The St. James Opera Encyclopedia: A Guide to People and Works

by John Guinn

Brief essays cover operas, composers, and singers.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0787610356
• ISBN13: 9780787610357
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: Visible Ink Press
• Length: 958 Pages
• Weight: 4.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.4" x 7.8" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Solid Guide on Opera

Overall I think this book on opera is very solid and a must have. It discusses many operas in the standard repertoire from Monteverdi to Berg and many important singers. Most biographies of the various singers are excellent. However I must say that there is some harsh criticism of great singers. Stephen Zucker's criticism of baritone Robert Merrill is out of line in my opinion. He was one of the giants of the Verdi Baritone Phenomenon in the 20th century, poscessing a gorgeous voice with a middle range that I would love to have. I am partially writing this review to defend him. To Stephen Zucker's credit he does write and excellent account on the bass-buffo in his article on Fernando Corena. He has information in that article that is new to me. So I thank him for that. To summarize this book is very useful because it introduces people to the history of opera and the history of singers. The one thing I am missing is a discussion of the various voice fachs. Overall this is a good guide.

A treasury of opera information

For the beginner or intermediate opera lover, this book is a great resource. Although you may not always agree with the reviewers' perceptions of an artist's strengths and weaknesses, reading and then listening will greatly enhance your ear over a period of time. In addition, composers and individual operas are covered. There is something here for everyone. Most operatic artists are covered, but not all. This is one of the best opera books for its price, and unfortunatley is getting difficult to find. I can highly recommend it and have gone back to it constantly. I love referring to it when listening to Doug Fox's program on Tuesday evenings- that's on WMNR from Connecticut- you can hear it on the net if you can't get it in the NY area (88.1FM). I have been waiting several weeks to have a copy sent to a friend as a gift. I hope it's still available!