Opera before Mozart Book

Opera Before Mozart embraces the first and less familiar half of operatic history, from 1597, when the first opera was produced, to the end of the eighteenth century. Extracts from musical scores illustrate Dr. Robinson's discussions of the origins of opera in Italy; the influence of court, aristocracy, and populace; the conventions of tragic and comic opera; and works by such composers as Lully, Gluck, Monteverdi, and Handel. The whole has been — according to a review in The Times Literary Supplement — "expertly woven into an easy-running narrative."