History Of Opera For Beginners - Softcover

Ron David; Illustrated By Sara Woolley

Softcover

ISBN 10: 193438979X ISBN 13: 9781934389799

Publisher: For Beginners, 2013

Synopsis

Written in short, humorous, and informative chapters, and laced with some of the opera world's juiciest anecdotes, The History Of Opera For Beginners is sure to convert even the most ambivalent of music lovers, as well as to increasing the knowledge and pleasure of those already in love with opera. For Beginners titles range a number of disciplines from philosophy to culture studies to arts, religion and current events. They are well-known and popular for the way in which they convey information in an easy-to-digest visual format.

About this title

About the Author

Ron David, a former editor-in-chief of the For Beginners series, is also the author of Toni Morrison Explained: A Reader's Road Map to the Novels (Random House, 2000). Previous works for For Beginners include Arabs & Israel For Beginners, Jazz For Beginners, and Opera For Beginners. Ron has been a guest lecturer on all of these subjects across the United States, and he has been awarded a NJ State Council for the Arts fellowship for his novel-in-progress, The Lebanese Book of the Dead. He lives in Kihei, Hawaii, with his wife, the designer Susan David.

From the Back Cover

Opera For Beginners is a humorous, irreverent little book that starts with the radical assumption that Opera is just plain ol' music. Not snob music. Not uppity music. Gettin' down music! Italian Rock'n'roll, R&B Gospel, let-it-all-hang-out music. "If you must know the truth", David writes, "in Detroit where I grew up, there weren't a lot of Opera houses. I was brought up on Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Elvis the Pelvis, the Drifters, Platters, Ella, Sinatra, Miles, Coltrane, Mahalia, Beatles, Stones, Aretha ... in other words ... Real music! Which is why I'm the perfect person to introduce you to Opera". The book builds from the similarity between specific Opera singers and "normal" singers (e.g., Maria Callas/Billie Holiday; Caruso/Mahalia Jackson; Benjamino Gigli/Smokey Robinson), points out the essentially Operatic styles of many pop singers, and the profound similarity between Opera and Gospel singing. (It's no accident that African-American sopranos are singing in Opera houses all over the world!). Opera For Beginners explains the differences between Italian and German Opera - it's more than just the language - and why you don't have to understand Italian, German, French or Rap to enjoy Opera. David's enthusiasm and wit are sure to entice many Opera-haters to give Opera a chance. And Paul Gordon's spot-on cartoons illustrate the text, carry on dialogues with it, wisecrack it, create stories alongside it, sprinkle it lavishly with motifs...enough!

Edition details

• Publisher: For Beginners
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 193438979X
• ISBN 13: 9781934389799
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176