Alban Berg: Lulu

by Douglas Jarman

Overview

This book is a guide to Berg's second opera, Lulu, written in non-technical language and intended for those students and music lovers wishing to become familiar with one of the masterpieces of twentieth-century music. Jarman presents a clear and concise introduction to the musical language and to the intricate musical and dramatic structure of Berg's opera. The volume also examines the literary background, the genesis, composition, and tortuous posthumous career of the work. The final chapters survey the performance history and suggest a possible interpretation of this complex and challenging composition. An important feature of the book is the inclusion of source documents and critical responses to the opera. Illustrated with photographs from the premiere and from recent productions, the volume also includes a synopsis, bibliography, and discography.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521284806
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	02/22/1991
Series:	Cambridge Opera Handbooks
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	172
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.50(d)

Table of Contents

List of illustrations; General preface; Acknowledgments; 1. Introduction: chronology and background; 2. From play to libretto; 3. Synopsis; 4. Posthumous history; 5. The formal design; 6. Melodic, harmonic and rhythmic language; 7. Act III, scene 2, b.1146 - 1326: an analysis; 8. A suggested interpretation; Documents 1. Pandora's Box (1905) Karl Kraus; 2. The case of 'Pandora's Box' (1905): From the judgement of the Berlin Royal District Court; 3. On the 'Pandora's Box' case (1906) Frank Wedekind; 4. A note on Act III of Lulu (1964) George Perle; 5. The 'lost' score of the 'Symphonic Pieces from Lulu' Douglas Jarman; Notes; Bibliography; Discography; Index.