concept which may require some clarification in this context. During the past de cade 'structure' and 'structural' have become particularly fashionable terms lacking exact denotation and used for the most divergent purposes. As employed here, structural analysis is concerned with such concepts as 'relationship', 'coherence' and 'continuity', more or less in contrast to formal analysis which deals with measurable material. In other words, I have analysed the structure of an opera by seeking and examining factors in the musico-dramatic process, whereas analysts of form are generally preoccupied with the study of elements contained in the musical object. Though admittedly artificial, the dichotomy of form and structure may elucidate the present situation with regard to the study of opera. Today, nearly one hundred years after the death of Wagner, the proclaimed anti thesis of Oper und Drama is generally taken for what it really was: a means to propagate the philosophy of its inventor. The conception of opera (whether 'continuous' or composed of 'numbers') as a special form of drama is no longer contested. Nevertheless musical scholarship has failed to draw the consequences from this view and few scholars realize the need to study general theory of drama and more specifically the dramatic experience.

Accompanied by a sound disc (digital; 4 3/4 in.) by the same name which is available in Multimedia : CD 6.

Professor Kimbell's classic study illuminates the first fifteen years of Verdi's composing career, the era that culminated in his trio of masterpieces, Rigoletto, Il Trovatore and La Traviata. Verdi had become an acknowledged master of the peculiar brand of Romanticism that flourished in Italy in the 1830s and 40s; this background is examined in its political, social and literary light, and his consequent transformation of Italian operatic conventions is analysed. The four parts of Professor Kimbell's book range over biographical, documentary, literary and close-analytical ground. Attention is given to individual operas in order to show how Verdi assimilated and developed the Romantic tradition in his work.

"This book presents a great deal of new material. It also presents new interpretations of materials discussed earlier and elsewhere. As the editors point out in the introduction, discussion of opera has only in recent years taken on an analytical dimension. The scholars represented in this volume are among those at the forefront of the new critical and analytical movement. What they write is perhaps at times controversial, but it is always important."--William C. Holmes, University of California, Irvine "The editors' introduction to this collection. . . speaks eloquently for a richer and more varied approach to the analysis of opera. . . . The contributors are among the most accomplished scholars in nineteenth-century music studies. . . . More impressive is the depth and range of scholarship and analysis displayed. . . to the end of changing the historical and analytical stance toward the operas of Verdi and Wagner, by eschewing the partisan quarrels of the past and by the application of similar rigorous standards to each composer's music. . . . This volume will have a wide influence upon scholarly and analytical approaches to the music of Verdi and Wagner."--Richard Swift, University of California, Davis "This book presents a great deal of new material. It also presents new interpretations of materials discussed earlier and elsewhere. As the editors point out in the introduction, discussion of opera has only in recent years taken on an analytical dimension. The scholars represented in this volume are among those at the forefront of the new critical and analytical movement. What they write is perhaps at times controversial, but it is always important."--William C. Holmes, University of California, Irvine

"Opera Coaching "is the first practical guide for pianists, singers, and opera producers to this important--and often neglected--career. The opera coach is a teacher who helps singers not only meet the physical and vocal demands of a score, but--like the dramatic coach--shapes their entire performance. The opera coach must have a wide knowledge, from a full understanding of human physiognomy and the human voice, to the many languages used in Western vocal music, to the entire expanse of the opera repertoire, from its roots in 17th century sung drama through today's most modern compositions. "Opera Coaching "covers all of these topics and more, making it the ideal resource for anyone interested in this fascinating career.

First Published in 1998. Giuseppe Verdi already stood out as a distinctive and unusually significant composer by the time his career was barely underway. Today, Verdi scholars build their work on a vast foundation of earlier research. For researchers who have not spent years with the Verdi literature or who may just be starting to explore some aspect of this giant’s fife and works, this foundation may seem daunting indeed. It is primarily for these researchers that this guide is intended. Its purpose is to index and describe some of the most significant studies about the composer, presenting enough material in annotations that researchers may survey the many myriad directions Verdi research has gone, ascertain the relevance of individual items to their individual interests, and pursue significant patterns and threads in which they are interested.