Opera For Dummies®
£14.60
— Gay Talese, bestselling author of Honor Thy Father
“Scott Speck is a great communicator of classicalmusic…. Concert audiences and readers alike can’t helpgetting caught up in the joy of his subject.”
— David Styers, American Symphony Orchestra League
Opera is weird. Everybody wears makeup and sings all the time.Even when they’re singing your language, which is rare, youstill can’t understand the words. Women play men, men playwomen, and 45–year–olds play teenagers. All the main charactersseem to get killed off. And when somebody dies, he takes tenminutes to sing about it. Yet, for all its weirdness, an operaticexperience is an experience in breathtaking beauty. When you hear asoprano float a soft high C, or a tenor singing a love song, or afull–throated chorus in the climax of a scene’s dramaticfinale, you can’t help getting goosebumps.
Want to experience all that beauty for yourself, but don’tknow where to begin? Opera For Dummies is an excellent placeto start. Written by an acclaimed conductor and a musical director,this friendly guide tells you what you need to know to:
- Understand opera from the Baroque and Roman periods throughtoday
- Interpret characters, orchestra, chorus, and other players
- Understand what’s happening, both on stage and off
- Choose the best seats
- Identify famous operas
- Build a great collection of opera recordings
- Locate opera sites and chat groups online
Whether you’re interested in attending a live opera, wantto build a collection of recordings, or just want to be able totalk about opera intelligently, Opera For Dummies is foryou. Among other things, you’ll explore:
- The words, the music, and the people who sing it
- The history of opera and the lives of the great composers
- Going to the opera — including tips for getting tickets,preparing for the opera, dressing for the opera, and more
- Musical and theatrical conventions used in opera
- In–depth synopses of the world’s most beloved operas
On the bonus CD you’ll find:
- More than 60 minutes of music compiled especially for thebook
- A multimedia piece for PC or MAC
Wonder what it is about opera that can make a grown person crylike a baby? Find out in Opera For Dummies.
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Additional information
| Publisher | John Wiley & Sons, Presumed First Edition (21 Aug. 1997) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 384 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0764550101 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0764550102 |
| Dimensions | 19.05 x 1.91 x 24.13 cm |
by David Tipper
I have had several of The Dummies books and found them to be well written and informative. This particular book treats the subject seriously but adds plenty of humour alongside the stories of the composers and the operas.
by MaggieT
I wanted an ‘idiots guide’ to opera to swot up before I head off to the local Everyman Cinema for a streamed production. This book does the job. Slightly more dog eared than I expected hence 4* but very pleased none the less
by Amazon Customer
As expected – cheeky introduction for the novices.
by Jojo
This is a great book – one of the best ‘for Dummies’ I have read. Love the humour. Easy to understand yet you learn a lot. Found the section on how to read a score very helpful when faced with some non opera pieces of music and had no idea what it all meant. Enjoyed reading the stories of the operas and this book has encouraged me to go to see operas not just listen to cds.
by GW
Wife liked it.
by PAUL GREENER
Time to delve further into what has previously been a bit of a mystery to me and this book & CD is the way to do it
by The Wargamorium
A great book to keep on your shelf especially for a dummy like me. I have consulted this simple book many times and will continue to do so. Very well laid out and easy to use and understand.
by Amazon Customer
I found this to be a most informative and helpful read. It explains the development of opera, the composers involved on a country by country basis. Most useful of all, it gives you a scene by scene explanation of the main operas. It has some amusing stories about composers and events.