The Collector's Guide to Books on Opera and Related Musical Topics PART I

Home Page List of Reviews of 85 Operas (By Title) or (By Composer) The Collector's Guide to Books on Opera (PART II) Links to Other Opera Sites Visitor Comments View Visitors' Comments You are Visitor Number  Since June 27, 1998

Listed on this page and on PART II are numerous useful books about Opera -- opera composers, opera singers, opera librettos, guides to opera and reference books. All of the titles are also linked to the Amazon Books website, where you can read more about the books and even buy them. In the interest of full disclosure, you should know that I am an Amazon Books Associate.    REFERENCE/GENERAL INTEREST | PLOT SYNOPSES/LIBRETTI | COMPOSERS | MOZART PUCCINI | VERDI | WAGNER | SINGERS PERFORMANCE -- REVIEWS | BOOKS ABOUT RECORDS/VIDEOS | CAMBRIDGE OPERA HANDBOOKS ENGLISH OPERA HANDBOOKS | THE OPERA GUIDES JUST FOR FUN     REFERENCE /GENERAL INTEREST Annals of the Metropolitan Opera, by Metropolitan Opera Guild The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera (Oxford Paperback Reference), by John Hamilton Warrack, Ewan West -- a handy desk reference. Ejs : Discography of the Edward J. Smith Recordings 'the Golden Age of Opera, 1956-1971' (Discographies, No 54), by William Shaman, William J. Collins, Calvin M. Goodwin -- Eddie Smith was THE pioneer in preserving rare live opera performances from across the decades, from Nellie Melba bidding farewell to her public at Covent Garden in 1926 to Stella and Corelli opening the '61/'62 La Scala season in Verdi's rarely heard Battaglia di Legnano. Much of our knowledge of some of the greatest singers this century has heard would be incomplete without the extraordinary performances Smith preserved for posterity. New Grove Dictionary of Opera (4Vols.) [HARDCOVER EDITION], by Stanley Sadie (Editor) New Grove Dictionary of Opera (4Vols.) [SOFTCOVER EDITION], by Stanley Sadie (Editor) -- for the economically thrifty! The Opera Companion, by George Martin, Everett Raymond Kinstler -- The best one-volume introduction to Opera and the standard repertoire; detailed synopses provide careful descriptions of musical highlights keyed to the flow of the plot; invaluable introductory section tackles essential terms and performance traditions; also includes a wonderful section describing the different types (fach) of the singing voice and how they are used. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. The Oxford Dictionary of Opera by John Warrack, Ewan West The Definitive Kobbe's Opera Book, by Gustav Kobbe, Earl of Harewood (Editor) -- a beloved compendium of Opera's greatest composers and their works providing date of composition, date of premiere and performance history for each work. The New Kobbe's Opera Book (1997), by Anthony Peattie and Earl of Harewood (Editors) An Invitation to the Opera, by John Louis DiGaetani The La Scala Encyclopedia of the Opera, by Giorgio Bagnoli, Graham Fawcett (Translator) Unsung Voices : Opera and Musical Narrative in the Nineteenth Century (Princeton Studies in Opera), by Carolyn Abbate The Viking Opera Guide, by Amanda Holden, Nicholas Kenyon, Stephen Walsh (Editor), Colin Davis -- A combination record guide and historical survey of the greatest operas. Not tops in either field, but useful as a one-volume reference. Amazon.com shows this book currently out of stock, but keep checking. They may also be able to special order it for you. to the top PLOT SYNOPSES/LIBRETTI The Metropolitan Opera Stories of the Great Operas (Vol. 1), by John W. Freeman (Editor), Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera Stories of the Great Operas (Vol. 2), by John W. Freeman, et al. 100 Great Operas and Their Stories, by Henry W. Simon The Complete Annotated Gilbert and Sullivan, by Arthur Sullivan, W. S. Gilbert, Ian Bradley (Editor) Three Mozart Libretti : The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni and Cosi Fan Tutte, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Robert Pack, Marjorie Lelash Sing Me a Story : The Metropolitan Opera's Book of Opera Stories for Children, by Jane Rosenberg, Luciano