Musical Symbolism in the Operas of Debussy and Bartók

Elliott Antokoletz is Professor of Musicology at the University of Texas at Austin. He received the Bela Bartok Memorial Plaque and Diploma from the Hungarian Government in 1981. He is author of several books and co-editor of the International Journal of Musicology.

• PREFACE;ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

For its organization, scope, and rigorous theoretic-analytical scrutiny, the book is a landmark in multidisciplinary studies that surround the dramaturgical and musical concepts of these two Symbolist operas. It integrates insights from psychoanalysis, feminist studies, and post-tonal theory to enrich our understanding of dramatic meaning suggested by the musical symbolism. The book is remarkable for its in-depth musical approach to a variety of psychological, social, and historical issues, which the author has drawn into the aesthetic orbit of these pioneering operas.