Giulio Cesare in Full Score (Dover Opera Scores)

Accurate, easy to read, reasonably priced.

Nicely crafted easy to read full score

Giulio Cesare in Egitto is one of several Opera Serias Handel wrote in Italian on a Roman Historical subject. As you can probably guess, it deals with Julius Caesar's affair with the femme fatale of all femme fatales, the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra. For those few who don't know, Caesar's affair predates her more famous liaison with Marc Antony. It's a fascinating subject, and no less a writer than Bernard Shaw wrote a play about it. In the Opera, Handel executes an interesting bit of gender bending that probably delighted Shaw. Caesar is a contralto, Ptolemy, Cleopatra's husband and King of Egypt, an Alto. Pompey the Great's wife is also an alto, as is the royal Egyptian advisor, Nireno. Cleopatra, of course, is a soprano, as is Sextus Pompeius, the son of Pompey the Great. In short, there are six male characters, and only two female characters, but they are sung by six women and only two men. Now, this is the subject for a book or a doctoral dissertation, hardly to be sucessfully addressed in a 1000 word amazon.com review, but it brings to mind a professor of Shakespeare studies I had in college. Despite well established Elizabethan casting practices, this professor used certain speeches of Rosalind's from As You Like It to suggest that Shakespeare was, in fact, gay. Now, given this Opera's quite normal rococo casting practice, I wonder what my professor would've said about Handel? At any rate, Dover's complete score of Giulio Cesare is an extraordinary bargain. It is a reprint of the 1875 Deutsche Handelgeselleschaft edition, edited by renowned Handel scholar, Friedrich Chrysander. The score is basically for string orchestra, with winds used for extra color. There are alternates to several numbers, and they are conveniently placed behind the numbers they would replace. The book is easily read, and large enough to accommodate all orchestration. In spite of the occassional tendency to place wind lines below string lines, it's perfect for podium use. It's crafted beautifully, as usual for Dover, and at Dover prices, it's not a bargain really; it's a steal.

Product recieved on time and in great condition. I was satisfied with service and product overall

The score for Handel's opera Julius Caesar is excellent value for money.All vocal and orchestral parts are clear and easy to follow - my only caveat is that there is no continuo realisation, just a figured base line. However many players prefer to work from a figured bass rather than have the harmonies provided. It would not make a good rehearsal score for singers who would need some keyboard support when rehearsing.

These Dover full scores are a real treat for musicians - easy to read and brilliant value for money. This one is no exception. If you don't know any of Handel's extensive series of operas this is a good one to start with, particularly as the storyline is taken from a different timeline from that which Shakespeare uses.

Good quality

スコアで一番重要なことは、何よりも視認性が良いことです。手に取るまでは若干不安がありましたが、この洋書は印刷が鮮明で、歌詞もちゃんとイタリック体となっており非常に見やすいものとなっています。フルスコアの場合は同じ大きさの版であれば、声楽用パート譜と比較してどうしても五線譜の幅が狭くかつ音符や歌詞も小さくならざるを得ないという制約があります。判の小さいものによっては時々歌詞がかすれて見えず役に立たないものもありますが、これは縦３１センチ、横２４センチと判が大きいためそれがありません。この価格でこれだけの仕上がりであれば、歌手でもなく単に聴くだけの私には十分と言えるでしょう。ヘンデルのオペラが好きな人にもお勧めできます。ところで表紙のすばらしい絵はいったい誰が画いたものだろう。歴史画の名手だったフランス古典派のダヴィッドかもしれない。どうも気になって仕方がありません。