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Weber's opera Euryanthe was written in 1823 and contains much that anticipates Wagner, as well as being a masterpiece in its own right. It was intended as the crowning work in the career of this seminal figure in the German operatic tradition of the early nineteenth century. Yet through its defective libretto it has virtually disappeared from the modern repertoire, despite containing, in Wagner's words, Weber's "most beautiful, richest, and most masterful music." In this book, Tusa provides the first full-length study of Euryanthe ever made and firmly stakes out the claim that it is "arguably the key work for understanding Weber's operatic aims." Along with close scrutiny of its dramatic aims and compositional planning, Tusa provides insight into its genre and reception history. The result is a book that not only deepens our understanding of a major neglected work but may help to restore it to its true place in the history of romantic opera.