Opera in London : views of the press, 1785-1830 / Theodore Fenner.
| Author/creator |
Fenner, Theodore |
| Format | Book and Print |
| Publication Info | Carbondale : Southern Illinois University Press, ©1994. |
| Description | xv, 788 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm |
| Subject(s) |
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| Contents | Part I. The periodical press. Overview -- Appendixes. Leading journals and their critics -- Reviews by leading critics -- Part II. Italian opera. Introduction -- The theatres -- The audience -- The operas -- The performances -- Themes and currents -- Appendixes. Seasonal listing of performances and reviews -- Comic and serious productions: premieres and revivals -- New productions, performances, and ratios -- Productions by composer: in three-year periods -- Operas by composer: with a librettist -- Operas by librettist: with composer -- The minor singers -- Part III. English opera. Introduction -- The theatres -- The audience -- The operas -- The performances -- Themes and currents -- Appendixes. Annual listing of performances and reviews -- New and revised operas: productions and performances -- Premiere productions: by theatre and type -- Operas by known playwrights: major and minor theatre performances -- Productions by composer: in three-year periods -- Productions by librettist: in three-year periods -- Operas by librettist/dramatist: with composer -- Operas by composer: with librettist/dramatist -- English adaptations: with composer and arranger -- The minor singers. |
| Abstract | This book offers a vivid portrait of the operatic and cultural life of a London under the influence of Romanticism as perceived by the English press and the public who viewed the performances. Part 1 discusses the rise of the periodical press in early nineteenth-century London and the critics of these publications who reviewed opera performances, such as Leigh Hunt and William Hazlitt. The author lists in the appendixes for part 1 the leading periodicals--including the Althenaeum, Examiner, and Spectator--the critics, and reviews by leading critics. Part 2 examines the productions of Italian opera in London at the King?s Theatre, including the problems in theatre management and financing; the varied nature of the audience; the operas and performances--those that were popular and those that failed in the words of the critics and the responses of the audience; the singers; and themes and attitudes of the period as expressed by the critics. Part 3 explores the same topics for the English operas presented at Drury Lane, Covent Garden, and other playhouses. Parts 2 and 3 also contain extensive appendixes listing seasonal and annual performances and reviews, productions by composers and by librettists, comic and serious productions, operas by known playwrights, and minor singers. Forty-eight illustrations of singers, critics, performances, composers, and theatres add to the richness of this study. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| LCCN | 93016279 |
| ISBN | 0809319128 |
Available Items
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions | |
| Music | Music Stacks | ML1731.8.L7 F4 1994 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |