Table of Contents

Introduction
PART I. Bartók, Balázs, and the Creation of a Modern Hungarian Opera
1. Bartók, Balázs, and the Creation of Bluebeard's Castle
2. Bluebeard as Theater: The Dramatic Heritage of Balázs's Symbolist Play
PART II. Music and Drama in Bluebeard's Castle
3. The Music of Bluebeard's Castle
4. Analysis of Individual Scenes
- Prologue
- Torture Chamber
- Armory
- Treasury
- Garden
- Bluebeard's Domains
- Lake of Tears
- Former Wives
5. Bartók's Revisions to the Opera, 1911-1917
PART III. Contextual Studies
6. The Bluebeard Story in Turn-of-the-Century Literature
7. Judith: The Significance of a Name
Appendix. Duke Bluebeard's Castle: Notes on the text by Béla Balázs, circa 1915

Reviews

"...[Leafsteadt] thoroughly and imaginatively examines Judith's character and the psychological implications of the Bluebeard legend. Writing in an accessible style based on sound scholarship, the author unites literary and musical sources. This unique, high-level study of an important early-20th-century masterpiece should appeal to graduate students, researchers, and faculty."--Choice
"Leafstedt has made a great contribution to the scholarly material available on Bartok."--The Opera Journal
"Because of Leafstedt's deep study, we go through the seven doors of Bluebeard's castle, musically and dramatically. On this extended journey we gain a better understanding of the intricacies of the plot and the dramatic action. His thorough examination of the folklore surrounding the myth of Bluebeard proves quite enlightening." - - The Opera Journal