Dr. April Lynn James's doctorate studies and extraordinary research bring to light a powerful book "The Tenth Muse...How Maria Antonia Advnaced the Pastoral Opera" to a whole new level of enrichment and understanding of the biography and great works of Maria Antonia Walpurgis Symphorosa (1724-1780). Dr. April's extensive, comprehensive research vividly describes 18th-century history during the Holy Roman Empire (mid-18th-century). The book is elegantly written with in-depth, interesting research citations extremely suitable for academic studies in women's history, music and arts, poetry, and opera, and many more audiences who want to learn more about this fabulous, unique, individual Maria Antonia. This book is a MUST purchase for your bookshelves!

This is an exhaustively researched portrait of a largely forgotten time and place through the lens of an incredible woman and her work. Whether you are interested in music, music history, art, literature, history, or the Enlightenment, there are treasures here. The author opens a world we can hardly imagine.

A fascinating account filled with real musical examples and scholarly documentation, this will be an important resource for dedicated musicians interested in learning more about the lives and historical context of female musicians.

Dr. James’s treatise, contrary to much academic scholarship, is delightfully readable. Beginning with a personal history of how this multifaceted author came to write about Maria Antonia, continuing through biographical and musical analyses and her place in the context of her times, and ending with informative appendices, the book is a must for lovers of early opera. Although Dr. James reveals her intention to someday make an audiobook with recordings of Antonia’s music, it might have been nice to inform those of us who cannot read scores about the (very few) available performances on YouTube and Spotify, often under the name of “Maria Antonia Walpurgis.” That aside, the book is a perfect tribute to an unjustly forgotten composer.

If you enjoy biographies, literature, music history, women’s history, the enlightenment, and/or insight into the 18th century European aristocracy, then this book is for you.

Dr. James’ deep dive into Maria Antonia’s life and work shows us what it meant to be a woman of influence in her time. The author is meticulous in her scholarship. This book enlightened the eyes of my understanding of music history beyond what I had hoped. I am encouraged and inspired by Maria Antonia’s accomplishments in music and poetry, and I now understand why she is referred to as the Tenth Muse.

You don’t have to be a serious student to enjoy this biography. However, if you are a serious student then this book is a MUST HAVE addition to your library.