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This Companion offers an in-depth introduction to the early history of opera by focusing on its foundational century. From opera's Italian origins to its growth through Europe and the Americas, the volume charts the changing landscape - on stage and beyond - which shaped the way early opera was produced and received.

An insightful overview of Beethoven's Eroica Symphony from three main angles: genesis, analysis and reception. It not only summarises previous research but also includes many fresh insights, based on new evidence. The Companion presents a range of approaches, by twelve leading scholars in Beethoven research.

An expanded and updated edition, this Companion will appeal to students and practitioners of electronic music. Including four new chapters and new artists' statements, this book explores the history, theory, creation and analysis of a wide range of styles across the worldwide electronic music scene.

An accessible introduction to Schumann: his time, temperament, style and his oeuvre. Explores the cultural context, musical and poetic fabric, sources of inspiration of key works from his lieder and piano pieces to chamber, orchestral and dramatic works. Contains tables and illustrations, a glossary and advice on further reading.

Written for a general readership by some of the leading specialists in the field, this Companion presents up-to-date scholarship in an accessible fashion. It provides an authoritative overview of Liszt's music, its context and performance practice in a way that will be invaluable to music professionals and amateurs alike.

A Companion containing twenty specially commissioned essays by leading organ scholars. An essential guide to all aspects of the organ and its music.

The subject of musical theatre usually brings to mind the Broadway musical, but this collection of essays reveals that operetta was the pre-eminent musical-theatrical entertainment on the urban stage from the 1850s to the early 1930s. The authors explore operetta's production and reception in more than a dozen countries.

The music of George Gershwin was shaped by American political, intellectual, cultural and business interests. As a composer and performer, he embraced technological advances and broke new ground in music business practices. This Companion describes the making of George Gershwin's 'American' identity and its legacy after his death.

The first collection of academic essays devoted to the Rolling Stones. Designed for use by students, rock scholars, and serious fans, it discusses the Stones' music and history from a wide range of interpretive perspectives, and covers the entire span of the group's career.

This is the first book to encompass the breadth and depth of guitar performance, featuring essays which cover different guitar traditions and styles, from baroque, classical, country, blues, and rock to flamenco, African and Celtic, written by some of the most influential players, teachers, and guitar historians in the world.

An accessible introduction to the life and music of Edward Elgar, suitable for a wide readership, including performers, general readers, and students, as well as scholars. Divided into three sections, the Companion explores Elgar's early career, major musical achievements, and the reception, performance and interpretation of his work.

Written by many working conductors, this book considers all facets of musical conducting. It includes practical advice on how to conduct different groups (choral, opera, symphony, early music) and a history of conducting presented as a study of national traditions.

This Companion will enrich readers' understanding of the history of the genre, the context and significance of quartets as cultural phenomena, and the musical, technical and interpretative problems of chamber music performance. It will also enhance their experience of listening to quartets in live performances and on recordings.

A fascinating and accessible exploration of the world of grand opera, examining important Romantic operas and the grand operas of Rossini, Auber, Meyerbeer and Halevy, among others. The 2003 volume also includes an essay by the renowned opera director David Pountney.

Ranging from medieval music to Madonna and beyond, this book covers in detail the many aspects of the voice. Almost anything one wants to know about singing practices and singing styles can be found here in nineteen chapters written by leading performers and specialists.

A comprehensive guide to the composer's work, aimed both at the non-specialist and music student. It sheds light on both the composer's stylistic and personal development, offering new interpretations of his operatic works and discussing his characteristic working methods.

This collection of specially commissioned essays offers an accessible introduction to the history of the piano, performance styles, and its vast repertoire. The Companion also contains a glossary of important terms and will be a valuable source for the piano performer, student and enthusiast.

The Cambridge Companion to Bach, first published in 1997, provides a late twentieth-century perspective on J. S. Bach, the man and the composer. It examines the society, the beliefs and the world-view of his age as well as the compositional style, performance and reception of his work.

This Companion to Schubert examines the career, music, and reception of one of the most misunderstood and elusive composers. Leading Schubert scholars investigate the cultural climate in which he worked, the scope of his achievement and chart the course of his reception from the perception of his contemporaries to the assessments of posterity.

An accessible introduction to the life and music of Edward Elgar, suitable for a wide readership, including performers, general readers, and students, as well as scholars. Divided into three sections, the Companion explores Elgar's early career, major musical achievements, and the reception, performance and interpretation of his work.

An essential Companion for those both familiar and unfamiliar with Der Ring des Nibelungen. It provides a concise introduction to both the composer and the work. Subsequent chapters focus on musical topics such as 'leitmotif' and 'structure', as well as popular culture, Nazism, notable stage productions and critical analysis of the work.

This practical guide is an essential and stimulating reference book for all clarinet enthusiasts.

This Companion provides an accessible and vivid introduction to the life and music of Finland's greatest composer, Jean Sibelius. Placed in a wide perspective and considering the works themselves, their performance, reception and influence, Sibelius emerges as one of the most striking and individual figures in twentieth-century music.

Alban Berg's achievement is based on an extraordinarily small musical output, but it includes towering masterpieces such as the operas Wozzeck and Lulu, and his last work, the Violin Concerto. These and all Berg's other substantial works are discussed in this wide-ranging Companion.

This Companion provides an accessible and vivid introduction to the life and music of Finland's greatest composer, Jean Sibelius. Placed in a wide perspective and considering the works themselves, their performance, reception and influence, Sibelius emerges as one of the most striking and individual figures in twentieth-century music.

This 2004 Companion contains specially commissioned essays on one of the most influential opera composers. Divided into four parts, each exploring an element of Rossini's life, his world, and his works: biography and reception; words and music; representative operas; performance. Chapters also on individual works: Tancredi, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Semiramide, and Guillaume Tell.

Bringing the most recent scholarship into the public arena, this volume bridges the gap between scholarly and popular images of Mozart. It provides comprehensive coverage of all his important works, the reception of his music since his death, the contexts which inform his work and his significance as a performer.

Edited by two of the most respected names in the world of brass performance and scholarship, this new Cambridge Companion provides an invaluable overview of the history, and technical and musical development of the brass instrument. Covers classical music, non-western music and jazz.

Handel is recognised as one of the principal creative figures in classical music. In this Companion acknowledged experts on Handel make their expertise accessible to the interested general reader and music lover. All the genres in which Handel composed are considered including oratorio, chamber cantata, opera, and church music.

The Cambridge Companion to the Violin offers students, performers and scholars a fascinating and composite survey of the history and repertory of the instrument from its origins to the present day.