suggested by the situation and the expression.” Music in support of the text, a
return to Camerata principles. Quotations from Strunk,932–934.See also Algarotti (#2455).
- Wagner, Richard. Das Kunstwerk der Zukunft.Leipzig, 1850.
Wagner’s extensive writings on music drama (see #1981ff.) focus on his view
of music as a factor in the drama, “the highest collective art work.” But Wag-
ner did not consider music as a handmaiden to the text. He saw music reaching
its greatest potential in cooperation with the other arts. “The united sister arts
will show themselves and bring their influence to bear, now collectively, now
two at a time, now singly, as called for by the need of the dramatic action, the
one determinant of aim and measure.” Quotations from Strunk,1,094–1,112. - Conrad, Peter. A Song of Love and Death: The Meaning of Opera. New York:
Poseidon, 1987. 384p. ISBN 0-671-64353-3. ML1700 .C668.
The song is that of Orpheus, considered by Conrad to be the presiding myth
throughout operatic history. Opera exists to express those Orphic love-death
ideas. The approach is purely textual (no music is discussed): a study of
libretti. Nothing is proved, and there are many forced associations. One
reviewer, M. Owen Lee, described Conrad’s method as a “sort of madness”
through which “everything can be made to mean everything else.” - Conrad, Peter. Romantic Opera and Literary Form.Berkeley: U. of California
Press, 1977. vii, 185p. ISBN 0-5200-3258-6. ML2110 .C754.
An examination of Verdi, Wagner, Strauss, and some contemporaries in terms
of their handling of story and literary sources of their plots. The underlying
assumption—as in the previous entry—is that literary matters are the basic
forces in opera. Conrad’s terminology is inconsistent, and his efforts do not
seem to advance his theories. Bibliography of about 50 items, name index. - Dahlhaus, Carl. “Drammaturgia dell’opera italiana.” In Bianconi (#2428),
77–162.
Although focused on Italian practice, this is a significant contribution to oper-
atic theory. Opera was created in the 17th century along with modern drama
(Shakespeare and Racine) and should be examined in that context, not in the
light of ancient Greek drama. The difference between drama and opera is that
drama is articulated by verbal discourse, opera by scenic events. It is out of
place to judge the dramatic quality of opera in terms of spoken drama. The
form of classical tragedy is not relevant to the opera libretto, which has other
purposes. In the Italian baroque it had to provide a vehicle for arias that dis-
played certain emotions (while making some sense as a story). In Italian opera
of all periods, the musical realization is connected to whatever is onstage at the
moment, apart from the textual narrative. It is anchored in the present, con-
cerned with expressing affect. In both drama and opera, the text or story can
be summarized, so it is a property and not the essence of the work (which can
be experienced only in its own terms). Modern productions are thus wrongly
conceived when they aim at making the story more realistic.
82 Opera