The Chorus in Opera: A Guide to the Repertory

Choruses excerpted from the standard operatic repertoire are rarely performed, and yet they offer choral and symphonic conductors a rich resource to expand their repertories. The authors have excerpted several hundred choral gems embedded in nearly 850 operas from the Baroque to the present day. The user of this volume will find not only standard excerpts but also choruses culled from non-standard operas by Americans. The Catalog of Works is listed alphabetically by composer, with annotated information giving act and scene number, chorus title, librettist, performing forces needed, duration, difficulty level, editions available, and a short description of the chorus or the scene from which it is taken.

David P. DeVenney and Craig R. Johnson are both choral conductors on the music faculty of Otterbein College, Westerville, Ohio, where they share responsibilities of guiding the College’s six choral ensembles. Each holds a DMA in choral conducting from the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati, and DeVenney has previously written a three-volume reference series on American choral music.