A History of the Oratorio: Vol. 4: The Oratorio in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries - Hardcover

Smither, Howard E.

9780807825112: A History of the Oratorio: Vol. 4: The Oratorio in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0807825115 ISBN 13: 9780807825112

Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press, 2000

With this volume, Howard Smither completes his monumental History of the Oratorio. Volumes 1 and 2, published by the University of North Carolina Press in 1977, treated the oratorio in the Baroque era, while Volume 3, published in 1987, explored the genre in the Classical era. Here, Smither surveys the history of nineteenth- and twentieth-century oratorio, stressing the main geographic areas of oratorio composition and performance: Germany, Britain, America, and France.

Continuing the approach of the previous volumes, Smither treats the oratorio in each language and geographical area by first exploring the cultural and social contexts of oratorio. He then addresses aesthetic theory and criticism, treats libretto and music in general, and offers detailed analyses of the librettos and music of specific oratorios (thirty-one in all) that are of special importance to the history of the genre.

As a synthesis of specialized literature as well as an investigation of primary sources, this work will serve as both a springboard for further research and an essential reference for choral conductors, soloists, choral singers, and others interested in the history of the oratorio.

Originally published 2000.

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Book Description:

"Smither brings to a triumphant conclusion his survey of the oratorio. . . . Smither's treatment of this large and sprawling topic is exemplary. . . . All in all, this volume is an outstanding achievement, both in its own right and as the final installment of The History of the Oratorio. The four volumes together stand as an invaluable survey of the oratorio genre over five centuries, to be read with profit and pleasure by musicologists, music students, social historians, and the general musical public. Smither and his publisher, the University of North Carolina Press, are to be congratulated on the successful completion of one of the most important musicological projects of recent times."-- Music Library Association Notes

From the Inside Flap:

The final volume of an essential musical reference. Howard Smither surveys the history of nineteenth- and twentieth-century oratorio, stressing the main geographic areas of oratorio composition and performance: Germany, Britain, America, and France.

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