coming to America. Prokofiev set it for the Chicago Opera and conducted the
premiere on 30 December 1921. The libretto is compared to Meierkhol’d’s
text.War and Peace (Voina i mir)
- Volkov, Anatolii. “Voina i mir” Prokof’eva.Moscow: Muzyka, 1976. 135p.
The abstract reads: “A monograph based on manuscript materials which deals
with the operatic heritage of the composer. Discusses some general problems
of dramaturgy and musical form; considers the variants in the overall compo-
sition of the opera and the general meaning of the changes. The formal design
of the music is examined.” - Brown, Malcolm Hamrick. “Prokofiev’s War and Peace: A Chronicle.” MQ
63 (1977): 297–326.
Genesis, which dates to 1935. The libretto was sketched in 1941 and the piano
score completed in 1942. The composer’s own description of revisions made
up to 1943 is given. The work was a great success in 1946–1947, with 105
performances. Then government objections led to more changes in 1949–1950
and new success in 1953—but the composer died without hearing the last
revised version.
Giacomo Puccini (1858–1924)
Thematic Catalogues and Worklists
- Hopkinson, Cecil. A Bibliography of the Works of Giacomo Puccini, 1858–
1924.New York: Broude Brothers, 1968. xvii, 77p. ML134 .P94 H7.
A valuable annotated worklist, showing variant editions. Appendixes give lists
of extant manuscripts, dedicatees, performances at leading houses to 1965 (the
Opéra-Comique is the winner, with 3,862 performances of his operas). Ricordi
plate numbers as well as textual variants in Madama Butterflyare also
included.
See also Scherr (#1487).
Bibliographies and Guides to Resources
- Fairtile, Linda B. Giacomo Puccini: A Guide to Research. Garland Composer
Resource Manuals, 48. New York: Garland, 1999. ISBN 0-8153-2033-7.
ML134 .P94 F35.
An indispensable handbook for Puccini studies, centered on a bibliography of
720 books, articles, dissertations, and conference papers. Detailed, critical
annotations are provided, citing scholarly disagreements as well as connec-
tions. Arrangement is classified, bringing together writings on each opera and
other topics. Contents of 30 collective volumes are listed, and Puccini institu-
tions are described. The review of Puccini studies, 1884–1997 (p.21–31) is an
excellent introduction to the field. Discography, videography, index of names
(note: references in the index are to page numbers, not item numbers).
274 Opera