Arman Schwartz and Emanuele Senici, eds. Giacomo Puccini and his World (Princeton: Princeton University Press). viii+350 pp. £27.95.
19 Dec 2017-Nineteenth-century music review (Cambridge University Press (CUP))-Vol. 16, Iss: 02, pp 277-281
About: This article is published in Nineteenth-century music review.The article was published on 2017-12-19. It has received None citations till now.
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09 Apr 2007TL;DR: Wilson's study explores the ways in which Puccini's music and persona were held up as both the antidote to and the embodiment of the decadence widely felt to be afflicting late nineteenth and early twentieth-century Italy.
Abstract: A detailed investigation of the reception and cultural contexts of Puccini's music, this book offers a fresh view of this historically important but frequently overlooked composer. Wilson's study explores the ways in which Puccini's music and persona were held up as both the antidote to and the embodiment of the decadence widely felt to be afflicting late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Italy, a nation which although politically unified remained culturally divided. The book focuses upon two central, related questions that were debated throughout Puccini's career: his status as a national or international composer, and his status as a traditionalist or modernist. In addition, Wilson examines how Puccini's operas became caught up in a wide range of extra-musical controversies concerning such issues as gender and class. This book makes a major contribution to our understanding of both the history of opera and of the wider artistic and intellectual life of turn-of-the-century Italy.
32 citations
Book•
01 Jan 2000
TL;DR: Puccini's operas are among the most popular and widely performed in the world, yet few books have examined his body of work from an analytical perspective as discussed by the authors, which may explain the lack in lively prose accessible to scholars and opera enthusiasts alike.
Abstract: Puccini's operas are among the most popular and widely performed in the world, yet few books have examined his body of work from an analytical perspective. This volume remedies that lack in lively prose accessible to scholars and opera enthusiasts alike.
24 citations
TL;DR: The authors revealed the source for two major themes in Madama Butterfly, one associated with Butterfly herself, the other associated with her patrimony, using a Swiss music box playing Chinese tunes.
Abstract: This article reveals the source for two major themes in Madama Butterfly – one associated with Butterfly herself, the other with her patrimony. The assumption has been that Puccini based these themes on Japanese melodies, but his source was actually a Swiss music box playing Chinese tunes. Specific moments in the opera indicate that Puccini was aware of the titles of these tunes. The sound of music boxes in Butterfly and Turandot suggests previously unnoticed connections between these operas. The music-box melodies may be traced to Fritz Bovet's transcriptions. Puccini encountered ‘Jasmine Flower’ on these boxes, and in Turandot reaffirmed its status as the token of Chinese music.
2 citations