General
Reference Bibliography
Song
Search
Two alphabetic lists of roles and arias, categorized by vocal range.
Includes index of roles in operas, and another of operas by composer.
Boldrey,
Richard. Guide to Operatic Roles and Arias.
Dallas: Pst...Inc.,
c1994. Ref ML102 .O6 B655 1994
An extensive listing of operatic roles, arias, and well-known singers
indexed by voice type.
deCharms, Desiree & Paul F. Breed. Songs in Collections: An Index. Detroit, MI: Information Service, 1966. Ref ML128 .S3 D37
Divided
into four sections; the first section lists art songs and arias.
Gives title of larger work and indicates which collections contain the
song. Indices to authors, titles,
and first lines.
Goleeke, Thomas.
Literature for Voice: An Index of Songs in Collections and Source Book
for Teachers of Singing. Metuchen,
NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1984. Ref
ML .S3 G64 1984
Songs are listed by the collections in which they are found.
Each entry gives original title and its English translation as well as
the range of each available key. Indices
by title and composer.
Dictionaries
Dahlhaus, Carl, ed. Pipers
Enzyklopadie des Musiktheaters: Oper, Operette, Musical, Ballett. Munchen: Piper, 1986-1997.
Ref ML102 .O6 P5 1986 Bd. 1-6
Comprehensive opera encyclopedia, in
German.
Griffel,
Margaret Ross. Operas in English: A Dictionary.
Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1999.
ML102 .O6 G74 1999
Catalog, by title, of English-language
operas.
Griffel,
Margaret Ross. Operas in German: A Dictionary.
New York: Greenwood Press, 1990. ML102
.O6 G75 1990
Catalog, by title, of German-language operas.
Includes brief history of German opera.
Hamilton, David.
The Metropolitan Opera Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Guide to the World
of Opera. New York: Simon and
Schuster, 1987. Ref ML102 .O6 M47 1987
Dictionary of topics, events regarding
the Metropolitan Opera company in New York.
Includes essays by Met celebrities on various entries.
Holden, Amanda,
ed. The
Viking Opera Guide. London; New
York: Viking, 1993. Ref
ML102 .O6 V55 1993
Medium-strength biographical
dictionary, containing terse plot summaries.
Kuhn, Laura, ed.
Baker’s Dictionary of Opera.
New York: Schirmer Books, 2000. Ref
ML 102 .O6 B26 2000
Full-strength biographical dictionary.
Includes a glossary and short catalog of very brief synopses.
Randel, Don
Michael, ed. The New Harvard Dictionary of Music. Cambridge, Mass. : Belknap
Press of Harvard University Press, 1986.
Ref ML100 .N485 1986
The
standard reference work in English for nonbiographical information, designed to
provide accurate and pertinent information on all musical topics.
The emphasis is on the historical approach and on Western art music, but
there is coverage of non-Western and popular musics.
Slonimsky,
Nicolas, ed. Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians.
New York : Schirmer Books, 2001.
Ref
ML105 .B16 2001 vol. 1-6
Baker's
is by far the most authoritative and extensive biographical dictionary in
English. It focuses mainly on
musicians and musical figures in the world of "art music."
This new centennial edition has expanded to six volumes.
Stanley Sadie,
ed. ; Bashford, Christine, managing editor. New
Grove Dictionary of Opera. London:
MacMillan: New York: Grove’s Dictionary of Music, 1992.
Ref ML102 .O6 N5 1992
vv. 1-4
Espresso-strength dictionary, brought
to you by the same people who publish the behemoth New
Grove Dictionary of Music. Includes
copious bibliographic references.
Smith, Eric
Ledell. Blacks in Opera: An Encyclopedia of People and Companies, 1873-1993.
Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 1995. Ref
ML102 .O6 S6 1995
Primarily a biographical dictionary of performers.
Includes two indices, one by occupation, the other by place of birth
(mostly in the United States).
Stockdale, F.M.,
Dreyer, M.R. The International Opera Guide. North
Pomfret, Vt.: Trafalgar Square Pub., 1990.
Ref ML102 .O6 S85 1990
Catalog of opera houses, companies,
and festivals. Includes a
“complete” list of operatic composers--actually a handful of (mostly)
nineteenth-century Europeans.
Research
Guides
Borroff, Edith.
American Operas: A Checklist. Warren,
Mich.: Harmonie Park Press, 1992. Ref ML128 .O4 B58 1992
Thorough catalog, listed
alphabetically by composer. Includes
contemporary composers up to the publication date.
Gruber, Clemens
Maria. Opern-Urauffuhrngen: Ein Internationales
Verzeichnis von der Renaissance bis zur Gegenwart.
Wien: Gesellschaft fur Musiktheater, 1978-1994.
Ref Ml128 .O4 G8 Bd. 1-3
A huge list of operas written by German, Austrian, and Swiss composers, updated to 1977. Introductions to the German text are translated into English, French, Italian, Russian, and Spanish.
Marco, Guy A.
Opera: A Research and Information
Guide, 2nd ed. New York:
Garland, 2001. Ref
ML128 .O4 M28 2001
Bibliography of references on all aspects
of opera. Supplants this here
bibliography but good. Really. Begin
all your opera research with New Grove and then come immediately to this
reference.
compiled
by Leslie Roberts & Kathy Abromeit
June 2001