Bibliography

Bibliography

updated June 11, 2002

your comments? meyerb@meyerbeer.com

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Bibliography, additional list of works and additional discography by Matthias Brzoska and Ulrich Linke (COMPLETE) added Feb. 5, 1998

The following publications about Giacomo Meyerbeer are recommended:

Fiction

O Paradiso by Conrad L. Osborne. 349 pages New York: Arbor House/William Morrow & Company (1988)

A novel about several characters who play roles in a semi professional production of Meyerbeer's L'africaine in New York's faded Beacon Theater on the West Side. Reviewed in The New York Times Book Review, Sunday, April 3, 1988.

The Devil's Sauce by Manuel Marquez-Sterling

The play, originally written in Spanish, utilizes the actual words of the characters Rossini, Meyerbeer and Wagner. It explores the psyche of the three composers, their relationship to each other, their music and opera. Highly recommended. Available through the Meyerbeer Fan Club. For information, go to feedback page or contact author at fides@meyerbeer.com

Non Fiction

Volume 6 of the Briefwechsel und Tagebucher (Letters and Diaries) has been published by DeGruyter, New York-Berlin (2002) edited by Dr. Sabine Henze-Döhring

„L’Opéra a besoin de vous, mon cher Maître...“ - this appeal from the minister Achille Fould in a letter to Meyerbeer in 1853 shows the great popularity of Meyerbeer in Paris at the beginning of his seventh decennium of life. In this time Meyerbeer was to summon all his energy for the first performance of his first Opéra comique L’Etoile du nord (16. II. 1854) which has engaged him since 1849. Having done this he composed the new Opéra comique Le Pardon de Ploërmel based on a text of two „newcomers“, Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, which had it’s premiere in 1859.

Volume VI contains the diaries, pocket almanacs and letters from 1 January 1853 to 31 December 1855 and reveals the hard rehearsals for L’Étoile du nord, the great success for the opera and the composition of Le Pardon de Ploërmel. Otherwise the documents in this volume demonstrate Meyerbeers project with Eugène Scribe for a new opera with a biblical subject (Judith).

Sabine Henze-Döhring, born 1953, studied German literature, history and musicology at the University of Marburg. Dissertation: Opera seria, opera buffa and Mozarts „Don Giovanni“, Laaber 1986 (Analecta musicologica, vol. 25); Habilitation 1991. Since 1992 Professor of musicology at the University of Marburg. Several articles about the history of the opera of 18^th and 19^th century with special regard on the operas of Mozart, Rossini and Meyerbeer. Last book: Oper und Musikdrama im 19. Jahrhundert, Laaber 1997 (together with Sieghart Döhring).

Tamvaco, Jean-Louis: Les cancans de l'Opéra-Le journal d'une habilleuese 1836-1848 Chronique de l'Academie Royale de Musique et du théâtre, a Paris sous les deux Restaurations; CNRS Editions, Paris, 2000, 2 vol. 1307 pages.

The following descriptive review is by Tom Kaufman (February 5, 2001):

This book may well be the most important book on opera in Paris during the middle of the 19th century that has been published so far. The title is misleading, since while it is true that the book "zeroes in" on the Opera between 1836 and 1848, it contains a great deal more. Frankly, this is one of the relatively few books I have come across that actually delivers much, much more than the title promises. And does so in a scholarly, informative, yet extremely readable manner. It is based on the journal of a costumer at the Opéra from 1836 to 1848 which has been expanded and annottated by Dr. Tamvaco. It is subdivided into a number of sections which include:

1. A summary history of the Salle Le Peletier from 1820 to 1835. This is essentially a year by year summary including dates and casts of the most important local premieres.
2. The first publication of the manuscript by Louis Gentil, which carries the reader from 1836 to 1848, but is most detailed for the first three years.
3. Detailed chronologies of the Opéra and the Théâtre Italien from 1836 to 1838 (with some entries for the Opéra Comique).
4. A summary history of the salle Le Peletier up to 1854.
5. Copious bibliographical notes of the principal artists mentioned in the text and/or the chronologies.

This is a book that is of great value as a general history of opera in Paris during the years covered. They featured the world premieres of any number of major works: Robert le Diable, La juive, I puritani, Marino Faliero, Les Huguenots, La fille du regiment, La favorite, La reine de Chypre, etc., etc. But it is also essential for those interested in composers like Meyerbeer, Halévy, and Donizetti, or many of the superb singers who centered their
careers in Paris during those years. There are numerous pictures of singers (I lost count), making this not only
an essential book for its' text, but also a stunningly beautiful volume.

