Verdi and the French aesthetic : verse, stanza, and melody in nineteenth-century opera / Andreas Giger.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Giger, Andreas, 1965- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Verdi, Giuseppe, 1813-1901--Criticism and interpretation.

Verdi, Giuseppe.

Opera--Italy--19th century.

Opera.

Opera--France--19th century.

Music--Philosophy and aesthetics.

Music.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (x, 294 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Other Title:

Verdi & the French Aesthetic

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Focusing on Verdi's French operas, Giger shows how the composer acquired an ever better understanding of the various approaches to French versification while gradually bringing his works in line with French melodic aesthetic. In his first French opera, Jérusalem, Verdi treated the text in an overly cautious manner, trying to avoid prosodic mistakes; in Les Vêpres siciliennes he began to apply more freedom, scanning the verses against some prosodic accents to convey the lightheartedness of a melody; and in Don Carlos he finally drew on the entire palette of prosodic interpretations. Most of Verdi's melodic accomplishments in the French operas carried over into the subsequent Italian ones, setting the stage for what later would be called operatic verismo. Drawing attention to the significance of the libretto for the development of nineteenth-century French and Italian opera, this text illustrates Verdi's gradual mastery of the challenges he faced, and their historical significance.

Contents:

Versification and melodic aesthetics. Rhythm and stanza in French and Italian librettos ; French and Italian melodic aesthetics and practice ca. 1830-1870 ; Episode: Design, middleground rhythm, and phrase

French melody in Verdi's operas. Jérusalem and its influence on the subsequent Italian operas ; Les Vêpres siciliennes and its influence on the subsequent Italian operas ; Don Carlos and after.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references (p, [271]-286) and index.

ISBN:

1-107-18342-1

1-281-75125-1

9786611751258

0-511-41459-5

0-511-41527-3

0-511-41298-3

0-511-41205-3

0-511-48139-X

0-511-41390-4

OCLC:

476173713