The Prima Donna and Opera, 1815–1930 (Cambridge Studies in Opera) - Hardcover

Rutherford, Susan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 052185167X ISBN 13: 9780521851671

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2006

Synopsis

This book is concerned not so much with the 'prima donna' as with prime donne: a group of working artists (sometimes famous but more often relatively unknown and now long forgotten) and the circumstances of their professional lives. It attempts to locate these singers within a broader history, including not only the specificities of operatic stage practice but the life beyond the opera house - the social, cultural and political framing that shaped individual experience, artistic endeavour and audience reception. Rutherford addresses questions such as the multiple discourses on the image of the singer and their impact on the changing profile of the professional artist from figlia dell'arte at the beginning of the era to middle-class woman at the end; the aspect of the 'stage mother' and patronage; issues of vocal training and tuition; professional life in the operatic market-place; and performance (both vocal and dramatic) conventions and practices.

About this title

Book Description:

Examining both famous and unknown artists, this book offers a reappraisal of the female operatic singer during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It attempts to locate these singers within a broader history, including not only the specificities of operatic stage practice but the life beyond the opera house.

About the Author:

Susan Rutherford is Lecturer in Performance Studies in Drama, School of Arts, Histories and Cultures at the University of Manchester.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 052185167X
• ISBN 13: 9780521851671
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 394