Dido and Aeneas: An Opera (Norton Critical Scores)
£10.17
A comprehensive and useful study guide - The Norton Critical Scores series contain in a single volume both a study-size score of a major musical work and very comprehensive material to enable further study of that work. I used this particular book as an adjunct to a music course in which Henry Purcell’s opera, Dido and Aeneas, was a set work. I found it invaluable. The score itself and the libretto are based on the best available historical material and are clearly printed and well set out. The book provides a detailed synopsis of the opera which sets it within its historical context by discussing the background to the work, including the original source material and details of its first production. There are critical essays and comments from various distinguished sources, and the wide range of topics discussed include the problems caused by missing parts of the original manuscript, interpretation of the opera and the challenges faced by present day producers of the work. However, the section that many students or music lovers will find most useful is the detailed analysis of the music, the musical techniques used, the key structures used etc. For me, the use of this book whilst studying this particular opera has made a very enjoyable work even more so. Highly recommended.