Tosca's Prism

Library Bookwatch, March, 2005

Tosca's Prism

Deborah Burton, et al.

Northeastern University Press

360 Huntington Avenue, 416 CP, Boston, Massachusetts 02115

1555536166 $47.50 1-800-666-2211

Collabortively edited by Deborah Burton, Susan Vandiver Nicassio, and Agostino Ziino (all of whom are professors of music history and experts in their fields of academia), Tosca's Prism: Three Moments Of Western Cultural History is an anthology of scholarly essays by learned authors concerning the opera "La Tosca", a classic tale of love, lust, jealousy, and politics which first premiered in 1900 and draws upon the historical events succeeding the fall of the Roman republic. Contributed essays scrutinize La Tosca's impact and legacy with regard to circa 1800, circa 1900, and circa 2000. Extensive notes and music excerpts highlight the thoughtful discussions concerning La Tosca, ranging from "Who Is Tosca?" to "Tosca Act II and the Secret Identity of F#" to "The Protagonists and the Principal Phases of the Roman Republic of 1798 to 1799". This is an invaluable contribution to opera history, and most especially recommended for performing arts libraries, performers, and individual connoisseurs seeking to better understand La Tosca.