'Dramma per musica', the most usual term for Italian serious opera from the seventeenth to the early nineteenth century, was a modern, enlightened form of theat

"In this elegantly constructed study of the early decades of public opera, the conflicts and cooperation of poets, composers, managers, designers, and singers�

Will appeal to all music, literature, and art lovers seeking to deepen their knowledge of an increasingly popular repertoire.

Examines musical life in the seventeenth century, a period of profound change in the history of music.

An examination of the little-understood period of music history in which Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven worked.