THE CAMBRIDGE VERDI ENCYCLOPEDIA by Marvin, Roberta Montemorra

ISBN: "9781108814140

Cambridge University Press,  02 April 2020

Paperback 618 pages

Verdi's enduring presence on the opera stages of the world and as a subject for scholarly study by researchers in various disciplines has placed him as a central figure within modern culture. The composer's undisputed popularity from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day, among enthusiasts and scholars alike, lies at the heart of The Cambridge Verdi Encyclopedia. This comprehensive resource covers all aspects of Verdi's music and his world, including the people he knew and worked with, his compositions, and their reception. Extensive appendices list all of Verdi's known works, both published and unpublished, and the characters in his operas. As a starting point for information on specific works, people, places, and concepts, the Encyclopedia reflects the very latest scholarship, presented by an international array of experts in a manner that will have a broad appeal for opera lovers, students, and scholars.

Editorial Reviews

Review
'... accessible and readable ... vital and valuable.' Classical Music

'A good test of any book on Verdi is how much sense the writer can make of the frequently confusing libretti (something accomplished here with great aplomb).' Barry Forshaw, Classical CD Choice

'... includes the work of the leading Verdi scholars of our time. You have a multitude of highly authoritative voices which result in a remarkable stimulating read ... I love that Marvin has resisted the idea of giving every single entry on every single opera exactly the same shape ... each scholar has taken a different approach and that's absolutely marvellous. As you get to know Verdi better, you also get to know the people who have worked on him.' Francesco Izzo, Five Books (fivebooks.com)

Book Description
A fascinating and comprehensive resource for information on Verdi's works, his life and career, and his cultural influence.

About the Author
Roberta Montemorra Marvin is co-editor of several books, most recently Music in Print and Beyond: Hildegard von Bingen to The Beatles (forthcoming) and Fashions and Legacies of Nineteenth-Century Italian Opera (2010). She is author of Verdi the Student - Verdi the Teacher (2010), Verdi and the Victorians (forthcoming) and The Politics of Verdi's 'Cantica' (forthcoming). Her scholarship focuses on issues of social history, text criticism, reception history, censorship and performance practices, related to the works of Verdi and Rossini. Marvin has edited two volumes in the critical edition of Verdi's works. She has received prestigious fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Bogliasco Foundation, the Howard Foundation, the US Fulbright Commission and the American Philosophical Society. She serves on the faculty of the University of Iowa.