Carl Maria von Weber and the Search for a German Opera025334185X, 9780253341853, 9780253109620

Description:Stephen C. Meyer details the intricate relationships between the operas Der Freischtz and Euryanthe, and contemporary discourse on both the  »Germany of the imagination » and the new nation itself. In so doing, he presents excerpts from a wide range of philosophical, political, and musical writings, many of which are little known and otherwise unavailable in English. Individual chapters trace the multidimensional concept of German and  »foreign » opera through the 19th century. Meyer’s study of Der Freischtz places the work within the context of emerging German nationalism, and a chapter on Euryanthe addresses the opera’s stylistic and topical shifts in light of changing cultural and aesthetic circumstances. As a result, Meyer argues that the search for a new German opera was not merely an aesthetic movement, but a political and social critique as well.



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