This 2004 Companion provides a biographical, theatrical and social-cultural background for Verdi's music, examines in detail important general aspects of its style and method of composing, and synthesizes stylistic themes in discussions of representative works. Aspects of Verdi's milieu, style, creative process and critical reception are explored in essays by highly reputed specialists. Individual chapters address themes in Verdi's life, his role in transforming the theater business, and his relationship to Italian Romanticism and the Risorgimento. Chapters on four operas representative of the different stages of Verdi's career, Ernani, Rigoletto, Don Carlos and Otello synthesize analytical themes introduced in the more general chapters and illustrate the richness of Verdi's creativity. The Companion also includes chapters on Verdi's non-operatic songs and other music, his creative process, and scholarly writing about Verdi from the nineteenth-century to the present day.
List of music examples; List of tables; Notes on contributors; Preface; Chronology; Part I. Personal, Cultural, and Political Context: 1. Verdi's life: a thematic biography Mary Jane Phillips-Matz; 2. The Italian theater of Verdi's day Alessandro Roccatagliati; 3. Verdi, Italian Romanticism and the Risorgimento Mary Ann Smart; Part II. The Style of Verdi's Operas and Non-Operatic Works: 4. The forms of set pieces Scott L. Balthazar; 5. New currents in the libretto Fabrizio della Seta; 6. Words and music Emanuele Senici; 7. French influences Andreas Giger; 8. Structural coherence Steven Huebner; 9. Instrumental music in Verdi's operas David Kimbell; 10. Verdi's non-operatic works Roberta Montemorra Marvin; Part III. Essays on Representative Operas: 11. Ernani: the tenor in transformation Rosa Solinas; 12. 'Ch'hai di nuovo, buffon?' or what's new with Rigoletto Cormac Newark; 13. Verdi's Don Carlos: an overview of the opera Harold Powers; 14. Desdemona's alienation and Otello's fall Scott L. Balthazar; Part IV. Creation and Critical Reception: 15. An introduction to Verdi's working methods Luke Jensen; 16. Verdi criticism Gregory Harwood; List of Verdi's operas; Notes; Verdi's works; Bibliography; Index.
Accessing your eBook through Kortext
Once purchased, you can view your eBook through the Kortext app, available to download for Windows, Android and iOS devices. Once you have downloaded the app, your eBook will be available on your Kortext digital bookshelf and can even be downloaded to view offline anytime, anywhere, helping you learn without limits.
In addition, you'll have access to Kortext's smart study tools including highlighting, notetaking, copy and paste, and easy reference export.
To download the Kortext app, head to your device's app store or visit https://app.kortext.com to sign up and read through your browser.
NB: eBook is only available for a single-user licence (i.e. not for multiple / networked users).
