Choruses in Mozart's Opere Serie and the Genre and Historical Role of the Opera Chorus
Author: | Shrader, James A. |
Year: | 2012 |
Pages: | 188 |
ISBN: | 0-7734-2928-X 978-0-7734-2928-4 |
Price: | $159.95 |
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The choruses from the eighteenth century opere serie of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart represent a body of literature that is relatively unknown. While the majority of Italian opere serie exclude the chorus, most of Mozart’s works in this genre contain significant choral scenes. The existence of opera seria as popular musical theater was short-lived, yet the choruses from Mozart’s opere serie are worthy examples of secular choral literature.
The study includes a scholarly examination of the opera seria as a genre, as well as the historical role of the opera chorus. Of particular importance is the operatic reform movement in France.
Reviews
“In this significant contribution to the genre of choral music, Dr. Shrader has brought attention to an important but often overlooked source of repertoire containing many potential gems that should be performed in a concert setting.”
-Prof. Kenneth Davis,
Texas Tech University
“This text will whet the appetite of choral conductors who would like to consider extracting these choruses for performance purposes.”
-Prof. Constantina Tsolainou
Columbus State University
“Dr. Shrader’s book opens up a new treasure of repertoire that would easily fit the needs of college-level conductors.”
-Prof. Robert J. Ward,
Ohio State University