Puccini: His International Art - Hardcover

Girardi, Michele

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0226297578 ISBN 13: 9780226297576

Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 2000

Synopsis

Puccini's operas are among the most popular and widely performed in the world, yet few books have examined his body of work from an analytical perspective. This volume remedies that lack in lively prose accessible to scholars and opera enthusiasts alike.

About this title

About the Author:

Michele Girardi is an associate professor of musicology and the history of contemporary music at the University of Pavia, Italy. He was awarded the "Massimo Mila" prize, given to the best monograph on music published in Italy between 1993 and 1996, for the Italian edition of this book.

From Library Journal:

As often happens with works of great popular appeal, the operas of Puccini are less likely to receive scholarly consideration than those, say, of Richard Wagner. Girardi (musicology and the history of contemporary music, Univ. of Pavia, Italy) puts Puccini in perspective as a master composer, emphasizing the often-complex symphonic nature of his writing. The operas are treated chronologically and analyzed in great detail. Along with 196 musical examples, there are extensive quotations from Puccini!s correspondence, excerpts from reviews (and the composer!s reactions to them), and discussion of the original casts. A clear and immediate picture emerges of Puccini!s musical development and of the creative process, with thorough documentation of the composer!s involvement in all aspects of production and his relationships with librettists, publishers, conductors, and singers. Of special interest is a detailed account of the controversy surrounding the completion of Turandot (after Puccini!s death) by fellow composer Franco Alfano. The writing, even in translation, is always precise and engaging, although the painstaking musical analysis may limit its appeal for the general reader. Some may find Girardi!s theories concerning Puccini!s use of leitmotivs a stretch, but this important work fills a gap in opera scholarship and is an essential purchase for large music collections."Kate McCaffrey, Onondaga Cty. P.L., Syracuse, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0226297578
• ISBN 13: 9780226297576
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 546