Edward Joseph Dent (1876 1957) was a music critic who was Professor of Music at Cambridge University from 1926 to 1941. Originally published in 1958, this book presents a concise guide to the structural elements of the fugue aimed at the beginner. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in music criticism, the history of education and the writings of Dent."

John Wells, who translated Beaumarchais' plays, introduces the opera with a high-spirited account of the action-packed career of the author, in many respects the prototype of Figaro himself. Basil Deane explores the score: he shows that Mozart's characters are illuminated here not so much in soliloquies but in their reactions to each other in a series of compromising situations. Composer Stephen Oliver discusses how the comedy exists not just in the words but, essentially, in the music. The full Italian text is given, with a note on the order of scenes in Act Three and the alternative passages Mozart wrote for da Ponte's mistress when she sang Susanna at the 1789 revival. The classic translation of E.J. Dent is an excellent way to get to know both the twists and turns of the plot and the stylish wit of da Ponte's innuendos.

Rossini was one of the major innovators in the field of opera. Moise et Pharaon is a score which he revised for Paris ten years after it had been composed for Naples; the result shows the evolution of his taste over a decade - from the neoclassical sublime to spectacular Romantic grand opera. Il barbiere di Siviglia has been a favourite with the public since it opened, and Marco Spada analyses how its stylish comedy has been misunderstood. Other essays throw light on the working conditions of the "opera industry" in Rossini's Italy, on Balzac's delightful novel concerning Moses and on the exceptional challenge of performing this type of music to a high standard. Contents: Rossini: the Serious and the Comic, Philip Gossett; The Composer at Work, John Rosselli; The Roots of a Masterpiece, Marco Spada; A Personal View of Rossini, Ubaldo Gardini; Il barbiere di Siviglia: Libretto by Cesare Sterbini; The Barber of Seville: English version by Edward J. Dent; Balzac, Stendhal and Rossini's 'Moses', Pierluigi Petrobelli; From Sublime to Romantic, Richard Bernas; Moise et Pharaon: Libretto by Victor de Jouy and Louis Balochy; Moses: English translation by John and Nell Moody