Billy Budd, based on Herman Melville's nautical allegory, is one of Britten's most challenging operas. This comprehensive guide considers the work from both literary and musical viewpoints. Melville's novella is discussed, as is the interpretation given to the novella by the librettists E. M. Forster and Eric Crozier. A detailed synopsis guides the reader through the musical and dramatic action of the opera and in a chapter devoted to the music, Britten's distinctive technique of tonal symbolism is analysed to demonstrate the effectiveness of his musical response to the dramatic suggestions of Melville's story. The most important critical writings on Billy Budd are represented by an expanded version of Donald Mitchell's 1979 notebook on the opera. A final chapter charts the opera's stage history and fluctuating critical reception.

A detailed synopsis guides the reader through the musical and dramatic action of the opera, Billy Budd.
Reviews
"...a concise, informative study of Benjamin Britten's grandest opera." New York Daily News
"...excellent...enlightening...Cooke and Reed have put together a very useful and helpful handbook..." The Opera Journal



Book Information
ISBN 9780521387507
Author Mervyn Cooke
Format Paperback
Page Count 194
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 257g
Dimensions(mm) 215mm * 138mm * 17mm