Verdi's Settings of Shakespeare : from Play to Liberetto to Opera

As a Senior Scholar pursuing the topic, Verdi's Settings of Shakespeare: From Play to Libretto to Opera, I have endeavoured to study a project relevant to my majors, Music and English. During first semester, I carefully analysed Shakespeare's plays, Macbeth, Othello and Falstaff. The highlight of my project was in January when I travelled to New York City and spent the day working with the Metropolitan Opera Guild. I was also able to see a performance of Verdi's Othello with Jon Vickers in the lead role. During the second semester, I studied the musical aspects of the compositions. I spent time analysing musical passages and relating them to the plays and the operas. I was also able to continue my study of Italian, which I find extremely beneficial while studying Verdi's libretti. On Monday, 13th May, 1974, I gave a lecture presentation of my project. At this time, I showed slides of Metropolitan productions of the operas, presented my own rendition of five arias (in costume) and talked about comparisions between the plays and the operas. I applied for a Rotary Fellowship to take my project to Europe and am presently waiting to hear the results. If I do receive the fellowship, I am planning to spend a year studying the plays and operas in England and Italy. Afterwards, I hope to publish a paper explaining my findings. The paper is divided into six sections. The first section is an introduction which explains the period of Romanticism and its relationship to Shakespeare and Verdi. The second section is devoted to discussing the librettist for Macbeth, Francesco Piave. Following this section the opera Macbeth is discussed. Arrigo Boito, the librettist for Otello and Falstaff is discussed in the fourth section. The last two sections deal with Otello and Falstaff. I have also included a number of musical selections to better explain certain passages. My project has been invaluable to me. My Senior Scholar project has allowed me the freedom of independent study as well as a means of tying my majors together.

A book of Shakespeare's songs : with musical settings by various composers /

The poor soul sat sighing by a sycamore tree, old melody.-- It was a lover and his lass / Thomas Morley.-- She never told her love / J. Haydn.-- Blow, blow, thou winter wind / Thomas A. Arne.-- Hark! hark! the lark at heav'ins gate sings / F. Schubert.-- When daisies pied, and violets blue / Thomas A. Arne.-- Where the bee sucks, there suck I / Thomas A. Arne.-- Bid me discourse, I will chant thine ear / H.R. Bishop.-- Under the greenwood tree / Thomas A. Arne.-- Who is Silvia? what is she / F. Schubert.

Shakespeare in music; a collation of the chief musical allusions in the plays of Shakespeare, with an attempt at their explanation and derivation, together with much of the original music,

Mode of access: Internet.

Goethe, the lyrist : 100 poems in new translations facing the originals, with a biographical introduction by Edwin H. Zeydel ; with an appendix on musical settings to the poems.

Includes index.

Fair Em, the miller's daughter of Manchester : with the love of William the Conqueror /

Imprint fictitious. Printed by the editor for private circulation. Cf. Jaggard, William. Shakespeare bibliography, 1911, page 552.

The works of William Shakespeare,

Mode of access: Internet.

Shakespearean extracts from "Edward Pudsey's booke", temp. Q. Elizabeth & K. James I. which include some from an unknown play by William Shakespeare [or rather from Chapman's "Blind beggar of Alexander"] Also a few unpublished records of the Shakespeare of Snitterfield and Wroxall preserved in the Public Record Office.

Mode of access: Internet.

The plays of William Shakespeare /

Portraits of modern actors.

The complete works of William Shakespeare in ten volumes /

v. 5. First part of King Henry VI. Second part of King Henry VI. Third part of King Henry VI. King Richard III. King Henry VIII.--v. 6. Troilus and Cressida. Coriolanus. Titus Andronicus. Romeo and Juliet.--v. 7. Timon of Athens. Julius Caesar. Macbeth. Hamlet.--v. 8. King Lear. Othello. Antony and Cleopatra. Cymbeline.--v. 9. Pericles. The two noble kinsmen. Venus and Adonis. Lucrece. Sonnets. A lover's complaint. The passionate pilgrim. The phoenix and turtle.--v. 10. Glossary to Shakespeare.

The dramatic works of William Shakespeare : from the text of the corrected copies of Steevens and Malone, with A life of the poet, by Charles Symmons, D.D., The seven ages of man, embellished with elegant engravings, and a Glossary.

Mode of access: Internet.

The plays of William Shakspeare : in miniature.

v. l. The tempest. The two gentlemen of Verona. The merry wives of Windsor. Twelfth night.--v. 2. Measure for measure. Much ado about nothing. Midsummer night's dream. Love's labour's lost.--v. 3. The merchant of Venice. As you like it. All's well that ends well. The taming of the shrew.--v. 4. Winter's tale. Comedy of errors. Macbeth. Timon of Athens. King John.--v. 5. King Richard II. King Henry IV, parts 1-2. King Henry V.--v. 6. King Henry VI, parts 1-3. King Richard III.--v. 7. King Henry VIII. Troilus and Cressida. Coriolanus. Hamlet.--v. 8. Julius Cæsar. Antony and Cleopatra. Cymbeline. Romeo and Juliet.--v. 9. Titus Andronicus. Pericles. King Lear. Othello. Glossary.

The plays of William Shakspeare : accurately printed from the text of the corrected copy left by the late George Steevens ...

Mode of access: Internet.

The works of William Shakspeare : with life and glossary, carefully edited from the best texts.

Includes glossary: v. 12, p. 355-408.

The works of William Shakespeare: The Garrick Shakespeare,

Vol. 12: The life and works of William Shakespeare / by George Brandes.

The works of William Shakespeare;

The text of the Cambridge Shakespeare with slight modifications.