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Reading Critics Reading

Opera and Ballet Criticism in France from the Revolution to 1848

Roger Parker editor Mary Ann Smart editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Oxford University Press

Published:14th Jun '01

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Reading Critics Reading cover

This book is among the first to examine French opera and ballet criticism during the first half of the nineteenth century both as a historical and a literary phenomenon. It thus provides a new and badly needed perspective for scholars and other commentators who have often been willing to treat the journalistic responses to such musical genres chiefly as a simple source of factual information. The essays, taken from a conference in Oxford in 1996, explore the kinds of problem encountered and the types of methodology that might be employed in trying to interpret these critical responses; they throw light on such aspects as the cultural attitudes underlying the writers' rhetoric, the aesthetic stances and ideological agendas at play, and how modes of production influenced content.

... important collection of essays ... the collection offers a rich, nuanced picture of French music and culture 'from the Revolution to 1848'... the essays are strong scholarly contributions that realize the major goal of enriching and 'complicating' the historical picture - and they do so with thoughtfulness and imagination. * Nineteenth-Century Music Review *
... this volume offers informative insights not only into critical writings of the nineteenth century but also into the variety of methodological approaches reception studies may take. In both domains, its contribution is welcome. * Music and Letters *
... although this volume may be read entirely and easily as an enjoyable pastime, more often it engages with notions of spectatorship, interpretation, and agenda that can seem as vibrant in the contributed articles as in their historical focuses. * Music and Letters *
... interesting insights. * Opera Now *
This book's view from multiple perspectives must enrich future historical narratives of the most vital musical scene in Europe. * BBC Music Magazine *

ISBN: 9780198166979

Dimensions: 242mm x 163mm x 20mm

Weight: 552g

282 pages