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The Best Books About Or Featuring The Opera (Nonfiction & Fiction)

“What are the best books about or featuring The Opera?” We looked at 327 of the top nonfiction & fiction opera books, aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!

The top 32 titles, all appearing on 2 or more “Best Opera” book lists, are ranked below by how many lists they appear on. The remaining 275+ titles, as well as the lists we used are in alphabetical order at the bottom of the page.

Happy Scrolling!



Top 32 Books About The Opera



32 .) A History of Opera by Carolyn Abbate

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Met Opera

Why has opera transfixed and fascinated audiences for centuries? Carolyn Abbate and Roger Parker answer this question in their “effervescent, witty” (Die Welt, Germany) retelling of the history of opera, examining its development, the musical and dramatic means by which it communicates, and its role in society. Now with an expanded examination of opera as an institution in the twenty-first century, this “lucid and sweeping” (Boston Globe) narrative explores the tensions that have sustained opera over four hundred years: between words and music, character and singer, inattention and absorption. Abbate and Parker argue that, though the genre’s most popular and enduring works were almost all written in a distant European past, opera continues to change the viewer― physically, emotionally, intellectually―with its enduring power.

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31 .) Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Wikipedia

Ann Pratchett’s award winning, New York Times bestselling Bel Canto balances themes of love and crisis as disparate characters learn that music is their only common language. As in Patchett’s other novels, including Truth & Beauty and The Magician’s Assistant, the author’s lyrical prose and lucid imagination make Bel Canto a captivating story of strength and frailty, love and imprisonment, and an inspiring tale of transcendent romance.

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30 .) Death at La Fenice (Commissario Brunetti, #1) by Donna Leon

Lists It Appears On:

  • Wikipedia
  • Goodreads

“There is little violent crime in Venice, a serenely beautiful floating city of mystery and magic, history and decay. But the evil that does occasionally rear its head is the jurisdiction of Guido Brunetti, the suave, urbane vice-commissario of police and a genius at detection. Now all of his admirable abilities must come into play in the deadly affair of Maestro Helmut Wellauer, a world-renowned conductor who died painfully from cyanide poisoning during an intermission at La Fenice.

But as the investigation unfolds, a chilling picture slowly begins to take shape—a detailed portrait of revenge painted with vivid strokes of hatred and shocking depravity. And the dilemma for Guido Brunetti will not be finding a murder suspect, but rather narrowing the choices down to one. . . .”

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29 .) Farewell To My Concubine (Pa-wang pieh Chi) by Lilian Lee

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Wikipedia

Beginning amid the decadent glamour of China in the 1930s and ending in the 1980s in Hong Kong, this brilliant novel, which formed the basis for the award-winning movie, is the passionate story of an opera student who falls in love with his best friend, and the beautiful woman who comes between them.

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28 .) Handel’s Operas, 1726-1741 by Dean Winton

Lists It Appears On:

  • Classical Net
  • Goodreads

Each chapter contains a full synopsis and study of the libretto, a detailed assessment of the opera’s musical and (often misunderstood) dramatic qualities, a performance history, and comparison of the different versions. Much new material has been incorporated. In addition four general chapters throw a vivid light on the historical background. Two Epilogues touch on Handel’s dramatic vision, the revival of his operas in the twentieth century, and their performance today.

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27 .) Maskerade (Discworld, #18; Witches #5) by Terry Pratchett

Lists It Appears On:

  • Wikipedia
  • Goodreads

“The Ghost in the bone-white mask who haunts theAnkh-Morpork Opera House was always considered a benign presence — some would even say lucky — until he started killing people. The sudden rash of bizarre backstage deaths now threatens to mar the operatic debut of country girl Perdita X. (nee Agnes) Nitt, she of the ample body and ampler voice.

Perdita’s expected to hide in the chorus and sing arias out loud while a more petitely presentable soprano mouths the notes. But at least it’s an escape from scheming Nanny Ogg and old Granny Weatherwax back home, who want her to join their witchy ranks.”

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26 .) Mawrdew Czgowchwz by James McCourt

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Wikipedia

Diva Mawrdew Czgowchwz (pronounced “Mardu Gorgeous”) bursts like the most brilliant of comets onto the international opera scene, only to confront the deadly malice and black magic of her rivals. Outrageous and uproarious, flamboyant and serious as only the most perfect frivolity can be, James McCourt’s entrancing send-up of the world of opera has been a cult classic for more than a quarter-century. This comic tribute to the love of art is a triumph of art and love by a contemporary American master.

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25 .) Nineteenth-Century Italian Opera: From Rossini to Puccini by Daniele Pistone

Lists It Appears On:

  • Classical Net
  • Questia

Intended for the performer and general music lover as well as for students and musicologists, this three-part retrospective of Italian opera of the romantic era focuses on the settings, characters, and styles of the librettos; the voices, orchestration, and formal structure of the music; and the contemporary exigencies of the performance itself, moving from behind-the-scenes administration and artistry to the front-and-center interpreters and the audiences they played to.

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24 .) Opera as Drama by Joseph Kerman

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Opera Pulse

Passionate, witty, and brilliant, Opera as Drama has been lauded as one of the most controversial, thought-provoking, and entertaining works of operatic criticism ever written

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23 .) Opera Cat by Tess Weaver

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Operaversity

From a brand-new author-illustrator team comes a humorous, heartwarming story about a special relationship between a cat and her owner. Alma the cat lives with Madame SoSo, an opera diva. When Madame rehearses, Alma softly sings along. Madame doesn’t know Alma’s secret—in fact, she doesn’t pay Alma much attention at all. But on the night of the big performance, Madame comes down with laryngitis . . . and at last Alma is given a chance to prove she is no ordinary animal. Accompanied by vivid, detail-filled illustrations, this story will resonate with anyone—feline or human—who has ever longed for a moment in the spotlight.

