Routledge English Dramatick Opera, 1661-1706 - Music History

Explore a unique period of musical history with English Dramatick Opera, 1661-1706. Part of the Ashgate Interdisciplinary Studies in Opera series, this work provides the first comprehensive examination of the distinctively English form known as "dramatick opera." This book tracks the development of the genre from its appearance on the London stage in the mid-1670s until it was replaced by Italian through-composed opera during the first decade of the eighteenth century. Andrew Walkling examines how the musical elements define the history of this form, while also looking at its origins in the tradition of spectacular stagecraft that emerged in England during the mid-1660s. For students, researchers, and music historians, this text offers a detailed look at an unidentified dramatic tradition that shaped the English stage. It serves as an essential resource for understanding the evolution of opera and the specific stagecraft that defined an era of performance in London.