This rich collection of 23 soprano-range opera arias ranges from the dawn of Italian opera through the late 1800s, featuring early opera arias by Caccini, Campra, and Bononcini; works by eighteenth-century composers Rameau, Pergolesi, Gluck, and Mozart; and selections by nineteenth-century composers, including Beethoven, Weber, Meyerbeer, Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, Verdi, and Bizet. This edition features a detailed and scholarly preface by musicologist Henry E. Krehbiel and a new Introduction by Roelof Oostwoud. Soprano-range vocal majors, vocal instructors, classically trained professional singers, and enthusiasts of vocal music will appreciate this well-chosen and modestly priced compilation.