Average customer rating:
|
The Mozart-Da Ponte Operas: An Annotated Bibliography (Music Reference Collection)
Mary Du Mont
Manufacturer: Greenwood Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
| Composers
| Classical
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Opera
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Bibliographies & Indexes
| Publishing & Books
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Music
| Bibliographies & Indexes
| Publishing & Books
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Entertainment Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Look Inside Reference Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
All Amazon Upgrade
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Entertainment
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Reference
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0313304130 |
Book Description
This reference guide provides access to almost 1,000 books, book chapters, articles, and dissertations about the three Mozart-Da Ponte operas, Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Cosi fan tutte. Mozart and Da Ponte collaborated on these operas between 1786 and 1791. The literature detailed in this volume includes material published from Mozart's death to the present. Following an introduction to the operas, the bibliography section lists the literature by works in general and by each of the three operas. A discography groups entries by opera and original recording date. This guide will appeal to music and opera scholars. As an essential research tool, sections are cross-referenced throughout. Separate author, title, and subject indexes complete the volume.
Book Description
Mozart's collaborations with the librettist Lorenzo da Ponte led to the composition of three of the greatest masterpieces in all opera, Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Cosi fan tutte. The aim of this book is to guide the reader to deeper understanding and enjoyment of these enigmatic works, not so much through detailed musical analysis as through setting the scene for their composition. The author examines the cultural and social context in which they were written, the sort of audience who might have attended, and their tastes and expectations. He considers Mozart's own intentions and aspirations for these works, composed over a period of rapid intellectual and political change, during which his beliefs, ambitions, and position in society changed radically. At a musical level, Mozart's work underwent crucial stylistic developments that are manifest in these three operas. We are also given clues to da Ponte's view of opera and the type of entertainment he set out to create. Finally, the author looks at the practicalities of opera production in Mozart's time, all of which would have influenced the final creation of these works.
Customer Reviews:
A clear and concise treatment of a complex topic.......2003-03-25
Any complete study of the life and works of Mozart would take thousands of pages and hundreds of recordings just to crack the surface of this subject. Even merely the operas of Mozart cannot be adequately handled in a single volume (let alone the number of recordings involved). So on a much more modest scale, we have Andrew Steptoe's "The Mozart-Da Ponte Operas" from the Clarendon Paperbacks division of Oxford University Press (1988, reprinted 2001).
For those wondering about that title, Lorenzo Da Ponte was the fascinating character who wrote the libretti to three of Mozart's greatest operas. In fact, the subtitle of this book is "The Cultural and Musical Background to 'Le Nozze di Figaro,' 'Don Giovanni,' and 'Cosi fan tutte,' but the book does not even get to those works until page 98. Roughly the first third of the book gives us an excellently organized and clear background to the works and the chapter titles will tell you exactly what I mean: "The Social Context: Vienna and Her Ruler," "Musicians, Audience, and Opera in Mozart's Time," "Mozart and Vienna," and "Mozart and His Personal Circle." The next chapter deals with Da Ponte and the opera buffa tradition, and we finally have what we need to understand more fully what Mozart's audiences saw in these works that are all but lost to us.
The sixth chapter talks about "Cosi fan tutte" and how it reflected the moral climate of the day, while the next one discusses how Mozart treated the buffa plot from the musical standpoint. The remaining three chapters handle each of the Mozart-Da Ponte collaborations, and there are detailed synopses of the works in the appendix.
Although I have read most of this material before, I have never seen it put in so well-organized a fashion; and my next move is to reread it, putting margin notes in along the way. I plan to make much use of this book in my opera seminars, and the general reader (who will need some rudimentary knowledge of music to understand at least parts of this book) will find in it many a key to a deeper understanding of these three masterworks.
Book Description
Standard Italian libretto, with complete English translation. Convenient and thoroughly portable — an ideal companion for reading along with a recording or the performance itself. Introduction. List of Characters. Plot Summary.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent companion.......2006-10-06
Don Giovanni is a simply wonderful opera, but for this single-language speaking gal I was at a loss for understanding. I looked high and low for a good translation, finally deciding on this which has side-by-side readings of the opera in itallian and english.
It's easy to read. It has a good introduction and great footnotes that give you a little extra information to take with you as you read. Unlike other companions, it includes every word spoken, so you don't get lost when they repeat themselves!
There's really not much to say about it -- simple, straightfoward, and worth the money.
Book Description
Mozart's 1787 masterpiece, Don Giovanni is considered by many to be his greatest opera. It is among the most often performed operas the world over, essential to the repertoire of every singer. This complete vocal score is ideal for rehearsals, study and concert performances. It is the lowest-priced vocal score edition now available. Features the Italian text.
