A Book of Operas: Their Histories, Their Plots, and Their Music — A Reader’s Guide

Recurring Musical Motifs as Structural Anchors

Krehbiel repeatedly identifies how a single musical phrase or theme can bind together disparate scenes. In Die Zauberflöte, he points to the fugue theme in the overture, noting that it derives from a sonata by Clementi—a borrowing that becomes a structural thread. For Don Giovanni, he describes the overture’s “tragical note” as a premonition that colors the entire opera. He also observes how Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia uses the overture not merely as an introduction but as a piece that sets the comic tone, with “Ecco ridente in cielo” establishing the morning light that frames the first act. These observations show Krehbiel’s interest in how composers plant musical seeds that later bloom across the work.

Scene Transitions and the Dramatic Pause

Krehbiel often highlights the moments between scenes—the exits, the silences, the sudden shifts—as crucial to an opera’s effect. In La Traviata, he praises Verdi for having Alfredo exit abruptly after “Di Provenza il mar,” refusing to tack on a conventional duet. This “sudden exit” is, for Krehbiel, a sign of modern dramatic instinct. Similarly, in Le Nozze di Figaro, he marvels at the finale, where Mozart weaves multiple characters and plot threads into a single, continuous musical fabric. Krehbiel’s analysis suggests that the most powerful structural moments are often those that break expectation—the unexpected pause, the truncated phrase, the scene that ends not with a cadence but with a dramatic gesture.

Historical Performances as Structural Evidence

Krehbiel grounds his structural observations in specific historical performances. For Il Barbiere di Siviglia, he recounts the famous fiasco at its Rome premiere and how Garcia’s Spanish song saved the evening—a story that reveals how performance conditions can reshape an opera’s structure. In La Traviata, he reproduces a lengthy review from the New York Tribune (1856) that criticizes the waltz music and praises the duet between Violetta and Germont. This review becomes evidence for how contemporary audiences perceived the opera’s dramatic architecture. Krehbiel also notes that the Venetian revival of La Traviata succeeded only after the costumes were changed—a reminder that visual framing can alter how a work’s structure is received.

The Role of the Overture in Shaping Expectation

Krehbiel devotes considerable attention to overtures, treating them not as mere preludes but as structural blueprints. In Don Giovanni, he describes how the overture was written last, under pressure, yet its “tragical note” perfectly anticipates the opera’s moral gravity. For Die Zauberflöte, he links the overture’s fugue to Masonic symbolism, suggesting that its contrapuntal rigor mirrors the opera’s ritualistic structure. In Le Nozze di Figaro, he calls the overture “merry” and notes how it sets the pace for the comedy to come. By comparing these overtures, Krehbiel shows how each composer uses the opening music to establish a structural key—whether tragic, comic, or ceremonial—that the rest of the opera will follow.

Readers interested in how operas are built rather than merely what happens in them will find Krehbiel a precise guide. He treats each work as a mechanism of scenes, motifs, and transitions, and he supports his observations with historical performance details that bring the structure to life. The book rewards those who read with an ear for how music shapes dramatic movement.

There’s something about sitting with Krehbiel’s quiet attention to how music moves a scene—not just the story, but the flow of it—that stays with you. I felt that same unhurried presence again in The Complete Opera Book The Stories of the Operas, together with 400 of the Leading Airs and Motives in Musical Notation — A Closer Reading, where the motifs feel like old friends waiting to be noticed once more.