Alban Berg: Lulu

This book is a guide to Berg's second opera, Lulu, written in non-technical language.

Douglas Jarman (Author)

9780521284806, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 22 February 1991

172 pages
22.4 x 14.4 x 1.5 cm, 0.305 kg

This book is a guide to Berg's second opera, Lulu, written in non-technical language and intended for those students and music lovers wishing to become familiar with one of the masterpieces of twentieth-century music. Jarman presents a clear and concise introduction to the musical language and to the intricate musical and dramatic structure of Berg's opera. The volume also examines the literary background, the genesis, composition, and tortuous posthumous career of the work. The final chapters survey the performance history and suggest a possible interpretation of this complex and challenging composition. An important feature of the book is the inclusion of source documents and critical responses to the opera. Illustrated with photographs from the premiere and from recent productions, the volume also includes a synopsis, bibliography, and discography.

List of illustrations
General preface
Acknowledgments
1. Introduction: chronology and background
2. From play to libretto
3. Synopsis
4. Posthumous history
5. The formal design
6. Melodic, harmonic and rhythmic language
7. Act III, scene 2, b.1146 - 1326: an analysis
8. A suggested interpretation
Documents 1. Pandora's Box (1905) Karl Kraus
2. The case of 'Pandora's Box' (1905): From the judgement of the Berlin Royal District Court
3. On the 'Pandora's Box' case (1906) Frank Wedekind
4. A note on Act III of Lulu (1964) George Perle
5. The 'lost' score of the 'Symphonic Pieces from Lulu' Douglas Jarman
Notes
Bibliography
Discography
Index.

Subject Areas: Opera [AVGC9]