The Last Troubadours

Poetic Drama in Italian Opera, 1597-1887

Deirdre O'Grady

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9781138365124
• eBook ISBN: 9780429774362
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: 19th Century History
• Index: History

First published in 1991. At once poet, dramatist, adaptor and translator, the operatic librettist in turn expresses and mocks social convention. Deirdre O'Grady's study of the Italian operatic librettist identifies opera as a mirror of literary climates, popular taste and political aspirations. The Last Troubadours traces the history of the Italian libretto from its courtly origin in the 16th century, through the crisis of the aristocracy and the 19th-century struggle for national unity, to the birth of social realism. Fundamental elements of Italian opera - heroic valour, cunning servants, revolutionary ardour and romantic tenderness - are considered in their historical and cultural context. Also discussed are famous lyrical and musical collaborations - of Da Ponte and Mozart, Solera and Verdi, Romani and Bellini, and Boito and Verdi.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Original Title Page
• Original Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• List of illustrations
• Introduction
• Acknowledgements
• Part I Baroque, Arcadian and Enlightenment influences
• Part II The expression of individualism
• Notes
• Select bibliography
• Index