Verdi and the French Aesthetic

Erscheinungsjahr 2016
ISBN: 978-0-521-87843-2
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 304 Seiten, Format (B × H): 183 mm x 260 mm, Gewicht: 774 g

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, Giger illustrates Verdi's gradual mastery of the challenges he faced, and their historical significance.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Giger, Andreas

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Musikwissenschaft Musikgattungen Opernmusik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Part I. Versification and Melodic Aesthetics: 1. Rhythm and stanza in French and Italian librettos; 2. French and Italian melodic aesthetics and practice c. 1830-70; Episode: Design, middleground rhythm, and phrase; Part II. French Melody in Verdi's Operas: 3. Jérusalem and its influence on the subsequent Italian operas; 4. Les Vêpres siciliennes and its influence on the subsequent Italian operas; 5. Don Carlos and after; Appendix: Significant theoretic and aesthetic texts.

Über Autor(innen)

Giger, Andreas
Andreas Giger is Associate Professor of Music at Louisiana State University.