THE 2014-2015 MAINSTAGE RESOURCE GUIDE

An informational guide

to the opera productions

of the 81st Season.

www.florentineopera.org

Guide Cover.indd 1 10/31/14 9:59 AM

A VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR EDUCATION SPONSORS

The Florentine Opera's Education & Community Engagement department is supported by many generous corporate, foundation and individual donors. We offer our sincerest thanks to our dedicated supporters.

Major Support for the Florentine Opera's OPERA ON THE GO! is provided by:

with additional support fromAnon Charitable Trust

Albert J. & Flora H. Ellinger Charitable TrustEvan & Marion Helfaer Foundation

Dorothy Inbusch FoundationCharles D. Ortgiesen Foundation

Vilter Foundation, Inc.Woman's Club of Wisconsin Foundation

We would also like to thank the following Education Program champions who have helped underwrite a school performance

James Bamberger and Nancy Eastham

Donald and Donna Baumgartner

Mr. and Mrs. John Burke

Cathy and Mario Costantini

Sarah and Peter Damsgaard

Dennis and Rebecca Farrell

Robert and Christine Ferber

William and Carmen Haberman

Glen and Claire Hackmann

George and Angela Jacobi

Herbert H. Kohl Charities, Inc.

Dr. Michael J. Krco

Mary Ann and Charles LaBahn

Eric and Susi Lind

Paul Mathews and Colleen Fitzgerald

Jim Mortell

David Mungenast

Ms. Susan Muros-Parker

Andrew Nunemaker

Nancy Phelps

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Pieper

Mary and Ross Read

Dolores V. Ricci

John Shannon and Jan Serr

Dr. and Mrs. Fred Tyszka

Laura Wiesner Wake

The Wake Family Fund

Weyco Group Charitable Trust

Cathy and Michael White

The Bucyrus Foundation of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation

Edward U. Demmer Foundation

Marjorie L. Christiansen Foundation

Pieper Electric, Inc. and Ideal Mechanical

Jane Bradley Pettit

Foundation

Support for free student tickets enable passionate learners to experience mainstage opera, regardless of financial ability

and are underwritten by Nancy E. Hack Fund at the Greater Milwaukee Foundation

Bernard J. and Marie E. Weiss Fund at the Greater Milwaukee Foundation

For information or to make a contribution, please contact Sarah Jones, Education & Community Engagement

Manager, or Eric Lind, Director of Development at 414.291.5700.

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Table of Contents 1 Florentine Opera Company Education Mission 2 About this Study Guide 3 New to Opera? 4 What Is Opera? 5 Who Makes It All Happen? 12 Operatic Voices 16 Operatic Singing 21 Glossary of Opera Terms 27 The Conductor’s Score 31 The Vocal Score 33 Synopsis of The Flying Dutchman 34 Meet the Composer: Richard Wagner Meet the Cast of The Flying Dutchman Synopsis of Wuthering Heights 41 Meet the Composer: Carlisle Floyd Meet the Cast of Wuthering Heights Synopsis of Elmer Gantry 49 Meet the Composer & Meet the Librettist Meet the Cast of Elmer Gantry Synopsis of The Elixir of Love 57 Meet the Composer: Gaetano Donizetti Meet the Cast of The Elixir of Love Last-Minute Tips 64 Appendix After the Performance A Curricular Connections B Additional Teacher Resources C Evaluation Forms D

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FLORENTINE OPERA COMPANY EDUCATION MISSION

The mission of the Florentine Opera Company Education Department is to make opera more inviting and accessible to communities in Milwaukee and throughout the state of Wisconsin by:

1. Educating students and the community about opera and career opportunities within the opera.

2. Providing opera introduction and continuing education events for adults. 3. Providing opportunities for young artists.

The Florentine Opera Education Department’s strategic plan includes four goals:

1. Establishing new partnerships 2. Supplementing arts education at every level 3. Improving the quality and quantity of teaching artists 4. Involving new audiences by exploring new, non-traditional venues

“The music makes me feel happy, and it made me go to my home and sing to my grandma.” – student at Greenfield Bilingual School “I learned that it takes a lot of work to be in the opera.” – student at Lancaster Elementary “With my lifestyle and the way I was brought up, I would have never been naturally introduced to the opera. I can replace movies with the opera, I can relax at the opera, I can get away from the world at the opera.” – student at West Bend High School “I love the performance for ‘The Three Little Pigs’ opera performance. It was a good show for the children in the school.” – student at 53rd Street School “They made me laugh through the whole show. I think they should come again so we can see another show. All the kids were enjoying it.” – student at Honey Creek School “I really liked the play. My stomach started to hurt because the play was so funny. I thought that the singing was awesome and that the whole performance was wonderful!” – student at Honey Creek School

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We acknowledge the Nashville Opera’s Education Department for sharing portions of their study guide with the Florentine Opera. For more information about the Nashville Opera and their education programs, visit http://www.nashvilleopera.org/html/Education.php. Each section of this guide was created to supplement your curriculum, and also to aid opera newcomers in understanding the art of opera more fully. Many sections (such as The History of Opera) are geared specifically towards teachers. You are welcome to take this information and reframe it in whatever way you think would best suit your class. With the information and activities provided in this guide, we hope to help you create a more meaningful experience for your students. Our objectives with this study guide and performance are…

! To introduce students to the fundamental components of opera. ! To give students a very brief historical perspective of opera’s development. ! To introduce some basic terminology. ! To encourage multidisciplinary studies across many subject areas. ! To educate as well as entertain.

We achieve these objectives by…

! Presenting opera as fun, entertaining, and culturally significant. ! Providing you with background information on this year’s production as well as

some basics about opera and its history. ! Connecting opera to your music and general classroom curriculum with

suggested pre- and post-opera activities. Why opera education?

! Our in-school programs present material through visual, aural, and action methods, thus reaching out to many different types of learners.

! Exposure to opera as a multidisciplinary art helps students develop intelligence in a variety of areas, including abstract thinking and problem solving.

! Opera provides opportunities for self-expression through a variety of forms, which in turn leads to the development of valuable communication skills, self-discipline, perseverance, and leadership.

! Opera combines drama, poetry, instrumental music, singing, scenery, costumes, lighting, and many wonderful special effects. Such collaboration is important for students to witness, as it helps to encourage them to develop a broadened, multidisciplinary perspective.

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Why Being an Opera Novice Helps You Enjoy Opera

We firmly believe that newcomers have a great advantage over many opera fanatics worldwide. The composers of the great operas knew what they were doing – they created potent musical dramas aimed straight for the heart. Many opera buffs forget that in opera, the intellect should take a backseat to emotion. More than many other art forms, opera is meant to appeal directly to the senses. All you need are eyes, ears, and a soul to fully appreciate an opera. Let us help you activate your senses.

