The Politics of Opera: A History from Monteverdi to Mozart, Paperback

A wide-ranging look at the interplay of opera and political ideas through the centuries

The Politics of Opera takes readers on a fascinating journey into the entwined development of opera and politics, from the Renaissance through the turn of the nineteenth century. What political backdrops have shaped opera? How has opera conveyed the political ideas of its times? Delving into European history and thought and music by such greats as Monteverdi, Lully, Rameau, and Mozart, Mitchell Cohen reveals how politics--through story lines, symbols, harmonies, and musical motifs--has played an operatic role both robust and sotto voce. This is an engrossing book that will interest all who love opera and are intrigued by politics.

About author(s):Mitchell Cohen is professor of political science at Baruch College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and coeditor emeritus of Dissent magazine. His books include Zion and State and The Wager of Lucien Goldmann (Princeton).