The Musical Language of Italian Opera 1813-1859

By: William Rothstein

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Hardcover | 15 November 2022

At a Glance

Hardcover
544 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
23.7 x 16.33 x 4.24

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$362.50

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Though studying opera often requires attention to aesthetics, libretti, staging, singers, compositional history, and performance history, the music itself is central. This book examines operatic music by five Italian composers-Rossini, Bellini, Mercadante, Donizetti, and Verdi-and one non-Italian, Meyerbeer, during the period from Rossini's first international successes to Italian unification. Detailed analyses of form, rhythm, melody, and harmony reveal concepts of musical structure different from those usually discussed by music theorists, calling into question the notion of a common practice. Taking an eclectic analytical approach, author William Rothstein uses ideas originating in several centuries, from the sixteenth to the twenty-first, to argue that operatic music can be heard not only as passionate vocality but also in terms of musical forms, pitch structures, and rhythmic patterns-that is, as carefully crafted music worth theoretical attention. Although no single theory
accounts for everything, Rothstein's analysis shows how certain recurring principles define a distinctively Italian practice, one that left its mark on the German repertoire more familiar to music theorists.

Industry Reviews

"To say that this book is highly anticipated is an understatement. Rothstein, a brilliant music theorist, engages with a vast array of past and present scholars, providing historical research and context for his operatic investigations. There is a lot of variety in this scholarly buffetDLsomething for everyone's taste." -- Deborah Burton, Associate Professor, Boston University "Students and scholars studying the history of Western music theory will appreciate Rothstein's comprehensive and wide-ranging review of the contributions made by many important music theorists mentioned throughout MLIO." -- Steven D. Mathews, Notes: the Quarterly Journal of the Music Library Association.

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