Product Description
Provides a detailed picture of the patrons of these art forms- who participate either through live attendance or via media andrecordings.Moving beyond the demographic profiles, the authorsexamine the relevance of arts education, related and nonrelatedleisure. ... Read more

Product Description
This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Published by: J. Lane in 1907 in 100 pages; Subjects: Operas; Biography ... Read more

Product Description
Weber's opera Euryanthe was written in 1823 and contains much that anticipates Wagner, as well as being a masterpiece in its own right. It was intended as the crowning work in the career of this seminal figure in the German operatic tradition of the early nineteenth century.Yet through its defective libretto it has virtually disappeared from the modern repertoire, despite containing, in Wagner's words, Weber's "most beautiful, richest, and most masterful music." In this book, Tusa provides the first full-length study of Euryanthe ever made and firmly stakes out the claim that it is "arguably the key work for understanding Weber's operatic aims." Along with close scrutiny of its dramatic aims and compositional planning, Tusa provides insight into its genre and reception history. The result is a book that not only deepens our understanding of a major neglected work but may help to restore it to its true place in the history of romantic opera. ... Read more

Product Description
Explores the drama behind the trajectory of the opera, Ivanhoe, and Arthur Sullivan's venture into Grand Opera. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A fantastic resource on Ivanhoe
The scarcity of good scholarly material on this wonderful opera is greatly relieved with the availability of this book. Mr. Dailey has provided an insightful look into this often neglected opera, which, when it premiered was an unrivaled success. This is the perfect companion to the work. ... Read more

Product Description
Two early twentieth-century operas -- Debussy's Pelleas et Melisande (1902) and Bartok's Duke Bluebeard's Castle (1911) -- transformed the traditional major/minor scale system into a new musical language. This new language was based almost exclusively on interactions between folk modalities and their more abstract symmetrical transformations. Elliott Antokoletz reveals not only the new musical language of these operas, but also the way in which they share a profound correspondence with the growing symbolist literary movement as reflected in their libretti. In the symbolist literary movement, authors reacted to the realism of nineteenth-century theatre by conveying meaning by suggestion, rather than direct statement. The symbolist conception included a new interest in psychological motivation and consciousness manifested itself in metaphor, ambiguity, and symbol.

In this groundbreaking study, Antokoletz links the new musical language of these two operas with this symbolist conception and reveals a direct connection between the Debussy and Bartok operas. He shows how the opposing harmonic extremes serve as a basis for the dramatic polarity between real-life beings and symbols of fate. He also explores how the libretti by Franco-Belgian poet Maurice Maeterlinck (Pelleas et Melisande) and his Hungarian disciple Bela Balazs (Duke Bluebeard's Castle) transform the internal concept of subconscious motivation into an external one, one in which fate controls human emotions and actions.

Using a pioneering approach to theoretical analysis, Antokoletz, explores the new musico-dramatic relations within their larger historical, social psychological, philosophical, and aesthetic contexts. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the first book on the best-known of the Weill-Brecht collaborations to explore the extent and significance of the composer's contribution. After a detailed reconstruction of the work's genesis and continued revision over three decades, Stephen Hinton examines the spin-offs on which Weill and Brecht participated: the instrumental suite, the film, the law suit, the novel, and the musical and textual revisions of songs. In a survey of the stage history, Hinton pays particular attention to pioneering productions in Germany and Great Britain. Kim Kowalke provides an exhaustive account of the history of The Threepenny Opera in America, Geoffrey Abbott addresses questions concerning authentic performance practice, and David Drew analyses large-scale motivic relationships in the music. Among the earliest writings on the work reprinted here, those by Theodor W. Adorno, Ernst Bloch and Walter Benjamin appear for the first time in English translation. The book contains numerous illustrations, a discography, and music examples. ... Read more

