Thomas Hastings (1784-1872) is generally remembered as a compiler and composer of hymn tunes and anthems, but rarely is he spoken of as a prolific writer of hymn texts. Nor do many people refer to Hastings as an author, even though he penned several books and contributed numerous articles for newspapers and journals that were primarily, but not exclusively, related to his lifelong quest to reform the music used for Protestant services of worship.

All of these various aspects of Hastings career are addressed in this, the first published study of Hastings life and career. The book is designed to awaken interest in this musician's contributions and to serve as a foundation upon which future studies of nineteenth-century American sacred music can build. Of particular interest is the fact that much of the material for this biographical profile has been drawn from sources not previously investigated by scholars in the field.

First Published in 1999, Hermine Weigel Williams' study draws on more than thirty years of research to fill this noticeable lacuna , and presents here the first full scale life and works of the composer for over ninety years. Part One of the book surveys the biographical aspects of Conti's career. Appointed court theorist at the age of nineteen, Conti was promoted to court composer in 1713-14. Williams examines Conti's creative collaborations with some of the leading poet-librettists of the day, and the influence of his music that can be identified in works by Telemann, Bach and Handel. Part Two comprises close analyses of Conti's compositions: his instrumental music, cantatas, operas, intermezzos, oratorios and sacred music. Williams reveals Conti as a composer who constantly experimented with a wide range of French, German and Italian ideas and techniques to create his own diverse musico-dramatic style.

First Published in 1999, Hermine Weigel Williams' study draws on more than thirty years of research to fill this noticeable lacuna , and presents here the first full scale life and works of the composer for over ninety years. Part One of the book surveys the biographical aspects of Conti's career. Appointed court theorist at the age of nineteen, Conti was promoted to court composer in 1713-14. Williams examines Conti's creative collaborations with some of the leading poet-librettists of the day, and the influence of his music that can be identified in works by Telemann, Bach and Handel. Part Two comprises close analyses of Conti's compositions: his instrumental music, cantatas, operas, intermezzos, oratorios and sacred music. Williams reveals Conti as a composer who constantly experimented with a wide range of French, German and Italian ideas and techniques to create his own diverse musico-dramatic style.

When first published in 1947, "A Short History of Opera" immediately achieved international status as a classic in the field. Now, more than five decades later, this thoroughly revised and expanded fourth edition informs and entertains opera lovers just as its predecessors have.

The fourth edition incorporates new scholarship that traces the most important developments in the evolution of musical drama. After surveying anticipations of the operatic form in the lyric theater of the Greeks, medieval dramatic music, and other forerunners, the book reveals the genre's beginnings in the seventeenth century and follows its progress to the present day.

"A Short History of Opera" examines not only the standard performance repertoire, but also works considered important for the genre's development. Its expanded scope investigates opera from Eastern European countries and Finland. The section on twentieth-century opera has been reorganized around national operatic traditions including a chapter devoted solely to opera in the United States, which incorporates material on the American musical and ties between classical opera and popular musical theater. A separate section on Chinese opera is also included.

With an extensive multilanguage bibliography, more than one hundred musical examples, and stage illustrations, this authoritative one-volume survey will be invaluable to students and serious opera buffs. New fans will also find it highly accessible and informative. Extremely thorough in its coverage, "A Short History of Opera" is now more than ever the book to turn to for anyone who wants to know about the history of this art form.

Thomas Hastings (1784-1872) is generally remembered as a compiler and composer of hymn tunes and anthems, but rarely is he spoken of as a prolific writer of hymn texts. Nor do many people refer to Hastings as an author, even though he penned several books and contributed numerous articles for newspapers and journals that were primarily, but not exclusively, related to his lifelong quest to reform the music used for Protestant services of worship.

All of these various aspects of Hastings career are addressed in this, the first published study of Hastings life and career. The book is designed to awaken interest in this musician's contributions and to serve as a foundation upon which future studies of nineteenth-century American sacred music can build. Of particular interest is the fact that much of the material for this biographical profile has been drawn from sources not previously investigated by scholars in the field.

Therese von Jakob Robinson (1797-1870), a native of Halle, Germany, has been the subject of numerous studies and several international conferences that have focused almost exclusively on her poetical translations of Serbian folk-song texts, which were published in a two-volume edition in 1826. Other aspects of her literary career, namely those related to her work as a novelist and essayist, have been undertaken by those seeking to define how the immigrant experience of German-American women affected their writings. Biographical studies, however, have been limited because of a paucity of primary materials, especially those associated with the thirty years Therese spent in America as the wife of Edward Robinson. The present biography-the first in the English language to appear in almost one hundred years-relies heavily on original documents provided the author by the descendants of Therese and Edward Robinson. With this newly acquired material, the author has been able to draw a more expansive portrait of a remarkable female writer, whose career forged a significant cultural bridge between Germany and America in the nineteenth century.

When Erik Tawaststjerna completed his multi-volume study of Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) in the late 1980s, it was anticipated that it would become the definitive source for information about the life and music of Finland's most revered composer. While there is no denying the musicological significance of Tawaststjerna's contribution, one nevertheless searches in vain among the pages of this monumental work for any discussion of Sibelius's association with Freemasonry or his "Musique religieuse" (opus 113).

Prior to 1998, only one study of Sibelius's Masonic music had been published. It was written by Einari Marvia in Finnish, a language not readily accessible to most scholars. It therefore seemed appropriate to publish, in English, another study of this work, one that would draw not only from Marvia's research but also from a number of newly discovered documents. The author's first edition of "Sibelius and His Masonic Music" (1998) and its supplement (1999) has now been revised and presented here in a single volume.

Those who have expressed an interest in discerning Sibelius's views of religion will find this study offers considerable information about that aspect of the composer's life. Opus 113 had become for him an expression of his belief in the universality of the Divine, a belief given credence in the beauty and wonder of nature.