Abstract

THEORY 0f opera ought t0 reveal how its clcmcn Ls are imcgratcd. Acting Macbeth in Kabuki costumc while the Haydn London symphonies play is at best Dada, but n0L opcra. The text in opcra is not merely a vehicle for the singer t0 vocalize 0n, like solfeggio 0r scat. The music is not incidental L0 the text, like 21 background divertimen!0 L0 dinner party convcrsation. And the other devices 0f th€21tr€—costumes, sets, lighting, gesture, and movement are not fancy embellishments L0 the drama, like the frame amund Ei..