Gluck: An Eighteenth-Century Portrait in Letters and Documents [Hardcover]

Patricia Howard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 26, 1995 | ISBN-10: 0198163851 | ISBN-13: 978-0198163855

This book brings together a variety of eighteenth century sources--principally letters to and from Gluck--to construct a portrait of one of the most interesting musicians of that century. Celebrated today for his historical significance, as the composer who did most to effect the transition from baroque to classical opera, Gluck in his lifetime was both a controversial and a colorful figure. Besides the letters, the book includes a wealth of factual documents and informal anecdotes, not easily accessible in the original German, French and Italian languages. Everything has been arranged and translated to provide readers with a lively, continuous narrative.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Howard beautifully fills a great need."--Choice

"[A] meticulously researched...erudite volume."Day by Day

"...Howard's quick juxtaposition of many different contemporary writings gives a wonderful flavor of the time...One of the many virtues of Howard's book is its capacity to remind us of both the continuities and the unbridgeable differences between modern operatic life and that of Gluck's time."--The Opera Quarterly

About the Author

Patricia Howard is Tutor and Lecturer in Music at The Open University, Milton Keynes. She is the author of many books, including C. W. Gluck: `Orfeo' (CUP, 1981)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (October 26, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198163851
• ISBN-13: 978-0198163855
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,192,083 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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