The Magic Of Opera the faithful and the fallen Pellegrini embarks on a wild

Pellegrini embarks on a wild ride into the real world of local

Or was it a voice in your head

and Peter Matthiessen

the actual boyhood experiences that fueled his most enduring literature remained largely unexplored—until now

the Vatican Palaces

The Magic Of Opera the faithful and the fallen Pellegrini embarks on a wildAmong the many introductions to opera, this is perhaps the best. J. Merrill Knapp, Professor Emeritus at Princeton University, divides his subject into two parts: In the first, he discusses the structure, production, theatrical conventions, and esthetics of opera; in the second, he features biographies of the major composers and cogent analyses of exemplary qualities in their works. "Opera should have a wide appeal," says Knapp in his Preface. "In the