Opera, a History of the Impossible Genre offers an accessible and chronological survey of opera. Beginning in the 16th century, each chapter hones its focus on

Eleven leading authorities chronicle the full sweep of opera, ranging from the earliest known works to such experimental efforts as Robert Wilsom and Philip Gla

“The best single volume ever written on the subject, such is its range, authority, and readability.”—Times Literary Supplement Why has opera transfixed an

Opera for the People is an in-depth examination of a forgotten chapter in American social and cultural history: the love affair that middle-class Americans had

In this significant collection of original essays, preeminent literary and cultural critics, musicologists, and queer theorists delve into the way opera shapes