Opera is the fastest growing of all the performing arts, attracting audiences of all ages who are enthralled by the gorgeous music, vivid drama, and magnificent productions. If you've decided that the time has finally come to learn about opera and discover it for yourself, this is the book for you.

Opera 101 is recognized as the standard text in English for anyone who wants to become an opera lover. It is a clear, friendly, and truly

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The book introduces opera and analyzes eight masterpieces: "Don Giovanni" by Mozart, "Dido and Aeneas" by Purcell, "The Barber of Seville" by Rossini, "Rigoletto" by Verdi, "The mastersingers of Nuremberg" by Wagner, "Boris Godunov" by Mussorgsky, "Carmen" by Bizet, and "Tosca" by Puccini. The cd contains key songs from each opera that are broken into "timelines" in the text.

Introduces the history and terminology of opera, explains the stories of seventy-five favorites, and looks at major composers and singers.