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22 .) Opera For Dummies by David Pogue and Scott Speck

Lists It Appears On:

  • Aria Database
  • NPR

Opera is weird. Everybody wears makeup and sings all the time. Even when they’re singing your language, which is rare, you still can’t understand the words. Women play men, men play women, and 45-year-olds play teenagers. All the main characters seem to get killed off. And when somebody dies, he takes ten minutes to sing about it. Yet, for all its weirdness, an operatic experience is an experience in breathtaking beauty. When you hear a soprano float a soft high C, or a tenor singing a love song, or a full-throated chorus in the climax of a scene’s dramatic finale, you can’t help getting goosebumps.

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21 .) Pet of the Met by Don Freeman and Lydia Freeman

Lists It Appears On:

  • Operaversity
  • Wikipedia

“A classic returns!
Viking is pleased to reissue this Don Freeman tale about an operaloving mouse. Maestro Petrini, the tiny page-turner for the Prompter at the Metropolitan Opera House, has always evaded Mefisto the cat until the day Petrini gets carried away by Mozart?s Magic Flute and joins the performers onstage.”

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20 .) Photo Finish (Roderick Alleyn, #31) by Ngaio Marsh

Lists It Appears On:

  • Wikipedia
  • Goodreads

As in her previous book, Grave Mistake, Ngaio Marsh offers up a lady of a certain age, high-strung and hyperventilating, two ticks short of neurosis. Photo Finish’s dead diva, the soprano Isabella Sommita, was widely loathed, so much so that the problem is less a lack of plausible suspects than an embarrassment of options. Though the grand country-house – and with it, the country-house murder – was history by 1980, when Photo Finish was originally published, Dame Ngaio got around the problem by setting the story on a lavish island estate, cut off from the mainland by a sudden storm. Happily, Inspector Alleyn is among the guests, and can take charge in the coppers’ absence. The penultimate book in the series, Photo Finish is also one of only four books set in Marsh’s native New Zealand.

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19 .) Saturday Afternoons at the Old Met: The Metropolitan Opera Broadcasts, 1931-1950 by Paul Jackson

Lists It Appears On:

  • Classical Net
  • Questia

In this first of three volumes, Paul Jackson begins a rich and detailed history of the early years of the Metropolitan Opera broadcasts, bringing to life more than 200 recorded broadcasts.

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18 .) Sign-Off for the Old Met: The Metropolitan Opera Broadcasts, 1950-1966 by Paul Jackson

Lists It Appears On:

  • Classical Net
  • Questia

This second volume of Paul Jackson’s popular chronicle of the Metropolitan Opera Broadcasts covers the period from the beginning of the Rudolf Bing era to the destruction of the old Met and the move to its present home at Lincoln Center. Jackson looks at 200 broadcasts featuring artists under the leadership of a host of great conductors including Reiner, Mitropoulos, and Solti.

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17 .) Sing Me a Story : The Metropolitan Opera’s Book of Opera Stories for Children by Jane Rosenberg, Luciano Pavarotti

Lists It Appears On:

  • Opera Cast
  • WOSU

Jane Rosenberg’s delightful retellings for children of the greatest operas―whether the tales are read as introductions to a opera or to relive a production already seen, art and text combine to give a clear understanding of plot, scene, and character. Young children in particular will enjoy reading the stories―or having them read―both as lovely fairy tales and to help them share in the magic of a real dramatic performance.

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16 .) The Bel Canto Operas of Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini by Charles Osborne

Lists It Appears On:

  • Aria Database
  • Classical Net

The author treats each of Rossini’s 39 operas, Donizetti’s 66, and Bellini’s 10, discussing the libretto and the circumstances of each opera’s first performance, outlining the plot, and ending with an analysis of the music.

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15 .) The Complete Operas of Mozart by Charles Osborne

Lists It Appears On:

  • Aria Database
  • Operamania

The major operas of Mozart—Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute, Cosìfan Tutte—are well known to music listeners everywhere, having secured a permanent place in the repertoire of companies throughout the world. But how much do you know about La Clemenza di Tito, Idomeneo, L’Oca del Cairo, Zaide? Charles Osborne here provides detailed descriptions of all of these and fourteen others in a volume that serves both a first-rate biography and an exhaustive critical guide to the Mozart oeuvre. Charles Osborne is obviously in command of the literature: He quotes copiously from the mountain of letters, contemporary journals, and the most recent scholarship dealing with the period. His fourfold approach—linking biography with musical, textual, and dramatic analysis—is uniquely satisfying for those seeking an integrated understanding of opera’s many dimensions. With a plot summary and character listings of each work, The Completes Operas of Mozart can be read in one sitting for a panoramic sweep of Mozart’s operatic genius or for reliable reference by the phonograph or radio.

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14 .) The Complete Operas of Verdi by Charles Osborne

Lists It Appears On:

  • Aria Database
  • Operamania

In this volume, every Verdi opera is explored from four points of view: Verdi’s life at the time each was written; the story, and the way it links with the music; the libretto and librettist, and Verdi’s relations with his publishers; and the music itself, analyzed with examples from the score.

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13 .) The Dog Who Sang at the Opera by Marshall Izen

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Operaversity

Pasha, a dog who believes herself to be beautiful and perfect, joins the company of “Manon” at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House, but on opening night she cannot resist singing along with the diva.

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12 .) The Metropolis Case by Matthew Gallaway

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • Wikipedia

“An unlikely quartet is bound together across centuries and continents by the strange and spectacular history of Richard Wagner’s masterpiece opera Tristan and Isolde.

Martin is a forty-year-old lawyer who, despite his success, feels disoriented and disconnected from his life in post-9/11 Manhattan. But even as he comes to terms with the missteps of his past, he questions whether his life will feel more genuine going forward.

Decades earlier, in the New York of the 1960s, Anna is destined to be a grande dame of the international stage. As she steps into the spotlight, however, she realizes that the harsh glare of fame may be more than she bargained for.”

