"In this expertly written study, Davis defines the core quality of Giacomo Puccini's last four operas as a plurality of styles employed strategically toward formal and expressive ends. His conclusion—that Puccini's late style is essentially episodic, relying for its greatest impact on the juxtaposition of a traditional lyric, primarily vocal style (familiar to the audience of Puccini's day) and a more modern, international style—resonates in particular in reference to the organizing schemata of 19th-century Italian opera known as la solita forma. Davis lays out his theories in chapters devoted to each of Puccini's last four works. Absent an extensive knowledge of these operas, readers will want to have at hand a score to locate the many references cited in order to appreciate the full import and elegance of Davis's theories. Potentially contentious questions of composer's intent and audience reception are dealt with in sophisticated and convincing ways, as is the extent to which Puccini's personal life influenced his late style. Conversant in a wide range of disciplines, Davis has contributed an important addition to the field of Puccini studies and 19th-century Italian opera literature. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals. — Choice"—S. C. Champagne, Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, May 2011"Conversant in a wide range of disciplines, Davis has contributed an important addition to the field of Puccini studies and 19th-century Italian opera literature. . . . Recommended."—Choice"[T]o undertake analyses of four operas in one book is no easy task, but [Davis] accomplishes it adeptly. Despite potential contradictions in the identification of his proposed style characteristics, his analyses are insightful, challenging the reader to hear these operas in new ways. He has made tangible aspects of Puccini's music dramas that we may take for granted as intuitive, illuminating how dramatic moments move us and interact with the work as a whole."—Music Theory Online"[I] applaud Davis for his close readings of this much-loved but insufficiently studied repertoire, and for the pluralism of his methodology, which is in keeping with Puccini's seemingly conscious exploration of multiple styles, formal traditions, and harmonic dialects. . . The book deserves a wide readership for the important questions it answers, and for the additional questions it raises that call for further research.Dec 2012"—Nineteenth-Century Music Review
