Description
Book SynopsisIn this thirtieth-anniversary new edition of Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, Ellen Harris provides a detailed consideration of the many theories that have been proposed for the opera's origin and chronology, a detailed reexamination of the musical sources, and a comprehensive performance history.
Trade ReviewHarris' comprehensive, concise, and well-organized volume will prove a durable, invaluable guide for musicologist, conductor, singer, stage director, dramaturg, or opera fan. * Ryan James Brandau, Early Music America *
The first edition is a fine study, but the renewal of interest in both scholarship and performance of Purcell's works in general and of Dido and Aeneas in particular make the second edition a welcome contribution. ... Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals. * M. J. Duffy IV, CHOICE *
Table of ContentsContents List of Plates I. Background to the Music Introduction to Part I 1. Synopsis: Literary and Textual Antecedents 2. Premiere: Place, Date, and Meaning II. The Music Introduction to Part II 3. The Tenbury Manuscript: Discrepancies and Omissions 4. Musical and Dramatic Structure 5. Musical Declamation 6. Ground Bass Techniques III. Performance History Introduction to Part III 7. The Late Eighteenth Century: Revival and Adaptation 8. The Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century: Scholarly Editions and Added Accompaniments 9. Twentieth- and Twenty-First Century Interpretations: The Early Music Movement and Postmodernism Bibliography