Pavarotti (Introduction) to the top COMPOSERS Handel's Operas, 1704-1726, by Winton Dean, J. Merrill Knapp Janacek's Operas : A Documentary Account by the Composer, by John Tyrrell  MOZART: Memoirs of Lorenzo Da Ponte (Da Capo Press Music Reprint Series), by Lorenzo Da Ponte, Elisabeth Abbott (Translator), Arthur Livingston (Editor) -- Da Ponte was not only one of the greatest librettists to ever live, he was a fascinating character who lived a very long and active life. This book is a great read, parts are very funny and he has interesting things to say about all of the composers he worked with (besides Mozart!), the singers he worked (and sometimes fought) with, the women he loved and the many historically important people he met during his long life. Cosi Fan Tutte : Mozart (English National Opera Guide, No 23), by John Nicholas (Editor) W.A. Mozart, Cosi Fan Tutte (Cambridge Opera Handbooks), by Bruce Alan Brown W.A. Mozart : Die Zauberfloete (Cambridge Opera Handbooks), by Peter Branscombe W.A. Mozart : Le Nozze Di Figaro (Cambridge Opera Handbooks), by Tim Carter The Mozart-Da Ponte Operas : The Cultural and Musical Background to Le Nozze Di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Cosi Fan Tutte, by Andrew Steptoe to the top PUCCINI: Puccini's Turandot : The End of the Great Tradition (Princeton Studies in Opera), by William Ashbrook, Harold Powers to the top VERDI: Analyzing Opera : Verdi and Wagner (California Studies in 19th Century Music), by Carolyn Abbate, Roger Parker (Editor) Encounters with Verdi, by Marcello Conati, Richard Stokes, Julian Budden The Operas of Verdi : From Oberto to Rigoletto (Vol. 1, Revised), by Julian Budden The Operas of Verdi : From Il Trovatore to La Forza Del Destino (Vol. 2, Revised), by Julian Budden The Operas of Verdi : From Don Carlos to Falstaff (Vol. 3, Revised), by Julian Budden Verdi (Master Musicians Series), by Julian Budden The Verdi-Boito Correspondence, by Marcello Conati, Mario Medici (Editor) Verdi, Requiem (Cambridge Music Handbooks), by David Rosen to the top WAGNER: Analyzing Opera : Verdi and Wagner (California Studies in 19th Century Music), by Carolyn Abbate, Roger Parker (Editor) Penetrating Wagner's Ring : An Anthology (Da Capo Paperback), by John Louis Di Gaetani (Editor) The Perfect Wagnerite : A Commentary on the Nibelung's Ring, by George Bernard Shaw Opera and Drama, by Richard Wagner, William Ashton Ellis (Translator) Wagner on Music and Drama : A Compendium of Richard Wagner's Prose Works (A Da Capo Paperback), by Richard Wagner, Albert Harry Goldman, Evert. Sprinchorn -- This book MAY be a better bargain than Opera and Drama (above), since the translations look to be better, but check in a bookstore first to see if the excerpted works are COMPLETE. Richard Wagner : The Man, His Mind and His Music, by Robert W. Gutman Wagner in Performance, by Barry Millington, Stewart Spencer (Editor) Richard Wagner : Der Ring Des Nibelungen, Goetterdaemmerung, Siegfried, Die Walkuere, Das Rheingold (Boxed Set), by Rudolph Sabor, Richard Wagner OR YOU CAN BUY EACH VOLUME SEPARATELY: Der Ring Des Nibelungen : A Companion, by Rudolph Sabor Das Rheingold : Translation and Commentary, by Richard Wagner, Rudolph Sabor (Translator) Die Walkuere, by Richard Wagner, Rudolph Sabor (Translator) Siegfried : Translation and Commentary, by Richard Wagner, Rudolph Sabor (Translator) Goetterdaemmerung, by Richard Wagner, Rudolph Sabor (Translator) Bayreuth : A History of the Wagner Festival, by Frederic Spotts Wagner and Russia (Cambridge Studies in Russian Literature), by Rosamund Bartlett to the top SINGERS The American Opera Singer : The Lives and Adventures of America's Great Singers in Opera and Concert, from 1825 to the Present, by Peter G. Davis Diva : Great Sopranos and Mezzos Discuss Their Art, by Helena Matheopoulos -- The singers covered: SOPRANOS - June Anderson, Josephine Barstow, Hildegard Behrens, Montserrat Caballe, Ghena Dimitrova, Mirella Freni, Edita Gruberova, Dame Gwyneth Jones, Eva Marton, Rosalind Plowright, Lucia Popp, Leontyne Price, Katia Ricciarelli, Renata Scotto, Cheryl Studer, Dame Joan Sutherland, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Anna Tomowa Sintow; MEZZOS - Agnes Baltsa, Teresa Berganza, Grace Bumbry, Brigitte Fassbeander, Christa Ludwig, Tatiana Troyanos, Lucia Valentini Terrani and Frederica von Stade. First Night Fever, by Hermann Prey Great Singers on Great Singing, by Jerome Hines The Last Prima Donnas, by Lanfranco Rasponi THIS TITLE IS CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE. The publisher is out of stock. If you would like to purchase this title, we recommend that you occasionally recheck the Amazon site to see if it's been reprinted. