When you are an every-performance opera devotee or listen only occasionally, this book can help you to multiply many times the enjoyment you get from great music. Mr. Cross, whose name and voice have long been associated with the finest in radio, has compiled in this one volume all the information that any listener needs to get the greatest pleasure from the opera. It is written in a simple and lucid style, and its authority stems from Mr. Cross painstaking examination of original sources. Included are Part l—Play-by-play description: of 72 famous operas, covering plot, dialogue, and every important aria. This is straight music-to-prose description, undecorated by editorial bias of the operas most often performed and heard. Part II—How to enjoy an opera, what to listen to, what to look for. Part Ill—A short history of the development of the opera as an art form. Part IV—Discussion of the ballet as a traditional part of open. There is also a reading guide for further information, and a detailed index.