Book Description
This book is a study of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, his second opera to a libretto by da Ponte. Although it is one of the handful of best-known and most often performed operas of the last two hundred years, Don Giovanni is seldom given in an authentic form and arguments persist as to its nature. Julian Rushton takes the view that, notwithstanding the tragic nature of certain scenes, it must be regarded as an opera buffa. He gives a brief summary of its history and life in the theatre, but the chief historical essay (by Edward Forman) concerns the subject-matter before it reached da Ponte. The book includes a very detailed synopsis which forms the basis of an extended commentary on the librettist’s handling of a plot constructed of both original and inherited ideas. Bernard Williams contributes an essay on Don Giovanni as an idea in literature and philosophy since Mozart. The book concludes with an extensive bibliography, and a discography of complete recordings compiled by Malcolm Walker.
Average customer rating:
|
Don Giovanni: Libretto
Manufacturer: G. Schirmer, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Classical
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Opera
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Songbooks
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
General
| Classical
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Opera
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Songbooks
| Music
| Entertainment
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
All 4-for-3 Deals
| 4-for-3 Books Store
| Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Don Giovanni (Opera Libretto Series)
ASIN: 0793526094 |
Book Description
Italian/English.
Book Description
Ideal for following a recorded performance, or for familiarizing oneself with a libretto before a live performance, this volume contains the complete libretti of 3 of Mozart's most popular operas. Excellent line-for-line English translations face the Italian texts. Also included are introductions, plot synopses and lists of characters for each opera. Translated by Robert Pack and Marjorie Lelash.
Customer Reviews:
Inaccurate presentation, unexplained omissions, mistakes in the translation.......2006-09-04
This is an awful edition of these libretti.
First of all, the editors have given us, not the libretti themselves, but a record of what is sung in the opera. That is, if a character repeats a word, the editors have correspondingly repeated that word in the text, as many times as the character repeats it, even if in the libretto as it was written, each word appeared only once. This unnecessarily bloats the text, since words tend to be repeated in this opera with a surprising frequency. For example, on p. 64, during the Act II Finale, the editors print an exchange between Figaro and the others as follows:
FIGARO: Nol conosco.
SUSANNA: Nol conosci?
FIGARO: No!
LA CONTESSA: Nol conosci?
FIGARO: No!
IL CONTE: Nol conosci?
FIGARO: No!
SUSANNA, LA CONTESSA, IL CONTE: Nol conosci?
FIGARO: No! No! No!
This is not only unnecessary, it is not even an accurate record of how the passage is sung: The first line of Figaro's should be "Nol conosco, nol conosco." Furthermore, it obscures the structure of the text, hiding the rhymes and making many lines scan improperly.
Of course, even without the repetitions, you would have difficulty scanning the lines anyway, because the editors have inserted the line-breaks incorrectly. For example, on p. 12 the Duet between Figaro and Susanna is printed as follows:
FIGARO: Se a caso madama la notte ti chiama --
Din, din, din, din --
In due passi da quella puoi gir.
Vien poi l'occasione
Che vuolmi il padrone--
Don, don, don, don --
In tre salti lo vado a servir.
The correct lineation is:
Se a caso Madama
La notte ti chiama:
Din din: in due passi
Da quella puoi gir.
Vien poi l'occasione
Che vuolmi il padrone,
Don don in tre salti
Lo vado a servir.
This is not a merely technical objection. The faulty lineation and unnecessarily repeated words obscure the structure of the text, hide the rhymes, and undercut the ingenious way in which words and rhythm are united in the music. And they are rife throughout the book.
In the Foreword, the editors, perhaps in an effort to justify these peculiarities, write that "our texts approximate as closely as possible what our readers will actually see and hear, since this book is intended not as a scholarly work but as an attempt to make the riches of Mozart's operas more accessible to a less specialized audience." I agree with these goals, but I think that introducing faults into the work was not the way to achieve them. In fact, it had quite the opposite effect. The "scholar" and "expert" will be able to correct the lines and restore their original harmony: it is the "less specialized" man who loses out in the end by having "the riches" of the work obscured.
Last but not least, as a previous reviewer noted, the editors have introduced arbitrary cuts into the work. Not only No 28 of Cosi Fan Tutte (Despina's aria "E amore un ladroncello"), but also the preceding number is cut (Ferrando's recitative and aria "In qual fiero contrasto... Tradito, schernito"). There appears to be no reason or system behind these cuts. In Marriage of Figaro, Marcellina's aria "Il capro e la capretta" is included with the footnote "usually omitted in performance", but Basilio's following aria, "In quegli anni, in cui val poco", which is omitted from performances with equal frequency, is cut from the text without even a note. These are only some of the more glaring excisions, which are widespread, and sometimes even lead to mistranslations.
