A HISTORY OF THE ORATORIO (4 volume set, complete)

Volume 1- 4th printing. Volume 2 - 3rd printing (1988). Volume 3-1st printing. Volume 4 - 1st printing (2000). 4 volume set complete. A Near Fine set, in Very Good + and Near Fine dust jackets. 8vos. Bound in blue and grey cloth, in tan dust jackets. The jackets have the occasional small nick or bit of edge wear. The dust jackets are now protected in mylar sleeves. This large, heavy set will require additional postage for expedited and international orders. Smither offers a full and detailed history of the oratorio in this planned 3 volume work. Beginning with the antecedents of the oratorio and its origins in Baroque culture, he continues the story of its development into the 19th century. In considering Baroque oratorios, he first looks at those produced in Roman Catholic settings; Italy, Vienna, and Paris, and those of Protestant England and Germany. In his examination of this musical form in the Classical era, he analyzes 22 oratorios from Italy, England, Germany, France, and Russia. Throughout, he provides a valuable synthesis of the existing literature and adds new insights and conclusions based on his own reading of manuscript sources.-publisher.…