The Da Capo Opera Manual

The ultimate opera companion for opera lovers, professionals, scholars, and teachers, this book features comprehensive information about and plot summaries for more than 550 operas--including every opera that is likely to be performed today.

The answers to thousands of questions about more than 560 operas can be found in The Da Capo Opera Manual, by Nicholas Ivor Martin. It's a book that will find its way to the shelves of opera impresarios, set designers, music directors, and production managers in opera houses ranging from the world class to the amateur. Directors of opera workshops will find the manual handy for narrowing down which shows might accommodate their student forces but won't overstrain their school's technical capacity. Opera lovers interested in knowing more about the art form will find it useful as well.

Each opera's listing includes the number of locations (and therefore sets) in which the story takes place; the number of acts and scenes; the approximate length; the major arias; "hazards" ("unusually difficult stage business, such as the destruction of the universe, singers transformed into frogs, or buildings falling on people's heads"); scenes (and where they take place); categorization of roles as "major," "minor," or "bit" ("necessarily subjective"); chorus parts; chorus roles; dance/movement; orchestra; stage band (backstage instrumentalists); who publishes the score; and rights (if it's in public domain). Each listing also includes a précis of the story line.

Operas are listed alphabetically by title, and there are also indices by composer and librettist. One particularly handy feature is a listing of arias, done alphabetically and by voice part. This is a reference work, but once you pick it up you're apt to find yourself staying with it, and straying to check out adjacent listings. "Indispensable" is an oft-overused word for books that purport to give readers the whole scoop on a given subject, but in this case it's fully justified.