Classical Singers of the Opera and Recital Stages: A Bibliography of Biographical Materials (Music Reference Collection) [Hardcover]

Robert H. Cowden (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 1994 | ISBN-10: 0313293325 | ISBN-13: 978-0313293320 | Edition: annotated edition

Have you ever tried to find information on your favorite classical singer, past or present? If you have, you know the frustrations involved. Now, for the first time under one cover is a comprehensive listing of all known published and unpublished material of a biographical nature about classical singers of the opera and recital stages. No current reference work or periodical includes more than a fraction of the material found here. This book will save the reader countless frustrating hours tracking down sources by indicating exactly where to look. For anyone with a serious interest in classical singers, this new publication is a "MUST." Quite simply put, there is nothing comparable available. If you own any or all of the current basic references on opera and singing, this represents a worthy and indispensable companion to each of them. Classical Singers of the Opera and Recital Stages is a comprehensive listing of biographical materials about 1,532 famous and not-so-famous vocalists. Materials from 30 languages and language variants are annotated including cross-references to 24 major dictionaries, encyclopedias, and reference works as well as 12 important periodicals. In addition to this body of information, 157 collective titles and 283 related books are also cross-referenced. It even includes references to works such as the American National Biography which is currently "in publication." All of this material is organized into five easy-to-use coded categories, and the codes remain standard throughout the work. A special feature is a complete index to all vocalists accorded an entry in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera (1992). Some 323 classical vocal artists, who do not appear in Grove-Opera, are included here. Cowden's monumental reference lists thousands of sources for obscure artists as well as for the legendary ones from the 17th century to 1993. Each reader will find sources of information previously unknown thus saving countless hours tracking down biographical information about a particular artist. An indispensable supplement to even the most recent published reference works in the field of the vocal arts, Classical Singers of the Opera and Recital Stages should remain a standard work for years to come.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Nearly a decade has passed since the appearance of Cowden's Concert and Opera Singers: A Bibliography of Biographical Materials (Greenwood, 1985). Since then, more than 150 additional collective works and related titles have appeared. In this new work, Cowden has heavily reworked and expanded the earlier effort to account for these new titles and, in the process, has once again produced a superb reference tool.

Classical Singers is divided into three major sections. Section 1, "Collective Titles: Books on Singers," lists 157 books devoted entirely or primarily to classical vocalists. Section 2, "Collective Titles: Related Books," includes 283 books with additional material on many of the singers. The main body of the volume is section 3, "Individual Singers," in which bibliographic entries are listed under the names of the singers, who are arranged alphabetically. Here, too, will be found brief factual data about each artist. Appendix 1 ("Additional Artists") includes material uncovered too late in the process to include in the original entry. Appendix 2 is a listing of singers who are accorded an entry in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera (Grove Dictionaries, 1992). A master index of authors, compilers, and editors completes the work.

Any discussion of biographical bibliographies of classical vocalists must also note Andrew Farkas' Opera and Concert Singers: An Annotated International Bibliography of Books and Pamphlets (Garland, 1985). Farkas provides entries for only 796 singers compared with 1,532 in Cowden. However, Farkas does provide some unique material (lengthy annotations for many of the works he has included, citations to unpublished manuscripts, and an entry for Mme. Blanche Arral, for example). Farkas is still in print, but at the current price ($65) only comprehensive collections need to consider the purchase of Farkas in addition to Cowden.

Cowden's Classical Singers of the Opera and Recital Stages is highly recommended for academic libraries and any collections serving music scholars and aficionados of serious vocal music.

Review

“The introduction of this book should be read to exploit fully its usefulness. This volume will be most useful in research and academic collections.”–Choice

“Robert H Cowden has compiled a hefty amount of material in this impressive and expanded version of his earlier reference book....Music libraries and those large public libraries which serve a population interested in opers and/or recital artists will probably want to purchase this book. The work is most appropriate for libraries which eighter do not own Cowden's 1985 work or those who wish to replace it with the updated and enlarged version.”–Catholic Library World

“...a superb reference tool. Highly recommended for academic libraries and any collections serving music scholars and aficionados of serious vocal music.”–Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 528 pages
• Publisher: Greenwood Press; annotated edition edition (June 30, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0313293325
• ISBN-13: 978-0313293320
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,559,099 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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