The Performed Bible: The Story of Ruth in Opera and Oratorio (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781905048564)

The Bible and Western culture is a burgeoning area of interest in recent scholarship, but comparatively little has been written on the Bible and music. Leneman's is a groundbreaking work, making some pioneering forays across an important interdisciplinary divide. The Performed Bible is an in-depth study of the librettos and music of 12 operas and oratorios on the story of Ruth from the last two centuries, establishing the potential of music, as a kind of midrash, for transforming a Bible text, its narrative and its characterization. The book includes detailed analyses of musical segments, the author being a cantor and professional musician in whose Jewish tradition biblical texts are chanted, not read. This fresh and insightful work will no doubt prove attractive to biblical scholars, to musicians and to music lovers generally.

Author: Helen Leneman
ISBN-10: 1905048564
ISBN-13: 9781905048564
Publisher: Sheffield Phoenix Press Ltd
Language: English
Published: 04/04/2007
Pages: 276
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.24lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.69d