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'All lovers of music theatre will welcome this book dealing with the development of opera and ballet in late eighteenth-century Naples, then one of the leading music centres in the Western world. Naples' contribution to opera is well known, but its place in the development of ballet is less well documented. It is to DelDonna's great credit that he gives ballet its rightful place in the history of theatre in the city. Concentrating on a few carefully selected operas and ballets, DelDonna highlights the theatrical politics of the time, the aims of the various dramatists, choreographers and musicians working in Naples, and the significance of the results they obtained.' Michael Robinson, Cardiff University, UK 'Focusing on relevant episodes of the late eighteenth century, DelDonna provides insight into the most delicate phase of the golden age of Neapolitan theatre. The southern capital's reputation as a major centre for musical and theatrical activities was firmly acknowledged and destined to last over the centuries; but Naples was also a centre for innovation, discussion of formulas, and promotion of new genres, which demonstrated a fascinating experimental attitude. DelDonna's book reconstructs the vitality and prestige, which contributed to the rise and establishment of the Neapolitan myth.' Francesco Cotticelli, Seconda UniversitA degli Studi di Napoli, Italy '... in conclusione, il vero pregio di questo volume, che risiede nella capacitA di offrire solide sintesi di interi decenni di vita culturale napoletana e di incentivare il distanziamento da quell'autoreferenzialitA disciplinare che spesso impedisce di connettere in rapporto dialettico vita sociale e melodrammaturgia, musica e storia, arte e politica.' [... in conclusion, the value of this volume resides in its capacity to offer robust syntheses of entire decades of Neapolitan cultural life while also encouraging a turning away from the disciplinary auto-referentiality that often i

'All lovers of music theatre will welcome this book dealing with the development of opera and ballet in late eighteenth-century Naples, then one of the leading music centres in the Western world. Naples' contribution to opera is well known, but its place in the development of ballet is less well documented. It is to DelDonna's great credit that he gives ballet its rightful place in the history of theatre in the city. Concentrating on a few carefully selected operas and ballets, DelDonna highlights the theatrical politics of the time, the aims of the various dramatists, choreographers and musicians working in Naples, and the significance of the results they obtained.' Michael Robinson, Cardiff University, UK 'Focusing on relevant episodes of the late eighteenth century, DelDonna provides insight into the most delicate phase of the golden age of Neapolitan theatre. The southern capital's reputation as a major centre for musical and theatrical activities was firmly acknowledged and destined to last over the centuries; but Naples was also a centre for innovation, discussion of formulas, and promotion of new genres, which demonstrated a fascinating experimental attitude. DelDonna's book reconstructs the vitality and prestige, which contributed to the rise and establishment of the Neapolitan myth.' Francesco Cotticelli, Seconda Universita degli Studi di Napoli, Italy '... in conclusione, il vero pregio di questo volume, che risiede nella capacita di offrire solide sintesi di interi decenni di vita culturale napoletana e di incentivare il distanziamento da quell'autoreferenzialita disciplinare che spesso impedisce di connettere in rapporto dialettico vita sociale e melodrammaturgia, musica e storia, arte e politica.' [... in conclusion, the value of this volume resides in its capacity to offer robust syntheses of entire decades of Neapolitan cultural life while also encouraging a turning away from the disciplinary auto-referentiality that often impedes connections in the dialectic rapport of social life with melodrama, music, history, art, and politics.] Rivista Italiana di Musicologia 'There is much [...] in this fascinating study that will be of value to anyone interested in operatic history. Many of the most important operatic developments in the 18th century emanated from Naples, and DelDonna's well-written book, which includes copious and clearly-laid-out musical examples, casts insight on many hitherto hidden corners.' Opera '... DelDonna begins each chapter by presenting the specific context that the studied works 'mirror' (p. 206). This contextualization [reveals] his profound knowledge of Neapolitan history, politics, and aesthetic debates... The analyses show both the relationship between these works and the context in which they were generated, as well as the nature of the musical experimentation that took form in late eighteenth-century Naples.' Music and Letters 'DelDonna's study ... is underpinned by meticulous research and an obvious and deep knowledge of the eighteenth-century Neapolitan repertory. He succeeds in demonstrating how the changing operatic style reflected the wider intellectual currents of the time, frequently placing Naples at the forefront of enlightened thought.' Fontes Artis Musicae

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Anthony R. DelDonna, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Musicology and Director of the Music Program at Georgetown University. He is a specialist in eighteenth-century topics, in particular Neapolitan music, musicians and culture. Professor DelDonna's research has focused primarily on opera, archival studies, performance practice and ballet, and has been published in the peer-reviewed journals, Early Music, Eighteenth-Century Music, Eighteenth-Century Studies, Recercare, Studi musicali and Civilta musicale and in various scholarly collections on eighteenth-century music. He is the co-editor of The Cambridge Companion to Eighteenth-Century Opera (with Pierpaolo Polzonetti; 2009) and editor for Genre in Eighteenth-Century Music (2008). Professor DelDonna is the co-editor (with Anna Celenza) of the forthcoming book, In Pursuit of a Cultural Mission: The Jesuits and Music and a collection of clarinet and piano transcriptions by Ferdinando Sebastiani (with Antonio Caroccia for Castejon Music Editions) as well as a forthcoming critical edition of the oratorio Trionfo per l'Assunzione della Santissima Vergine for the series Fondazione Arcadia.

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