Verdi in Victorian London

Now a byword for beauty, Verdi’s operas were far from universally acclaimed when they reached London in the second half of the nineteenth century. Why did some critics react so harshly? Who were they, and what biases and prejudices animated them? When did their antagonistic attitude change? And why...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
1. Verfasser: Massimo Zicari
Format: Online
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: Open Book Publishers 2021
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:40570
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie das erste Tag hinzu!
_version_ 1869524762097614848
author Massimo Zicari
author_browse Massimo Zicari
author_facet Massimo Zicari
author_sort Massimo Zicari
collection Directory of Open Access Books
description Now a byword for beauty, Verdi’s operas were far from universally acclaimed when they reached London in the second half of the nineteenth century. Why did some critics react so harshly? Who were they, and what biases and prejudices animated them? When did their antagonistic attitude change? And why did opera managers continue to produce Verdi’s works? Massimo Zicari’s Verdi in Victorian London reconstructs the reception of Verdi’s operas in London from 1844, when a first critical account was published in the pages of The Athenaeum, to 1901, when Verdi’s death received extensive tribute in The Musical Times. In the 1840s, certain journalists were positively hostile. The supercilious critic of The Athenaeum, Henry Fothergill Chorley, declared that Verdi’s melodies were worn, hackneyed and meaningless, his harmonies and progressions crude, his orchestration noisy. The scribes of The Times, The Musical World, The Illustrated London News, and The Musical Times all contributed to the critical hubbub. Over the final three decades of the nineteenth century, however, London’s musical milieu underwent changes of great magnitude, shifting the manner in which Verdi was conceptualised and making room for the powerful influence of Wagner. Nostalgic commentators began to lament the sad state of “the Land of Song,” referring to the now departed “palmy days of Italian opera.” Zicari charts this entire cultural constellation. Verdi in Victorian London is required reading for both academics and opera aficionados. Music specialists will value a historical reconstruction that stems from a large body of first-hand source material, while Verdi lovers and Italian opera addicts will enjoy vivid analysis free from technical jargon. For students, scholars and plain readers alike, this book is an illuminating addition to the study of music reception.
format Online
id doab-20.500.12854ir-61920
institution Directory of Open Access Books
language eng
publishDate 2021
publishDateRange 2021
publishDateSort 2021
publisher Open Book Publishers
publisherStr Open Book Publishers
record_format ojs
spelling doab-20.500.12854ir-619202024-03-25T18:27:36Z Verdi in Victorian London Massimo Zicari D1-2009 music opera London Victorian era thema EDItEUR::D Biography, Literature and Literary studies::D Biography, Literature and Literary studies::DN Biography and non-fiction prose Now a byword for beauty, Verdi’s operas were far from universally acclaimed when they reached London in the second half of the nineteenth century. Why did some critics react so harshly? Who were they, and what biases and prejudices animated them? When did their antagonistic attitude change? And why did opera managers continue to produce Verdi’s works? Massimo Zicari’s Verdi in Victorian London reconstructs the reception of Verdi’s operas in London from 1844, when a first critical account was published in the pages of The Athenaeum, to 1901, when Verdi’s death received extensive tribute in The Musical Times. In the 1840s, certain journalists were positively hostile. The supercilious critic of The Athenaeum, Henry Fothergill Chorley, declared that Verdi’s melodies were worn, hackneyed and meaningless, his harmonies and progressions crude, his orchestration noisy. The scribes of The Times, The Musical World, The Illustrated London News, and The Musical Times all contributed to the critical hubbub. Over the final three decades of the nineteenth century, however, London’s musical milieu underwent changes of great magnitude, shifting the manner in which Verdi was conceptualised and making room for the powerful influence of Wagner. Nostalgic commentators began to lament the sad state of “the Land of Song,” referring to the now departed “palmy days of Italian opera.” Zicari charts this entire cultural constellation. Verdi in Victorian London is required reading for both academics and opera aficionados. Music specialists will value a historical reconstruction that stems from a large body of first-hand source material, while Verdi lovers and Italian opera addicts will enjoy vivid analysis free from technical jargon. For students, scholars and plain readers alike, this book is an illuminating addition to the study of music reception. 2021-02-12T07:27:16Z 2021-02-12T07:27:16Z 2019-12-06 13:15:39 book 40570 9782821881648 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/61920 eng image/png Attribution 4.0 International http://books.openedition.org/obp/3104 Open Book Publishers b014b543-78bd-4c3b-bc71-b68e2ac855b9 9782821881648 open access
spellingShingle D1-2009
music
opera
London
Victorian era
thema EDItEUR::D Biography, Literature and Literary studies::D Biography, Literature and Literary studies::DN Biography and non-fiction prose
Massimo Zicari
Verdi in Victorian London
title Verdi in Victorian London
title_full Verdi in Victorian London
title_fullStr Verdi in Victorian London
title_full_unstemmed Verdi in Victorian London
title_short Verdi in Victorian London
title_sort verdi in victorian london
topic D1-2009
music
opera
London
Victorian era
thema EDItEUR::D Biography, Literature and Literary studies::D Biography, Literature and Literary studies::DN Biography and non-fiction prose
topic_facet D1-2009
music
opera
London
Victorian era
thema EDItEUR::D Biography, Literature and Literary studies::D Biography, Literature and Literary studies::DN Biography and non-fiction prose
url 40570
work_keys_str_mv AT massimozicari verdiinvictorianlondon