Robert Ignatius Letellier was educated in Grahamstown, Cambridge, Salzburg, Rome and Jerusalem. He is a member of Trinity College, Cambridge, the Maryvale Institute in Birmingham, and the Institute of Continuing Education at Madingley Hall, Cambridge. His publications number over 90 items, including books and articles on the early and Romantic novel (particularly the Gothic novel and Sir Walter Scott), the Bible, and European culture. He has specialized in the Romantic opera, especially the work of Giacomo Meyerbeer, and has written on Daniel-François-Esprit Auber, the opéra-comique, Ludwig Minkus and the nineteenth-century ballet. He has also worked as a consultant for the BBC, the Royal Opera House, Naxos International and Marston Records.
"A profile of every composer is presented with interesting historical anecdotes and musical evolution. A very extensive list of their works is also included with a description of the plot where possible or notes about the music and curiosities about the work. Date and place of first performance is also included. Being a specialist on Austro-Hungarian Operetta myself I particularly enjoyed the chapter dedicated to this subject. Strauss, Suppe, Genee, Millocker and all the other masters are absolutely well represented and their works are extensively covered. Dr. Letellier's incredible work not only will inform you about everything you want to know about Operetta but will tickle your curiosity and make you want to research more into the subject and listen to more and more Operettas! A MUST for Opera and Music lovers in general."Dario SalviConductor, Imperial Vienna Orchestra"Robert Letellier continues his remarkable productivity of providing us with meticulously researched, original books on music that open up worlds of knowledge difficult to find elsewhere. He has followed his sumptuous texts on some of Meyerbeer’s operas including several volumes of Meyerbeer libretti and complete explorations of such operas as Les Huguenots and Robert le Diable, with this remarkable compendium of operetta. For those unfamiliar with this form of composition there is much to dip into, but for the enthusiast it is an essential companion to daily living. Not only does Letellier cover operettas from many countries, paying attention to changes of style and temperament within various epochs, it is laced with other information, from a complete chronology (1830-2013), illustrations of composers, and a discography. With regards to the individual pieces, synopses of the familiar and unfamiliar are all given. The index alone covers nearly 200 pages. The publishers of these books, Cambridge Scholars, deserve praise for their careful attention to style and presentation. This has to be the perfect gift for anyone who enjoys beautifully produced books on a topic close to their heart."Professor Michael Trimble
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