Product Description
30m, 7f, plus ensemble (doubling possible.) / Ints./exts.This mesmerizing Phantom is traditional musical theatre in the finest sense. The Tony award winning authors of Nine have transformed Gaston Leroux' The Phantom of the Opera into a sensation that enraptures audiences and critics with beautiful songs and an expertly crafted book. It is constructed around characters more richly developed than in any other version, including the original novel. "Everything is first rate."- N.Y. Daily News"Rhapsodic music that entrances, moves and haunts...A welcome link to musical theatre's golden past."- The New York Times ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Music book came to me in good condition. Yeston/Kopit a Rare and special version of Phantom!
I don't know whether to give 4 stars or 5, as that I'm still looking at the songs.The Yeston/Kopit play is a rare interpretation of Leroux's "Le Fantome" tale, as also is the Yeston/Kopit novel (more on that later) -- and the booklet full of songs came to me in very good condition, the shipment being obviously done with care.

[EDIT: maybe I'm just being a bit of a fan right here -- I'm biased in favor of Yeston/Kopit's Phantom/Erik over the more usual ALW Phantom/Erik -- sorry, can't help my bias.]

(Yes, still in the process of looking at the music book, to learn the new songs -- and I'm keeping this music book.)

Hoping to later get the Y/K Phantom novel (1970s) on which the late-1980s Y/K musical has been based upon.

Hoping that some day there will be more and more Yeston/Kopit Phantom-related material that one could easily buy, including the complete libretto to Maury Yeston's musical "Phantom" and Arthur Kopit's novel -- and, of course, the musical recordings, both on CD and on DVD, featuring both Richard White and Charles Dance as "Erik Carriere" A.K.A: "Le Fantome".

In other words, I want more Phantom-related Yeston/Kopit material -- please: More! [This is for Amazon-dot-com employees to read: more Yeston/Kopit stuff, please, so that I can buy the items one at a time.]

[Forgive me for being such a Y/K fan!]

The Real Phantom!
Andrew Lloyd Webber just beat Yeston and Kopit to the punch and got to B'way first, but had it been the other way around, this music would be even more memorable than the ALW Broadway version. The words and music are wonderful all the way through and you will sing and hum these tunes for a long time. BTW, If you get to see the stage version of this great play, you will also notice the stronger characters and story line.

A truly Beautiful selection of songs from, "Phantom."
I very highly recommend, the sheet music to Yeston and Kopit's "Phantom."It's hauntingly beautiful to play as well as sing.It deserves all the stars it can get.They are divine songs, that stay with you.

GREAT BOOK!
In no way does the Lloyd Webber version match up to this one! Maury Yeston has composed a beautiful score, and the book give so much info it's unreal! If you want this book (since Amazon.com says it's out of print), go to www.samuelfrench.com They publish the libretto. It's worth buying!

Phantom by Maury Yeston
I have seen the Lloyd Webber version two times and the Yeston version four.There is no way that the Lloyd Webber version can match up to the Yeston version.In this book you learn more about the character of Erik,he has a sense of humor, an aching heart, and a love for Christine.Youlearn how he met Christine, who his parents are and why he loves Christine. The Lloyd Webber version is spectacular and I will always love it, but itis very vaugue, and for those who wish to know Erik (the Phantom) this is avery good book to read. ... Read more

Product Description

While a stage production can disrupt a work that was thought to be established, David J. Levin here argues that the genre of opera is itself unsettled, and that the performance of operas, at its best, clarifies this condition by bringing opera’s restlessness and volatility to life.
            Unsettling Opera explores a variety of fields, considering questions of operatic textuality, dramaturgical practice, and performance theory. Levin opens with a brief history of opera production, opera studies, and dramatic composition, and goes on to consider in detail various productions of the works of Wagner, Mozart, Verdi, and Alexander Zemlinsky. Ultimately, the book seeks to initiate a dialogue between scholars of music, literature, and performance by addressing questions raised in each field in a manner that influences them all.