The Popular-versus-Classical Myth Until very recently (at least in geological terms), going to an opera was like going to a movie. People went to an opera as you might go to a rock concert: to have fun! They went to see their favorite stars and hear their favorite tunes. They wore casual clothes; they brought along food and drinks; they even cheered (or booed, or threw flowers or tomatoes) during the show if the spirit moved them. Classical music was pop music. In fact, when Verdi wrote Otello, the crowd went crazy, calling him back to the stage over and over again with standing ovations, finally carrying him all the way home on their shoulders, and then serenading him under his window. Opera is just as entertaining as it ever was. But these days, it has become much less familiar.

~adapted from Opera for Dummies

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Before defining opera, ask your students to share their ideas about what opera could be. Write “opera” on the board and list their answers beneath it. What is opera? An opera is simply a play in which people sing. In most operas, all the words are sung, and none are spoken. There are other types of operas; however, in which there is as much speaking as singing. If an opera is just a play, then why do people sing? The theater has been around for hundreds of years. People were being entertained by plays long before television and radio were even invented. Music was added to enhance the feelings that were being portrayed on the stage. Singing is a very special form of music because the instrument (like our feelings) comes from inside. Our voice is a part of us which expresses how we feel, whether we sing, talk, shout, laugh, cry, moan, growl, whisper, gasp, hiss, etc. It is the actor’s job to express such feelings, and singing is a perfect way of doing just that. Naturally, singing was used very early in the history of the theater; however, opera as we know it is only about 400 years old. Operas powerfully combine the drama of theater with music – vocal and instrumental – to create the lasting art form, which is still enjoyed throughout the world today.

From opera to musical theater to music videos and everything in between – the length of

musical performances is considerably shorter today than it was in the past.

How is this a reflection of society today compared to hundreds of years ago?

Is it harder for us today to sit through a three-hour-long opera than it was for people back in

the 1800s? Why or why not?

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What Are the Elements that Make Up an Opera? A score is the blueprint to an opera. It consists of the words, music, stage directions, and often performance notes needed for an entire show. An opera score is often divided into sections. It begins with the overture, followed by one to five acts (large sections of acting and singing), and one or more intermissions. Each act may be divided into scenes. The scenes are made up of recitatives, arias, duets, larger ensembles, and choruses. You can find all of these terms in the Glossary of Opera and Musical Terms located in this guide.

A trio from the Florentine Opera’s production of Puccini’s Turandot, November 2011

Photo Credit: Kathy Wittman

What Are Some Different Styles of Opera? Bel Canto This Italian phrase means “beautiful singing.” Bel canto operas grew from a style of singing emphasizing long phrases, breath control, a light upper register, flexibility in singing both loudly and softly, and a “sweet” timbre (tone color). Because the voice is considered the most expressive element of bel canto singing, the words are often considered to be secondary. Gaetano Donizetti, Vincenzo Bellini, and Gioacchino Rossini were prominent bel canto composers. Soprano Renée Fleming and mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli are two contemporary singers who are renowned for their incredible bel canto technique.

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Grand Opéra This is a style of opera that originated in France and is characterized by its magnificence. It is performed with elaborate sets and costumes, and requires many people to make it happen. Grand opéra always involves royalty, heroism, an elaborate ballet scene, and is often quite long. Composer Jules Massenet wrote operas in this style. Opera Seria This Italian phrase means “serious opera” and refers to the noble, dramatic, and serious qualities of Italian opera that dominated Europe in the mid-1700s. These stories are often tragic, and typically involve heroes and kings or ancient myths and gods. Some of Mozart’s operas are in this style. Opera Buffa This style of opera, meaning “comic opera,” is the counterpart of opera seria, and is always sung in Italian. The characters that supply the jokes represent the working class, such as maids, peasants, or servants. These operas usually end with a happy lesson and with the antagonist defeated. Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro and Don Giovanni and Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) fall under this category of opera. Singspiel Singspiel evolved in German-speaking countries out of the comic opera tradition. It includes elements of comic opera (funny lower-class characters), spoken dialogue interjected among the sung phrases, and often includes an exotic or fanciful theme. Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) is an example of this style. Music Drama This is a style of opera that is created by a single artist who writes both the text and the music – as opposed to having a composer and a librettist working together – in order to advance the drama. Composer Richard Wagner (1813-1883) defined this style.

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A Brief Overview of Opera History

“Opera is where a guy gets stabbed in the back, and instead of dying, he sings.” -Ed Gardner

Opera is more than just large women singing loudly; it is the complete collaboration of music, drama, art, and poetry. Opera has been around for more than 400 years and can be broken down into the following musical periods:

! Baroque Period (1600-1725) ! Classical Period (1725-1820) ! Romantic Period (1820-1900)

" Italian Romantic Opera " German Romantic Opera " French Romantic Opera

! Modern American Opera (1900-present) Baroque Period (1600-1725) In the early 17th century, a group of men called the Florentine Camerata began meeting to discuss music and the arts. By linking existing musical pieces together with sung recitation, they laid the groundwork for what we now know as modern Western opera. By the 1630s, opera was being performed all over Europe. Many countries, like Germany, were enjoying Italian operas while other countries, like France, began to experiment with their own variations of opera. By the eighteenth century, the model of opera seria was firmly established. The plots usually centered on mythological stories. The chorus was saved for the end of the opera where it added to the festivities of the inevitable happy ending, and the solo singer became glorified. The standard aria during this time was composed in a strict A-B-A form called da capo, literally meaning “from the head.” The first A section is sung in a straightforward manner, exactly as written; it is followed by a short B section that has a different melody, contrasting tempo, and is written in a different key. The aria ends with a restatement of the A section (same melody, same words), but this time the singer would add ornamentations to appropriate places throughout the vocal line. *Recording example: Handel’s Giulio Cesare (RCA 1990 with Beverly Sills)

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Classical Period (1725-1820)

By the eighteenth century, the rigidity of the opera seria model and da capo form were losing popularity since they limited the dramatic capabilities of music. Increasingly less emphasis was placed on the singer, and the spotlight moved toward the drama. Comic operas, or opera buffa as they were called in Italy, became very popular throughout Europe. The most important figure in the Classical Period of opera was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart wrote many successful operas in both the opera seria and opera buffa styles. Many of the libretti (the text of an opera usually written by someone other than the composer) he chose reflected the new ideas that were circulating throughout Europe at that time. Recording Examples: *Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro (EMI 1990 with Giuseppe Taddei & Anna Moffo) *Mozart’s Così fan tutte (Angel Records 2000 with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf) *Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte (Angel Records 2000 with Lucia Popp) Romantic Period (1820-1900)

