Download or read book Touched by the Graces written by Buford Norman and published by Summa Publications, Inc.. This book was released on 2001 with total page 428 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After situating the libretti in the context of French classicism, the author first discusses the prologues to the Quinault-Lully operas, then devotes a chapter to each of the libretti in which he examines such traditional literary elements as performance history, plot, characterization, and style, as well as issues more specifically related to musical theater. The concluding chapter summarizes what opera can tell us about French classicism and explores in depth some of the key theoretical issues such as representation, imitation, and recognition.