Handel's operas, 1704-1726 / Winton Dean and John Merrill Knapp.
| Author/creator | Dean, Winton |
| Other author | Knapp, J. Merrill. |
| Format | Book |
| Edition | Revised edition. |
| Publication Info | Oxford : Clarendon Press ; New York : Oxford University Press, 1995. |
| Description | xx, 771 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, music ; 25 cm |
| Subjects |
| Contents | Handel as opera composer -- Performance practice -- The German background: opera in Hamburg -- Almira, Konigin von Castilien -- The lost Hamburg operas -- The Italian background: 1706-1709 -- Vincer se stesso e la maggior vittoria (Rodrigo) -- Agrippina -- The English background: Italian opera in London, 1705-1710 -- The first London period, 1711-1717 -- Rinaldo -- Il pastor fido -- Teseo -- Silla -- Amadigi di Gaula -- The Royal Academy to the arrival of Faustina Bordoni, 1719-1726 -- Radamisto -- Muzio Scevola -- Floridante -- Ottone re di Germania -- Flavio re de Longobardi -- Giulio Cesare in Egitto -- Tamerlano -- Rodelinda -- Scipione -- Appendices. Structural analysis ; Instrumentation ; Performances during Handel's life ; Borrowings ; Handel's singers ; Modern stage productions to the end of 1984 ; Index of Italian first lines. |
| Abstract | After two centuries of near-total neglect, Handel's operas are now increasingly popular in the theatre, but modern productions are hampered by dependence on obsolete and inaccurate editions, and by ignorance of the musical and theatrical practice of Handel's age. Although Handel's autographs and performing scores have long been available, they have never before been fully studied, still less the very early manuscript copies. The manuscripts have yielded a great deal of unknown music, besides throwing fresh light on Handel's methods of composition and performance practice. This book covers Handel's first seventeen surviving operas, including his greatest and most successful. Each opera has a chapter, with a full synopsis of the libretto (including all original stage directions) and a comparison with its literary and dramatic sources. Each chapter covers the history of the opera in performance and the different versions in the manuscripts. Every known surviving manuscript has been examined. Eight appendices cover all performances in Handel's time, borrowings, modern revivals, new information on his singers, and a complete index of Italian first lines in all Handel's works. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 747-750) and indexes. |
| LCCN | 93045942 |
| ISBN | 0198164416 : |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music | Music Stacks | ML410.H13 D37 1995 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |