Book Description
This is the first collection of Claudio Monteverdi's madrigal and song texts published in parallel Italian and English versions. Denis Steven's unique anthology ranges across four centuries of verse for music. More than thirty poets, old and new, famous and obscure, are represented here, many for the first time in English. Enthusiasts and scholars of the music and its period will be extremely interested in finding out what the poems Monteverdi set to music really mean. The keys Stevens uses in his translations come from a lifetime's work devoted to Monteverdi and his contemporaries. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) was the first great opera composer and is often hailed as the creator of modern music. His genius was often likened to that of Mozart, Wagner, and Verdi, but in many of the world's opera houses his operas often receive an almost chilly respect, far removed from the nearly universal love aroused by those later masters. This book, the first layperson's guide to Monteverdi, seeks to stimulate appreciation for his operas by examining them not as musicological relics but as the vital theatrical experiences they are. Ringer places Monteverdi's operatic works within the musical and theatrical framework of his era, offering a brief sketch of the composer's early years and detailing the complex forces that led to the emergence of opera in late sixteenth-century Florence. Opera's First Master enables opera lovers to see and hear Monteverdi's masterpieces anew, while opening new channels of inquiry into how Monteverdean opera "works" in the theater. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Opera's First Master:Unlocking the Masters, No. 8
This is a good book with engaging and thorough review of each of his operas.The reviews are so detailed that it would be outstanding study for any team planning to perform these operas.A moderate list of references is provided with references noted in the text.There is a good index.There is a recording with excerpts from recent performances.The thing I like best about this book is that all the CD, DVD and book references include very recently released works so this book is very up-to-date.

knowledgeable, encompassing introducton to this composer's works
The author who is an Associate Professor of Theater at Marymount College supports his belief that "Claudio Moneteverdi (1567-1643) was the first great opera composer" by commentaries on his operas scene by scene. Ringer follows the narrative line (such as it is in opera) and profiles the characters while explaining the role and effects of the music and words on these. Introductory parts give a biography of Monteverdi focusing on his distinctive creative genius and viewing him in the context of the development of opera in Florence in late Renaissance Italy. The CD contains 13 selections from Monteverdi operas; which are annotated in back matter. Ringer's accessible treatment of this outstanding and influential composer is an ideal introduction and companion to Monteverdi's operas.

Covers his Life and his Three Great Works
In part this book is a short biography of Monteverdi. And in part it discusses his place as the originator of opera as we know it today. But mostly it's about the three surviving operas that he wrote: L'Orfeo (Orpheus, 1607), Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria (The Return of Ulysses to his Homeland, 1640), and L'incoronazione di Poppea (The Coronation of Poppea, 1643). The stated purpose of the book is not to treat these works as merely a part of operatic history, but explaining the vital theatrical experiences that they are.

Each of the three operas gets a complete description including the history, the nature of the roles, and of course a summay of the story.

The book includes a CD that has significant excerpts from the three operas.

This book is part of a series called Unlocking the Masters that covers the work of our most important composers. The whole series is excellent, bringing us a concise yet complete story that is both informative and easy to read.

Verdi for everyone
I love this series (besides Verdi, it has Wagner, Mozart, Haydn, etc.)Being able to hear the music as you read about it makes a huge difference, and the text is written in an accessible way.It breaks the stereotype of Classical music being staid and boring.
... Read more

Book Description
Monteverdi's opera L'Orfeo, first performed in Mantua in 1607, is an important milestone in the history of opera. In this new critical edition the entire libretto by Alessandro Striggio is reproduced, including those parts of the text that are not set to music, in the original Italian as well as in a German and English translation. ... Read more

Book Description
Paolo Fabbri's Monteverdi, first published in Italian, is the leading study of the greatest composer of late Renaissance and early Baroque Italy, rightly called the "father of modern music." A large number of contemporary documents, including some 130 of his own letters, offer rich insights into the composer and his times, also illuminating the many and varied contexts for music-making in the most important musical centers in Italy. This newly revised translation brings an indispensable text to a much broader readership. ... Read more

Book Description
Combining a close study of Monteverdi's secular works with recent research on late Renaissance history, Gary Tomlinson places the composer's creative career in its broad cultural context and illuminates the state of Italian music, poetry, and ideology in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A wise and profound approach to Monteverdi's music
Tomlinsom is an expert on Renaissance music and his writing is clear and sharp, with no obstrusive academicism. This book reveals a lot of information about music and life in 16th and 17th centuries. ... Read more

Book Description
Claudio Monteverdi is one of the most important figures of 'early' music, a composer whose music speaks powerfully and directly to modern audiences. This book provides an up-to-date and authoritative treatment of Monteverdi and his music, complementing Paolo Fabbri's standard biography of the composer. Written by leading specialists in the field, it is aimed at students, performers and music-lovers in general and adds significantly to our understanding of Monteverdi's music, his life, and the contexts in which he worked. Chapters offering overviews of his output of sacred, secular and dramatic music are complemented by 'intermedi', in which contributors examine individual works, or sections of works in detail. The book draws extensively on Monteverdi's letters and includes a select discography/videography and a complete list of Monteverdi's works together with an index of first lines and titles. ... Read more

Book Description
Monteverdi's Vespers is an exceptional collection of sacred music, both in the inventiveness of the compositions that it contains and in the debate that it has provoked over its use in the seventeenth century and over Monteverdi's intentions in publishing it. This handbook provides all the information that the reader needs for an in-depth appreciation of the musical settings themselves, of the debate that surrounds the original intention of the volume and of the problems of performing the music today. The book includes the texts and plainsongs used by Monteverdi, and a discography. ... Read more

Book Description
This, the fullest edition of Monteverdi's letters, makes every known letter available in English translation. The 126 letters date from the last forty-two years of Monteverdi's career, giving an unrivalled picture of the life of a busy composer working in Mantua, Venice and Parma at one of the most exciting and crucial periods in the history of music. Besides correcting the numerous errors of transcription in previous editions, Professsor Stevens has taken special care in his translations to be faithful to the rhythms and the arched symmetry of Monteverdi's prose. The biographical and historical material he has brought to light is incorporated into the extensive commentaries which introduce each letter. The book as a whole is a magnificent scholarly achievement and an indispensable source of information for the composer's life and music. ... Read more

Book Description
This detailed study of the earliest opera to have gained a foothold in the modern repertoire has three main sections, with contributions from experts on various aspects of the opera's history and performance.

The book begins with a historical section, in which all the known evidence about the creation and early performances of "Orfeo" is drawn together and evaluated. The first chapter recounts the story of the early Mantuan performances, with the aid of hitherto unpublished contemporary correspondence (the texts of the letters are given, in Italian and English, in an appendix). The sources of the libretto are studied in this section, and the text of the original ending of the opera is given together with an English translation. This section ends with a detailed analytical synopsis of the opera, which considers (among other points) the reasons for believing that the opera was originally staged without breaks between the acts, and the implications of this for performers and critics today.

The second section of the book includes a detailed history of the rediscovery of the opera; an influential essay on the opera by Joseph Kerman is reprinted here, together with a review by Romain Rolland of the first modern performance of "Orfeo." The final section includes essays by a conductor and a producer who have staged notable performances of the opera in recent years. They explain their approaches to the work, and offer solutions to some of the problems that it poses in performance.

This book--essential reading for all students of Monteverdi and of the early history of opera--will also enhance the enjoyment of opera-goers and record-collectors alike. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Notes, published by Music Library Association, Inc. on March 1, 2004. The length of the article is 2564 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Claudio Monteverdi. The Third Book of Madrigals for Five Voices (Apt for Voices, Viols and Recorders).
Author: Giuseppe Gerbino
Publication: Notes (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 2004
Publisher: Music Library Association, Inc.
Volume: 60Issue: 3Page: 785(5)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Epoca, published by Difusora de Informacion Periodica, S.A. (DINPESA) on December 28, 1998. The length of the article is 1600 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Claudio Monteverdi.(opera; Madrid, España)(TT: Claudio Monteverdi.)(TA: opera; Madrid, Spain)
Author: Joaquin Turina
Publication: Epoca (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 28, 1998
Publisher: Difusora de Informacion Periodica, S.A. (DINPESA)
Page: 79(1)

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Book Description
Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) is well known as the composer of the earliest operas still performed today. His Orfeo, Il retorno d'Ulisse in patria, and L'incoronazione di Poppea are internationally popular nearly four centuries after their creation. These seminal works represent only a part of Monteverdi's music for the stage, however. He also wrote numerous works that, while not operas, are no less theatrical in their fusion of music, drama, and dance. This impressive book is the first to survey Monteverdi's entire output of music for the theater - his surviving operas, lost operas, and other dramatic musical compositions.

Tim Carter, a leading Monteverdi expert, begins by charting the progress of early opera from the north Italian courts to the "public" theaters of Venice. He places Monteverdi's stage works in the broader context of early seventeenth-century theatrical endeavor and explores crucial questions of genre, interpretation, and performance practices both then and now. Taking a pragmatic view of how the works were brought to life in the theater and how they were seen in their own time, Carter discusses the complex modes of production that involved a range of artists, artisans, creators, and performers. With insightful commentary on the composer's individual works and on the cultural and theatrical contexts in which they were performed, Carter casts new light on Monteverdi's remarkable achievement as a man of the theater. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Outstanding scholarship, writing
This is a terrific scholarly book that is remarkably clear and successful in its mission. Carter crams the book full of relevant facts and practical contextual background, making this a first-read source for those interested in the practicality, economics, and aesthetic presumptions of early baroque theater and opera. What makes it such an enjoyable book, however, is that the circumstances that give rise to each work are treated narratively, making the book a compelling read and giving it a very engaging "plot." Additionally, Carter's syntax is quite graceful, conveying all manner of substantiated fact and contextual balance without ever letting readability suffer. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description
This digital document is an article from Renaissance Quarterly, published by Renaissance Society of America on December 22, 1997. The length of the article is 672 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Letters of Claudio Monteverdi.
Author: Jonathan E. Glixon
Publication: Renaissance Quarterly (Refereed)
Date: December 22, 1997
Publisher: Renaissance Society of America
Volume: v50Issue: n4Page: p1270(2)

Article Type: Book Review

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