Opera For Dummies
Opera For Dummies

Author: David Pogue

Publisher: For Dummies

Published: 1997-09-04

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13: 9780764550102

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“Pogue is a wonderful teacher… He can teach anybody.” — Gay Talese, bestselling author of Honor Thy Father “Scott Speck is a great communicator of classical music…. Concert audiences and readers alike can’t help getting caught up in the joy of his subject.” — David Styers, American Symphony Orchestra League Opera is weird. Everybody wears makeup and sings all the time. Even when they’re singing your language, which is rare, you still can’t understand the words. Women play men, men play women, and 45-year-olds play teenagers. All the main characters seem to get killed off. And when somebody dies, he takes ten minutes to sing about it. Yet, for all its weirdness, an operatic experience is an experience in breathtaking beauty. When you hear a soprano float a soft high C, or a tenor singing a love song, or a full-throated chorus in the climax of a scene’s dramatic finale, you can’t help getting goosebumps. Want to experience all that beauty for yourself, but don’t know where to begin? Opera For Dummies is an excellent place to start. Written by an acclaimed conductor and a musical director, this friendly guide tells you what you need to know to: Understand opera from the Baroque and Roman periods through today Interpret characters, orchestra, chorus, and other players Understand what’s happening, both on stage and off Choose the best seats Identify famous operas Build a great collection of opera recordings Locate opera sites and chat groups online Whether you’re interested in attending a live opera, want to build a collection of recordings, or just want to be able to talk about opera intelligently, Opera For Dummies is for you. Among other things, you’ll explore: The words, the music, and the people who sing it The history of opera and the lives of the great composers Going to the opera — including tips for getting tickets, preparing for the opera, dressing for the opera, and more Musical and theatrical conventions used in opera In-depth synopses of the world’s most beloved operas On the bonus CD you’ll find: More than 60 minutes of music compiled especially for the book A multimedia piece for PC or MAC Wonder what it is about opera that can make a grown person cry like a baby? Find out in Opera For Dummies.

The First Book of Tenor Solos
The First Book of Tenor Solos

Author: John Keene

Publisher:

Published: 1993-12

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780793553327

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More great teaching material, at the same level as Volume 1. The contents, completely new and unduplicated from Volume 1, once again include American and English art songs, folk songs, sacred songs, and an introduction to singing in German, French, Italian, and Spanish. Over 30 songs in each book. Joan Boytim, who has emerged as the nationally recognized expert in the field of teaching pre-collegiate voice, has done exhaustive research in preparing these volumes.

The Opera Singer's Career Guide
The Opera Singer's Career Guide

Author: Pearl Yeadon McGinnis

Publisher: Scarecrow Press

Published: 2010-08-12

Total Pages: 351

ISBN-13: 0810869160

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Any singer longing to have a career in opera, particularly in Europe, should be familiar with the European system of classifying voices know as Fach. The Opera Singer's Career Guide: Understanding the European Fach System presents valuable information to help readers learn, understand, and use the Fach system to their professional advantage. More than just soprano, alto, tenor, or bass, students and professionals alike should know the 25 different Fach categories fully defined here, along with the examples of roles, audition arias, and European opera houses and agents provided. Based on careful research and personal experience, singer and teacher Pearl Yeadon McGinnis describes the features, characteristics, and benefits of the Fach system, including voice categorization and classification and using Fach to train the young voice. She provides practical information on maintaining a career in opera, such as the different types, procedures, and pitfalls of opera auditions; types of opera contracts and contract negotiations; and the value of networking. She explains the different styles of European opera houses and gives an example of life in a state level German opera house, including the various performance spaces, the makeup and responsibilities of an ensemble, and the jobs and functions of opera house personnel. A glossary and several appendixes supply tools for auditioning, such as newly classified roles for Children, Lyric, and Beginner singers; roles for the established Fach categories; lists of opera agents and houses in the German speaking countries; and suggested audition arias by Fach. In addition, practical details are offered about establishing and maintaining residency in Europe, obtaining permission to live and work in Europe, and helpful hints about customs and travel.

