The Prima Donna and Opera, 1815-1930

ISBN-13: 9780521851671 / Angielski / Twarda / 2006 / 394 str.

Susan Rutherford

Opis

This book is concerned not so much with the 'prima donna' as with prime donne: a group of working artists (sometimes famous but more often relativelyunknown and now long forgotten) and the circumstances of their professional lives. It attempts to locate these singers within a broader history, including not only the specificities of operatic stage practice but the life beyond the opera house - the social, cultural and political framing that shaped individual experience, artistic endeavour and audience reception. Rutherford addresses questions such as the multiple discourses on the image of the singer and their impact on the changing profile of the professional artist from figlia dell'arte at the beginning of the era to middle-class woman at the end; the aspect of the 'stage mother' and patronage; issues of vocal training and tuition; professional life in the operatic market-place; and performance (both vocal and dramatic) conventions and practices."

Recenzje

Review of the hardback: 'Rutherford's interaction with their histories offers a delightful reading of these individuals as both themselves and prima donnas.' Patricia Puckett Sasser, Nineteenth-Century Music Review

Spis treści

Introduction; 1. Sirens and songbirds; 2. Superdivas and superwomen; 3. Tutors and tuition; 4. The supporting cast; 5. Professional life; 6. The vocal and theatrical landscape; 7. The singing actress; Postscript.