Carl Maria Von Weber and the Search for a German Opera

Stephen C. Meyer has published in the Journal of the American Musicological Society, Opera Quarterly, and Cambridge Opera Journal. In addition to his scholarly work, he maintains an active career as a singer.

• DedicationAcknowledgements1. Introduction: Inventing German Opera2. The Native and the Foreign: Models for the German Opera3. Der Freischütz and the Character of the Nation 4. Euryanthe: Reconfiguration and Transformation5. Epilogue: Institutions, Aesthetics and Genre after Weber's Death Appendix 1: Synopsis of Das unterbrochene Opferfest Appendix 2: Comparative Table: Versions of Das unterbrochene Opferfest Appendix 3: Synopsis of Méhul's Joseph Appendix 4: Comparative Table: Versions of the Joseph Finale Appendix 5: Synopsis of Euryanthe BibliographyIndex

"German national, political, social, and musical spirit grew aggressively in the late—18th and early, 19th centuries, contesting Italian domination of opera. Because the singspiel, with its folk origins, could not serve as equal competitor with either Italian opera buffa or opera seria, German composers searched for formulas that might yield a viable national opera. Weber's Der Freischütz (Freischutz) provided impetus. Euryanthe was a further step in the reconfiguration and transformation of German opera. Meyer details the nature of the conflict that led to new institutions, aesthetics, and opera genre after Weber's death and the compromises that eventually produced the German romantic opera. Thoroughly researched, copiously footnoted, and including an extensive bibliography, this volume is a logical companion to Michael Tusa's Euryanthe and Carl Maria von Weber's Dramaturgy of German Opera (CH, Feb'92). Summing Up: Recommended. Scholars and opera historians.July 2003"—R. Miller, Oberlin College"Meyer strikes a remarkable balance between historic and cultural sources relating to German nationalism, visual arts (paintings), and musico—dramatic analysis. As a result, this book is of interest to historians, German literature scholars, opera scholars, as well as musicologists."—Net Review