- Stallings, Bonnie L. “Diagetic Music in the Operas of Benjamin Britten: The
Case of Peter Grimes.” Ph.D. diss., U. of California at Los Angeles, 1994. xi,
220p. - Brett, Philip. “Grimesand Lucretia.” In Music and Theatre(#68), 353–366.
A consideration of Lucretia’s sense of guilt, with its musical ramifications;
comparison to Peter Grimes. Both operas illustrate the conflict between the
individual and society.
The Rape of Lucretia
- Mertz, Margaret Stover. “History of the Criticism and Sources of Benjamin
Britten’s Rape of Lucretia.” Ph.D. diss., Harvard U., 1990. 326p.
647.“The Rape of Lucretia”: A Symposium. Ed. Eric Crozier. London: John Lane,
The Bodley Head, 1948. 101p. ML100 .B8.
Not examined.
See also Brett (#645) and Whittall (#627).
The Turn of the Screw
- Marsh, M. “Turn of the Screw: Britten and Piper’s Operatic Fulfillment of
Henry James’ Novella.” Ph.D. diss., U. of London, 1983. - Stimpson, Mansel. “Drama and Meaning in The Turn of the Screw.” OQ4-3
(Autumn 1986): 75–82.
Britten’s “finest opera” is popular but not well understood. One interpretation
of its story is that the governess imagines it all, but Stimpson finds nothing in
the opera to support this view. The explication offered is that Quint and Miss
Jessel represent the awakening of sexual feelings in the children. For Miles
there is the “corrupting” sense that his sexuality is homosexual, drawing him
away from the governess toward Quint. The boy cannot cope with this discov-
ery.
See also Deavel (#643) and Whittall (#627).
Ferruccio Busoni (1866–1924)
- Roberge, Marc-André. Ferruccio Busoni: A Bio-Bibliography.Bio-Bibliogra-
phies in Music, 34. New York: Greenwood, 1991. xxix, 400p. ISBN 0-313-
25587-3. ML134 .B94 R6.
An annotated bibliography, with 121 entries about the four operas—mostly
brief comments and program notes. - Beaumont, Antony [sic]. Busoni the Composer.Bloomington: Indiana U.P.,
- 408p. ISBN 0-253-31270-1. ML410 .B9114 B37.
A good resource for the operas and other works, giving genesis, reception, and
technical notes on each. Doktor Fausthas the most coverage, p.311–354.
There are chapters on Turandotand Arlecchinoas well. Worklist, bibliogra-
phy (about 150 entries), general index, index of titles.
138 Opera