An Introduction to the Dramatic Works of Giacomo Meyerbeer: Operas, Ballets, Cantatas, Plays

Description

Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791-1864) was a great musical dramatist in his own right. The fame of his operas rests on his radical treatment of form, his development of scenic complexes and greater plasticity of structure and melody, his dynamic use of the orchestra, and close attention to all aspects of presentation and production, all of which set new standards in Romantic opera and dramaturgy. This book carries forward the process of rediscovery and reassessment of Meyerbeers art including not just his famous French operas, but also his German and Italian onesplacing them in the context of his entire dramatic oeuvre, including his ballets, oratorios, cantatas and incidental music. From Meyerbeers first stage presentation in 1810 to his great posthumous accolade in 1865, some 24 works mark the unfolding of this life lived for dramatic music. The reputation of the famous four grand operas may well live on in the public consciousness, but the other works remain largely unknown. This book provides an approachable introduction to them. The works have been divided into their generic types for quick reference and helpful association, and placed within the context of the composers life and artistic development. Each section unfolds a brief history of the works origins, an account of the plot, a critical survey of some of its musical characteristics, and a record of its performance history. Robert Letellier examines each work from a dramaturgical view point, including the essentialoften challengingphilosophical and historical elements in the scenarios, and how these concepts were translated musically onto the stage. A series of portraits and stage iconography assist in bringing the works to life.

Get the book

Amazon.com

Search the book

eBay.com

Search the book

Similar books

• 

  The Operas of Giacomo Meyerbeer

  By Robert Ignatius Letellier

  But these operas are far more than imitations: they show an apprehension of convention and genre that is nothing less than a dismantling of accepted formulas, and a highly original reconstruction of them."--Jacket.

• 

  Giacomo Meyerbeer: Reputation without Cause? A Composer and his Critics

  By Jennifer Jackson

  Steen, Michael, Enchantress of Nations: Pauline Viardot: Soprano, Muse and Lover, Cambridge, 2007. Strauss, Richard and von Hofmannsthal, Hugo, Correspondence (translated by Hanns Hammelmann and Ewald Osers), London, 1961.

• 

  Giacomo Meyerbeer: A Critical Life and Iconography

  By Robert Ignatius Letellier

  Harlow: Pearson Education Limited, 2000. MacDonogh, Giles. Prussia: The Perversion of an Idea. London: Sinclair-Stephenson, 1994. —. Frederick the Great. London: Phoenix Press, 1999. McKay, Derek. The Great Elector, Profiles in Power.

• 

  Meyerbeer’s Le Prophète: A Parable of Politics, Faith and Transcendence

  By Robert Ignatius Letellier

  Moore, E. (1972). “Ballet Music from the French Operas ... Carmen. G. Bizet... Le Prophète. G. Meyerbeer... L'Étoile du Nord. G. Meyerbeer ... Les Contes d'Hoffmann. J. Offenbach ... Arranged by E. Moore” [Piano] (London: J. B. Cramer ...

• 

  Meyerbeer’s Robert le Diable: The Premier Opéra Romantique

  By Robert Ignatius Letellier

  La Presse, 10 December [republished in Histoire de l'art dramatique en France depuis vingt cinq ans, Paris, Magnin Blanchard 1858-1859; vol. 1: 202-204]. GAVER, Jules van. ... London: Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons Ltd., 1966:109-112.

• 

  Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots: An Evangel of Religion and Love

  By Robert Ignatius Letellier

  “Dr. Ox's Experiment” (“A Fantasy of Dr Ox”) (French: Une fantaisie du docteur Ox) is a short story by the French writer and pioneer of science-fiction, Jules Verne, published in 1872. It describes an experiment by one Dr. Ox and his ...

• 

  Orientalism and the Operatic World

  By Nicholas Tarling

  The Buxton Festival offered a straightforward and colourful production in 2010 with the Samoan New Zealander Jonathan Lemalu in the title role. The unexpurgated version of the Tales published by Mardrus in 1904 revived French interest ...

• 

  The Marriage between Perfume and the Lyric Stage: The Essence of Opera

  By Mary May Robertson

  ... Giacomo Meyerbeer. Madison: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. Letellier, Robert I. 2008. An Introduction to the Dramatic Works of Giacomo Meyerbeer: Operas, Ballets, Cantatas, Plays. Burlington: Ashgate Publishing Company. Letellier ...

• 

  Historical Dictionary of Romantic Music

  By John Michael Cooper

  ... the Cooper/ Mace research guide and Mercer-Taylor's short biography; for Mozart, Rosselli; for Puccini, Budden's musical-biographical study; for Schumann, Daverio's work; for Sibelius, the biography by Barnett; for Richard Strauss, ...

• 

  Not Russian Enough?: Nationalism and Cosmopolitanism in Nineteenth-Century Russian Opera

  By Rutger Helmers

  Like Cui in the case of Francesca da Rimini, Cheshikhin uses these “Russianisms” to argue that Tchaikovsky was “not in his element” in The Maid: he considers them as flaws rather than virtues in an opera on a non-Russian subject.