The Mellen Opera Reference Index
Parsons, Charles H., compiler

A 23-volume set giving detailed information on every aspect of opera - over 100,000 entries. Note: There are actually 26 volumes in the set, as volume 19 is a two-book compilation, and Volume 21 is a 3-book compilation. Published thus far: Volumes 1-25.

A 23-volume set giving detailed information on every aspect of opera - over 100,000 entries. Improves on Steiger's Opernlexikon by including two additional data-categories for each work (language of text and literary sources) and by covering composers who have appeared since the end-date of Steiger's work (1934).

Volumes 1-9 reviewed as follows in CHOICE:

". . . [a] monumental enterprise . . . The four volumes of Opera Composers and Their Works list, alphabetically by composer, more than 40,000 operas that have been performed, making this the most complete catalog available. This [Volumes 1-4] is the basic set of the series and an important work. . . . "

"[In Volumes 5 and 6, Opera Librettists and Their Works,] more than 13,000 librettists and collaborator librettists are included along with dates of birth and death, far more than in O. G. T. Sonneck's scholarly Catalog of Opera Librettos Printed Before 1800 (1914). The information presented is fascinating . . . ."

"Opera Premieres [Volumes 7-8] is a spinoff of information from Volumes 1-4. . . . This reviewer is aware of no comparable work: older catalogs list theater and date of premiere, but none provide geographical access. . . ."

"Considered together, these volumes mark the beginning of a major work for larger music libraries . . . ." _ Choice

"Anyone, such as myself, interested in the production of works not usually performed will discover the value of such a compilation; as well as the historian, the lecturer, and the researcher." - James de Blasis, General Director, The Cincinnati Opera

"The contents [of Volume One] go far beyond those of Alfred Lowenberg's Annals of Opera . . . for both period covered and completeness. . . . I was very impressed by the eighteen pages, two columns per page, devoted to the works of Karl Kleiber. Should anyone want such a list (and someone surely will) this is the place to go. . . . [The planned twenty-three-volume set is] a major undertaking of major importance." - George Louis Mayer in American Reference Books Annual

“. . . this publication will be of enormous help to music scholars and students because it covers a previously uncharted area. The compiler provides lists of English-language reviews of all major opera premieres and revivals between the years of 1990 and 1997. . . . Parsons indicates he plans to keep working backward in time in order to cover more of the world’s important opera premieres. Entries are offered in alphabetic order by composers, under which their operas are covered. Reviews are arranged by their writers’ names, followed by the review headline, name of the newspaper or magazine, and the date on which the review was published.” – ARBA, vol. 30

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ISSN: 0-88946-400-6

Volumes

Opera Subjects: Vol. 9
USA Non-Subscription Price: 199.95 UK Non-Subsription Price: 99.95
Pages: Year: 1990   ISBN: 0-88946-409-X

Recent International Opera Discography:Vol. 22a
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Pages: Year: 2003   ISBN: 0-88946-420-0

Recent International Opera Discography:Vol. 22b
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Pages: Year: 2003   ISBN: 0-88946-421-9

Recent International Opera Discography:Vol. 22c
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Pages: Year: 2003   ISBN: 0-88946-422-7

Recent International Opera Discography:Vol. 22d
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Pages: Year: 2003   ISBN: 0-88946-731-5


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Pages:   

Mellen Opera Reference Index Volume 25 2004 Update
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Pages: 124 Year: 2005   ISBN: 0-7734-6059-4

The Mellen Opera Reference Index: Recent International Opera Discography / 2005-2007 Update
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Pages: 152 Year: 2008   ISBN: 978-0-7734-4960-2

Opera Composers and Their Works Vol. 1
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Pages: Year: 1986   ISBN: 0-88946-401-4

Opera Composers and Their Works Vol. 2
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Pages: Year: 1987   ISBN: 0-88946-402-2

Opera Composers and Their Works Vol. 3
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Pages: Year: 1987   ISBN: 0-88946-403-

Opera Composers and Their Works Vol. 4
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Pages: Year: 1987   ISBN: 0-88946-404-9

Opera Librettists and Their Works Vol. 5
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Pages: Year: 1990   ISBN: 0-88946-405-7

Opera Librettists and Their Works Vol. 6
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Pages: Year: 1990   ISBN: 0-88946-406-5

Opera Premieres - A Geographical Index Vol. 7
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Pages: Year: 1990   ISBN: 0-88946-407-3

Opera Premieres - A Geographical Index Vol. 8
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Pages: Year: 1990   ISBN: 0-88946-408-1

An Opera Discography in Three Volumes Vol. 10
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Pages: Year: 1990   ISBN: Composers A-O 0-88946-410-3

An Opera Discography in Three Volumes Vol. 11
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Pages: Year: 1990   ISBN: Composers P-Z 0-88946-411-1

An Opera Discography in Three Volumes Vol. 12
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Pages: Year: 1990   ISBN: Performers 0-88946-497-9

Opera Premieres Vol. 13
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Pages: Year: 1992   ISBN: 0-88946-412-X

Opera Premieres Vol. 14
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Pages: Year: 1992   ISBN: 0-88946-413-8

Opera Premieres - An Index of Casts/performers (6,012 Operas by 1,703 composers w/performers) Vol. 15
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Pages: Year: 1993   ISBN: 0-88946-414-6

Opera Premieres - An Index of Casts/performers (6,012 Operas by 1,703 composers w/performers) Vol. 16
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Pages: Year: 1993   ISBN: 0-88946-415-4

An Opera Bibliography Vol. 17
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Pages: Year: 1996   ISBN: 0-88946-416-2

An Opera Bibliography Vol. 18
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Pages: Year: 1996   ISBN: 0-88946-417-0

Opera Premiere Reviews and Reassessments Vol. 19 A: Book One
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Pages: Year: 1997   ISBN: 0-88946-172-4

Opera Premiere Reviews and Reassessments Vol. 19 B: Book Two
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Pages: 144 Year: 2002   ISBN: 0-88946-062-0

An Opera Videography - A listing for 895 videos of 298 operas by 116 composers: Vol. 20
USA Non-Subscription Price: 199.9 UK Non-Subsription Price: 99.95
Pages: 0 Year: 1997   ISBN: 0-88946-641-6

Printed Editions of Opera Scores in American Libraries Vol. 21A: Book One
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Pages: Year: 1998   ISBN: 0-88946-418-9

Printed Editions of Opera Scores in American Libraries Vol. 21B: Book Two
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Pages: Year: 1998   ISBN: 0-88946-419-7

Printed Editions of Opera Scores in American Libraries Vol. 21C: Book Three
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Pages: Year: 1998   ISBN: 0-88946-695-5