In the nineteenth century’s Romantic Period, opera suddenly fell into categories defined by the nationality of the composer. Every major country in Europe made its own unique contributions to the art form. Italian Romantic Opera Italian opera composer, Giuseppe Verdi broke down the walls between recitative and arias and tried to achieve a continuity that added to the drama of the piece. In the end of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century, there was a strong trend toward realism in opera. This was called verismo. The plot of a verismo opera generally follows common people dealing with familiar situations. Recording Examples: *Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia (Decca 1989 with Cecilia Bartoli) *Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor (Decca 1985 with Joan Sutherland) *Verdi’s La Traviata (Deutch Grammaphon 1990 with Placido Domingo) *Verdi’s Rigoletto (Decca 1995 with Luciano Pavarotti & Joan Sutherland) *Puccini’s La bohème (Decca 1990 with Mirella Freni & Luciano Pavarotti) *Puccini’s Madama Butterfly (EMI Classics 1997 with Maria Callas)

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German Romantic

German opera during this period can be broken down into two categories: German Romantic Opera and Richard Wagner’s music dramas. German Romantic Operas were quite similar to Italian opera but differed in plot material. They drew more upon supernatural and medieval tales (rather than the verismo topics the Italians chose) and also employed more folk tunes. In the second half of the nineteenth century Wagner created the concept of Gesammkunstwerk [guh-zahm-koontz-vairk], which means “total artwork.” He believed that opera should be a fusion of stagecraft, visual arts, literature, and music. He did almost everything related to production himself: composed the music, wrote the libretto, and designed the costumes and scenery. In Wagner’s dramas there were almost no distinctions between arias and recitative; instead of showcasing the voice, he treated it like any other instrument. He also increased the size of the orchestra and even developed a new instrument he called the Wagner Tuba, which had a rich, mellow tone. Only very large voices can be heard over his expanded orchestra.

Recording Examples: *Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde (EMI Classics 2001 with Dietrich Fiescher-Dieskau) *Wagner’s The Ring Cycle (Decca 1997 conducted by Georg Solti) *Strauss’ Salome (Decca 1990 with Brigit Nilsson) *Humperdink’s Hansel und Gretel (RCA 1999 with Anna Moffo & Christa Ludwig) French Romantic Opera

French opera was typically visually spectacular, and usually included a ballet somewhere in the second or third act. In the Romantic Period, three types of French opera were prominent: ! Opéra comique – usually comical, used spoken dialogue instead of recitative. ! Grand opéra – popular in the second part of the nineteenth century when composer

Giacomo Meyerbeer came onto the scene. Grand opéra was built around grandiose plots and used a large chorus and elaborate sets.

! Drama lyrique – a combination of opéra comique and grand opéra. Recording Examples: *Gounod’s Faust (EMI Classics 1990 with Placido Domingo & Mirella Freni) *Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette (EMI Classics 1994 with Franco Corelli) *Bizet’s Carmen (EMI Classics 1997 with Maria Callas & Nicolai Gedda)

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Modern American (1900-Present)

Despite the dominance of Italian, French, and German opera within today’s popular repertoire, not all opera comes from the other side of the globe. American composers have been writing operas based on familiar themes for over a century. In the earliest years of American history, English settlers brought with them the Ballad Opera – a short, comic play with musical numbers interspersed throughout. These songs were basically original text set to popular tunes. In 1825, the first opera performed entirely in its original language was produce at the Park Theater in New York. Over the next 50 years, many traveling companies took opera all over the country, and in 1883 the Metropolitan Opera Company opened its doors. Today, The Met is recognized internationally for its high-quality productions and daring artistic ventures; several new American operas have been commissioned by The Met in the past century, giving composers exposure and prominence among the European masters. American composers have made many important contributions to opera. George Gershwin was the first to incorporate jazz into opera with his Porgy and Bess. Composers like Gian Carlo Menotti and Carlisle Floyd have continued to write popular works that have a distinctly American sound. New operas are often based on American history (John Adams’ Nixon in China) or American literature (Floyd’s Of Mice and Men), offering familiar plots for new audiences. Recording Examples: *Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors (RCA 1990) *Menotti’s The Medium (Cedille 1999 with Patrice Michaels & Joyce Castle) *Floyd’s Susannah (Virgin Classics 1994 with Cheryl Studer & Samuel Ramey) *Floyd’s Of Mice and Men (Albany Records 2004 conducted by Patrick Summers) *Copland’s The Tender Land (Virgin Records 1992 conducted by Philip Brunelle)

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The Creators

A composer writes music and a librettist writes the words create opera. Most Western operas are composed in European languages – mainly Italian, German, French, Russian, and English.

The Composer The composer has a historically important role in Western culture. Both the nobility and the Church respected musicians, and thus provided for the care and livelihood of artists throughout the latter part of the 18th century. Although artists benefited from the personal security of the patronage system, most did not have the freedom to choose the subject or style of their compositions. It was not until the end of the 1700s that the patronage system declined. The rise of the consumer class allowed composers to write music that could be published and sold to the public. This resulted in an explosion of creativity for new styles and subjects throughout Europe.

The Librettist The librettist creates or adapts a story so that it can be sung. The stories adapted for opera were usually taken from historical events, myths, poems, or plays. Composers often had favorite librettists with whom they worked regularly. Perhaps the most well-known librettist is Lorenzo da Ponte (1749-1838) who collaborated with Mozart on three of his most popular operas: Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Così fan tutte.

The Interpreters Once an opera is created, a team of artists begins the process of transforming the words and music into a visual spectacle. These artists are called directors and designers. Their role focuses on the composer and librettist’s intentions for the opera in order to inform their interpretation.

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The Directors and Designers The directors and designers develop an opera’s visual concept by first identifying the key themes. Next, they engage in extensive research on the historical context of the work, including the clothing of the period and the culture of the society. Sometimes directors and designers choose to stay true to the history and setting of the work. Other times they elect to change the location or historical period of an opera. Either way, they are required to make countless decisions about everything from costumes to sets to the action on the stage.

The Florentine Opera’s mainstage productions take place in Uihlein Hall, at the Marcus Center for the

Performing Arts in downtown Milwaukee. Uihlein Hall was renovated in 1997 and can seat 2,305 patrons.

What is the Artistic Team? ! The Artistic Team is the group of people who work together to make the opera

performance happen. ! The Stage Director is responsible for the action on the stage. This is

accomplished by working with the singers weeks before the performances. There they direct the singers’ movements and help them develop their individual characters.

! The Music Director, also known as the conductor, interprets the music of the opera and rehearses it with the singers and the orchestra. During rehearsal he or she work to ensure that the music is shaped to express the different moods of the

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opera. For example, the conductor decides how fast or slow (tempo) and how loudly and softly (dynamics) the music should be played.

! The Set Designer designs the scenery for the opera. ! The Lighting Designer manipulates the lights in order to create effects, which

contribute to the mood and action on stage. ! The Costume Designer creates the clothes that the singers will wear on stage. ! The Choreographer is responsible for creating and directing any dancing that

takes place in the opera.

