A comprehensive study of all nineteenth-century New Orleans composers is far beyond the scope of this paper. There are simply too many. An attempt has been made, however, to include as many possible in the text. Others, about whom there is insufficient information to include in a narrative, have been relegated to the appendix, where they are treated in the style of a biographical dictionary. The two most important and influential composers of the century, Gregorion Curto and Theodore von La Hache, are covered individually in chapters two and three, respectively. Their music represents all three of the important aspects of composition of the era: opera, salon, and sacred music. Louis Moreau Gottschalk, probably the most famous composer and performer of the period, has been omitted from this study (other than incidental references) because he has already received considerable attention from numerous other researchers. Likewise, another composer of note, Ernest Guiraud, has been omitted because, even though a native of New Orleans, he left America at an early age and never returned. He should more appropriately be considered in annals of French music. Research in this field, a vital part of the American musical heritage, is by no means complete. …

In music, the term verismo usually refers to a realistic or naturalistic movement in Italian operas of the late nineteenth century. From the dawn of Italian opera four features have been manifested--umanita (humanism), sincerity (sincerity), passione (passion), effetto (not only theatrical effect but the supreme dramatic moment). The elements of verismo are among the characteristics present in the operas of Giuseppe Verdi where they reached a zenith of development. It is upon these veristic aspects, as identified in the second chapter, that the operas Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci were based. Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, and La Traviata richly exhibit these elements of verismo which have been identified in the fourth chapter.

The object of this study was to compile a list of solo literature for beginning college voice students and analyze these solos for pedagogical and performance purposes. There is no lack of printed material on the subjects of singing and voice culture. But it is not readily accessible to teachers since it is extremely diversified and rather diffusely distributed throughout a variety of sources, such as books, periodicals, and scientific papers. Several lists and books containing songs for beginners have been compiled.