“A very fascinating journey and a veritable fun and fabulous encyclopedia - a must read for all perfume & opera lovers and more!”
The Essence of Opera
The Marriage between Perfume and the Lyric Stage.
by Prof. Mary May Robertson
“A very fascinating journey and a veritable fun and fabulous encyclopedia - a must read for all perfume & opera lovers and more!”
The Marriage between Perfume and the Lyric Stage.
by Prof. Mary May Robertson
“But what is this scent of balmy air? What this ray of light in my tomb? I seem to see an angel, amid a scent of roses” sings Florestan in Fidelio, Beethoven’s only opera.
The role of scents, smells, fragrances, and odours in opera has long been neglected, just as how much opera and its stars have influenced the world of perfumery from the nineteenth century to the present day.
In the first book-length study on the topic in the book I (Professor Mary May Robertson a UCT Alumna whose life’s work was then undertaken at University College London and The National Hospital Queen Square London), explores the relationship between operas and perfumes, and their respective protagonists in order to map out the previously undiscussed connection between the two. Through compelling close readings of librettos and the research through thousands of bottles of perfume, you the reader will come to appreciate and recognise the influences and exchanges between operas and perfumes and their ultimate marriage in the previously unrecognised genre of Operatic Perfumes, which is to say, perfumes named after operas, composers, and their divas.
In the book I have tabulated and documented around 1240 musical perfumes, including opera themes (eg Aida, Gilda, Caro Nome) as well as those after musicals such as Phantom of the Opera. The majority of the book is dedicated to opera. I very briefly give the stories of the operas which contain perfume. Then, as I know what most readers enjoy, I have also added brief(ish) biographies of around 30 prima donnas who have had actual perfumes named after them. These, I have named “Perfumed Prima Donnas” and include today’s American soprano Rene Fleming, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, as well as The Swedish Nightingale, Jenny Lind as well as the legendary Maria Callas. I cry when I read of Henrietta Sontag’s death and am amused to laughter by many anecdotes in the life of Ganna Walska, who finally lived in the USA and one of her legacies is Lotus Land in California. The Lotusland website states that the garden is “Named one of the 10 best gardens in the world, home to over 3000 plants from the world over and the horticultural passion of an extraordinary woman”. Some of my American friends and I have put it on our bucket lists. As most people love interesting photographs, so I have included around 300 pages of photos – of opera perfume bottles, some of musical perfume bottles, and many of the singers.
The book is:
Discover the unique relationship between opera and perfume in this new book. We hope you are tempted to make a purchase. If you buy the book through our website, you can enjoy a special discount as part of my release promotion.
Get a look at all of the content covered in the book.
“The Marriage between Perfume and the Lyric Stage” is comprised of 865 pages of content, covering everything about the marriage between opera and perfume.
The book is a visual feast for both opera enthusiasts and lovers of fine perfumery. The 'Iconography Section' reveals the depth and breadth of my curated image collection, which spans over 300 figures. This comprehensive iconography section is divided into 16 meticulously organized sections, each dedicated to a unique facets of opera, operattas, broadway musicals and its intersection with the art of fragrance.
From the 'Perfumed Prima Donnas' to 'Modern Day Opera Singers', the pages are adorned with a plethora of images that capture the essence of opera's grandeur. You'll discover photographs and illustrations of 'Opera Houses & Theatres', 'Opera Glasses', and even 'Vintage Programmes' that whisk you back to the golden age of opera.
In 'Perfumes named after Operas' and 'Perfumes of a Century ago', we trace the olfactory art inspired by operatic masterpieces, while 'General Opera & Musical perfume cards' showcase the commercial and artistic synergies between these two sensory realms.
Sections such as 'Adverts, Cards & Ephemera' and 'Tragic Deaths' provide a glimpse into the cultural impact of opera beyond the stage, revealing how it permeates various aspects of art and society.
This book is not only a repository of knowledge for scholars but also an aesthetic journey through the interplay of visuals and scents, charting a historical and cultural map of opera's influential footprint.
Embark on this pictorial odyssey through the book and discover the art of opera and perfumery.
Some examples from the book are shown below:
Additional resources about the book. More is coming soon!
The book is published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. You can visit their website to get more information about the book.
In the first book-length study on the topic in the book The Essence of Opera, Professor Mary May Robertson explores the relationship between opera, perfumes, and their respective protagonists in order to map out the previously undiscussed connection between the two. Through compelling close readings of librettos and rigorous research through thousands of bottles of perfume, the reader will come to appreciate and recognise the influences and exchanges between operas and perfumes and their ultimate marriage.
Get the book
The Essence of Opera
£109.99
Without doubt the most comprehensive, in-depth study ever done on the subject. An astonishing tour de force. Professor Robertson manages to combine her two passions - opera and perfume and perfume bottles - into an intriguing, thoughtful and illuminating study on the power of scent and sound and how these two world collide.
A very fascinating journey and a veritable fun and fabulous encyclopedia - a must read for all perfume & opera lovers and more!
As someone who always tried to discover a new perfume to match each new role, I find this book fascinating. I wish I'd had a perfume named after me!
Mary May Robertson – Hey there, I’m the author behind ‘The Marriage between Perfume and the Lyric Stage’.
Mary Robertson was born in Johannesburg, an eleventh generation South African. She attended school in Johannesburg, and family holidays were on Safari or by the sea. Both holidays evoked scented memories. The bush on safari was permeated with sweet scents of small flowers, pungent scents of freshly dropped dung, and the balmy evening air. At the coast the warm salty air feels damp, soothing and inviting. Mary attended the University and Medical School in Cape Town graduating as a doctor in 1971. As Dr Robertson, she worked in Johannesburg, London, the then exotic Seychelle Islands, where the clinical presentation of illness was an unexpected reflection of a Sick Utopia. In 1976 Mary was then privileged to sail in the Transatlantic Yacht Race from Cape to Rio, in a 37-foot home-made wooden yacht named Undine, deftly and masterfully skippered by Frank Reynolds: they came around mid- fleet in the race, almost neck and neck with the South African Navy yacht. Mary then flew from Rio de Janeiro to the Tahitian Islands where she met the Brigantine Romance, on which she served as ship’s doctor both on board and setting up medical clinics on numerous Pacific Islands. On many of these islands, the fragrances of exotic flowers such as frangipani would bind the islanders and her together, as she ran her memorable clinics. After approximately a year at sea, she returned home, having sailed from Tahiti to Cape Town, and then worked in Johannesburg while also studying for professional examinations in psychiatry.
In 1978 Mary travelled to the United Kingdom after obtaining a position in a London Teaching Hospital. She climbed the National Health System and academic ladders, with heavy clinical and academic roles. Her long work with patients and numerous academic publications made her a pioneer and leading expert on Tourette Syndrome. Mary always loved her work. She has received three Lifetime Achievement Awards, including the International Neuropsychiatry Association Award, The European Society for the Study of Tourette Syndrome Award, and the American Tourette Syndrome Association Award. She was devastated to have to take early retirement because of cancer and other serious illnesses.
Mary’s treatment was successful and so she decided to try a new late-onset “career” – marrying two of her passions – music (opera, operetta, and the lyric stage) and perfume. Mary decided that taking up a new career would give her an interest. Mary then obtained a distinction in her post-graduate research degree in music from London University – the subject was opera and the lyric stage to be precise and the association of music with perfume. Having only scratched the surface of this enormous and undocumented topic, she decided to expand her study into a monograph: The Marriage between Perfume and the Lyric Stage: The Essence of Opera was published in 2023.