Emperors of song : three great impresarios / Freddie Stockdale.
| Author/creator | Stockdale, Freddie |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | London : J. Murray ; North Pomfret, Vermont : Distributed by Trafalgar Square, ©1998. |
| Description | x, 214 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm |
| Subjects |
| Contents | Opera, 1597-1864 -- Colonel James Mapleson (1830-1901) -- Oscar Hammerstein I (1846-1919) -- John Christie (1882-1962) -- A summing-up. |
| Abstract | In the age of Verdi and Puccini, Wagner and Richard Strauss, opera in Britain and the USA was almost exclusively the preserve of individual private businessmen - the impresarios - who made (and lost) fortunes by personally employing the great stars of the day. Concentrating on the period 1860-1939, this book looks at the successes and disasters of such impresarios as Colonel James Mapleson, grandest and then most unlucky of showmen; and John Christie, whose love for his wife led to his building the largest private opera house since Bayreuth. Patti and Melba, Caruso and Tetrazzini - the legendary super-egos with jewels, parrots, castles and private investment accounts at Rothschilds - were the raw material these enterprising men tried to turn to gold. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 205-206) and index. |
| ISBN | 071955702X |