When first published in 1947, A Short History of Opera immediately achieved international status as a classic in the field. Now, more than five decades later, this thoroughly revised and expanded fourth edition informs and entertains opera lovers just as its predecessors have. The fourth edition incorporates new scholarship that traces the most important developments in the evolution of musical drama. After surveying anticipations of the operatic form in the lyric theater of the Greeks, medieval dramatic music, and other forerunners, the book reveals the genre's beginnings in the seventeenth century and follows its progress to the present day. A Short History of Opera examines not only the standard performance repertoire, but also works considered important for the genre's development. Its expanded scope investigates opera from Eastern European countries and Finland. The section on twentieth-century opera has been reorganized around national operatic traditions including a chapter devoted solely to opera in the United States, which incorporates material on the American musical and ties between classical opera and popular musical theater. A separate section on Chinese opera is also included. With an extensive multilanguage bibliography, more than one hundred musical examples, and stage illustrations, this authoritative one-volume survey will be invaluable to students and serious opera buffs. New fans will also find it highly accessible and informative. Extremely thorough in its coverage, A Short History of Opera is now more than ever the book to turn to for anyone who wants to know about the history of this art form.

A Short History of Opera, Fourth Edition

Arts & Photography

Grout, Donald

Williams, Hermine Weigel

Music

Columbia University Press

Based upon autographed documents and related materials in Masonic Lodge archives and private collections, this study explores Sibelius's Musique religieuse (opus 113). It contains analysis of the texts and music and a discussion of the orchestral version of the 1927 manuscript by Leo Funtek.

Sibelius and His Masonic Music: Sounds in 'Silence' (Studies in the History & Interpretation of Music)

Edwin Mellen Pr

Sibelius and his Masonic music

Gwenfrewi Santes Press

Together with Johann Joseph Fux and Antonio Caldara, Francesco Conti was one of the three most important figures at the Habsburg court, responsible for positioning Vienna at the forefront of eighteenth-century musical life. In contrast to his two contemporaries, Conti has received relatively little attention from music historians. Hermine Weigel Williams' study draws on more than thirty years of research to fill this noticeable lacuna, and presents here the first full scale life and works of the composer for over ninety years.

Francesco Bartolomeo Conti: His Life and Music

Biographies & Memoirs

Arts & Literature

Scolar Pr

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Williams, Hermine Weigel. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Williams, Hermine Weigel