Chicago
Performances were heard in the city as early as 1850, and an opera house was con-
structed in 1865 (Crosby’s, which burned in the great fire of 1871). The superb Audi-
torium, designed by Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler, was the home of visiting
companies, 1889–1920, then of the new Chicago Grand Opera Company. In 1929
opera moved to the new Civic Opera House, but the depression of the 1930s put an
end to the local company. In 1954 the Lyric Theater, later the Lyric Opera, began its
highly successful seasons. This intricate tale is without a scholarly literature.
- Hackett, Karlton. The Beginning of Grand Opera in Chicago (1850–1859).
Chicago: Laurentian, 1913. 60p.
Not seen. - Moore, Edward C. Forty Years of Opera in Chicago.New York: Liveright,
- 430p. ML1711.8 .C5 M7.
A popular history of opera in the Auditorium, 1889–1929. Without documen-
tation or index but has yearly staff lists and many illustrations. - Davis, Ronald. Opera in Chicago: A Social and Cultural History, 1850–1965.
New York: Appleton-Century, 1966. 393p. ML1711.8 .C5 D4.
Although the author states that “the bulk of the material presented here is
drawn from contemporary Chicago newspapers,” he does not provide exact
references, and there is no bibliography. The result is a popular account,
emphasizing personal lives of the singers. A useful feature is the listing of casts
for performances, 1910–1965. Index. - Cropsey, Eugene M. “Mr. Crosby’s Temple of Art: The Inaugural Season,
Chicago, 1865.” OQ12-1 (Autumn 1995): 99–126.
An interesting, documented study of the house, with illustrations of the sump-
tuous interior and a chronology with casts, 1865–1871; 76 backnotes. - Cassidy, Claudia. Lyric Opera of Chicago: Twenty Years, A Pictorial Souvenir.
Chicago: R. R. Donnelly for the Lyric Opera, 1979. 80p. ML1711.8 .C4 L95.
An attractive coffee-table book with some commentary and cast lists, 1954–
Cincinnati
- Thierstein, Eldred A. Cincinnati Opera, from Zoo to Music Hall.Hillsdale,
Mich.: Deerstone Books, 1995. 316p. ISBN 0-964-6068-0–1. ML1711.8 .C56
T5.
The city zoo had a band shell from 1877, which was enlarged in 1920 and
became the home of the Cincinnati Summer Opera. This is a footnoted narra-
tive, with annals of performances and casts, 1920–1995. List of administra-
tors, title and name indexes. - Wolz, Larry Robert. “Opera in Cincinnati... 1801–1920.” Ph.D. diss., U. of
Cincinnati, 1983.
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