Complete opera book

Plenty of guides walk readers through opera storylines, but few go as far as this one. Beyond scene-by-scene plot summaries, it places each work in its historical context and points out musical motifs that recur through a score. The revised edition is aimed at the opera visitor who wants to arrive knowing the story and what the music will sound like on stage. Gustav Kobbé, an American music critic, compiled the original text, which has long been used as an introduction to the operatic repertoire.