Gustav Kobbé (1857–1918)

Still the pinnacle of that 20th century staple, the descriptive opera book. Mostly rendered redundant in the 21st century by the combination of Wikipedia, TV and internet broadcast, and in-theatre supertitles, but there's a wonderful joy, a combination of nostalgia and curiosity, in finding something new within. I think the 1997 edition of this was the last (understandably so) but it really does pack in 400 years' worth of opera, with lengthy synopses, occasional musical extracts, and usefully information about productions on occasion. Worth it for anyone attempting to get into the artform, and pleasing still for those of us well-versed in it.… (more)

This is, from what I've read, the definitive book on opera. As the flyleaf says, "Kobbe is to opera what Bartlett is to quotations." At least in whatever is the latest edition--I admit this one is somewhat dated, having been published in 1987. It covers the standard repertoire as well as some rarities from the first opera, Claudio Monteverdi's La Favola d'Orfeo in 1600 to that of composers still living at the time of publication: Birtwistle, Einem, Ginastera, Glass, Henze, Knussen, Ligeti, Penderecki, Reimann, Thomson, Menotti, Sallinen, Tippett, Wingrave. What I like so much about this book is not just that each opera has a discussion of the music and a synopsis of the story, but landmark productions are noted, so you'd know that up to 1987 at least, that famous singers in the title role of La Traviata include Patti, Melba, Tetrazzini, Ponselle, Schwarzkopf, Callas, Freni, etc.… (more)

The original notion of "dramma per musica" remains valid, as editor Harewood, notes in his Preface. Even as we have the technology to convert the audience en masse to a kind of opening stage of being both behind and afore the countless hand-held digitalizations of instant "experience", the concept of "orchestrated" drama in a box has only become more resonant. As for the classics, we need a "handbuch", such as Kobbe provides.

Kobbe became a music critic of the New York Herald which he performed for 18 years until killed in 1918 when a sea plane struck his sail-boat in South Bay, Long Island. This book was almost completed at the time and was published. In the 1950's, Harewood was asked to bring it up to date, and the process continued through the 1970s.

This work provides a brief biography of the composers and librettists, summarizes the plots and characters, and describes the productions tied in to the staging and musical compositions. While no complete scores or librettoes are provided, the pages are filled with musical motiffs and airs. Drinks all around.… (more)