What happens below the stage? The orchestra is a group of instrumentalists who accompany the singers. The orchestra performs in a pit. This is the sunken area in front of the stage.

What happens behind the scenes? While all the action is happening on stage, some very important people are orchestrating all the action backstage. They are the production crew, and this is what they do: The Stage Manager leads the crew and directs all the action that happens backstage. Stage Managers direct scene changes, artists’ entrances and exits, sound/light changes, curtain movement, and all other activities that make the production run smoothly. Their job requires great leadership and quick decision-making. A crew of stagehands works in collaboration with the Stage Manager. They move scenery and set props (short for “properties”), which are objects used in the scene. The Props Supervisor makes sure that all the props are placed appropriately and are available when the singers need them. The Wardrobe Supervisor oversees the costumes and attends to last minute fittings and repairs. Dressers, who help with fast costume changes, may assist the Wardrobe Supervisor. The Makeup Artist assists singers with dramatic stage makeup that must be applied in order for their features to be seen from the back of the theater.

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Not all crewmembers work backstage. The Sound Engineer, working from a booth in the rear of the theater, operates the orchestra’s microphones and adjusts the sound. The Master Electrician, also working in a booth in the rear of the theater, directs the positioning of the lights and then operates the lights during a show. Both need to be in the audience to hear and see what is happening on stage. The rehearsal pianist accompanies the artists as they rehearse the opera before they rehearse with the full orchestra. This job also entails serving as a coach and assisting the artists with language and musical preparation.

In the center of this photograph of Uihlein Hall is the sound booth, located in the rear of the theatre

As you can see, the production of a fully staged professional opera requires the commitment of many people willing and able to work together. An ensemble from the Florentine Opera’s production of Venus and Adonis, May 2010 Photo Credit: Richard Brodzeller

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Women Soprano A soprano is the highest female voice. The normal range of a soprano is two octaves up from middle C, sometimes with extra top notes, which is similar to a violin’s range. In opera, the soprano most often plays the young girl or the heroine (sometimes called the Prima Donna). The choice of a high, bright voice for these voices traditionally was made to suggest the femininity, virtue, and innocence needed for these characters.

Soprano Rena Harms as Líu in the Florentine Opera’s November 2011 production

of Puccini’s Turandot. Photo credit: Kathy Wittman

Photo Credit: Richard Brodzeller Mezzo-Soprano The middle female voice’s name is mezzo-soprano. This voice type with a range similar to an oboe gets its name from the Italian word meaning middle. A mezzo’s sound is often darker and warmer than a soprano’s. In opera, composers generally use a mezzo to portray older women, villainesses, seductive heroines, and sometimes even young boys (like Hansel in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel). This portrayal of young boys is a special operatic convention, called a “trouser role” or a “pants role.” The mezzo’s normal range is from the “A” below middle C to the “A” two octaves above it. Contralto This is the lowest female voice, similar in range to a clarinet. Contraltos usually sing the roles of older females or special character parts such as witches and old gypsies. Their range is two octaves from F below middle C to the top line of the treble clef. A true contralto is very rare – some believe they don’t exist at all!

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Men Counter-tenor The highest male voice, which was mainly used in very early opera and oratorio (a genre of classical vocal music similar to opera but generally based on a religious topic and accompanied by a choir) is the countertenor. The voice of a countertenor sounds very much like a mezzo-soprano’s voice, and they often sing the same repertoire. Like the contralto, true countertenors are very rare. Tenor The tenor is frequently the highest male voice in an opera performance today. It is similar to a trumpet in range, tone, color, and acoustical ring. The tenor typically plays the hero or love interest in an opera. His voice ranges from the C below middle C to the C above.

Baritone The middle male voice, close to a French horn in range and tone color, is the baritone. The range is from the G that is an octave and a half below middle C to the G above middle C.In opera, a baritone’s role can be vary from the ring leader of a comedy (opera buffa) to the villain of a tragic opera (opera seria).

Baritone Mark Delavan in the Florentine Opera’s production of Verdi’s Rigoletto, May 2003 Photo Credit: Richard Brodzeller Bass Bass, the lowest male voice is similar to a trombone or bassoon in range and color. Typically, low voices usually suggest age and wisdom in serious opera. In comic opera, they are generally used for old characters that are foolish or laughable. The range is roughly two or two and a half octaves down from the F above middle C.

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Discovering your voice type is not as simple as having green or blue eyes. Singers often float between these categories, and some never really know where they fit. Sometimes, a female singer starts out her training as a soprano and ends up singing mezzo roles a few years into her studies. Baritones with good high notes are often mistaken for tenors. Singing the wrong repertoire can lead to all sorts of vocal problems and can even shorten or end a singer’s career. That’s why it is very important for singers to have a good, trustworthy teacher and to be selective in the jobs they choose.

Voice Types Based on Size and Quality Voices are also categorized according to size and quality of voice. There are small, medium, medium-large, and large voices in opera. The quality of a voice can be defined using the following terms: Soubrette Soubrette describes a soprano of very light vocal weight, comparatively small range, and the looks and disposition of a young girl. Soubrette roles are often flirtatious and witty, and outsmart the rich and powerful by the end of the opera. Many soubrette roles have names that end in –ina: Despina (Mozart’s Così fan tutte), Adina (Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amoree), and Zerlina (Mozart’s Don Giovanni) are all soubrette roles. Character A singer with an exceedingly unique and rarely beautiful sound (and often the looks to match) can make a fine living singing character roles. While they don’t get the fattest paycheck, they do tend to get all the laughs. This classification is reserved for the lower voices (mezzo, tenor, baritone, and bass). Examples are the Witch (Humperdinck’s Hansel und Gretel) and the stuttering lawyer, Don Curzio (Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro). Coloratura Female singers described as coloraturas have great vocal agility, stunning high notes, and the ability to sing complicated vocal ornamentation. The Queen of the Night (Mozart’s The Magic Flute) is a coloratura soprano. Rosina (Rossini’s The Barber of Seville) is a coloratura mezzo.

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Lyric The word lyric generally describes a singer who specializes in long phrases and a beautiful tone. If you don’t claim the distinction of coloratura, dramatic, character, or helden-, then you’d probably call yourself lyric. To break it down further, there are light-lyric, full-lyric, and just plain old lyric titles that can precede the general voice type of soprano, tenor, and so on. For a more detailed description, read on… if this is enough for you, our feelings won’t be hurt if you skip down to “dramatic.” “Lyric” can mean a variety of different things, depending on who you talk to. While there are no hard and fast rules, there are a few widely accepted distinctions, which are outlined below.

! A light-lyric soprano like Pamina (Mozart’s The Magic Flute) should have a bigger voice than a soubrette but still possess a youthful quality. A full-lyric soprano has a more mature sound and can be heard over a bigger orchestra. Think Mimì (Puccini’s La Bohème). Full-lyric sopranos are typically the highest paid of all the voice types.

