{"product_id":"weep-shudder-die-on-opera-and-poetry-paperback","title":"Weep, Shudder, Die: On Opera and Poetry - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eDana Gioia\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"Looking at opera from the standpoint of its texts, as only a gifted poet and librettist can do, Dana Gioia examines why a surprisingly small number of operas have attained a secure place in the repertory. His insight into the workings of this uniquely lyrical fusion of the arts makes \u003ci\u003eWeep, Shudder, Die\u003c\/i\u003e not only a definitive assessment of the importance of poetry to the operatic undertaking, but a gift to opera lovers everywhere. Read...Reflect...Delight!\"\u003cbr\u003e--Ted Libbey, author of \u003ci\u003eThe NPR Listener's Encyclopedia of Classical Music\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eWeep, Shudder, Die\u003c\/i\u003e should be read by anyone who enjoys opera, or who cares about its place in today's world. Dana Gioia explores, with imagination and insight, the relationship between the libretto and the music. I learned a great deal in reading it, and at the same time enjoyed the experience immensely.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e--Henry Fogel, Former President, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and League of American Orchestras\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eA unique book about opera--personal, impassioned, and provocative. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eWeep, Shudder, Die\u003c\/i\u003e explores opera from the perspective by which the art was originally created, as the most intense form of poetic drama. The great operas have an essential connection to poetry, song, and the primal power of the human voice. The aim of opera is irrational enchantment, the unleashing of emotions and visionary imagination.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGioia rejects the conventional view of opera which assumes that great operas can be built on execrable texts. He insists that in opera, words matter. Operas begin as words; strong words inspire composers, weak words burden them. Ultimately, singers embody the words to give the music a human form for the audience.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eWeep, Shudder, Die\u003c\/i\u003e is a poet's book about opera. To some, that statement will suggest writing that is airy, impressionistic, and unreliable, but a poet also brings a practical sense of how words animate opera, lend life to imaginary characters, and give human shape to music. Written from a lifelong devotion to the art, Gioia's book is for anyone who has wept in the dark of an opera house.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eDana Gioia is a poet and critic. He has published six full-length collections of verse\u003ci\u003e―\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e99 Poems: New \u0026amp; Selected\u003c\/i\u003e won the Poets' Prize as the best new book of the year, and \u003ci\u003eInterrogations at Noon won\u003c\/i\u003e the American Book Award\u003ci\u003e―\u003c\/i\u003eand a memoir, \u003ci\u003eStudying with Miss Bishop \u003c\/i\u003e(Paul Dry Books, 2021). His controversial volume \u003ci\u003eCan Poetry Matter?\u003c\/i\u003e was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and is credited with helping revive the role of poetry in American public culture. Gioia has written five opera libretti, collaborated with musicians in genres from classical to jazz, and has served as the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts and as California State Poet Laureate. He divides his time between Los Angeles and Sonoma County, California.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 218\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.3 x 7.9 x 4.9 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e December 03, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51755541037344,"sku":"9781589881969","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/38b0ce3027eb2d412156d0a195f8f340.webp?v=1780061677","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/weep-shudder-die-on-opera-and-poetry-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}