Opera As Drama

by Joseph Kerman

Overview

Passionate, witty, and brilliant, Opera as Drama has been lauded as one of the most controversial, thought-provoking, and entertaining works of operatic criticism ever written. First published in 1956 and revised in 1988, Opera as Drama continues to be indispensable reading for all students and lovers of opera.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780307834003
Publisher:	Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Publication date:	08/21/2013
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

JOSEPH KERMAN was a leading musicologist, music critic, and music educator from the 1950s to the 2000s. He reshaped our understanding and appreciation of Western classical music with his first book, Opera as Drama (1956), to his last, Opera and the Morbidity of Music (2008), including his studies on Bach, Beethoven, William Byrd, concertos, and more. He was a professor at the University of California at Berkeley, where he served two terms as chair of the Music Department. He wrote Listen together with his wife, Vivian Kerman.

Editorial Reviews

By and large, the new edition of Opera as Drama retains the spirit and format of the original ( LJ 11/1/56). However, in an effort to generalize the methodology used throughout the work, Kerman has added an interesting section outlining a viable method of opera criticism. In addition, he has modified the chapter devoted to Mozart to include a penetrating discussion of Idomeneo. The thoughtful withdrawal of somewhat callow remarks on various composers, operas, etc., will also be regarded as a welcome revision by many readers. Alterations notwithstanding, Kerman's study remains one of the most captivating books on opera to date. Highly recommended. William J. Waters, Pensacola Junior Coll., Fla.

Library Journal