Operas in English: A Dictionary

(Hardback)

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Description

Operas in English have a long and varied history encompassing everything from the English masques of the 17th century to today's crossover music dramas such as "Harvey Milk" and "Rent". This book covers in detail more than 2900 English-texted operas by composers including Purcell, Handel, Britten, Bernstein and Musgrave. Most were born in English-speaking countries, but the list also includes such composers as Weill (his American stage works) and Henze (his operas with dual English-German texts). The work provides specific information such as prermiere details, plots, characters and casts. The work begins with an historical overview. Many entries include scores, librettos, bibliographies and discographies. It also cross-references, four appendixes (composers, librettists, authors and sources, and a chronology), and three indexes (characters, performers and general).

Reviews

[G]riffel's directory to approximately thirty-five hundred works is a real eye-opener....Any one of these indexes or appendixes would make this work a significant resource for music libraries, and the one/two item bibliographies (primarily contemporary reviews) with each entry raise Griffel far above numerous other opera guidebooks....For range and depth, however, no single work available approaches Griffel....Highly recommended for all music collections...-Reference & User Services Quarterly
An exceptionally useful reference tool, it defines pieces of some of the greatest operas made.-Today's Librarian
Griffel's fascinating dictionary's 3,500 entries give details of the composers, librettos, date of first performance, plot, reviews, writings about opera, location of manuscript scores and librettos, score and libretto publication, discography, and videos....this indispensable work should have a lengthy shelf life. Highly recommended.-Choice
This scholarly and interesting volume is now the standard reference work in its field.-American Reference Books Annual
"Griffel's directory to approximately thirty-five hundred works is a real eye-opener....Any one of these indexes or appendixes would make this work a significant resource for music libraries, and the one/two item bibliographies (primarily contemporary reviews) with each entry raise Griffel far above numerous other opera guidebooks....For range and depth, however, no single work available approaches Griffel....Highly recommended for all music collections..."-Reference & User Services Quarterly
"An exceptionally useful reference tool, it defines pieces of some of the greatest operas made."-Today's Librarian
"Griffel's fascinating dictionary's 3,500 entries give details of the composers, librettos, date of first performance, plot, reviews, writings about opera, location of manuscript scores and librettos, score and libretto publication, discography, and videos....this indispensable work should have a lengthy shelf life. Highly recommended."-Choice
"This scholarly and interesting volume is now the standard reference work in its field."-American Reference Books Annual
"[G]riffel's directory to approximately thirty-five hundred works is a real eye-opener....Any one of these indexes or appendixes would make this work a significant resource for music libraries, and the one/two item bibliographies (primarily contemporary reviews) with each entry raise Griffel far above numerous other opera guidebooks....For range and depth, however, no single work available approaches Griffel....Highly recommended for all music collections..."-Reference & User Services Quarterly

Author Bio

MARGARET ROSS GRIFFEL is a production editor at Columbia University's Office of Publications, as well as an editorial consultant for several publishers. Dr. Griffel is the author of a companion volume, Operas in German (Greenwood, 1990), and has served as editor and compiler of the G. Schirmer orchestral and opera catalogs, consulting editor for the Schirmer History of Music, contributor to The New Oxford History of Music, and music production editor for Garland Publishing.