Opera and Politics in Queen Anne's Britain, 1705-1714

Author:   Thomas McGeary
Publisher:   Boydell & Brewer Ltd
ISBN:  

9781783277155


Pages:   444
Publication Date:   26 July 2022
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
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Opera and Politics in Queen Anne's Britain, 1705-1714


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Overview

Explores the political meanings that Italian opera - its composers, agents and institutions - had for audiences in eighteenth-century Britain. The reign of Queen Anne (1702-1714) was pivotal for both politics and opera in Britain. In this study, Thomas McGeary brings together a wide range of sources to show how the worlds of politics and opera were entwined. The associations that Italian singing and singers acquired by the 1690s were used in partisan Whig-Tory writings. Rather than a foreign invasion, McGeary shows how the introduction of Italian-style opera was a native product that grew out of plans for a new theatre in the Haymarket. A crucial event for opera was Handel's arrival in London in 1710. While the criticism of opera by Whig writers such as Richard Steele and Joseph Addison is well known, McGeary uncovers how the early promotion and sponsorship of opera was, in fact, largely a Whig enterprise and cultural program. Indeed, major political figures (mostly Whigs) participated in the support and patronage of opera. Opera and Politics in Queen Anne's Britain will be required reading for opera scholars and cultural and political historians of eighteenth-century Britain, as well those interested in the vibrant literature culture of the period.

Full Product Details

Author:   Thomas McGeary
Publisher:   Boydell & Brewer Ltd
Imprint:   The Boydell Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.60cm , Height: 1.50cm , Length: 23.40cm
Weight:   0.001kg
ISBN:  

9781783277155


ISBN 10:   1783277157
Pages:   444
Publication Date:   26 July 2022
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1 Opera in the English Manner 2 The Infiltration of Italian Music and Singing 3 Italian and English Singing and Partisan Politics 4 The Haymarket Theatre: A Whig Project 5 Whigs and Opera in the Italian Manner 6 1710: The Year of Great Change in Politics and Opera 7 Whigs Confront Opera: Britain at a Machiavellian Moment 8 Addison: Opera and the Politics of Politeness 9 The Whig Campaign for English Opera; Handel Celebrates the Peace Epilogue Appendix 1: Operatic Works Produced (or Known) in London, ca. 1660-1704 Appendix 2: Principal Independent Theatrical Masques Produced in London, 1676-1705 Appendix 3: Opera Performances by Season in London, 1705-1714 Appendix 4: Aria Types in All-sung Operas Produced in London, 1705-1714. Bibliography Index

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Author Information

THOMAS MCGEARY holds a PhD in musicology from the University of Illinois. He is the author of The Politics of Opera in Handel's Britain, 1720-1742 (CUP, 2013) and Opera and Politics in Queen Anne's Britain, 1705-1714 (Boydell, 2022). He has published widely in art history, literature, and music history journals, including Burlington Magazine, British Art Journal, Philological Quarterly, Review of English Studies, British Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies, Early Music, Journal of the Royal Musical Association, and Musical Quarterly.

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