then to appeal to the masses and to satisfy their own need for personal expres-
sion. Many such songs were written by members of the Composers Collective,
of which Blitzstein was a member. He wrote such songs as “Into the Streets
May First” (1934). Cradleis in fact a protest opera. Genesis and variants are
discussed.- Dietz, Robert James. “The Operatic Style of Marc Blitzstein in the American
‘Agit-prop’ Era.” Ph.D. diss., U. of Iowa, 1970. 475p.
Ernest Bloch (1880–1959)
- Kushner, David. Ernest Bloch: A Guide to Research.Garland Composer Re-
source Manuals, 14. New York: Garland, 1988. xiii, 345p. ISBN 0-8240-
7789-X. ML134 .B623 K9.
A worklist and 579 entries for literature about Bloch. Author, name, and sub-
ject indexes. The opera Macbeth,which was not a success, has a few brief
descriptions.
John Blow (1649–1708)
- Clarke, Henry Leland. “Dr. John Blow (1649–1708), Last Composer of an
Era.” Ph.D. diss., Harvard U., 1947. 4v.
François Adrien Boieldieu (1775–1834)
La dame blancheis in ASO176 (1997).- Favre, Georges. Boieldieu: Sa vie, son oeuvre.Paris: Droz, 1944–1945. 2v.
ML410 .B69 F35.
A scholarly biography, drawing on letters and documents. Plots and program
notes for the operas, with handwritten musical examples that are difficult to
decipher. Worklist (titles only, without details), bibliography, name index.
Arrigo Boito (1842–1918)
597.Arrigo Boito: Musicista e letterato. Ed. Giampiero Tintori. Milan: Nuove Edi-
zioni, 1986. 199p. No ISBN. ML410 .B72 A77.
Eleven essays by various authors, covering Boito’s life story, his work with
Verdi, influence of Wagner, Mefistofele,and his letters. Amply illustrated, with
worklist, but without index.- Nardi, Piero. Vita di Arrigo Boito. Verona: Mondadori, 1942. 753p. ML410
.B72 N2.
A revision, or reprint, came out in 1944; not seen. This is the standard biogra-
phy, and since most of the considerable literature on Boito preceded it, it
stands as a summary of scholarship. A scholarly work, with footnotes and
expansive index. Operas receive program-note treatment.
599.Arrigo Boito: Atti del Convegno Internazionale di Studi Dedicato al 150mo
della Nascita di Arrigo Boito.Florence: Olschki, 1994. vi, 598p. ISBN 88-
2224-88-2. ML410 .B72 A76.
130 Opera