The myth of Orpheus is intricately implicated in the origin of song. For centuries, myth and music have cooperated in a variety of genres, foremost among them in opera. The myth, open to reinterpretation across linguistic, national, and temporal boundaries, served as a starting point for an extracurricular opera project in the metropolitan region…

There is a long history of debate over what opera is. Since it's more or less formal beginning in the sixteenth century as a reconstruction of ancient drama, opera as an art form has been controversial. The received understanding--emphasized by the genre's founders and in periodic efforts at reforming the standards of composition and…

The list of operas contained in this article continues a series of selected works of American music--for chorus, for band, for orchestra, for the elementary school, and opera--prepared by the MENC Bicentennial Commission. (Editor/RK)

Discusses an economic and morphological analysis of the field of contemporary music creation in order to define the three major problems which face governments and local authorities which intervene to support a fairly large number of bodies concerned with the production and/or performance of music and which are unable to finance themselves.…

Describes an opera based on Peter Pan which was composed, produced, and performed entirely by children in grades one through six. (MB)

Presents the results of a study where musicians listened to 20 minutes of Puccini's, "La Boheme," and indicated which of the five musical elements (melody, rhythm, timbre, dynamics, or everything) commanded their attention. Two groups responded using differing instructions for the Continuous Response Digital Interface. Analyzes the different…

Presents 44 entries from a modern composer and music professors' journal, culled from 1993 to the present. Includes comments and criticisms of composers and musicians, as well as philosophical and practical observations. (MJP)