For example, on p. 106, in a bit of Figaro's recitative, the Italian text reads "In questo stesso loco celebrerem la festa della mia sposa onesta e del feudal signor" meaning "In this very place we will celebrate the wedding of my honest wife and the feudal lord", but this phrase has no translation on the English side. Instead, the English side reads: "Hide yourselves, and don't come out until I whistle", presumably a paraphrase of what would have been the following line: "Voi da questi contorni non vi scotate; ... a un fischio mio correte tutti quanti", which, however, was cut from the Italian text without any mention. In other words, the editors printed one part of the Italian text, but translated the other part. This has one slight benefit: it allows us to reconstruct the portions of the text that have been left out.
Here is one further example of the awkwardness of this edition. It is the very first page of the very first opera in the book, The Marriage of Figaro:
FIGARO: Cinque -- dieci -- venti --
Trenta -- trenta sei -- quarantatre.
SUSANNA: Ora si, ch'io son contenta,
Sembra fatto in ver per me.
FIGARO: Cinque.
SUSANNA: Guarda un po', mio caro Figaro!
FIGARO: Dieci. Venti.
SUSANNA: Guarda adesso il mio cappello!
FIGARO: Quarantatre.
SUSANNA: Guarda un po' mio caro Figaro.
Guarda adesso il mio cappello!
FIGARO: Si, mio core, or e piu bello.
Sembra fatto in ver per te.
First of all, the first two lines are incorrectly printed: "Trenta" belongs at the end of the previous line, giving it its full count of eight syllables, and rhyming pleasantly with "contenta". Secondly, all the material betwen "Sembra fatto in ver per me and Susanna's last "Guarda un po'" is unnecessarily repeated text. We do not need it. The passage should read:
FIGARO: Cinque -- dieci -- venti -- trenta --
Trenta sei -- quarantatre.
SUSANNA: Ora si, ch'io son contenta,
Sembra fatto in ver per me.
Guarda un po' mio caro Figaro.
Guarda adesso il mio cappello!
FIGARO: Si, mio core, or e piu bello.
Sembra fatto in ver per te.
Here the rhymes (cappello -- bello, trenta -- contenta, me -- te) pop out, the rhythm of the lines is preserved, and the structure of the text is much easier to grasp.
These may seem minor problems, but they add up throughout the text, and with the amount of crossing out and rearranging that you will have to do in order to understand the real structure of the text, you might as well write down the words yourself.
These Dover libretti do not even have the advantage of matching the Dover score, despite the Bibliographical Note at the front of the book claiming that "The Italian has been tacitly corrected to conform with the Dover full scores of these operas." If you try to use the Dover score together with these libretti, you will notice some discrepancies, and not only in cases where some text that is present in the score has been cut from the libretto. Sometimes a passage, present in both the score and the libretto, has a different wording in each. For example, on p. 106 of the libretto, Bartolo asks "Ma che guadagni?"; at the corresponding place in the score, he asks "Ma cosa nacque?"
Furthermore, the scene numbers, present in the Dover score, have been left out of the libretti. It may well be the case that "the system of beginning another 'scene' every time a new character is introduced seems antiquated and confusing," but it is even more confusing to try to line up the Dover score with the Dover libretto. We are left to turn pages in a vain search for a piece of text, which we will never find anyway because it has been cut out or changed.
I would give this zero stars if it were possible. It deserves the lowest rating. Don't buy it.
mariage of figaro don giovani cosi fan tutte.......2006-08-21
very good
"Complete in Italian and English" is misleading.......2006-03-15
I picked up this book, because I was writing a paper and thought that having the libretto of Cosi Fan Tutte would be helpful. I would not have bought the book had not the word "complete" been on the front cover. However, it is not complete: Aria N. 28, which was the reason for my buying the book, was completely cut out. I found this very irritating.