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11 .) The Operas of Verdi : From Oberto to Rigoletto by Julian Budden

Lists It Appears On:

  • Aria Database
  • Opera Cast

“Volume 1 traces the organic growth and development of the composer’s style from 1839 to 1851–from Oberto to Rigoletto–and examines each opera in detail, offering a full account of its dramatic and historical origins as well as a brief critical evaluation. More than 350 musical examples make the significance of these early operas to Verdi’s developing style especially clear.
In the second volume, Budden covers those operas written during the decadence of the post-Rossini period. During this time Verdi, having exhausted the simple lyricism found in such works as Il Trovatore and La Traviata, found new life as he directly confronted the masters of the Paris opera with his Les Vêpres Siciliennes. The new scale and variety of musical thought that can be sensed in the Italian operas which followed is shown here to culminate in La Forza del Destino.
The third and final volume of the study covers the quarter century which saw grand opera on the Parisian model established throughout Italy, and the spread of cosmopolitan influences that convinced many that Italian music was losing its identity. Verdi produced his four last and greatest operas during this time–Don Carlos, Aida, Otello, and Falstaff–operas which helped inaugurate “”versimo,”” in which a new, recognizably Italian idiom was realized.”

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10 .) The Perfect Wagnerite : A Commentary on the Nibelung’s Ring by George Bernard Shaw

Lists It Appears On:

  • Classical Net
  • Opera Cast

Now suppose a man comes along: a man who has no sense of the golden age, nor any power of living in the present: a man with common desires, cupidities, ambitions, just like most of the men you know. Suppose you reveal to that man the fact that if he will only pluck this gold up, and turn it into money, millions of men, driven by the invisible whip of hunger, will toil underground and overground night and day to pile up more and more gold for him until he is master of the world! – George Bernard Shaw (1898) In Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), Richard Wagner proposed to produce a myth in three complete dramas, preceded by a lengthy Prelude. Though famous for his music, Wagner proved in this masterpiece that he was much more than a composer. The philosophical theme of The Ring is as relevant today as when it was first written in summer 1848.

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9 .) The Queen’s Throat: Opera, Homosexuality, and the Mystery of Desire by Wayne Koestenbaum

Lists It Appears On:

  • Classical Net
  • Goodreads

This passionate love letter to opera, lavishly praised and nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award when it was first published, is now firmly established as a cult classic. In a learned, moving, and sparklingly witty melange of criticism, subversion, and homage, Wayne Koestenbaum illuminates mysteries of fandom and obsession, and has created an exuberant work of personal meditation and cultural history.

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8 .) The Song of the Lark (Great Plains Trilogy, #2) by Willa Cather

Lists It Appears On:

  • Wikipedia
  • Goodreads

A novelist and short-story writer, Willa Cather is today widely regarded as one of the foremost American authors of the twentieth century. Particularly renowned for the memorable women she created for such works as My Ántonia and O Pioneers!, she pens the portrait of another formidable character in The Song of the Lark. This, her third novel, traces the struggle of the woman as artist in an era when a women’s role was far more rigidly defined than it is today.

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7 .) The Viking Opera Guide by Amanda Holden, with Nicholas Kenyon and Stephen Walsh

Lists It Appears On:

  • Classical Net
  • Opera Cast

A detailed guide to operas, arranged alphabetically by composer, discusses monodies, masques, and grand, tragic, and comic operas, modern music dramas, operettas, and musicals and features contributions from musicologists, critics, musicians, and other experts.

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6 .) Wagner Without Fear: Learning to Love – And Even Enjoy – Opera’s Most Demanding Genius by William Berger

Lists It Appears On:

  • Classical Net
  • Goodreads

“Do you cringe when your opera-loving friends start raving about the latest production of Tristan? Do you feel faint just thinking about the six-hour performance of Parsifal you were given tickets to? Does your mate accuse you of having a Tannhäuser complex? If you’re baffled by the behavior of Wagner worshipers, if you’ve longed to fathom the mysteries of Wagner’s ever-increasing popularity, or if you just want to better understand and enjoy the performances you’re attending, you’ll find this delightful book indispensable.

William Berger is the most helpful guide one could hope to find for navigating the strange and beautiful world of the most controversial artist who ever lived. He tells you all you need to know to become a true Wagnerite–from story lines to historical background; from when to visit the rest room to how to sound smart during intermission; from the Jewish legend that possibly inspired Lohengrin to the tragic death of the first Tristan. Funny, informative, and always a pleasure to read, Wagner Without Fear proves that the art of Wagner can be accessible to everyone.”

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5 .) 100 Great Operas and Their Stories by Henry W. Simon

Lists It Appears On:

  • Aria Database
  • Opera Cast
  • WOSU

“An invaluable guide for both casual opera fans and aficionados, 100 Great Operas is perhaps the most comprehensive and enjoyable volume of opera stories ever written.

From La Traviata to Aïda, from Carmen to Don Giovanni, here are the plots of the world’s best-loved operas, told in an engaging, picturesque, and readable manner. Written by noted opera authority Henry W. Simon, this distinctive reference book contains act-by-act descriptions of 100 operatic works ranging from the historic early seventeenth century masterpieces of Monteverdi to the modern classics of Gian-Carlo Menotti.”

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4 .) A Night at the Opera: An Irreverent Guide to The Plots, The Singers, The Composers, The Recordings by Sir Denis Forman

Lists It Appears On:

  • Aria Database
  • Goodreads
  • NPR

With an encyclopedic knowledge of opera and a delightful dash of irreverence, Sir Denis Forman throws open the world of opera–its structure, composers, conductors, and artists–in this hugely informative guide. A Night at the Opera dissects the eighty-three most popular operas recorded on compact disc, from Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur to Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. For each opera, Sir Denis details the plot and cast of characters, awarding stars to parts that are “worth looking out for,” “really good,” or, occasionally, “stunning.” He goes on to tell the history of each opera and its early reception.

