Operas of Verdi, The: Volume 1: From Oberto to Rigoletto (First Edition)

New York: Oxford University Press, 1978. First edition. First printing. Hardcover. Full burgundy cloth, with gilt spine lettering. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Publisher's original price intact on jacket flap ($25.00). Comes with archival-quality mylar dust jacket protector. Octavo, 524 pages with index and illustrations in text with musical scores. The first volume of Julian Budden's monumental three-part study, covering Verdi's early operas from his 1839 debut with "Oberto" through the revolutionary "Rigoletto" of 1851. Budden provides detailed musical analysis, historical context, and numerous musical examples, tracing the evolution of Verdi's style and dramatic technique during his formative years. Julian Budden (1924–2007) was a British musicologist, broadcaster, and author, best known for his definitive three-volume study of Verdi's operas, widely regarded as a cornerstone of modern Verdi scholarship.