Item Detail
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Flynn, Timothy
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Charles François Gounod : a research and information guide
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Book
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Routledge music bibliographies
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New York, N.Y.
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2009
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Routledge
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x, 266 p. ; 24 cm.
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English
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9780415973519; 0415973511; 9780203884270 (ebook); 0203884272 (ebook)
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Gounod, Charles, 1818-1893--Bibliography.
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ML 134 .G7 F58 2009
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Flynn, Timothy. Charles François Gounod: A Research and Information Guide. Routledge Music Bibliographies. New York: Routledge, 2009.
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To inspire interest in and encourage research of Gonoud and his music, as well as highlight the most important primary and secondary sources relating to this composer. It is intended for both student and scholar and is additionally useful for those only interested in Gounod’s contemporaries.
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The volume includes scholarly general studies about the composer’s era (in both book and journal format, prose and catalogue), scholarly biographical works, materials relating to his instrumental music (opera, sacred music, French songs, piano compositions, mass settings), and Gounod’s own essays, articles, and correspondence. Items are primarily in English with a liberal handful of French sources (journal articles, predominately). A small number are in German and Italian. Criteria for recordings included in the discography are first recordings of a particular composition, critical acclaim, the most modern recording, or the only known commercial recording. Reviews of Gounod’s music were gathered from L’Art musical and Revue et Gazette musicale de Paris as indexed in RIPM. Only reviews addressing complete works are included.
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After the preface, the volume begins with a brief biographical sketch on Gounod discussing basic facts, his musical style and influence, and the current state of Gounod research. The rest of the work is divided into four parts. Part one consists of bibliographic citations divided into three sections: general studies, primary biographical sources (pre-1894) and secondary biographical sources. Part two consists of specialized studies, both primary and secondary sources, and is also divided into three seconds: opera and vocal music, instrumental music, and Gounod’s writings. Entries in both parts are arranged alphabetically by author’s last name. They generally provide a complete bibliographic citation, a Library of Congress call number, a lengthy annotation, and are consecutively numbered regardless of section. Stable JSTOR links are provided where appropriate or possible. Within the section on Gounod’s writings, annotations also include discussion of important letters within a particular collection. Part three consists of ten appendixes. Appendix 1 lists selected manuscript sources, alphabetically arranging items by title. Appendix 2 lists selected correspondence, arranging items chronologically and grouping them according to a musical composition (either referred to in the letter, or written during that time period). Entries include the recipient. Appendix 3 lists miscellaneous letters, alphabetically arranging entries by recipient and also including the date. All entries in Appendices 1-3 include a brief description of the item and the owning institution’s call number. Appendix 4 includes a selected discography, arranged by genre according to the Grove Dictionary. Within each genre heading, entries are alphabetically arranged by title and include the performing group, the conductor, the label number and the recording date (if available). Appendix 5 lists selected French songs by Gounod, arranged alphabetically by title, and includes the text’s author, date of publication, and any dedications. Appendix 6 lists selected piano works, alphabetically arranged by title and including the date of publication and any relevant information such as first performer, content, or musical form. Appendix 7 lists Gounod’s masses chronologically, including mass setting, voicing, and category. Appendix 8 chronologically lists performances of Gounod’s vocal music in salon settings (1856-1870), and includes salon’s name/owner, performers, and songs performed. Appendix 9 lists selected modern editions, listed alphabetically by composition title and including the publisher/publisher number, type of score, and date. Appendix 10 alphabetically lists selected reviews by composition title, and includes the author, article title, RIPM number, year of publication, and page numbers. The volume concludes with a composer index, a composition index, and an index of authors and translators. All entries are listed alphabetically by author/composer’s last name.
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The author includes primary, secondary, and dated sources in order to provide a holistic view of Gounod’s life and time. Well-selected general studies provide excellent historical context on important events such as the Franco-Prussian War and the Paris Siege, and other essential topics such as French opera and the nineteenth-century press. Annotations are thorough and informative. Stable JSTOR links facilitate quick retrieval of articles for subscribers.
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One occasionally finds typographical errors in the bibliographic citation, but they are few and trivial.
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Procházka, David. Music Reference Services Quarterly 13 (July-December 2010): 146-49.
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BYU Mus Ref
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1047