The Oxford Handbook of Opera

This handbook is a collection of scholarly essays examining a whole range of issues relating to the world of opera. These include preliminary answers to the question “What is opera?” where genres are discussed and defined, leading to examination of the musical and textual content.

Further contributions deal with the key tenets of performance and production and then the discussion moves to broader issues around opera and society. Here the contributors deal with cultural environment, patronage, audiences, religion and politics. The penultimate section of the book is entitled Transmission and Reception, involving issues such as the role of critics, and...