The chronologies are superb, give full casts, most importantly for some of the major premieres at the Italien for which I have never been able to find casts which include all the comprimarii.

The heartiest congratulations are due to M. Tamvaco and his publisher.

The Diaries of Giacomo Meyerbeer, Volume I, in English with commentary and notes by Robert Letellier (published December, 1999, Volume II due March, 2001). The life of the composer through 1839 is covered in volume I. $65. For more information, see description by author.

The above volume may be purchased through the Meyerbeer Fan Club. Click here to purchase

The Invisible Wall, by W. Michael Blumenthal, 444 pages Washington, DC: Paperback edition by Counterpoint (Perseus Books Group, 1999). The former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury under the Carter administration, himself a Berlin Jew who escaped the Shoah with his family some months after Krisstalnacht traces the history of German-Jewish relations in Berlin through the personal stories of himself and his some of his ancestors, including that of Giacomo Meyerbeer, to who he devotes an entire chapter.

From your webmaster: For anyone interested in the period, this book provides rich supplemental background about Meyerbeer, German-Jewish culture, and Richard Wagner. It is a fascinating read. Dr. Blumenthal now (November 21, 1999) serves as President and Chief Executive of the Berlin Jewish Museum.

FLASH (January 18, 1999): The long-awaited Fifth Volume of Giacomo Meyerbeer, Briefwechsel und Tagebücher was published by De Gruyter, Berlin, New York.

The following is from the editor, Dr. Sabine Henze-Döhring:

"Meyerbeer wrote a universal history, a history of human hearts and emotions, he broke the barriers of national prejudice, destroyed the constricting borders of linguistic idioms, he indeed wrote deeds of music...” – Stressing especially Meyerbeer's cosmopolitism, Richard Wagner in 1842 celebrated with these words the leading opera composer of the time – a composer whose music he defamed heavily eight years later in his writing "Das Judenthum in der Musik”, obviously as a kind of reaction to the enthusiastically celebrated premiere of the "Prophète” in 1849. Alexander von Humboldt greeted Meyerbeer in Berlin in the winter of 1851 and described him as "the man of the era”. This greeting was not only a reflection of Meyerbeer's importance to the musical world, but also to his widespread activities and influence over the cultural life of the planet. This demonstration of the fact that, in the outstanding position of a "musician”, that Meyerbeer was second to none, is also mirrored in Meyerbeer's voluminous correspondence (in part with the leading composers, writers, scientists, and other most prominent persons of the time), in his diaries, and in his pocket almanacs. All these documents are presented completely and with a comprehensive commentary in this edition. The orthography and punctuation of the original texts are given diplomatically. The fifth volume (containing the documents from 11 June 1849 to 31 Dec. 1852) continues the edition by Heinz and Gudrun Becker which begun in 1960 and was interrupted in 1984 with the completion of the fourth volume. It was the intention of the new editor to keep continuity as much as possible with the prior volumes; she just widened the scope to include all available documents. The new volume reveals the international early reception of "Le Prophète”, that was premièred under Meyerbeer himself in Dresden, Wien and Berlin. Furthermore, it documents the genesis of his next opera, "L'Etoile du nord”. This gives a fascinating insight into cultural life in the time of beginning restoration in Germany and France.

Sabine Henze-Döhring, born 1953, studied German literature, history and musicology at the University of Marburg. Dissertation: Opera seria, opera buffa und Mozart's "Don Giovanni", Laaber 1986 (Analecta musicologica, vol. 25); Habilitation 1991. Since 1992 Professor of musicology at the University of Marburg. Several articles about the history of the opera of 18th.and 19th century with special regart on the operas of Mozart, Rossini and Meyerbeer. Last book: Oper und Musidrama im 19. Jahrhundert, Laaber 1997 (together with Sieghart Döhring)

The Urbanization of Opera : Music Theater in Paris in the Nineteenth Century
by Anselm Gerhard, Mary Whittall (Translator) Hardcover - (August 1998) 488 pages
Table of Contents
Preface to the English-Language Edition Acknowledgments Chronology Introduction Ch. 1. Realities of a Metropolis Ch. 2. Victor-Joseph Etienne de Jouy, a Hermit in the City Ch. 3. Rossini and the Revolution Ch. 4. Eugene Scribe, an Apolitical Man of Letters Ch. 5. Meyerbeer and the Happy Medium Ch. 6. Victor Hugo, the Illustrious Poet as Librettist Ch. 7. Meyerbeer and Reaction Ch. 8. The Composer as Librettist Ch. 9. Verdi and an Institutional Crisis Ch. 10. The International View Ch. 11. Verdi and Interior Space Bibliography Index of Titles of Operas and Plays Index of Names