Rena Harms as Lìu in the Florentine Opera’s April 2011 production of Turandot

Photo Credit: Kathy Wittman

! A light-lyric mezzo is the equivalent of the soubrette and generally plays young

boys like Hansel (Humperdinck’s Hansel und Gretel). In this case, the long phrases mentioned above are traded for agility and charm. A plain old lyric mezzo (no “full” distinction here) is usually an old woman or a temptress of some sort – Bizet’s Carmen is the quintessential lyric mezzo.

! Most tenors fall into the lyric category and don’t call themselves light or full. However, some specific operatic roles for tenors are separated further (though not necessarily the singers themselves). Tamino (Mozart’s The Magic Flute) must be sung by a youthful tenor with a light voice, thus earning the distinction of a light-lyric tenor role. Puccini’s Cavradossi (Tosca) is decidedly heavier than young Tamino but is still considered a lyric tenor by most people.

! There are light baritones, but they fall into the lyric pot with the rest of the bunch. Baritones are baritones, unless they’re really loud. Which brings us to…

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Dramatic Dramatic describes the heaviest voice in any category except for the bass voice type. Dramatic singers are capable of sustained declamation and a great deal of power, even over the largest orchestra of about 80 instruments. The title role in Puccini’s Turandot is sung by a dramatic soprano. Most of Verdi’s lead characters require a dramatic voice (e.g. Otello). Helden A German prefix meaning “heroic,” applies to a large voice. These singers perform the most demanding roles in opera. Brünnhilde (the character most often associated with braids and a horned helmet) is a helden-soprano role.

A list of famous opera singers of each voice type as well as some of their most celebrated recordings can be found in the section entitled Additional Information and Resources for Teachers, at the end of the guide.

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Every culture in the world makes music. We can often recognize the origin of a song by its musical elements. For example, Eastern cultures like China and Japan base their compositions on the pentatonic scale (which is roughly represented by the black keys on the piano). Indian musicians (from India) use instruments like the sitar and the tabla, which have very distinct sounds. In the same way, each culture has developed its own style of singing. Characteristics of a “Trained” Voice Singing in Europe and America is now generally divided into two categories: classical and popular. What most people think of as operatic or classical singing developed in Europe hundreds of years ago. This style flourished during the seventeenth century, as opera became a popular form of entertainment and operatic music (increased in complexity). The most recognizable characteristics of a classically trained voice are:

! an extensive range (the ability to sing both high and low). ! varying degrees of volume (loud and soft). ! resonance in the chest and sinus cavities (produces a “hooty,” “full,” or “round”

sound). ! an ability to project or fill a large space without amplification.

Training Very few people are born with the capability to sing this way. Classical singers take voice lessons about once a week and practice every day for many years in order to develop a beautiful operatic sound. In fact, most trained voices are not “mature” enough to perform leading roles on a big stage until they’re at least 28 years old. Compare that with the most popular singers on the radio today –Ariana Grande was 13 when she began pursuing her musical career! Two Tiny Muscles Science tells us that all sound is made by two things vibrating together. The same concept applies when we talk or sing. The sounds we make are really just the vibration of two little muscles called the vocal chords. The vocal chords are held in the larynx, which is sometimes called the voice box or (in boys) the Adam’s Apple. These two little muscles vary in length, but are typically between one and two inches long.

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When you want to say something, your brain tells your vocal chords to pull together until they’re touching lightly. Then, air pushes through them, and the vocal chords begin to vibrate, creating a sound. The pitches you sing are dependent upon the speed at which the chords vibrate. A faster vibration creates a higher pitch. The length of the chords also affects the pitch of the voice. For example, longer chords equal a lower voice. The rest of the body The vocal chords are only a small component of a larger machine that creates a beautiful singing voice. The machine is the entire body, from the tip of the toes to the top of the head. In order to sing with ease, every muscle needs to be relaxed – but not lazy! If even one muscle is tense, it can throw off the entire machine, which is immediately obvious in a singer’s vocal quality. Breathing/Support In order to sing long phrases with great volume and a good tone, singers must breathe in a specific manner, making use of the whole torso area (lungs, ribs, diaphragm, and viscera). As they breathe in, each part of this network does its job: the lungs fill up, which allows the ribs to expand and the diaphragm (a flat muscle below the lungs) to move down. As the diaphragm descends, the viscera (stomach, intestines, and other organs) move down and out. Singers describe this feeling as “fatness in the low stomach” or “filling an inner-tube” around their waist.

Expelling the air, or singing, is essentially a slow and controlled movement of those muscles. If all of the air escapes from the lungs too quickly, the tone of the voice will sound breathy and will lack intensity. Successful opera singers must be able to isolate the diaphragm and ribs and control the rate at which they return to their original positions. This allows for a consistent stream of air that travels from the lungs, through the larynx, and out of the mouth.

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Resonance One of the most obvious characteristics of an operatic voice is a full, resonant tone. Singers achieve this by lifting their “soft palate.” This is a part of the mouth that most people don’t ever think about. It can be difficult to isolate if you don’t obsess over it like most singers do. Here are some simple exercises to feel where it is and hear the resonance in your voice when you lift it:

! Start to yawn. Feel that lifting sensation in the back of your mouth? That’s the soft palate going up.

! Slide your tongue along the roof of your mouth, from your teeth back toward your throat. You should feel your tongue go up, then down (that’s your hard palate), then back up again. That soft, fleshy area at the very back is your soft palate.

! Say the word “who” as you would say it in normal conversation. Now, say “hoooo” like a hoot owl. Can you hear the difference?

Lifting the soft palate is the foundation for the resonance in a singer’s voice. With a lot of practice, a singer can lift his or her palate as soon as they begin to sing, without even thinking about it. Vibrato Proper breathing and full resonance are essential for producing a clear vocal tone with an even “vibrato” (the Italian word meaning “to vibrate”). Vibrato can be described as a “wiggle” in the voice, or technically, a consistent variation in the pitch of a tone. While many pop singers try to remove this element of singing for the sake of style, vibrato in an opera singer’s voice is a must as it increases the warmth and resonance of the tone and also allows for accurate tuning.

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Registers of the Voice Head Voice Without getting too technical, a singer’s high register is called the “head voice”. Its name carries from singers sensing the voice to be from their head rather than their throat or chest. This register is achieved by tapping in to resonance in the sinus cavities. Chest Voice The natural speaking voice falls into the chest voice register. For example, If you put your hand on your chest and yell, “Hey!” you can feel the chest resonating rather than the head. While Broadway and pop singers like Christina Aguilera use it almost exclusively, female opera singers generally avoid it with the exception of low notes. Even then, it must have the same fullness as the head voice. In general, men sing in this voice. Falsetto The falsetto register applies to male voices only. Falsetto happens when the vocal chords do not vibrate fully, which creates a high, feminine sound. Male characters frequently use this register to imitate female voices.

