Joseph Cone graduated from Yale University (literature, music, science) and the University of Oregon (communications), and for four decades at Oregon State University his faculty position involved research in, and the practice of, science communication with the public. His love and knowledge of opera began at home and school and grew through years of enjoyment, study, and attending performances. This book is his sixth.

Contents

Preface

PART 1 Music-Dramas, Evolutionary Biology, and Psychology

Part 1 Introduction: What Science has to Offer

1 Orfeo: Stories, Singing, and Sexuality

2 Rodelinda: Emotion, Music, and Drama

3 L'Elisir d'Amore: Mate Choice, Comedy, and Consonance

4 Le Nozze di Figaro: Marital Commitment and Challenges to it

5 Don Giovanni, Wozzeck: Assessing Adult Character

6 Die Walküre, Simon Boccanegra: Parenting, Power, and Posterity

7 The Tempest, Lear, Falstaff: Aging and Wisdom

PART 2 Cultural Considerations Regarding Opera

Part 2 Introduction: What is meant by "Culture"

8 Attracting Audiences: War and Peace, Omar, Song from the Uproar

9 Origins and Innovations: Before and After La Bohème (the movie)

10 Affording Extraordinary Experiences: Les Troyens, Akhnaten

Index