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Opera is a fragile, complex art, but it flourished extravagantly in
San Francisco during the Gold Rush years, a time when daily life in
the city was filled with gambling, duels, murder, and suicide. In
the history of the United States there has never been a rougher
town than Gold Rush San Francisco, yet there has never been a
greater frenzy for opera than developed there in these exciting
years. How did this madness for opera take root and grow? Why did
the audience's generally drunken, brawling behavior gradually
improve? How and why did Verdi emerge as the city's favorite
composer? These are the intriguing themes of George Martin's
enlightening and wonderfully entertaining story. Among the
incidents recounted are the fist fight that stopped an opera
performance and ended in a fatal duel; and the brothel madam who,
by sitting in the wrong row of a theater, caused a fracas that
resulted in the formation of the Vigilantes of 1856. Martin weaves
together meticulously gathered social, political, and musical facts
to create this lively cultural history. His study contributes to a
new understanding of urban culture in the Jacksonian-Manifest
Destiny eras, and of the role of opera in cities during this time,
especially in the American West. Over it all soars Verdi's somber,
romantic music, capturing the melancholy, the feverish joy, and the
idealism of his listeners.
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