A Comparison: Trained vs. Untrained Since we’ve already covered the characteristics of a trained voice, it may be interesting to see how they differ from those of an untrained voice. Singers of pop music, rock and roll, R&B, folk, and country are often referred to as “commercial.” While their styles vary considerably, the use of their voices seems to be relatively consistent. Training Historically, commercial singers don’t train like classical singers do. While there are schools like Belmont University who offer degrees in Commercial Voice, many of the most successful non-classical singers of today are known more for their unique style, natural talent, and personality rather than their technical mastery of the voice.

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Breathing/Support Unlike classical singers, commercial singers usually breathe as they do in normal speaking. A long phrase might warrant a big breath, but studying the placement and movement of one’s internal organs is not usually something that is done by pop singers. Resonance Most commercial singers are just not concerned with creating a resonant tone. In fact, a pop song sung with a lot of resonance would probably sound pretty silly to most people. Projection/Volume Essentially all commercial singers depend upon microphones to be heard in a large performance space. This enables the singers to deliver their message in either a loud, dramatic style, or in an intimate, conversational style, with little physical effort. Opera singers, however, depend on the acoustics of the performance space and their ability to project their voices naturally to be heard. Microphones are almost never used in operatic performances.

Operatic Singing Commercial Singing Years of vocal training required No intense vocal training necessary Breathing is controlled through placement and movement of internal organs

Breathing is the same as in everyday speech

Resonant tone is achieved by raising the soft palate

Resonant tone is generally not desired

The voice is generally not amplified, so the singer must project naturally

Microphones are almost always used to amplify the voice

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CHECKLIST: A good opera singer must have… Volume Opera singers train to be heard in large theaters, such as the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, without using microphones. Singers train for years to be able to sing loudly enough to be heard over other soloists, a chorus, and a large orchestra of about 70 instruments. How loudly can an opera singer sing? When a jet takes off, the sound reaches 110-120 decibels, which is the human threshold level of pain. A powerful opera singer, singing very close to another person’s ear has the ability to reach up to 110 decibels. Staminat Opera requires the ability to sing for two to three hours or even longer. Opera singers rarely perform on consecutive evenings due to their physically demanding performances. Range Operatic music, as written, requires singers to have a large range from very low notes to extremely high notes. Acting ability Opera singers don’t just stand on stage and sing; they must also be able to act, as well. Just like actors in a play, the singers must create their characters for the audience. For example, the Witch in Hansel and Gretel would not be as effective (or scary!) if the singer could not act well. The right “look” Just like an actor in a movie, it is important for an opera singer portraying the character to look the part. For example, even though the singer who performs the role of Goldie B. Locks is in her 20s, she should look very young so we can believe that she’s a child. Familiarity with different languages Since opera was developed in Europe, most operas are written in languages other than English. A singer must be familiar with the pronunciation of foreign languages as well as the meaning of each word that they sing. It is not unusual for an American singer to perform in Italian, French, German, or even Russian.

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A capella Without accompaniment Alto A low female voice Aria A solo vocal song that presents emotions; a showpiece for the

singer, usually with rich orchestra accompaniment Audition When a singer or actor tries out for a director, hoping to be cast in

a show; usually involves singing 2 or 3 contrasting arias and possibly a monologue

Baritone A low male voice Bass The lowest male voice Beat The underlying pulse of a song; what you would clap along with at

a concert Bel Canto “Beautiful singing;” an Italian style of singing Blocking Where the singers stand and move during a scene; singers are

given their blocking by the director, and have to memorize it along with their music

Bravo! A word that audience members shout when they like a performance – it means “well done” or “great job”

Cadence A closing statement at the end of a musical phrase; an open

cadence sounds like a resting point or a thought that is incomplete; a closed cadence sounds like a stopping point or the end of a song/section

Cadenza A passage usually near the end of a piece; the singer performs “flashy” difficult music while the orchestra waits

Choreographer The person who creates the dance routines and special movement in the show

Chorus A group of singers who sing and act en masse, not as soloists Chorus Master The leader of the chorus Composer The person who writes music to go with the words so that the

story can be sung

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Comprimario A secondary role in an opera, usually the maid, servant, messenger

or confidante of one of the leading characters; often provides comic relief

Conductor The person who leads and coordinates a musical ensemble Contralto An extremely low female voice that almost sounds like a male

voice Costume The clothing the singers wear so that they look like the character

they are portraying Countertenor An extremely high male voice that almost sounds like a female

voice Critic One who describes and analyzes artistic works and performances,

also judging their merits and faults Director The person who “stages” the opera or show by telling the singers

what to do, where to stand, etc. when they are performing, so that it looks real. This may include staging fights or making up dances, although the director occasionally has a choreographer to help with the dancing

Downstage The position on a stage nearest to the audience; because the “raked stage” prevalent in early opera houses was slanted, the closer a singer came to the audience, the lower the stage was to the ground

Duet A musical piece for two instruments or voices Ensemble A group singing or playing together; a piece that a group sings or

plays together Entr’acte A piece of music between the acts of an opera; usually signals the

beginning of the next act Finale The end, usually a grand scene involving as many members of the

cast as possible Grand opera The most elaborate and formal presentation of opera, signified by

size and grandeur in cast, orchestra, and sets Harmony Several notes played and/or sung together, to create a richer

sound Interval The distance between two pitches Legato A smooth manner of playing or singing with no perceptible breaks

between notes

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Leitmotiv A melodic theme used throughout an opera to identify a character

or idea (love, hate, jealousy, etc.); German opera composer Richard Wagner developed this concept in the late 19th century

Libretto Italian word for “little book”; the printed text of the opera Melody The tune Meter The grouping of beats in a piece of music into groups of 2 (duple

meter) or 3 (triple meter); meter is sometimes irregular or mixed between groups of 2 and 3

Mezzo-Soprano A medium-to-low female voice Monologue A long speech given by a single actor in the context of a play; the

operatic equivalent is the aria Note A sound with a specific pitch; eight notes played in a row with a

specific pattern of intervals make up a scale Opera buffa Italian comic opera (opéra comique in French) Opera seria Opera that is serious in nature A gripping scene from the Florentine Opera’s November 2001 production of Tosca, an opera seria by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini Photo Credit: Richard Brodzeller Operetta A work for the stage that is less serious in subject matter and

musical complexity; has spoken dialogue and lots of humor Orchestra A group of instruments made up of strings, woodwinds, brass, and

percussion that provides accompaniment for the opera performance

Overture An orchestral piece that introduces the opera, often making use of the melodies that are heard again during the opera

