The Operas of Benjamin Britten
Title | The Operas of Benjamin Britten PDF eBook |
Author | Claire Seymour |
Publisher | |
Pages | 358 |
Release | 2007 |
Genre | Music |
ISBN | 9781843833147 |
Analysis of Britten's operatic works reveals opera as the natural medium through which he explored his private concerns.
The Operas of Benjamin Britten
Title | The Operas of Benjamin Britten PDF eBook |
Author | Claire Seymour |
Publisher | Boydell & Brewer Incorporated |
Pages | 358 |
Release | 2004 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 9780851158655 |
Analysis of Britten's operatic works reveals opera as the natural medium through which he explored his private concerns.
Benjamin Britten, His Life and Operas
Title | Benjamin Britten, His Life and Operas PDF eBook |
Author | Eric Walter White |
Publisher | Univ of California Press |
Pages | 324 |
Release | 1983 |
Genre | Music |
ISBN | 9780520048942 |
This new edition has been thoroughly revised and edited by John Evans (research scholar to the Britten Estate) who has updated the chronological list of published works and included in the bibliography the many books that have been written about the composer since his death in 1976. Although, as the title suggests, this book concentrates on Britten's operatic output, Mr White's account offers insights into the whole range of this prodigious composer's music. The text is lavishly illustrated with plates that reveal both the diversity of his operatic development and comprise a distinctive pictorial bibliography.
The Operas of Benjamin Britten
Title | The Operas of Benjamin Britten PDF eBook |
Author | Patricia Howard |
Publisher | |
Pages | 260 |
Release | 1969 |
Genre | Britten, Benjamin, 1913- |
ISBN |
"Benjamin Britten's dramatic works--full operas, chamber operas, and dramas for church performance--dominate the repertoire of contemporary English opera, though they no longer monopolize it. His Peter Grimes will always rank with The Siege of Rhodes as a new beginning for English opera; unlike Sir William D'Avenant's work, the score of Peter Grimes seems likely to survive. Performances of Britten's operas are, however, far from frequent, and the average listener cannot readily form an impression of the scope and development of the series or absorb all the riches of individual works simply from his experiences in the opera house. The majority of British operagoers have a chance to see any one opera by Britten only once or twice in a lifetime. This book is designed to enable them, as well as the thousands of Americans who know Britten's operas exclusively through phonograph records, to make the most of these opportunities; it not only briefs the reader on events on-stage and in the orchestra, but it also prepares him for the experience of becoming involved in the drama. Patricia Howard distinguishes between details that can be perceived by a 'first-time' audience and those that are available only to the listener with an intimate knowledge of the score. Those who already know the operas well can relive them through this book, which has nearly 100 music illustrations. The author's personal approach is stimulating and at times provocative. There is a chapter on each of Britten's dramatic works, including Noye's Fludde and the Parables for Church Performance, but excluding the edited Dido, the revised Beggar's Opera, and the early Paul Bunyan. There is also a general survey of Britten's musicodramatic art throughout the canon. Although it is primarily intended to assist the inexperienced listener and stimulate the confirmed operagoer, Mrs. Howard's book should interest all those concerned with writing, producing, or studying opera of our time."--Dust jacket.
Benjamin Britten: The Turn of the Screw
Title | Benjamin Britten: The Turn of the Screw PDF eBook |
Author | Patricia Howard |
Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
Pages | 184 |
Release | 1985-09-19 |
Genre | Biography & Autobiography |
ISBN | 9780521283564 |
This book is designed to introduce the non-specialist music lover to Britten's opera, The Turn of the Screw. The opening chapters by Vivien Jones and Patricia Howard deal with the literary source of the opera Oames's novella), the structure of the libretto, and the technique by which a short story was transformed into an opera. The central chapter, on the musical style and structures of the opera, includes an account of the composition process deduced from early sketches of the work by John Evans, an analysis of the unique form of the opera with a more detailed examination of the last scene by Patricia Howard, and an account of the significance and effect of the orchestration by Christopher Palmer. Finally, Patricia Howard traces the stage history of the work, from its initial reception in Venice in 1954, through some seminal reinterpretations in the 1960s to its present established position in the repertoire. The book is generously illustrated and there is also a bibliography and discography.
Benjamin Britten: Death in Venice
Title | Benjamin Britten: Death in Venice PDF eBook |
Author | Donald Mitchell |
Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
Pages | 356 |
Release | 1987-06-18 |
Genre | Music |
ISBN | 9780521265348 |
This book is exceptional amongst those that have appeared so far in this well-established series, in that it is largely written by those who worked with the composer and assisted him during the period in which the opera was composed and first put on the stage. It will thus remain a source of first-hand information on Britten's final operatic achievement. Donald Mitchell was Britten's publisher at the time of Death in Venice and his Introduction includes many personal observations on the genesis of the work. The latter part of the book contains essays by T. J. Reed and Patrick Carnegy on the libretto's source in Thomas Mann's novella and Philip Reed compares briefly Visconti's cinematic interpretation of the novella. The volume is richly illustrated with music examples, sketches and extracts from the autograph score, and pictures from the first production. It will make an essential reference work and indispensable companion for opera-goers, students and scholars alike.
Billy Budd
Title | Billy Budd PDF eBook |
Author | Mervyn Cooke |
Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
Pages | 198 |
Release | 1993-07-08 |
Genre | Music |
ISBN | 9780521387507 |
A detailed synopsis guides the reader through the musical and dramatic action of the opera, Billy Budd.