Margaret Ross Griffel is senior editor at Columbia University’s Office of Publications. She is the author of a companion volume to the present work, Operas in German (Greenwood, 1990), also under revision for Scarecrow.
Griffel’s new two-volume set is a reminder of (or an introduction
to) the vast number of operas in the English language. This update
to the author’s 1999 edition includes approximately 900 additional
works and totals more than 4,000 entries. The first volume is an
alphabetical listing of works, with each entry including title,
composer, librettist, date of composition, publisher, and date of
first performance (if known). Most entries also include a brief
plot summary, and some contain original cast names and related
bibliographic sources, like performance reviews. Volume 2 features
a variety of useful appendixes, such as composers, librettists,
authors and sources, a chronology, an index of character names, and
a general index of names.Covering operas from 1634 through 2010,
the work lists and describes standard repertoire by composers like
Britten, Gilbert and Sullivan, and Henry Purcell. Griffel also
unearths a wealth of interesting and obscure works, such as the 8
operas based on the Pied Piper. She also points readers to specific
reference sources for more in-depth details on many of the operas.
In the preface, Griffel notes that certain elements inspired this
update. First, her desire to introduce readers to many new works
composed in the last decade. Second, with the expansion of the
Internet, she was able to add new insights based on research she
was unable to do for the first edition (e.g., examine digital
scores and librettos held by various institutions). There are
numerous dictionaries and encyclopedias about opera, such as the
fourvolume New Grove Dictionary of Opera (1992) and The New Penguin
Opera Guide (2001). This work is set apart from these by the focus
on English-only works and the exclusion of biographies of composers
and singers, resulting in many more unique opera listings than most
other resources. Highly recommended for public and academic
libraries.
*Booklist, Starred Review*
Opera lovers will rejoice with this revised edition by a noted
musicologist that updates many of the original 3,500 entries while
adding coverage of 900 more works, most focusing on the past
decade. There is an introductory brief history of opera in English
arranged by country. The core text arranges operas alphabetically
by title and provides information on authors, first and notable
performances, principals and conductor, setting, bibliography, and
discography. Volume 2 lists composers, librettists, and authors and
offers a chronology. There’s even an index of characters with vocal
ranges listed.
*Library Journal (Reference)*
This dictionary, compiled by Griffel (senior editor, Office of
Publications, Columbia Univ.; Operas in German: A Dictionary), is
dedicated to operas that include English text, either originally or
in a translation of a libretto originally written in another
language. The text is broken into two volumes. The first volume
lists 3,500 English-language operas in alphabetical order by title.
Basic information, such as the type of opera, the number of acts in
the piece, the composer’s name, the librettist’s name, the original
language of the libretto, and details about the opera’s first
performance, is included in each entry. Some entries also include
brief plot descriptions. The second volume includes a list of works
organized by composer and librettist respectively. A chronological
organization of the operas, an index of characters, and a helpful
selective bibliography listed by subject are also included in the
second volume, offering researchers alternate ways to find
information in the text. The bibliography points readers to a
wealth of information that music scholars and enthusiasts alike
could easily use to deepen their research. This dictionary is
unique in focusing solely on English-language compositions.
Additionally, this source is one of the most up-to-date reference
books on the subject of these performances. Works performed for the
first time in English as recently as 2010 are listed in the
chronological appendix. VERDICT This dictionary does a wonderful
job of offering readers several different ways to find the
information they may be looking for. It will be useful to classical
musicians, vocalists, and actors. Music scholars and historians may
also find it a good first stop for information. This is a helpful
resource for a wide variety of music researchers specifically
interested in operas that include English text.
*Library Journal*
A greatly expanded and revised edition of Griffel's 1999
publication (CH, Apr'00, 37-4209) featuring some 900 new terms,
this dictionary has its main listings in the first volume and the
appendixes and index in the second. For inclusion, an opera must be
originally composed in the English language. Entries have
librettist, composer, voice types, plot précis, and more.
Information about the location and availability of scores and
librettos is especially valuable. The addition of some performance
reviews and notable videographies and discographies is extremely
useful. Of the appendixes (which cover composers, librettists,
authors/sources, and chronological entries), the most valuable from
a reference standpoint is the one on authors and sources, which
makes locating the settings of works of literature much easier.
More general works, such as The New Grove Dictionary of Opera,
edited by Stanley Sadie (CH, Jul'93, 30-5942), while containing the
same type of material (and, of course, covering some of the same
works), lose English-language works in an ocean of multilanguage
works. Griffel (Columbia University's Office of Publications)
previously wrote Operas in German (CH, Apr'91, 28-4264). Summing
Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-level undergraduates; general
readers.
*CHOICE*
Operas in English is an excellent starting point for researching
this literature, and is recommended for those who are responsible
for choosing repertoire for opera productions. College libraries
will also find it a valuable addition to their holdings.
*Journal of Singing*
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