Patter A style of singing where the words are sung very quickly Pit A large space below the stage where the orchestra and conductor

are during a performance Prima Donna Italian term for “first lady”; the lead female role in an opera Props Items other than costumes or scenery used as part of a dramatic

or operatic production, such as a knife, a mirror, or a special glass; short for properties

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Quartet A musical piece for four voices or instruments Recitative Speech singing that tells the plot line of the opera, imitates natural

speech patterns, and is usually heard before an aria Ritardando Italian word meaning “slowing down” Rhythm The feeling of movement in music Scene The surroundings or location where the action takes place; also a

subdivision of an act Score The pages upon which the vocal and instrumental music of an

opera are written Set The scenery, representing a particular location (short for setting) Set Designer The person who decides how to make the stage look like a castle,

or a forest, or whatever it should look like for the story; this person usually has assistants that build the set once it has been designed

Soprano The highest female voice Stagehand A person who helps put together and take apart the set; also

handles props and scene changes Stage left/right The division of the stage from the singer’s point of view; for

example: a singer moves to stage right, which is the audience’s left

Super Slang for a supernumerary; an “extra” used in non-singing, non-speaking roles

Technical The stage management, lighting, scene-building, and other mechanical aspects of a theatrical production

Tempo The speed at which a piece of music is performed Tenor A high male voice Theme A central melody in a piece of music; in opera, a theme may be

associated with a particular character, setting, object, or emotion; this kind of theme is also called a leitmotiv

Timbre (rhymes with amber) Tone quality or tone color of a voice or instrument

Trio A musical piece for three voices or instruments Tutti Italian word that means “everyone” Unison When two or more people sing the same notes and the same

words at the same time Upstage The position on stage farthest from the audience (see downstage

for further explanation) Vibrato Vibrating quality that produces warmth of feeling in the human

voice

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Largely unseen down in the orchestra pit below stage level, the orchestra is a vital part of the operatic experience. They not only accompany the singers but also help to carry the storyline and fuse the entire production. The orchestra consists of four sections: The string section includes violins, violas, cellos, and basses. The woodwind section includes the piccolos, flutes, oboes, clarinets, and bassoons. The brass section includes trumpets, trombones, French horns, baritones, and tubas. The percussion section includes timpani (kettle drums), triangles, cymbals, tambourines, and chimes. The harp, harpsichord, and piano are usually listed in this category. Maestro Joseph Rescigno, Principal Conductor for the Florentine Opera Company The conductor directs both the orchestra and the singers. During the performance, the conductor stands in the pit in front of the orchestra and the stage. From there, he or she is able to indicate the tempo and volume to the orchestra and signal the entrance cues for both solo artists and ensembles. A conductor’s score is the written music that shows all vocal and instrumental parts on one very large page. This is what a conductor refers to while conducting the opera. On the next page is an excerpt from the conductor’s score of George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess.

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The vocal score (a book that has the written music for an opera) can tell you many things. Look at this excerpt from the Act II Finale of Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro). The score tells the dynamics (p – piano, f – forte, etc.), tempo (allegro means “fast”), who is singing, and even gives staging suggestions.

How could this help a director when developing his or her

ideas for a show?

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Libretto by the composer World premiere: Dresden, Court Theater – January 2, 1843 Act I A violent storm has driven Daland’s ship several miles from his home on the Norwegian coast. Sending his crew off to rest, he leaves the watch in charge of a young steersman, who falls asleep as he sings a ballad about his girl (“Mit Gewitter und Sturm”). A ghostly schooner drops anchor next to Daland’s ship. Its captain steps ashore and, with increasing despair, reflects on his fate (“Die Frist ist um”): Once every seven years he may leave his ship to find a wife. If she is faithful, she will redeem him from his deathless wandering. If not, he is condemned to sail the ocean until Judgment Day. When Daland discovers the phantom ship, the stranger, who introduces himself as “a Dutchman,” tells him of his plight and offers gold and jewels for a night’s lodging. When he learns that Daland has a daughter, the Dutchman asks for her hand in marriage. Happy to have found a rich son-in-law, Daland agrees and sets sail for home. Act II Daland’s young daughter, Senta, is captivated by the portrait of a pale man in black—the Flying Dutchman—while her friends sit spinning under the watchful eye of Mary, Senta’s nurse. The girls tease Senta about her suitor, Erik, who is not a sailor but a hunter. When the superstitious Mary refuses to sing a ballad about the Dutchman, Senta sings it herself (“Traft ihr das Schiff im Meere an”). The song reveals that the Dutchman’s curse was put on him for a blasphemous oath. To Mary and the girls’ horror, Senta suddenly declares that she will be the one to save him. Erik enters with news of the sailors’ return, and Mary and the others hurry off. Erik reminds Senta of her father’s intention to find her a husband and asks her to plead his cause, but she remains distant (“Mein Herz, voll Treue bis zum Sterben”). Realizing how much the Dutchman’s picture means to her, he tells her of a frightening dream in which he saw her passionately embrace the Dutchman and sail away on his ship. Senta exclaims that this is what she must do, and the despairing Erik rushes away. A moment later, the Dutchman enters. Senta stands transfixed. Daland quickly follows and asks his daughter to welcome the stranger, whom he has brought to be her husband (“Mögst du, mein Kind”). After he has left, the Dutchman, who is equally moved by the meeting, asks Senta if she will accept him as her husband (Duet: “Wie aus der Ferne”). Unaware that she realizes who he is, he warns her of making a rash decision, but she ecstatically vows to be faithful to him unto death. Daland returns and is overjoyed to learn that his daughter has accepted the suitor. Act III At the harbor, the villagers celebrate the sailors’ return with singing and dancing (Chorus: “Steuermann, lass die Wacht!”). Perplexed by the strange silence aboard the

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Dutchman’s ship, they call out to the crew, inviting them to join the festivities. Suddenly the ghostly sailors appear, mocking their captain’s quest in hollow chanting. The villagers run away in terror. Quiet returns and Senta enters, followed by the distressed Erik. He pleads with her not to marry the Dutchman, insisting that she has already pledged her love to him (“Willst jenes Tag’s”). The Dutchman, who has overheard them, loses all hope of salvation and goes toward his ship. Senta tries to stop him but he explains that since she has not yet proclaimed her vows before God, she will escape eternal damnation—the fate of those who betray him. His crew prepares to cast off and he declares that he is the Flying Dutchman of legend. Senta ecstatically replies that she knows who he is. As the ship pulls away, she throws herself into the sea, crying that she is faithful unto death. Synopsis courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera

The last scene of The Flying Dutchman, 1843.

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The Flying Dutchman is a legendary ghost ship doomed to sail the oceans forever.

Myth: The myth of the Flying Dutchman originated from 17th century nautical folklore. Sightings of the ship glowing in a ghostly light were reported from the 19th and 20th centuries. Legend indicates that if hailed by another ship, the crew of the Flying Dutchman will attempt to send messages to people long dead. In ocean lore, the sight of this phantom ship brings apparent doom. Origins: Sightings of the ship have been reported off and on from the 17th to the 20th centuries. One of the most credible explanations, reports a mirage seen at sea.

