Opera : a research and information guideby Guy A. Marco. 2001 edition available in Reference. 1984 version in stacks.
Opera has been a source of entertainment since its first appearance in the late 16th century. Marco, a respected bibliographer and librarian, identified a core literature of materials on opera in the first edition (CH, Mar'85). Though this second edition bears a ghostly resemblance, it so greatly extends the first edition that it might properly be considered an independent work. Chapters on general topics (history of the genre, opera companies, opera in various countries, recordings, criticism, etc.) provide support for the large chapter dealing with opera composers and their works (which will be the most used section). Entries are uniform in format, with tag lines indicating the works' appearance in Avant-scene opera, Cambridge Opera Handbooks, and other compendiums. This feature is most useful for finding plot precis or other low-level information. Many entries have been entirely reworked from the previous edition. Monographs, dissertations, articles, and some scores are included in the bibliography, and (among other niceties) congress and meeting papers are analyzed. This effort surpasses the first edition in content, quality, and design. Upper-division and graduate students; faculty.