Famous Puccini operas : an analytical guide for the opera-goer and armchair listener / by Spike Hughes.
| Author/creator | Hughes, Spike |
| Format | Book |
| Edition | Second revised edition. |
| Publication Info | New York : Dover Publications, 1972. |
| Description | 257 pages : music ; 22 cm |
| Subjects |
| Series | Dover opera and choral scores and books |
| Contents | Manon Lescaut -- La bohème -- Tosca -- Madam Butterfly -- The girl of the golden west -- Il trittico. Il tabarro ; Suor Angelica ; Gianni Schicchi -- Turandot. |
| Abstract | This analytic guide is written by a British music critic, conductor and composer, and naturally concentrates on the music, yet it is never overly technical, and has much to offer anyone who likes Puccini, even if they have had no formal musical training. The author first gives background information about each opera, telling how Puccini selected his stories (his first encounter was often a performance in another language which he might not have understood completely, but which impressed him strongly for its dramatic qualities), how he worked with his librettists (usually more than one) to shape the stories as he desired, when and where each opera was first performed, its public and critical receptions, and other pertinent information. The author then takes the reader through each opera, recounting the action in detail and carefully analyzing the music. He shows how themes that are later elaborated are first introduced in fragments. He discusses Puccini's musical "reminiscences," and his many ways of characterizing love. He talks about his characters, especially the "little girls" who figure so prominently as heroines. He discusses the unfinished Turandot, and comments on its completion by Alfano. Most of all, he emphasizes Puccini's orchestration, which he analyzes in detail, and which, he observes, is often overlooked simply because it is so right and so unobtrusive. The author's highly trained ear enables him to point up every aspect of Puccini's music, and his experience as a critic helps him to translate his listening into words. His consideration of Puccini's entire career allows him to point out characteristic dramatic situations and musical treatments, new directions and departures, and to make interesting comparisons between the operas and evaluate each in terms of the total oeuvre. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references and indexes. |
| LCCN | 77166534 |
| ISBN | 0486228576 |
| ISBN | 9780486228570 |