William Shakespeare’s «A Midsummer Night’s Dream» in the History of Music Theater (Literarische Studien / Literary Studies)

William Shakespeare’s comedy __A Midsummer Night__’__s Dream__ (1595) has survived and flourished as a drama for over five centuries. The work has also enjoyed immense popularity in music. Its lyrical verse, its constant use of musical terminology, and its references to and deployment of songs and dances have served to attract major composers over more than four centuries. The book compares their libretti with the original text, and analyzes how alterations in text and structure have affected the nature of Shakespeare’s original play - its plot, characterization and lyricism. The study also deals with the constituent elements of music theater, including instrumental music, and, to a lesser extent, with artistic and cinematic representations of Shakespeare’s comedy. William Shakespeare’s comedy A Midsummer Night ’ s Dream (1595) has survived and flourished as a drama for over five centuries. The work has also enjoyed immense popularity in music. Its lyrical verse, its constant use of musical terminology, and its references to and deployment of songs and dances have served to attract major composers over more than four centuries. The book compares their libretti with the original text, and analyzes how alterations in text and structure have affected the nature of Shakespeare’s original play - its plot, characterization and lyricism. The study also deals with the constituent elements of music theater, including instrumental music, and, to a lesser extent, with artistic and cinematic representations of Shakespeare’s comedy. Analyzes how alterations in text and structure have affected the nature of William Shakespeare's original play - its plot, characterization and lyricism. This study deals with the constituent elements of music theater, including instrumental music, and, to a lesser extent, with artistic and cinematic representations of Shakespeare's comedy. Ulrike Küpper. Originally Presented As: Thesis (doctoral)--universität Duisburg-essen, 2010. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 251-263) And Indexes.