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Jussi (Opera Biography Series, No 7), by Anna-Lisa Bjorling, Andrew Farkas The Callas Legacy : The Complete Guide to Her Recordings on Compact Discs, by John Ardoin -- Comprehensive analysis of Callas on record. A necessity for any self-respecting Callas fan. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Maria Meneghini Callas, by Michael Scott The Master Classes : Callas at Juilliard, by John Ardoin Enrico Caruso : My Father and My Family (Abr Ed) (Opera Biography Series, No 2), by Enrico Caruso, Jr., Andrew Farkas -- Considered by many to be the best book available on an artist thought by many to be the tenor of the century, Enrico Caruso. The book came out in the early '90s,; this abridged version has been "streamlined" to remove material about the Caruso family after his death. Caruso's son had access to family photos and letters denied to other biograhers. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Franco Corelli : A Man, a Voice (Great Voices, 5), by Marina Boagno, Gilberto Starone, Teresa Bretegani (Translator), Sam Chase, Teresa Brentegani -- Recommended more for its photos, Career Chronology and Discography (which includes pirates) than for the "Biography" section, which is mainly a stitching together of reviews and comments by Corelli's colleagues and critics. More Than Singing, by Lotte Lehmann In My Own Voice: Memoirs, by Christa Ludwig, Regina Domeraski (Translator)-- Limelight Editions, Hardcover; on back order, ships in 3-5 weeks. Maria Malibran : Diva of the Romantic Age, by April Fitzlyon Jon Vickers: A Hero's Life, by Jeannie Williams, Birgit Nilsson and Jonathan Vickers; -- Not Yet Available: to be published in November, 1999 by Northeastern Univ. Press. You may still order this title. Amazon will ship it to you when it is released by the publisher.  Rosa Ponselle : A Centenary Biography (Opera Biography Series, No. 9), by James A. Drake, James M. Alfonte (Editor) -- This new book by the author of the definitive Ponselle biography collects in one place interviews and accounts by Ponselle and others who knew her.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Rosa Ponselle : American Diva, by Mary Jane Phillips-Matz Titta Ruffo : An Anthology, by Andrew Farkas (Editor) Ruffo : My Parabola : The Autobiography of Titta Ruffo (Great Voices Series), by Titta Ruffo, Connie Mandracchia De Caro (Translator), George Nyklicek Tito Schipa : A Biography (Great Voices Series, Vol 3), by Brian Williams (Translator), Tito Schipa, Jr. Giulietta Simionato : How Cinderella Became Queen (Great Voices, 4), by Jean-Jacques Hanine Roussel, Samuel Chase (Translator), Teresa Brentegani Eleanor Steber : An Autobiography, by Eleanor Steber, Marcia Sloat Renata Tebaldi : The Voice of an Angel (Great Voices, 2), by Carlamaria Casanova, Connie Mandracchia De Caro (Editor) Luisa Tetrazzini : The Florentine Nightingale (Opera Biography Series ; No. 5), by Charles Neilson Gattey Lawrence Tibbett : Singing Actor, by Andrew Farkas (Editor) -- Has a thorough and complete discography at the back. to the top    TOP | REFERENCE/GENERAL INTEREST PLOT SYNOPSES/LIBRETTI | COMPOSERS | MOZART PUCCINI | VERDI | WAGNER | SINGERS PERFORMANCE -- REVIEWS | BOOKS ABOUT RECORDS/VIDEOS CAMBRIDGE OPERA HANDBOOKS ENGLISH OPERA HANDBOOKS | THE OPERA GUIDES JUST FOR FUN   The Collector's Guide to Books on Opera (PART II)       Send comments, questions, and suggestions to: geo.riggs @verizon.net This Page Last Revised 8/6/99 Copyright © 1998, 1999 by Geoffrey Riggs | All rights reserved.