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3 .) Handel’s Operas, 1704-1726 by Dean Winton & John Merrill Knapp

Lists It Appears On:

  • Classical Net
  • Goodreads
  • Opera Cast

This specially priced two volume set includes a reissue of the first volume, covering Handel’s operatic works from 1704-1726 and originally published by Oxford University Press in 1995, and Winton Dean’s acclaimed second volume (1726-1741), which first appeared in 2006. These volumes contributed to the revival of interest in these long-neglected works and are essential reading for anyone interested in Handel or the development of the opera as an art form.

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2 .) Opera 101: A Complete Guide To Learning And Loving Opera by Fred Plotkin

Lists It Appears On:

  • Goodreads
  • NPR
  • Operamania

“Opera is the fastest growing of all the performing arts, attracting audiences of all ages who are enthralled by the gorgeous music, vivid drama, and magnificent production values. If you’ve decided that the time has finally come to learn about opera and discover for yourself what it is about opera that sends your normally reserved friends into states of ecstatic abandon, this is the book for you.

Opera 101 is recognized as the standard text in English for anyone who wants to become an opera lover–a clear, friendly, and truly complete handbook to learning how to listen to opera, whether on the radio, on recordings, or live at the opera house. “

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1 .) The New Kobbe’s Opera Book by Anthony Peattie and Earl of Harewood

Lists It Appears On:

  • Aria Database
  • Classical Net
  • NPR
  • Opera Cast

In its 75th year, The New Kobbe’s Opera Book has been subjected to the most thorough revision in its history. The opera-lover’s bible from its first appearance, it has now been redesigned and extended, numerous existing entries have been completely rewritten, and the book now incorporates some 200 new operas. The total number of works covered is now nearly 500, including important new works like John Adams’ Nixon in China, Harrison Birtwistle’s Gawain, and Thomas Ades’s Powder Her Face, and a number of half-forgotten works that are now undergoing revival. 46 new composers are featured. Lord Harewood’s strongly individual commentaries, together with his unparalleled knowledge of and enthusiasm for opera, are complemented by substantial contributions from his co-editor Antony Peattie. This is a guide to virtually every opera the reader is likely to come across.

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The 275+ Additional Best Books About Or Featuring The Operas



 