ROBERT LE DIABLE: The Ballet of the Nuns

Ann Hutchinson Guest, Director, Language of Dance Centre, London, UK and Knud Arne Jürgensen, Research Librarian, Royal Library, Copenhagen, Denmark

The following descriptive from the publisher:

Robert le Diable: The Ballet of the Nuns offers a new approach to the study of one of the most ground-breaking works in European ballet history. Based on the choreographic notations made by the great nineteeth-century Danish choreographer, August Bournonville, this spectral dance scene has been recreated by Knud Arne Jurgensen with the precision afforded by Labanotation, here recorded by Ann Hutchinson Guest. Supported by extensive historical source materials and study and performance notes, this book not only enables us to unearth a hitherto lost ballet from the Romantic period, but also represents the most accurate possible reflection of the very pulse of Romantic ballet.

Readership: Dance professionals, researchers, academics, and performers, as well as those interested in movement studies and dance notation.

April 1998	224pp	48 b&w illus.	210mm x 280mm
	Paperback Cloth	ISBN: 90-5700-002-4 90-5700-001-6	US$24 / £16 / ECU20 US$72 / £47 / ECU60

Language of Dance Series, Volume 7 -- Harwood Academic Publishers

All prices are tentative and subject to change.

Shaw's Music by Bernard Shaw. The Complete Musical Criticism in Three Volumes. Edited by Dan H. Lawrence. Volume I 1876-1890. 958 pages. Volume II, 1890-1893. 986 pages. Volume III, 1893-1950. 911 pages. New York: Dodd, Mead & Co.

Shaw sought to elevate Wagner's reputation in England. Even so, he was not afraid to champion Meyerbeer, and defied the Bayreuth decree that Meyerbeer's "Jewish music" was unacceptable in the world of art. Reviewed in The New York Times Book Review, Sunday, November 15, 1981.

Opera in America A Cultural History. By John Dizikes. Illustrated. 612 pages. New Haven: Yale University Press.

A section of this book is devoted to the vignette concerning the two competing versions of Robert le Diable that were to be staged in New Orleans in 1834. Reviewed in The New York Times Book Review, Sunday, October 31, 1993.

Giacomo Meyerbeer, A Life in Letters, by Heinz & Gudrun Becker, translated from the German by Mark Violette, 1989 Amadeus Press. 215 pages, illustrated. This work is a compilation with many detailed notes by two of the world's leading authorities on Meyerbeer. This is a condensation from their massive four volume publication of Meyerbeer's letters and diaries (published from 1960 to 1985) containing much material about the composer that had never before come to light. It is a fascinating document written with much care by people who obviously admire Meyerbeer and his music. Heinz and Gudrun Becker have written or edited numerous scholarly articles and papers in Germany on the subject of Meyerbeer.

Opera in Paris, 1800-1850, A Lively History, by Patrick Barbier, translated by Robert Louoma, 1995 Amadeus Press. This book is essential to the understanding of the importance of Meyerbeer to the developing French Grand Opera in the context of Parisian political and social history.

Meyerbeer Wagner. Eine Begegnung hrsg v. Gunhild Oberzaucher-Schüller, Marion Linhardt und Thomas Steiert. Wien Köln, Weimar, Böhlau Verlag 1998. Contact fimt.thurnau@uni.bayreuth.de

Description:

This book was written in connection with the premiere of Le Prophète in Vienna, 1998. It includes several essays: The Jewish artist, the historical context of the musical theatre in Paris, Wgner's stay in the French capital, Wagner's pamphlet "Jews and Music"; besides the essays, the book includes most of the documents concerning the relationship of the two composers. Authors are Erhard Busek, Gunhild Oberzaucher-Schüller, Marion Linhardt, Christoph Blitt, Mathias Spohr, Manuela Jahrmärker und Thomas Steiert

Available Libretti

If interested in any of the following libretti, please contact us in the feedback page

Gott und die natur, German

Gli Amore de Taolinda

Il Crociato in Egitto, Italian, English and French

Robert le Diable, French and English

Roberto il Diavolo, Italian version

Les Huguenots, French and English

Gli Ugonotti, Italian version

Le prophète, French and English

L'Étoile du nord, French and English

Dinorah, French and English

L'africaine, French and English

your comments? meyerb@meyerbeer.com

For frequent e-mail updates and news of your favorite neglected composers, PLEASE JOIN MEYERBEER FAN CLUB!!! Membership registration