Item Detail
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Clément, Félix
Laroussem Pierre -
Pougin, Arthur, revision
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Dictionnaire des operas
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Book
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2 vols.
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New York, N.Y.
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1969
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Da Capo Press
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2 v. ; 24 cm.
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French
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A Da Capo Press Reprint edition; This Da Capo Press edition is an unabridged republication of the revised edition published in 1905.
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Opera--Dictionaries.
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Operas; France
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ML 102 .O6 C42 1969
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Clément, Félix and Pierre Larousse. Dictionnaire des Opéras. Revised by Arthur Pougin. New York: Da Capo Press, 1969.
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A dictionary of opera and other lyric drama genres, hoping to be useful in exposing forgotten works both old and contemporary. It was originally intended as a resource to nineteenth-century French theatres devoted to non-contemporary works subsidized by the government, and other theatres looking for non-standard repertoire, but also as a resource for amateurs and historians.
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Inclusion criteria are operas, ballets, opera-comiques, operettas and lyric dramas from the birth of opera to 1904. Only a few talented, notable composers from lyric, non-operatic genres are included. French, Italian, English, Spanish, Russian, and German operatic traditions are represented, though the majority is French and Italian works from the 19th century. Works included range from utterly obscure to popular, standard repertoire.
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The dictionary is distributed across two volumes. Volume 1 hosts entries with titles beginning with A to LAO. Volume 2 hosts entries beginning with LAO to Z, and ends with 112 pages of supplemental material added in 1904. Entries are alphabetized by title. At minimum, most entries note the genre, librettist, composer, the success of production, and the date and place of the premiere. More significant operas include historical trivia relative to its creation, important performers, plot summary, or libretti quotations. The supplemental material is a separate dictionary with entries arranged and composed in the same fashion as in the rest of the volume.
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Detailed inclusion description in preface. Breadth is extensive, though not all works are covered equally. Less an everyday reference, it is an interesting document for gauging late nineteenth-century views about opera and their performers, their biases, and the value placed on certain works.
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Grossly out of date.
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BYU Mus Ref
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2291