- Giovine, Alfredo. Bibliografia di teatri musicali italiani: Storia e cronologie.
Bari: Laterza, 1982. 67p. ML120 .I8 G51.
About 800 entries, for books, parts of books, and periodical articles; arranged
by city. No annotations.
Opera: Precursors and 17th Century
- Solerti, Angelo. Gli albori del melodramma.Milan: R. Sandron, 1904. 3v.
ML1702 .S68.
A scholarly study of ballets, masques, and other precursors of opera up to the
early 17th century. Documents and complete texts of many works. No index. - Solerti, Angelo. Le origini del melodramma: Testimonianze dei contempo-
ranei.. .Turin: Bocca, 1903. vi, 262p. Reprint, Hildesheim: Olms, 1969.
ML1702 .S682.
Discusses 54 operas from Dafneof 1600 to La Licastaof 1644, with full bibli-
ographic detail on publications; reception and analysis. Bibliography of about
100 items, no index. - Donington, Robert. The Rise of Opera. Boston: Faber & Faber, 1981. 399p.
ISBN 0-571-11674-4. ML1700 .D683 R5.
A major history, covering through the 17th century: well documented and
carefully presented. A particularly useful section is on calendars and dating
problems. Valuable bibliography of about 450 entries; fine expansive index of
names, titles, and subjects. - Palisca, Claude, ed. The Florentine Camerata: Documentary Studies and
Translations.New Haven, Conn.: Yale U.P., 1989. 234p. ISBN 0-300-03916-6.
MT5 .F63.
The emergence of opera in Florence is linked to the activities of an academy
known as the Camerata, which met in the home of Count Giovanni Bardi.
This is a valuable collection of Italian texts and English translations of eight
documents that cast light on the group and their views. The writers are Carlo
Valgulio, Vincenzo Galilei (four items), Giovanni Bardi, and Giovanni Batista
Strozzi. Palisca has added footnotes to explicate the material and an expansive
index. He had an earlier article: “The Camerata fiorentina: A Reappraisal,”
Studi musicali1 (1972): 203–236; reprint, GL,v.11. - Pirrotta, Nino, and Elena Povoledo. Music and Theater from Poliziano to
Monteverdi.New York: Cambridge U.P. , 1981. xi, 382p. ISBN 0-521-23529-7.
ML1733 .P5713.
Originally Li due Orfei, da Poliziano a Monteverdi(Turin: ERI, 1969). Con-
sists of essays on pre-opera genres (strambotti, intermedie, pastoral, etc.), early
arias and recitative, with useful notes and musical examples. No bibliography
or index.
Italy 455