The Soprano: A Cultural History

One hundred years after the birth of Maria Callas, this landmark history charts the cultural and musical evolution of the soprano, and the achievements of its greatest exponents, from the 16th century to the 21st. Through extensive cross-cultural research and detailed musical analysis, Matthew Boyden traces the profound effects of social change, religion, philosophy, psychology, socio-economics, fashion, sexuality, race and technology on the sound, techniques and perception of the soprano as a musical and cultural phenomenon. Referencing hundreds of works of music, literature, theatre, painting, and cinema – and with multi-disciplinary discussions of everything from the effect of the corset to the politics of body-imagery – The Soprano: A Cultural History is the first book to approach the subject from a gendered perspective. Boyden reveals how five centuries of cultural and societal experience have shaped the soprano, spanning opera, art music, theatre and popular song. It forms the second part of Boyden’s ground-breaking five-volume series on the sung voice. Wildly original in its scope and ambition, The Soprano: A Cultural History is a fascinating resource for anyone interested in the art, science and history of singing.