# Books Authors Lists
(Titles Appear On 1 List each)
33
2013-14 Season Book 2013-14 Season Book
Met Opera
34
2017–18 Season Book 2017–18 Season Book
Met Opera
35 A Cadenza for Caruso Barbara Paul Wikipedia
36 A History of Opera: Milestones and Metamorphoses (Opera Classics Library) (Opera Classics Library Series) Burton D. Fisher Goodreads
37 A Knife At The Opera Susannah Stacey Wikipedia
38 A Short History of Opera Donald Jay Grout
Aria Database
39 A Song for Bellafortuna Vincent B. “Chip” LoCoco Goodreads
40 A Song of Love and Death: The Meaning of Opera Peter Conrad Goodreads
41 Abend in Bayreuth Zdenko von Kraft Wikipedia
42 Amadeus Peter Shaffer Goodreads
43 An Aria of Omens (Wisteria Tearoom Mysteries, #3) Patrice Greenwood Goodreads
44 An Invitation to the Opera John Louis DiGaetani Opera Cast
45 Analyzing Opera : Verdi and Wagner (California Studies in 19th Century Music) Carolyn Abbate, Roger Parker Opera Cast
46 Angels and Monsters: Male and Female Sopranos in the Story of Opera, 1600-1900 Richard Somerset-Ward Goodreads
47 Anna Karenina Leo Tolstoy Wikipedia
48 Annals of the Metropolitan Opera Metropolitan Opera Guild Opera Cast
49 Bantam of the Opera Mary Daheim Wikipedia
50 Bayreuth : A History of the Wagner Festival Frederic Spotts Opera Cast
51 Beethoven Maynard Solomon Goodreads
52 Beethoven: The Universal Composer Edmund Morris Goodreads
53 Bellini Arnaldo Fraccaroli Wikipedia
54 Bodily Charm: Living Opera Linda Hutcheon Goodreads
55 Bravo! Brava! A Night at the Opera
Operaversity
56 Callas: Portrait of a Prima Donna George Jellinek
Classical Net
57 Carmen: Libretto Georges Bizet Goodreads
58 Caruso: Roman einer Stimme Frank Thiess Wikipedia
59 Catherine Hayes: The Hibernian Prima Donna Basil Walsh, with Foreword by Conductor, Richard Bonynge
Classical Net
60 Chagall and Music Chagall and Music Met Opera
61 Constanze – gewesene Witwe Mozart translated as: Constanze, formerly widow of Mozart: her unwritten memoir Klemens Diez Wikipedia
62 Cosi Fan Tutte : Mozart (English National Opera Guide, No 23) John Nicholas Opera Cast
63 Cosi Fan Tutti Michael Dibdin Wikipedia
64 Crochets and Quavers Max Maretzek Five Books
65 Crosby’s Opera House: Symbol of Chicago’s Cultural Awakening Eugene H
Classical Net
66 Cruel Music (Tito Amato, #3) Beverle Graves Myers Goodreads
67 Cry to Heaven Anne Rice Goodreads
68 Daniel Deronda George Eliot Wikipedia
69 Das imaginäre Tagebuch des Herrn Jacques Offenbach Alphons Silbermann Wikipedia
70 Das Rheingold : Translation and Commentary Richard Wagner, Rudolph Sabor Opera Cast
71 Das wilde Herz: Lebensroman der Wilhelmine Schröder-Devrient Hermann Richter Wikipedia
72 Death at the Opera John Gano Wikipedia
73 Death on the High C’s Robert Barnard
Opera Pulse
74 Der Ring Des Nibelungen : A Companion Rudolph Sabor Opera Cast
75 Der Sieg der Melodie: ein Puccini-Caruso-Roman Max Kronberg Wikipedia
76 Die goldene Stimme Erich Ebermayer Wikipedia
77 Die Primadonna Friedrichs des Grossen Oskar Paul Wilhelm Anwand Wikipedia
78 Die Primadonna: ein Mozartroman Ottokar Janetschek Wikipedia
79 Die Walkuere Richard Wagner, Rudolph Sabor Opera Cast
80 Diva : Great Sopranos and Mezzos Discuss Their Art Helena Matheopoulos Opera Cast
81 Don Giovanni in Full Score Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Goodreads
82 Don Juan in Hankey, PA Gale Martin Goodreads
83 Donizetti Arnaldo Fraccaroli Wikipedia
84 Ein Ende in Dresden: ein Richard-Wagner-Roman Joachim Kupsch Wikipedia
85 Ejs : Discography of the Edward J. Smith Recordings ‘the Golden Age of Opera, 1956-1971’ (Discographies, No 54) William Shaman, William J. Collins, Calvin M. Goodwin Opera Cast
86 Eleanor Steber : An Autobiography Eleanor Steber, Marcia Sloat Opera Cast
87 Emblems of Eloquence: Opera and Women’s Voices in Seventeenth-Century Venice Wendy Heller Questia
88 Encore, Opera Cat! Tess Weaver Goodreads
89 Encounters with Verdi Marcello Conati, Richard Stokes, Julian Budden Opera Cast
90 English Opera in Late Eighteenth-Century London: Stephen Storace at Drury Lane Jane Girdham Questia
91 Enrico Caruso : My Father and My Family (Abr Ed) (Opera Biography Series, No 2) Enrico Caruso, Jr., Andrew Farkas Opera Cast
92 Expecting Someone Taller Tom Holt Wikipedia
93 Farinelli, il castrato Andrée Corbiau Goodreads
94 Feuerzauber: ein Lebens-Roman Richard Wagners Max Kronberg Wikipedia
95 Fidelio: English National Opera Guide 4 Ludwig van Beethoven Goodreads
96 Final Encore Martha Albrand Wikipedia
97 First Night Fever Hermann Prey Opera Cast
98 Flügel der Morgenröte Kurt Arnold Findeisen Wikipedia
99 Flying Dutch Tom Holt Wikipedia
100 Fortissimo: Backstage at the Opera with Sacred Monsters and Young Singers William Murray
Opera Pulse
101 Franco Corelli : A Man, a Voice (Great Voices, 5) Marina Boagno, Gilberto Starone, Teresa Bretegani Opera Cast
102 French Opera at the Fin de Siècle: Wagnerism, Nationalism, and Style Steven Huebner Questia
103 French Opera, Its Development to the Revolution Norman Demuth Questia
104 Gambara Honoré de Balzac Wikipedia
105 Giulietta Simionato : How Cinderella Became Queen (Great Voices, 4) Jean-Jacques Hanine Roussel, Samuel Chase Opera Cast
106 Goetterdaemmerung Richard Wagner, Rudolph Sabor Opera Cast
107 Grand Opera: The Story of the Met Met Opera
108 Great Singers on Great Singing Jerome Hines Opera Cast
109 Her Deadly Mischief (Tito Amato, #5) Beverle Graves Myers Goodreads
110 History of Opera (Norton/Grove Handbooks in Music) Stanley Sadie
Classical Net
