Twentieth-Century British Authors and the Rise of Opera in Britain by Irene Morra

Twentieth-Century British Authors and the Rise of Opera in Britain by Irene Morra

This book is the first to examine in depth the contributions of major British authors such as W. H. Auden and E. M. Forster, as critics and librettists, to the rise of British opera in the twentieth century. The perceived literary values of British authors, as much as the musical innovations of British composers, informed the aesthetic development of British opera. Indeed, British opera emerged as a simultaneously literary and musical project. Too often, operatic adaptations are compared superficially to their original sources. This is a particular problem for British opera, which has become increasingly defined artistically by the literary sophistication of its narrative sources. The resulting collaborations between literary figures and composers have crucial implications for the development of both opera and literature. Twentieth-Century British Authors and the Rise of Opera in Britain reveals the importance of this literary involvement in operatic adaptation to literature and literary studies, to music and musicology, and to cultural and theoretical studies.

’.. (an) excellent book ...With marvellous subtlety, careful argumentation and incisive literary critique, Morra explicates the unique interplays, synergies and tensions between literary source, librettist, composer and performance that attend the creation of every opera. ... It is Morra's considerable achievement to have navigated this difficult and contentious terrain with verve, clarity and decisiveness ...’ Times Literary Supplement

Irene Morra is Lecturer in the Departments of English and Critical and Cultural Theory at Cardiff University, UK.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780754660637
ISBN 10	075466063X
Title	Twentieth-Century British Authors and the Rise of Opera in Britain
Author	Irene Morra
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Taylor & Francis Ltd
Year published	2007-12-14
Number of pages	146
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.