The Politics of Opera: A History from Monteverdi to Mozart

by Mitchell Cohen

Overview

A wide-ranging look at the interplay of opera and political ideas through the centuries

The Politics of Opera takes readers on a fascinating journey into the entwined development of opera and politics, from the Renaissance through the turn of the nineteenth century. What political backdrops have shaped opera? How has opera conveyed the political ideas of its times? Delving into European history and thought and music by such greats as Monteverdi, Lully, Rameau, and Mozart, Mitchell Cohen reveals how politics—through story lines, symbols, harmonies, and musical motifs—has played an operatic role both robust and sotto voce. This is an engrossing book that will interest all who love opera and are intrigued by politics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780691211510
Publisher:	Princeton University Press
Publication date:	12/08/2020
Pages:	512
Sales rank:	502,727
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Mitchell Cohen is professor of political science at Baruch College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and coeditor emeritus of Dissent magazine. His books include Zion and State and The Wager of Lucien Goldmann (Princeton).

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations ix

Prologue Mixtures, Boundaries, Parallels xiii

Acknowledgments xxxi

Part 1 Metamorphoses, Ancient to Modern

1 Who Rules? 3

2 Reigning Voices 18

Intermedio (I) 37

3 Laws and Laurels 40

Part 2 Mantua to Venice

4 Orpheus’s Ways 55

Intermedio (II) 64

5 A Prince Decides on Naxos 71

Intermedio (III) 81

6 The Political Scenario of Monteverdi’s Venice 84

7 Revealing Ulysses 101

Intermedio (IV) 119

8 Spectacles 124

Part 3 Under French Suns

9 Agitations and Absolutes 143

10 In the Winds The Decades of Pernucio and Telemachus 167

Un court intermède 188

11 Vertical, Horizontal 197

12 Nature and Its Discontents 216

Part 4 Ancients in Modernity

13 From Elysium to Utica 225

Zwischenspiel (I) 244

14 From Crete to Rome 252

Part 5 “. . . And although I am no Count . . .”

15 Masters and Servants 267

Zwischenspiel (II) 292

16 Gaits of History 301

17 Looking for Enlightenment 335

18 Tamino’s Wonder 353

Sarastro’s Sabbatical This Is Not a Finale 373

Appendix “Backstage” 391

Notes 407

Select Bibliography 449

Index 465

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"A tour de force. This is a lively and engaging account of the history of politics in opera, written with precision and grace. Vividly rendered, sweeping in scope, and a pleasure to read, Cohen's book is an astonishing achievement."—Julie Otsuka, author of The Buddha in the Attic

"In The Politics of Opera, Cohen brings a music lover's avidity and scholar's lucidity to the ever-changing relationship between the operatic stage and the political world. His invigorating book gives art and ideology their due—a rare achievement. Cohen zeroes in on the political and social pressures that shape an artist's choices, but he never denies the transformative power of the creative imagination. His easy command of the crossroads where art and politics meet bears comparison with Irving Howe's classic Politics and the Novel."—Jed Perl, author of Magicians and Charlatans: Essays on Art and Culture

"To say that The Politics of Opera is a remarkable achievement would be to give no sense of the magnitude of the undertaking, the challenge of writing a work that does justice not only to the political underpinnings of opera, but also to its music, drama, dramaturgy, and singers. This is an important cultural history and Cohen is a brilliant guide."—Richard Kramer, author of Cherubino's Leap and Unfinished Music

"In The Politics of Opera, Cohen offers a new reading of libretti and musical theory informed by his excellent knowledge of the history of political thought. To my knowledge there is no similar book covering these questions in such depth or wide geographical breadth. This was a pleasure to read."—Nicole Reinhardt, Durham University (UK)

"Extremely erudite, this book is beautifully crafted. Its powerful prose evokes wonderful images throughout and brings the early history of opera close to the reader. Almost every page shows the author's immense intellectual range."—Axel Körner, University College London

Editorial Reviews

"A fascinating study of opera's musicology, performance history, and the political operatives who were pulling the artistic strings."

New York Journal of Books

"This subtly insightful book helps readers experience these timeless masterpieces anew."

Foreign Affairs

"Delving into the world of composers such as Monteverdi, Lully, Rameau and Mozart, the author reveals how operas, through story lines, symbols, harmonies and musical motifs, have spoken of politics—sometimes loudly, sometimes sotto voce."

Opera America

"Surprises await even the well-informed operaphile."

Opera News

"Shortlisted for the Laura Shannon Prize in Contemporary European Studies, Nanovic Institute, University of Notre Dame"

Winner of the 2018 PROSE Award in Music & the Performing Arts, Association of American Publishers

Winner of the 2018 Presidential Excellence Award for Distinguished Scholarship, Baruch College, City University of New York

One of the Evening Standard Best Books of 2017 (chosen by Anne McElvoy)

From the Publisher