The Paris Opera

This second volume of The Paris Opera offers descriptions of balletic and lyrical compositions and biographical sketches of famous vocalists, dancers, choreographers, composers, and librettists. Each entry pertaining to an opera or ballet identifies its composer, librettist, choreographer, costumer, set designer, and the performers contributing to its creation and important revivals. Contents of scenarios and librettos are reported scene by scene or act by act. Basic bibliographies are provided with page references furnished for important books and periodicals. The appendix lists all lyric and choreographic works extant and first performed at the Opera between 1715 and 1815. The creators of each work are listed along with its title, genre, and the date of its world premiere or initial performance at the Opera.

SPIRE PITOU was Professor of Emeritus of French Language and Literature at the University of Delaware. In addition to the two previous volumes of The Paris Opera, Genesis and Glory, 1671-1715 and Rococo and Romantic, 1715-1815 (Greenwood Press, 1983, 1985) he wrote La Calprenede's Faramond: A Study of the Sources, Structure, and Reputtion of the Novel and The Text and Soruces of Chateaubrun's Lost Ajax. He collaborated on A Critical Bibliography of French Literature: The Seventeenth Century, A Critical Bibliography of French Literature: The Eihteenth Century, Supplement and Encyclopedia of World Literature, and was the author of numerous articles in English and French.