111 In My Own Voice: Memoirs Christa Ludwig, Regina Domeraski Opera Cast
112 Inez Carlos Fuentes Goodreads
113 Inspector Morse: Masonic Mysteries Colin Dexter Goodreads
114 Interpretation in Song Harry Plunket Greene Five Books
115 Interrupted Aria (Tito Amato, #1) Beverle Graves Myers Goodreads
116 Inventing the Business of Opera: The Impresario and His World in Seventeenth Century Venice Beth L. Glixon Goodreads
117 Italian Opera David Kimbell Five Books
118 Janacek’s Operas : A Documentary Account by the Composer John Tyrrell Opera Cast
119 Jon Vickers: A Hero’s Life Jeannie Williams, Birgit Nilsson and Jonathan Vickers Opera Cast
120 Jussi (Opera Biography Series, No 7) Anna-Lisa Bjorling, Andrew Farkas Opera Cast
121 Konig und Kunstler: Roman Konig Ludwigs II. und Richard Wagner Max Kronberg Wikipedia
122 La Dame aux Camélias Alexandre Dumas fils Goodreads
123 La Divina Anne Edwards Wikipedia
124 La Traviata [With 2 CDs] Giuseppe Verdi Goodreads
125 Last Look at the Old Met Judith Clancy
Classical Net
126 Lawrence Tibbett : Singing Actor Andrew Farkas Opera Cast
127 Le crime de l’opera translated as: The Crime of the Opera House Fortuné du Boisgobey Wikipedia
128 Le Fantôme de l’Opéra translated as The Phantom of the Opera Gaston Leroux Wikipedia
129 Les petits mystères de l’Opera Albéric Second Wikipedia
130 Life of Giuseppe Verdi: A Book for Young People Giuseppe Signorini Goodreads
131 Lily Pons: A Centennial Portrait Jame A
Classical Net
132 Living Opera Joshua Jampol Goodreads
133 Love for Three Oranges Aida Leontyne Price WOSU
134 Luisa Tetrazzini : The Florentine Nightingale (Opera Biography Series ; No. 5) Charles Neilson Gattey Opera Cast
135 M. Butterfly David Henry Hwang Goodreads
136 Madame Bovary Gustave Flaubert Wikipedia
137 Madame Butterfly Giacomo Puccini Goodreads
138 Maria By Callas Met Opera
139 Maria Malibran : Diva of the Romantic Age April Fitzlyon Opera Cast
140 Maria Malibran: A Biography of the Singer Howard Bushnell Goodreads
141 Maria Meneghini Callas Michael Scott Opera Cast
142 Master Class Terrance McNally
Opera Pulse
143 Master of Illusion (Book One) Anne Rouen Goodreads
144 Master of Illusion (Master of Illusion #2) Anne Rouen Goodreads
145 Memoirs of a Singer Friedrich Bruckbräu Wikipedia
146 Memoirs of Lorenzo Da Ponte (Da Capo Press Music Reprint Series) Lorenzo Da Ponte, Elisabeth Abbott Opera Cast
147 Metropolitan Opera Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Guide to the World of Opera David Hamilton, editor
Classical Net
148 Mimomania: Music and Gesture in Nineteenth-Century Opera Mary Ann Smart Questia
149 Molto Agitato Molto Agitato Met Opera
150 More Than Singing Lotte Lehmann Opera Cast
151 Mozart Maynard Solomon Goodreads
152 Mozart: A Life Peter Gay Goodreads
153 Mozart’s Women: His Family, His Friends, His Music Jane Glover
Opera Pulse
154 Murder at the Opera: a collection of eleven murder mysteries Thomas Godfrey Wikipedia
155 Murder in the Opera House Queena Mario Wikipedia
156 Music of a Life Andreï Makine Goodreads
157 My friends from Cairnton Jane Duncan Wikipedia
158 New Grove Dictionary of Opera (4Vols.) Stanley Sadie Opera Cast
159 Of Lena Geyer Marcia Davenport Wikipedia
160 One Dead Diva Phillip Scott Wikipedia
161 Opera and Drama Richard Wagner, William Ashton Ellis Opera Cast
162 Opera and Drama in Eighteenth-Century London: The King’s Theatre, Garrick and the Business of Performance Ian Woodfield Questia
163 Opera and Politics: From Monteverdi to Henze John Bokina Goodreads
164 Opera and the Culture of Fascism Jeremy Tambling Questia
165 Opera Antics and Anecdotes Stephen B. Tanner
Opera Pulse
166 Opera in Italy Today: A Guide Nick Rossi
Classical Net
167 Opera in Paris, 1800-1850: A Lively History Patrick Barbier, Robert Luoma (Translator)
Classical Net
168 Opera in Seventeenth-Century Venice: The Creation of a Genre Ellen Rosand Goodreads
169 Opera Odyssey: Toward a History of Opera in Nineteenth-Century America June C. Ottenberg Questia
170 Opera: A Research and Information Guide Guy A. Marco Questia
171 Opera: Desire, Disease, Death Michael Hutcheon Goodreads
172 Opera: Parsifal, Salome, Mahler, Pelleas & Melisande P. Craig Russell Goodreads
173 Opera: The Art of Dying Linda Hutcheon Goodreads
174 Opera’s Second Death Slavoj Žižek Goodreads
175 Opernball Josef Haslinger Wikipedia
176 Oxford Dictionary of Opera John Warrack, with Ewan West
Classical Net
177 Pagliacci in Full Score Ruggiero Leoncavallo Goodreads
178 Painted Veil (Tito Amato, #2) Beverle Graves Myers Goodreads
179 Penetrating Wagner’s Ring : An Anthology (Da Capo Paperback) John Louis Di Gaetani Opera Cast
180 Pfitzner’s Palestrina Owen Toller
Classical Net
181 Phaidon Book of the Opera – A Survey of 780 Operas from 1597 Catherine Atthill
Classical Net
182 Phantom Susan Kay Wikipedia
183 Phonetic Readings of Songs and Arias Berton Coffin
Aria Database
184 Porporino, ou, Les mystères de Naples translated as: Porporino, or The Secret of Naples Dominique Fernandez Wikipedia
185 Preparing an Operatic Role Marie Myerscough and Sir Colin Davis Five Books
186 Prima Donna Nancy Freedman Wikipedia
187 Prima Donna, a novel of the opera Pitts Sanborn Wikipedia
188 Prince Orlofsky, Vampire Hunter Isabelle Glass Goodreads
189 Puccini: A Biography Mary Jane Phillips-Matz Goodreads
190 Puccini’s Turandot : The End of the Great Tradition (Princeton Studies in Opera) William Ashbrook, Harold Powers Opera Cast
191 Rates of Exchange Malcolm Bradbury Wikipedia
192 Renata Tebaldi : The Voice of an Angel (Great Voices, 2) Carlamaria Casanova, Connie Mandracchia De Caro Opera Cast
