Inside Bluebeard's Castle: Music and Drama in B�la Bart�k's Opera

by Carl S. Leafstedt

Overview

The first full-length examination of Bartók's 1911 opera Duke Bluebeard's Castle, this is an authoritative study of one of the twentieth century's enduring operatic works. Leafstedt adopts a broad approach to the study of opera by introducing, in addition to the expected music-dramatic analysis, topics of a more interdisciplinary nature that are new to the field of Bartók studies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195181968
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	07/14/2005
Edition description:	Revised ed.
Pages:	254
Product dimensions:	1.00(w) x 1.00(h) x 1.00(d)
Lexile:	1490L (what's this?)

Table of Contents

IntroductionPART I. Bartók, Balázs, and the Creation of a Modern Hungarian Opera1. Bartók, Balázs, and the Creation of Bluebeard's Castle2. Bluebeard as Theater: The Dramatic Heritage of Balázs's Symbolist PlayPART II. Music and Drama in Bluebeard's Castle3. The Music of Bluebeard's Castle4. Analysis of Individual Scenes- Prologue- Torture Chamber- Armory- Treasury- Garden- Bluebeard's Domains- Lake of Tears- Former Wives5. Bartók's Revisions to the Opera, 1911-1917PART III. Contextual Studies6. The Bluebeard Story in Turn-of-the-Century Literature7. Judith: The Significance of a NameAppendix. Duke Bluebeard's Castle: Notes on the text by Béla Balázs, circa 1915

Editorial Reviews

"Because of Leafstedt's deep study, we go through the seven doors of Bluebeard's castle, musically and dramatically. On this extended journey we gain a better understanding of the intricacies of the plot and the dramatic action. His thorough examination of the folklore surrounding the myth of Bluebeard proves quite enlightening." - - The Opera Journal

"...[Leafsteadt] thoroughly and imaginatively examines Judith's character and the psychological implications of the Bluebeard legend. Writing in an accessible style based on sound scholarship, the author unites literary and musical sources. This unique, high-level study of an important early-20th-century masterpiece should appeal to graduate students, researchers, and faculty."—Choice

From the Publisher