TheCambridgeCompaniontoSeventeenth-CenturyOperaisamuch-neededintroductiontooneofthemostdefiningareasofWesternmusichistory-thebirthofoperaanditsdevelopmentsduringthefirstcenturyofitsexistence.Fromopera’sItalianfoundationstoitsgrowththroughEuropeandtheAmericas,thevolumechartsthechanginglandscape-onstageandbeyond-whichshapedthewayoperawasproducedandreceived.Witharangefromopera’ssixteenth-centuryantecedentstothethresholdoftheeighteenthcentury,thispathbreakingbookisbroadenoughtofunctionasacomprehensiveintroduction,yetsufficientlydetailedtooffervaluableinsightsintomostofearlyopera’smanyfacets;itguidesthereadertowardsauthoritativewrittenandmusicalsourcesappropriateforfurtherstudy.Itwillbeofinteresttoawideaudience,includingundergraduateandgraduatestudentsinuniversitiesandequivalentinstitutions,andamateurandprofessionalmusicians.