193 Richard Strauss : a critical study of the operas William Mann
Aria Database
194 Richard Wagner : Der Ring Des Nibelungen, Goetterdaemmerung, Siegfried, Die Walkuere, Das Rheingold (Boxed Set) Rudolph Sabor, Richard Wagner Opera Cast
195 Richard Wagner : The Man, His Mind and His Music Robert W. Gutman Opera Cast
196 Richard Wagner: The Last of the Titans Joachim Köhler Goodreads
197 Rosa Ponselle : A Centenary Biography (Opera Biography Series, No. 9) James A. Drake, James M. Alfonte Opera Cast
198 Rosa Ponselle : American Diva Mary Jane Phillips-Matz Opera Cast
199 Ruffo : My Parabola : The Autobiography of Titta Ruffo (Great Voices Series) Titta Ruffo, Connie Mandracchia De Caro Opera Cast
200 Se, döden på dig väntar Maria Lang Goodreads
201 Selected Writings of Luigi Dallapiccola, Volume One: Dallapiccola On Opera Luigi Dallapiccola, with Rudy Shackelford (Editor) and preface by Antál Doráti
Classical Net
202 Serenade James M. Cain Goodreads
203 Siegfried : Translation and Commentary Richard Wagner, Rudolph Sabor Opera Cast
204 Signora, a child of the opera house Gustav Kobbé Wikipedia
205 Singer’s Repertoire Berton Coffin
Aria Database
206 Singing in Imagination: A Human Approach to a Great Musical Tradition Thomas Hemsley
Opera Pulse
207 Soprano: a Portrait (U.K. title; published in the U.S. as Fair Margaret: a Portrait) Francis Marion Crawford Wikipedia
208 Stage-struck; or, She would be an opera-singer Blanche Roosevelt Wikipedia
209 Stories from the Opera
Operaversity
210 Stories of favorite Operas Clyde Robert Bulla WOSU
211 Tempesta’s Dream: A Story of Love, Friendship and Opera Vincent B. “Chip” LoCoco Goodreads
212 The Alteration Kingsley Amis Wikipedia
213 The American Opera Singer : The Lives and Adventures of America’s Great Singers in Opera and Concert, from 1825 to the Present Peter G. Davis Opera Cast
214 The Assoluta Voice in Opera, 1797-1847 Geoffrey S. Riggs Goodreads
215 The Beggar’s Opera John Gay Goodreads
216 The Bells Richard Harvell Goodreads
217 The Birth of an Opera: Fifteen Masterpieces from Poppea to Wozzeck Michael Rose Goodreads
218 The Birth of Opera F. W. Sternfeld Questia
219 The Book of 101 Opera Librettos Jessica M. MacMurray
Aria Database
220 The Book of Night with Moon Diane Duane Wikipedia
221 The Callas Legacy : The Complete Guide to Her Recordings on Compact Discs John Ardoin Opera Cast
222 The Castrato and His Wife Helen Berry Goodreads
223 The Complete Annotated Gilbert and Sullivan Arthur Sullivan, W. S. Gilbert, Ian Bradley Opera Cast
224 The Complete Operas of Puccini Charles Osborne
Aria Database
225 The Complete Operas of Richard Strauss Charles Osborne
Aria Database
226 The Complete Operas of Richard Wagner Charles Osborne
Aria Database
227 The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Opera (Oxford Paperback Reference) John Hamilton Warrack, Ewan West Opera Cast
228 The Culture of Opera Buffa in Mozart’s Vienna: A Poetics of Entertainment Mary Hunter Questia
229 The Definitive Kobbe’s Opera Book Gustav Kobbe, Earl of Harewood Opera Cast
230 The Devil in Music Kate Ross Wikipedia
231 The Dictionary of the Opera Charles Osborne NPR
232 The Diva’s Ruby Francis Marion Crawford Wikipedia
233 The Figaro Plays Pierre Beaumarchais
Opera Pulse
234 The First Violin Jessie Fothergill Wikipedia
235 The Gilded Stage: A Social History of Opera Daniel Snowman Goodreads
236 The Great Poochini
Operaversity
237 The Great Singers: From The Dawn Of Opera To Our Own Time Henry Pleasants Goodreads
238 The House of Green Turf Ellis Peters Wikipedia
239 The Inner Voice: The Making of a Singer Renée Fleming
Opera Pulse
240 The Iron Tongue of Midnight (Tito Amato, #4) Beverle Graves Myers Goodreads
241 The King and I: The Uncensored Tale of Luciano Pavarotti’s Rise to Fame by his Manager, Friend, and sometime Adversary Herbert Breslin and Anne Midgette
Opera Pulse
242 The La Scala Encyclopedia of the Opera Giorgio Bagnoli, Graham Fawcett Opera Cast
243 The Last Prima Donnas Lanfranco Rasponi Opera Cast
244 The Maestro’s Voice Roland Vernon Wikipedia
245 The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflote) in Full Score Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Goodreads
246 The Magic Flute: An Opera by Mozart
Operaversity
247 The Master Classes : Callas at Juilliard John Ardoin Opera Cast
248 The Metropolitan Opera Murders Helen Traubel Wikipedia
249
The Metropolitan Opera Presents: Così fan tutte
Met Opera
250
The Metropolitan Opera Presents: Puccini’s La Bohème
Met Opera
251
The Metropolitan Opera Presents: Puccini’s Tosca
Met Opera
252 The Metropolitan Opera Stories of the Great Operas (Vol. 1) John W. Freeman Opera Cast
253 The Metropolitan Opera Stories of the Great Operas (Vol. 2) John W. Freeman, et al. Opera Cast
254 The Moon Opera Bi Feiyu Goodreads
255
The Most Beautiful Opera Houses in the World The Most Beautiful Opera Houses in the World
Met Opera
256 The Mozart-Da Ponte Operas : The Cultural and Musical Background to Le Nozze Di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Cosi Fan Tutte Andrew Steptoe Opera Cast
257 The New Encyclopedia of the Opera David Ewen
Aria Database
258 The New Grove Dictionary of Opera Stanley Sadie
Aria Database
259 The NPR Curious Listener’s Guide to Opera William Berger Goodreads
260 The One Tenor Lindsay Perigo Goodreads
261 The Opera Companion George Martin, Everett Raymond Kinstler Opera Cast
262 The Opera-Singers Wife Elizabeth Caroline Grey Wikipedia
