Operas Every Child Should Know

Bacon, Mary Schell Hoke, 1870-1934Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 656K words
Chapters: 66

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Operas Every Child Should Know by Mary Schell Hoke BaconAuthor: Bacon, Mary Schell Hoke, 1870-1934,Language: English, Class: ML: Music: Literature of music, Release Date: May 7, 2009

Editor's review

This book is an introductory opera reader for children written by Mary Schell Hoke Bacon in English, belonging to the category of music literature. Its approach is not to teach music theory but to unfold the plot lines and main characters of individual operas in a storytelling manner, so that children first understand "what is happening on stage" and then gradually approach the arias and music. For Chinese families, its value lies in providing a low-threshold narrative initiation into opera: parents can first read the story, then take their children to listen to corresponding excerpts, forming a progression of "story—characters—music." The public-domain electronic edition is convenient for searching and printing, but the language is English, and the book was published early, so some opera selections and expressions bear the marks of their time, and musical terminology needs separate verification. It is advisable to use it as an "opera story collection" for parent-child reading rather than a systematic music history textbook; when reading, check the plots against reliable opera synopses and recordings.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Parents and teachers who want to introduce opera to children and need story-based introductory materials
Primary and secondary school students with reasonable English reading ability who are interested in opera plots
Music teachers or extracurricular activity leaders looking for opera synopsis material that can be adapted for storytelling
Beginning opera listeners who want to understand the plot before hearing the arias

Not a good fit for

Professional learners hoping to systematically study music theory, vocal technique, or music history
Readers needing accurate Chinese translations of names and comparison with contemporary performance information
Younger children who still have difficulty reading long English passages independently

Reading tips

Read the story of only one opera at a time, and immediately find the corresponding overture or famous excerpt to listen to, establishing a sound impression.
During parent-child reading, have the parent narrate the plot first, then let the child retell the character relationships, and finally listen to excerpts together.
Make a comparison table of the English opera titles and character names in the book, and check reliable Chinese sources for translations before use.
It is not necessary to read through in order; select chapters corresponding to performances or recorded pieces the child can currently hear.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What age of children is this book suitable for?

The book tells opera plots in story form, suitable for primary and secondary school students who already have some English reading ability, as well as younger children whose parents narrate to them. The specific age varies with the child's language level and interest; parents are advised to try reading one or two chapters first to judge whether the child can follow the character relationships and plot development.

Does the book teach music theory or singing techniques?

No. This book belongs to opera story readers within the category of music literature, focusing on plot and characters rather than systematic explanation of music theory, vocal technique, or music history. If technical study is needed, other textbooks should be chosen; this book is more suitable as plot preparation before listening to opera.

Since the book was published early, is the plot information still reliable?

The core plots of operas are relatively stable, and the story synopses in this book are generally usable; however, since it was published early, the opera selections and some expressions bear the marks of their time, and the transliterations of names also differ from current Chinese conventions. When using it, it is advisable to check against reliable opera synopses or recordings, and not to treat every detail in the book as the sole basis.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Bacon, Mary Schell Hoke, 1870-1934 Author · American · 1870–1934

Mary Schell Hoke Bacon (1870–1934) was an American writer and drama critic. Public information about her life is limited, and the surviving records mainly concern her writing: she was known for introductory works on the arts aimed at children and general readers, and she was skilled at retelling more specialized material, such as opera and painting, as accessible stories and introductions. Two of her works are held in this collection, Operas Every Child Should Know and Pictures Every Child Should Know, whose titles show her aim of opening the worlds of opera and painting to young readers. Her writing is narrative and readable, often presenting plots and the backgrounds of paintings in story form so that children gain a grounding in the arts through pleasurable reading. Such books had some influence in early twentieth-century American homes and schools and offer today's readers a sample of children's arts education writing of that period.