            “Levin is one of the few scholars who functions effectively as both a literary critic in the University and a practical dramaturg in the opera house. His fascinating book demonstrates how critical readings of music and text can generate stagings that challenge and compel. . . . An indispensable guide.”—Philip Gossett

Product Description
This lavishly illustrated book traces the origins of the phantom in truth and legend, including previously unpublished plans of the Paris Opera, showing the secret underground lake and the labyrinthine passages the public never sees. 20 line drawings. 150 full-color and 50 black-and-white photographs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (44)

The Phantom of "I Now Can NOT Wait to Go See the Stage Production Because of This Book
This book contains soo many pictures from the broadway production and past movies of The Phantom of the Opera. It also has hours worth of information to read.

My key favorite points of this book?

1.)It shows Picture by picture process of applying Michael Crawford's make-up. (He played the Phantom in the original stage production)

2.) It has the whole script in the back of the book, including the song lyrics.

3.) Just about everything. HAHA

This book is deffinately a GREAT buy.

*Only thing if anyone's expecting to see Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, or Patrick Wilson (From the 2004 movie) this book was written before that so your going to have to buy the addition, "The Phantom of the Opera Film Companion".

Full libretto
I've seen Phantom on three continents and love every bit of every show.I wanted a libretto in order to know the lyrics of the pieces with multiple singers/parts.Getting a history of the melodrama with lots of great photos was an added bonus.My book was used but in exactly the condition advertised, arrived as promised, and was WELL WORTH the total cost!

Excellent book !
Excellent book !
All of a good Phantom of the opera's fan needs to know about this classic musical masterpiece. History, true facts, anecdotes, first editions, the future.. No more words. Don't miss it !!

Wonderful book.Highly recommended!
I bought a copy of this book at a performance of The Phantom Of The Opera in 2000 and really love it.I tried to purchase a copy for a friend at the most recent performance we went to but it is no longer available and feel very lucky to have been able to find it here at Amazon.It tells of the Paris Opera House, Gaston Leroux, the original story and the movies.The reason I bought it is the last 100+ pages cover the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical and includes some incredible photographs.I was delighted when I got home and found it also includes the Libretto!I would encourage any fan of the musical to purchase a copy.

Beautiful
Loads of beautiful photos and lots of info.I love it.We do need and expanded edition to cover the movie.This is for Phantom Fans. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishings Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the worlds literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) was the first great opera composer and is often hailed as the creator of modern music. His genius was often likened to that of Mozart, Wagner, and Verdi, but in many of the world's opera houses his operas often receive an almost chilly respect, far removed from the nearly universal love aroused by those later masters. This book, the first layperson's guide to Monteverdi, seeks to stimulate appreciation for his operas by examining them not as musicological relics but as the vital theatrical experiences they are. Ringer places Monteverdi's operatic works within the musical and theatrical framework of his era, offering a brief sketch of the composer's early years and detailing the complex forces that led to the emergence of opera in late sixteenth-century Florence. Opera's First Master enables opera lovers to see and hear Monteverdi's masterpieces anew, while opening new channels of inquiry into how Monteverdean opera "works" in the theater. HARDCOVER. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Opera's First Master:Unlocking the Masters, No. 8
This is a good book with engaging and thorough review of each of his operas.The reviews are so detailed that it would be outstanding study for any team planning to perform these operas.A moderate list of references is provided with references noted in the text.There is a good index.There is a recording with excerpts from recent performances.The thing I like best about this book is that all the CD, DVD and book references include very recently released works so this book is very up-to-date.

knowledgeable, encompassing introducton to this composer's works
The author who is an Associate Professor of Theater at Marymount College supports his belief that "Claudio Moneteverdi (1567-1643) was the first great opera composer" by commentaries on his operas scene by scene. Ringer follows the narrative line (such as it is in opera) and profiles the characters while explaining the role and effects of the music and words on these. Introductory parts give a biography of Monteverdi focusing on his distinctive creative genius and viewing him in the context of the development of opera in Florence in late Renaissance Italy. The CD contains 13 selections from Monteverdi operas; which are annotated in back matter. Ringer's accessible treatment of this outstanding and influential composer is an ideal introduction and companion to Monteverdi's operas.