263 The Operas of Mozart William Mann
Aria Database
264 The Operas of Verdi : From Don Carlos to Falstaff (Vol. 3, Revised) Julian Budden Opera Cast
265 The Operas of Verdi : From Il Trovatore to La Forza Del Destino (Vol. 2, Revised) Julian Budden Opera Cast
266 The Oxford Dictionary of Opera John Warrack, Ewan West Opera Cast
267 The P. Craig Russell Library of Opera Adaptations, Vol. 1: The Magic Flute P. Craig Russell Goodreads
268 The P. Craig Russell Library of Opera Adaptations, Vol. 2: Parsifal / Ariane and Bluebeard / I Pagliacci / Songs Mahler Goodreads
269 The P. Craig Russell Library of Opera Adaptations, Vol. 3: Pelleas and Melisande / Salome / Ein Heldentraum / Cavalleria Rusticana P. Craig Russell Goodreads
270 The Phantom of the Opera Gaston Leroux Goodreads
271 The Phantom of the Opera: Piano/Vocal Andrew Lloyd Webber Goodreads
272 The Plain Old Man Charlotte MacLeod Wikipedia
273 The Primadonna Francis Marion Crawford Wikipedia
274 The Queen of the Night Alexander Chee Wikipedia
275 The Random House Book of Opera Stories, Adele Gerard WOSU
276 The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century Alex Ross Goodreads
277 The Ring of the Nibelung, Vol. 1 P. Craig Russell Goodreads
278 The Ring of the Nibelung, Vol. 2 P. Craig Russell Goodreads
279 The Rough Guide to Opera Matthew Boyden
Operamania
280 The Soul of a Tenor: a Romance William James Henderson Wikipedia
281 The Tenor Peter Danish Goodreads
282 The Threepenny Opera Bertolt Brecht Goodreads
283 The Time of Our Singing Richard Powers Goodreads
284
The Toughest Show on Earth The Toughest Show on Earth
Met Opera
285 The Trashcan Opera Society Marc McVey Goodreads
286 The Venice Adriana Ethan Mordden Wikipedia
287 The Verdi-Boito Correspondence Marcello Conati, Mario Medici Opera Cast
288 The Young Cosima, a novel Henry Handel Richardson Wikipedia
289 The Young Prima Donna: a romance of the opera Elizabeth Caroline Grey Wikipedia
290 Theatre In Vienna: A Critical History, 1776 1995 W.E. Yates Goodreads
291 Three Mozart Libretti : The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni and Cosi Fan Tutte Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Robert Pack, Marjorie Lelash Opera Cast
292 Tito Schipa : A Biography (Great Voices Series, Vol 3) Brian Williams Opera Cast
293 Titta Ruffo : An Anthology Andrew Farkas Opera Cast
294 Tosca Giacomo Puccini Goodreads
295 Trilby George du Maurier Wikipedia
296 Tristan Thomas Mann Wikipedia
297 Turandot Marianna Mayer Goodreads
298 Turandot: Full Score Giacomo Puccini Goodreads
299 Understanding the Women of Mozart’s Operas Kristi Brown-Montesano
Classical Net
300 Unsung Voices : Opera and Musical Narrative in the Nineteenth Century (Princeton Studies in Opera) Carolyn Abbate Opera Cast
301 Verdi (Master Musicians Series) Julian Budden Opera Cast
302
Verdi and/or Wagner: Two Men, Two Worlds, Two Centuries
Met Opera
303 Verdi for Kids
Operaversity
304 Verdi, oder Die Macht des Schicksals Hans Nowak and Georg Zivier Wikipedia
305 Verdi, Requiem (Cambridge Music Handbooks) David Rosen Opera Cast
306 Verdi: A Biography Mary Jane Phillips-Matz Goodreads
307 Verdi. Roman der Oper (de) (Verdi: A Novel of the Opera Franz Werfel Wikipedia
308 Verdi’s Theater: Creating Drama Through Music Gilles De Van, with Gilda Roberts (translator)
Classical Net
309 Vergittertes fenster: novelle um den tod des königs Ludwig II. von Bayern’ Klaus Mann Wikipedia
310 W.A. Mozart : Die Zauberfloete (Cambridge Opera Handbooks) Peter Branscombe Opera Cast
311 W.A. Mozart : Le Nozze Di Figaro (Cambridge Opera Handbooks) Tim Carter Opera Cast
312 W.A. Mozart, Cosi Fan Tutte (Cambridge Opera Handbooks) Bruce Alan Brown Opera Cast
313 Wagner and Philosophy Bryan Magee Five Books
314 Wagner and Russia (Cambridge Studies in Russian Literature) Rosamund Bartlett Opera Cast
315 Wagner in Performance Barry Millington, Stewart Spencer Opera Cast
316 Wagner on Music and Drama : A Compendium of Richard Wagner’s Prose Works (A Da Capo Paperback) Richard Wagner, Albert Harry Goldman, Evert. Sprinchorn Opera Cast
317
Wagner’s Ring: A Listener’s Companion & Concordance
Classical Net
318 Wälsungenblut (The Blood of the Wälsungs) Thomas Mann Wikipedia
319 War and Peace Leo Tolstoy Wikipedia
320 Welt und Wahn, Barrikaden, Liebestod, Wahnfried: ein Richard-Wagner-Roman Zdenko von Kraft Wikipedia
321 Werther: Drame Lyrique En Quatre Actes Et Cinq Tableaux Jules Massenet Goodreads
322 When the Fat Lady Sings : Opera History As It Ought to Be Taught David Barber
Aria Database
323 Where Angels Fear to Tread E. M. Forster Wikipedia
324 Who Was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?
Operaversity
325 Why come to Slaka? Malcolm Bradbury Wikipedia
326 Wilhelmine Schröder-Devrient: der Schicksalsweg einer großen Künstlerin Eva Fanny Bernhardine Turk Baudissin, Grafin von Wikipedia
327 Women Who Made New York Met Opera


13 Best Books Featuring The Opera Sources/Lists



Source Article
Aria Database Operatic Books
Classical Net Books About Music
Five Books The best books on Opera
Goodreads Books about opera
Met Opera Opera History
NPR 5 Books To Ignite An Opera Obsession
Opera Cast The Collector’s Guide to Books on Opera and Related Musical Topics
Opera Pulse The Opera Singer’s Summer Reading List
Operamania Best Opera books
Operaversity OPERA BOOKS FOR KIDS
Questia Opera History
Wikipedia List of fictional literature featuring opera
WOSU Books on Opera for Kids

 

A.M. Anderson

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