Other than that, I found this an easy and pleasent read, and facing pages of Italian are always nice
Average customer rating:
|
Don Giovanni Piano (Music Scores)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Manufacturer: Konemann
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Classical
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Piano
| Instruments & Performers
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
French
| Foreign Language Nonfiction
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Mozart
| Composers
| Sheet Music & Scores
| Formats
| Books
Classical
| Historical Period
| Sheet Music & Scores
| Formats
| Books
Piano
| Instrumentation
| Sheet Music & Scores
| Formats
| Books
Entertainment
| French
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Nonfiction
| French
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
All French Books
| French
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
All Italian Books
| Italian
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
ASIN: 9638303980 |
Average customer rating:
- Outstanding as Usual
- Yet another excellent Dover publication
|
Don Giovanni: Vocal Score
W.H. Auden , and
Chester Kallman
Manufacturer: G. Schirmer, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Classical
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Voice
| Instruments & Performers
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Songbooks
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Mozart
| Composers
| Sheet Music & Scores
| Formats
| Books
Vocal
| Forms & Genres
| Sheet Music & Scores
| Formats
| Books
Classical
| Historical Period
| Sheet Music & Scores
| Formats
| Books
Entertainment
| Italian
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
All Italian Books
| Italian
| Foreign Language Books
| Specialty Stores
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Marriage of Figaro
-
Cosi fan Tutte, K. 588: Vocal Score
-
The Magic Flute
-
La Boheme in Full Score
-
Tristan und Isolde in Full Score
ASIN: 079351231X |
Amazon.com
The partnership between composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and poet Lorenzo da Ponte is quite possibly the most inspired in all of musical history; somehow, their operas reach more deeply into the human soul than any before or since. Don Giovanni is one of the great ones: it is an exploration not only of lust and indulgence, but of obsession and class structure. This full orchestral score from Dover lays it all out in front of you. Be aware that, because it is an orchestral score, it won't be of much use to a rehearsal pianist and will probably be too bulky for everyday use by singers. You should also be aware that this is a reprint of an out-of-copyright score originally issued in 1941 by a German publisher, C. F. Peters of Leipzig. That means, among other things, that the alternate language is German. But if you've got an English translation (or if you don't need one), and want to examine Mozart's art closely, you may find this very useful.
Book Description
Italian/English. Translated by Auden-Kallman.
Customer Reviews:
Outstanding as Usual.......2001-09-01
One of the world's best operas printed by one of the world's best publishers - it couldn't be much better. Dover Publications' scores are always of the highest quality: Large pages and clear type for ease in reading, and a sewn spine (not glued) for flexability and durability. To make it even better, contained between the well-fabricated covers of this score is arguably the best opera ever composed by arguably the best composer the world has ever seen. Ladies and gentlemen, it doesn't get any better than this. If you like Mozart or if you like Don Giovanni, be sure to acquire this score as soon as possible.
Yet another excellent Dover publication.......2000-04-01
Dover has done it again. This opera (one of the best ever written) is done up beautifully for everyone; from someone just looking into an opera for the first time to an experienced veteran. I would recommend it for all. As a bonus, it includes the Concert Ending of the Overture, the Transposition of the Aria No. 21b and the But in the Finale No. 24. The Editor's Commentary is also very informative and interesting. A must have for any Mozart lover's collection.
Average customer rating:
|
Don Giovanni: Vocal Score
Manufacturer: Ricordi
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Classical
| Musical Genres
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Voice
| Instruments & Performers
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Songbooks
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Mozart
| Composers
| Sheet Music & Scores
| Formats
| Books
Vocal
| Forms & Genres
| Sheet Music & Scores
| Formats
| Books
Classical
| Historical Period
| Sheet Music & Scores
| Formats
| Books
ASIN: 0793584809 |
Book Description
Italian Only.
Books:
- The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians (20 Volume Set
- The Oil Painting Course You've Always Wanted: Guided Lessons for Beginners and Experienced Artists
- The Phantom of the Opera - piano vocal Selections
- The Practical Encyclopedia of Rocks & Minerals: How to Find, Identify, Collect and Maintain the World's best Specimens, with over 1000 Photographs and Artworks
- The Rite of Spring in Full Score
- The Savage Garden: Cultivating Carnivorous Plants
- This Jazz Man
- This Jazz Man
- Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time
- Time for Bed
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- CIO Survival Guide: The Roles and Responsibilities of the Chief Information Officer
- The Official Blackbook Price Guide to US Coins 2007, 45th Edition
- Take It from Me: Practical and Inspiring Career Advice from the Celebrated and the Successful
- SC-Where Sky Begins
- The Formation of a Persecuting Society: Power and Deviance in Western Europe
- The Tao of Pooh
- The World of the Polar Bear
- Adobe Illustrator CS Classroom in a Book
- Principles of Taxation for Business Investment Planning, 2001 edition
- Develop an Affirmative Action Program: Compliant With the November 2000 Revisions
