The history of opera for beginners

by Ron David, Sara Woolley (Illustrator)

The History of Opera For Beginners is a humorous, little book which starts with the radical assumption that Opera is just plain old music, rather than the highbrow, inaccessible music that everyone assumes it to be. The reader will learn the difference between Italian and German Opera and why you don't have to study a new language to enjoy Opera. The History of Opera For Beginners is an ideal introduction for people who are convinced that opera is solely for those refined few who were born listening to arias. Written in short, humorous, and informative chapters, and laced with some of the opera world's juiciest anecdotes, this guide is sure to convert even the most ambivalent of music lovers.

Genres: History, Music, Nonfiction

167 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1995

Reviews

[Skjam! · Rating 3 out of 5]

Opera is one of the great art forms, blending theater and music into a powerful emotional experience. But it also has a stereotype of being incomprehensible melodrama that boring rich people drag their unwilling spouses to. And many of the books about opera are written by scholars who got their Doctor of Musicology degrees in the subject and expect you to follow along.

This volume is by an interested layman who presumes that you have very little knowledge on the subject and want a good place to start. It begins with the roots of opera in older forms of musical theater, then moves on to Italy in the Sixteenth Century, where the opera as such was invented. It covers the spread of opera across Europe and the major composers that created the most popular or influential pieces.

Then there’s a section on the part of opera that’s most accessible to the casual fan, the singers. It talks about what castrati were, and the historical performers we know about because the audience wrote about them. There’s rather more material about singers who have been recorded, starting with Enrico Caruso (who should probably replace Columbus as the official Italian-American holiday celebration.)

This is followed by a selection of the “best” operas with plot descriptions (most fit in a single page as opera tends to very thin plotlines.)

The book winds up with the author’s thoughts on where to proceed if you’re interested in more scholarly approaches to opera, a bibliography, and a guide to his favorite Youtube clips.

The general tone is snarky humor, enhanced by comedic art from Sara Woolley.

Recommended primarily for casual music fans, bright teenagers who want to know more about opera, and as a gag gift for opera lovers.

[Valerie Kollar · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://youtu.be/Bjqmg_7J53s
This scene from “The Shawshank Redemption” depicts pretty accurately my feelings about opera, and it {very} loosely resembles my first introduction to it as well. Basically, I’ve loved Opera since I was a little girl, but for most of my life have only known a few popular arias, and have had no idea what they were singing about. In college, I learned about a little more about Opera, via the music class I took, and also the few operas I’ve been to (four, actually) since then. So now I know the basic plots of the more famous operas, I can tell you the gist of what’s being said in my favorite arias, and my repertoire of familiar arias has increased… but there is so still much I really don’t know about. Enter this book. For anyone wanting to start their education on Opera, this is a good and fun little starter! It covers the basics, such as the history of Opera, famous Opera voices, how to listen to opera, and the plots of a few popular operas. It’s got lots of fun facts, and presents its information to the reader in a non snobby way. It’s definitely not the only book you’ll read, if you, like me, want to eventually know all there is to know about opera, but it’s definitely a good start. I recommend!

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a funny introduction to opera. At times the author tries too hard to be funny; and the constant use of "dude" is annoying like scratching on a chalk board. Otherwise, he provides useful information and valuable advice for the novice to opera.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entertaining introduction to opera for people who say they hate it or whose only exposure to opera involved watching countless Geico commercials involving Viking hats!

[Jaksen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know next to nothing about opera and have never found it particularly enthralling, let alone interesting. What snippets or pieces of operatic music I've heard I have tended to ignore or turn off, unless it's part of a movie soundtrack. However, I'm determined to learn about 'those things' about which I know nothing, opera being one of them. The writing is quick, spontaneous, witty, and succinct. I'm listening to the operas, or arias, as they are explained and finding the book - and music - somewhat interesting. (At least I know what it's all about.) I'm not a fan of all the music, but understanding sometimes leads to appreciation, and what perhaps sounded to me like a lot of 'shrieking female voices' is now something I at least understand. Do I love the music? No. Do I like some of it? Yes.

However, I lost interest somewhere and just couldn't finish the book.

I received a copy of this book through the goodreads giveaway program.

[Anela · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars.

I'm pretty sure I had a philosophy textbook in college from this publisher. I would have been happier with fewer fonts in the book.