Opera 101
Opera 101

Author: Fred Plotkin

Publisher: Hachette UK

Published: 2013-07-16

Total Pages: 512

ISBN-13: 1401306004

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Opera is the fastest growing of all the performing arts, attracting audiences of all ages who are enthralled by the gorgeous music, vivid drama, and magnificent production values. If you've decided that the time has finally come to learn about opera and discover for yourself what it is about opera that sends your normally reserved friends into states of ecstatic abandon, this is the book for you. Opera 101 is recognized as the standard text in English for anyone who wants to become an opera lover--a clear, friendly, and truly complete handbook to learning how to listen to opera, whether on the radio, on recordings, or live at the opera house. Fred Plotkin, an internationally respected writer and teacher about opera who for many years was performance manager of the Metropolitan Opera, introduces the reader (whatever his or her level of musical knowledge) to all the elements that make up opera, including: A brief, entertaining history of opera; An explanation of key operatic concepts, from vocal types to musical conventions; Hints on the best way to approach the first opera you attend and how to best understand what is happening both offstage and on; Lists of recommended books and recordings, and the most complete traveler's guide to opera houses around the world. The major part of Opera 101 is devoted to an almost minute-by-minute analysis of eleven key operas, ranging from Verdi's thunderous masterpiece Rigoletto and Puccini's electrifying Tosca through works by Mozart, Donizetti, Rossini, Offenbach, Tchaikovsky, and Wagner, to the psychological complexities of Richard Strauss's Elektra. Once you have completed Opera 101, you will be prepared to see and hear any opera you encounter, thanks to this book's unprecedentedly detailed and enjoyable method of revealing the riches of opera.

A Night at the Opera
A Night at the Opera

Author: Sir Denis Forman

Publisher: Modern Library

Published: 2011-10-05

Total Pages: 980

ISBN-13: 0307807827

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“Delightful and anti-reverential”—Sunday Times (London) With an encyclopedic knowledge of opera and a delightful dash of irreverence, Sir Denis Forman throws open the world of opera—its structure, composers, conductors, and artists—in this hugely informative guide. A Night at the Opera dissects the eighty-three most popular operas recorded on compact disc, from Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur to Mozart's Die Zauberflöte. For each opera, Sir Denis details the plot and cast of characters, awarding stars to parts that are “worth looking out for,” “really good,” or, occasionally, “stunning.” He goes on to tell the history of each opera and its early reception. Finally, each work is graded from alpha to gamma (although the Ring cycle gets an “X”), and Sir Denis has no qualms about voicing his opinion: the first act of Fidelio is “a bit of a mess,” while the last scene of Don Giovanni “towers above the comic finales of Figaro and Così and whether or not [it] is Mozart's greatest opera, it is certainly his most powerful finale.” The guide also presents brief biographies of the great composers, conductors, and singers. A glossary of musical terms is included, as well as Operatica, or the essential elements of opera, from the proper place and style of the audience's applause (and boos) to the use of subtitles. A Night at the Opera is for connoisseurs and neophytes alike. It will entertain and inform, delight and (perhaps) infuriate, providing a subject for lively debate and ready reference for years to come.

The History of Opera For Beginners
The History of Opera For Beginners

Author: Ron David

Publisher: Red Wheel/Weiser

Published: 2013-11-26

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 1934389803

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The History of Opera For Beginners is a humorous, little book which starts with the radical assumption that Opera is just plain old music, rather than the highbrow, inaccessible music that everyone assumes it to be. The reader will learn the difference between Italian and German Opera and why you don’t have to study a new language to enjoy Opera. The History of Opera For Beginners is an ideal introduction for people who are convinced that opera is solely for those refined few who were born listening to arias. Written in short, humorous, and informative chapters, and laced with some of the opera world's juiciest anecdotes, this guide is sure to convert even the most ambivalent of music lovers.

26 Italian Songs and Arias
26 Italian Songs and Arias

Author: John Glenn Paton

Publisher: Alfred Music

Published: 2005-05-03

Total Pages: 156

ISBN-13: 9781457435607

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This authoritative, new edition of the world's most loved songs and arias draws on original manuscripts, historical first editions and recent research by prominent musicologists to meet a high standard of accuracy and authenticity. Includes fascinating background information about the arias and their composers as well as a singable rhymed translation, a readable prose translation and a literal translation of each single Italian word.

A Beginner's Guide to Opera
A Beginner's Guide to Opera

Author: Jeremy Nicholas

Publisher: Gramercy

Published: 1994

Total Pages: 162

ISBN-13: 9780517103241

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Let this book reveal this new world to you. Covers: which operas to try first, and which to tackle later; the stories of over 75 best-loved operas; all the famous highlights, and where to find them; recommended recordings and performers; the lives of the great opera composers, and a brief history of opera; and an A-Z of opera terms.--From publisher description.

Opera 101
Opera 101

Author: Fred Plotkin

Publisher: Hyperion

Published: 1994-12

Total Pages: 520

ISBN-13:

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Written by an opera insider and featuring an introduction by Placido Domingo, here is a thorough, friendly, and truly complete guide to learning how to love and appreciate the opera. After a brief history of opera, the book includes a guide to operatic terms, a minute-by-minute listener's guide to 11 central works, a list of recommended books and recordings and much more.

LOGICAL CHESS
LOGICAL CHESS

Author: Irving Chernev

Publisher: Touchstone

Published: 1971-06-15

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780671211356

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From Simon & Schuster, Logical Chess: Move By Move: Every Move Explained is Irving Chernev guide to beginners chess and the basic moves for every player to improve. In this much loved classic, Irving Chernev explains 33 complete games in detail, telling the reader the reason for every single move. Playing through these games and explanations gives a real insight into the power of the pieces and how to post them most effectively.