Covers his Life and his Three Great Works
In part this book is a short biography of Monteverdi. And in part it discusses his place as the originator of opera as we know it today. But mostly it's about the three surviving operas that he wrote: L'Orfeo (Orpheus, 1607), Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria (The Return of Ulysses to his Homeland, 1640), and L'incoronazione di Poppea (The Coronation of Poppea, 1643). The stated purpose of the book is not to treat these works as merely a part of operatic history, but explaining the vital theatrical experiences that they are.

Each of the three operas gets a complete description including the history, the nature of the roles, and of course a summay of the story.

The book includes a CD that has significant excerpts from the three operas.

This book is part of a series called Unlocking the Masters that covers the work of our most important composers. The whole series is excellent, bringing us a concise yet complete story that is both informative and easy to read.

Verdi for everyone
I love this series (besides Verdi, it has Wagner, Mozart, Haydn, etc.)Being able to hear the music as you read about it makes a huge difference, and the text is written in an accessible way.It breaks the stereotype of Classical music being staid and boring.
... Read more

Product Description
With this book, the many wonderful musicals that played the small theaters and cabarets of Off Broadway are finally given the spotlight they deserve. Little Musicals for Little Theatres is a comprehensive reference guide to over 150 small musicals that any theater or school can produce with limited resources. Each entry includes writing credits, synopsis, cast size, musical numbers, production notes, and licensing information. The book also includes the few Broadway musicals that have small casts and can be performed in almost any circumstances. Photos give the reader a look at production requirements, and statistics on the number of performances indicate how successful a show's original production was. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Perfect companion
This is the perfect book for anyone who operates a smaller theater. Since I have purchased this book I have produced a few shows based soley on the suggestions of the author.

This book is easy to use. Clear. And the suggestions are intelligent and accurate.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who a) operates a theater/is on a theater board. b)theater geeks. There are shows here you've probably never thought of. c) independents who are looking to produce a musical of their own.

This guide gives you:
1. Cast list
2. Song list
3. Pros/cons of doing the show
4. set suggestions (i.e. unit set/2 int)
5. who you can request the rights through
6. alternate versions of some shows

I highly recommend this book.

Great little read
This is a great read for people involved in amateur or community theatre especially those faced with the endless problem of what to stage next.

The writer offers some useful advice and lists some of the pitfalls some people or companies will fall into when tackling some musicals.

Get it now!

Good book but lacks important information
Denny Martin Flinn presents a very good book about little known musical theatre works and provides the reader with a clear a concise overview of many shows.However, what is lacking - and most important - is what the shows call for in the way of musicians. Book provides nice info as far as synopsis, original cast, musical numbers, licensing, and some difficulties/advantages, but what about the size of the orchestra? Why is it that in a "Musical" the instrumentalists are always the first to be cut (or reduced) but last to be considered? It's first and foremost a musical, not play and this information should be considered along with sets, costumes, and props. Perhaps in a future edition Mr. Flinn can add this most important of information.

Great resource for small theatres!
It's been years since I've directed so I wanted to start with something small.Being a musical theatre aficionado I would love to direct a musical again.This book is a fantastic resource for smaller theatres without access to crazy special effects.

Over a hundred small musicals which any theatre can produce
Over a hundred small musicals which any theatre can produce is packed into a guide which uses the background of its experienced Broadway producer author to select among the few musicals that have small casts and can be performed on a budget. Most musicals rely on glitz and expensive production eye-catchers for effects and drama, so it's especially refreshing to see a focus returned to the stage itself. Chapters serve as a reference to these selected productions focusing on synopsis, outlining musical numbers, acts, and pros and cons of production.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch
... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Opera Canada, published by Opera Canada Publications on December 22, 2009. The length of the article is 438 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Dallas.(Opera review)
Author: Chris Shull
Publication: Opera Canada (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 22, 2009
Publisher: Opera Canada Publications
Volume: 50Issue: 4Page: 44(1)

Article Type: Opera review

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Opera Canada, published by Opera Canada Publications on March 22, 2009. The length of the article is 1537 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: New York.(Opera review)
Author: Gale Reference Team
Publication: Opera Canada (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2009
Publisher: Opera Canada Publications
Volume: 50Issue: 1Page: 42(4)

Article Type: Opera review

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Opera Canada, published by Opera Canada Publications on June 22, 2010. The length of the article is 364 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: St. Paul.(Opera review)
Author: Michael Anthony
Publication: Opera Canada (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 2010
Publisher: Opera Canada Publications
Volume: 51Issue: 2Page: 53(1)

Article Type: Opera review

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

Product Description
Operetta: A Theatrical History is considered the classic history of this important musical theater form. Traubner's book, first published in 1983, is still recognized as the key history of the people and productions that made operetta a worldwide phenomenon.Beginning in mid-19th century Europe, the book covers all of the key developments in the form, including the landmark works by Strauss and his followers, Gilbert & Sullivan, Franz Lehar, Rudolf Friml, Victor Herbert, and many more.The book is written in lively prose, perfectly capturing the champagne-and-ballroom atmosphere of the greatest works in the genre. It will appeal to all fans of musical theater history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Many Nights at Many Operettas
This newly revised ( from 1984 ) book will be a treat to those who are not familiar with operettas but are interested to learn about them. Traubner is absolute accurate in his comments about each one (as I learned to my cost once in Munich. I saw "Tzar und Zimmerman" but had I paid attention to the book, I would not have.) His eye and ear for scores and librettos is spot on though, as he concedes, many of these have not been seen in perfomance in decades.
The book is arranged to take the reader on an entertaining tour of the genre and never forgets this is being written for the viewer and not the musicologist. But this later group will not feel slighted. Along with historical data, original casts, performances etc. are comments on the musical construction of each one and its' relationship to the time and audience in which it played.
The reader may find themself wishing some of the pieces might be revived, they sound interesting, tuneful and with careful performance might do well in repetoire. However, the majority of operettas are now period pieces, fascinating in Mr. Traubner's text but probably stultifying on stage.
Well written, amusing in it's recollections of nights in the theatre past, even if the topic is not your favorite, it's a good read as it traces the sociology of taste and how it varies.
As a reference source this is an invaluable book. As we get further from the time in which these pieces were written, material about them, indeed the pieces themselves (witness Gilbert and Sullivan's "Thespis") simply become non-existent. They will always exist in Traubner's OPERETTA; A THEATRICAL HISTORY. We should be grateful.

A brilliant book
Richard Traubner's "Operetta:A Theatrical History" is probably the best theatre history book I have encountered.It covers a huge topic in an orderly, clear manner by dividing the subject chronologically and geographically.As a result, a reader can follow it from start to finish and learn a great deal about changing fashions in entertainment and music.But the book is an extraordinarily useful reference work as well:it has a superb index and treats even lesser-known figures of the world of operetta fairly and thoroughly.Moreover, it is generously (and beautifully) illustrated.

Traubner's musical taste is first-rate, too, and his engaging writing style brings to life some of the long-forgotten gems of this once-wildly popular entertainment.There are thorough treatments of impresarios, singers, composers, and lyricists.Traubner also keeps an eye on the bigger picture by locating operetta's roots in 19th-century poltical satire and following its progress through the more romantic "silver" period of Lehar and Kalman to the modern Broadway musical.It also is the only English language text I know of that supplies a history of the Spanish zarzuela, so it is a necessary companion to the delightful recordings by Pilar Lorengar, Montserrat Caballe, and Placido Domingo of zarzuela hits. This is a landmark text, and any theatre, opera, or musical comedy fans should reward themselves by securing a copy.

(I encountered Traubner's text in its original--1984--edition and was unaware that he had produced a revised version in 2003.Needless to say, I will purchase that edition, too.) ... Read more