Opera Odyssey

Ottenberg synthesizes material from a variety of sources--annals memoirs and scholarly sources--and with them weaves a coherent narrative of what was performed where by whom and what developments took place. Works companies and individual singers are discussed to reveal the 19th-century world of performance styles and audience expectations. This is a fascinating look at a relatively unexplored part of American musical and cultural history; the book casts new light on opera in America--its variety popularity and appeal to changing audiences throughout the century.