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German-born, Richard Wagner (1813-1883) became one of the most influential composers of the 19th century. Born in the Jewish corner of Leipzig, Wagner began composing at age 15 under the tutelage of composer, Christian Gottlieb Müller. As a student, he was greatly influenced by the Gothic elements found in Carl Maria von Weber’s opera, Der Freischütz and symphonies composed by Beethoven. By 1839, Wagner had attempted to compose two operas without success putting he and his wife in horrible debt. After experiencing a stormy sea voyage with his wife, Wagner found the inspiration to compose the opera Der fliegende Holländer, based on the sketch by Heinrich Heine. The Wagners stayed in Paris from 1839-1842, and there, Wagner composed operas: Rienzi and Der fliegende

Holländer. These operas marked his first stream of success as a composer. Wagner conducted the premiere of Der fliegende Holländer at the Semper Oper in Dresden in 1843. In his essay, “A Communication to My Friends” in 1851, Wagner claimed that The Flying Dutchman “begins my [his] career as a poet, and my [his] farewell to the mere concoctor of opera-texts”. After The Flying Dutchman wrapped, Wagner began to think of a new type of opera, one that would combine various arts such as music, song, dance, poetry, visual arts, and stagecraft. He named this concept gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art). With this new idea of music drama, Wagner began to compose the four-opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen, which took him from 1848-1874 to complete. In 1849, Wagner became somewhat involved in the left-wing politic arena. This led to his minor involvement in the May Uprising in Dresden forcing him to flee to Switzerland. During the next twelve years in exile, he composed Lohengrin and Tristan und Isolde. Finally, in 1862 Wagner’s ban from Germany was fully lifted. Upon returning and settling in Prussia, Wagner began work on Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, his only mature comedy. In 1876, Wagner opened the first Bayreuth Festival in order for Der Ring des Nibelungen to be performed as a complete work. This performance of all four operas was held over a span of four days. Following the first Bayreuth Festival, Wagner began work on Parsifal, his final opera. Due to much sickness, this composition took four years to create. The complete Parsifal premiered in 1882 at the second Bayreuth Festival. After, the Wagner family traveled to Venice. On February 13, 1883 Wagner died of a heart attack at Ca’ Vendramin Calergi, a 16th century palazzo on the Grand Canal. Following the funeral, his body was buried in the garden of the Villa Wahnfried in Bayreuth.

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Wagner’s musical style introduced new ideas for harmony and operatic structure redefining the genre. He inspired many future composers including Hugo Wolf, Henri Duparc, Jules Massenet, Richard Strauss, and Gustav Mahler. His ideas impacted many of the arts throughout the 20th century spreading beyond composition to include new ideas for conducting, philosophy, literature, visual arts, and theatre.

**Fast Facts** *Most Famous Pieces:

♦ Bridal Chorus from his opera, Lohengrin ♦ “The Ride of the Valkyries” from the opera, Die Walküre

*His Operas:

♦ Der fliegende Holänder (The Flying Dutchman) ♦ Tannhäuser ♦ Lohengrin ♦ Das Rheingold ♦ Die Walküre ♦ Siegfried ♦ Götterdämmerung ♦ Tristan und Isolde ♦ Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg ♦ Parsifal

*Did you know?

♦ More has been written about Wagner than any composer in history. ♦ One of the two most influential opera composers of the 19th century, the

other is Verdi. ♦ Wagner designed new instruments for the orchestra in order to have new

sounds for his music. ♦ While not composing Wagner wrote many articles, which were published

including ones about politics.

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Notable Pieces & Scenes in the Opera: 1. Overture

♦ Wagner first introduces the Dutchman leitmotif (musical theme) with the use of the French horns and low brass symbolizing the haunting setting of the ship. Low strings highlight the raging sea and storm, while trumpets issue the call to Dutchman’s ghost crew.

♦ Next, the music transitions to the redemption leitmotif played by the English horn belonging to Senta.

♦ After, the music changes to a more folk-like motif representing the sailors with music from the ghost and sea setting heard earlier to demonstrate the conflict between them.

♦ Lastly, the music returns to Senta’s redemption theme. 2. Dutchman’s Monologue (Act I, no.2)

♦ Starting quietly with the strings and low brass, the Dutchman begins a capella. ♦ This recitative and aria alternate between calm and more violent sections,

illustrating the sea and Dutchman’s state of mind. 3. “Summ and Brumm” Spinging Chorus (Act 2, no.6)

♦ Oboe solo played throughout. ♦ Repetitive rhythm depicts the beat of the spinning wheels. ♦ Note the change in mood and sounds to echo the women and their domestic

duties. 4. “Johohoe! Traft ihr das Schiff” Senta’s Ballad (Act 2, no.7)

♦ Aria begins with the Dutchman’s leitmotif heard previously in his aria. ♦ The aria has three verses, which alternate between a recitative and more

religious sounding music using the redemption theme. 5. “Steurmann, lass die Wacht” Sailors’ Chorus (Act III, no.13)

♦ It has a repetitive and catchy rhythm. ♦ The piece highlights the manly and good-humored crew enjoying good food.

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Wayne Tiggs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Dutchman Alwyn Mellor* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Senta, Daland’s daughter Peter Volpe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Daland, a sea captain David Danholt*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Erik, a huntsman Jenni Bank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary, Senta’s nurse Aaron Short . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Daland’s steersman Joseph Mechavich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conductor Paula Suozzi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stage Director Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Florentine Opera Chorus *denotes Florentine Opera debut

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ACT I, Prologue Lockwood, a traveler who has rented Thrushcross Grange, knocks violently at the door of the Wuthering Heights in the winter of 1835. Heathcliff, answers the door and allows Lockwood to enter. Lockwood explains that the storm prevented him from returning to Thrushcross Grange, the residence he rents from Heathcliff. Lockwood asks if anyone is able guide him home. Isabella (Heathcliff’s wife) offers, but Heathcliff quickly silences her. Instead, Heathcliff allows him to sleep in the parlor for the night before returning to the Grange. When they are alone, Lockwood compliments Heathcliff, noting Isabella’s beauty. Heathcliff responds by proclaiming his disdain for Isabella. The master of the house goes to his room just before Isabella reappears, bringing books for Lockwood. Heathcliff summons her hatefully and Isabella quickly retreats to the bedroom. Shortly thereafter, Lockwood wakes from a knock at a nearby window. When he opens it, a pale, icy hand reaches through and hears a young woman’s voice begging admittance to Wuthering Heights. Heathcliff, having heard voices, reappears and asks whose voice he heard. Lockwood replies that the voice claimed to be Cathy. Heathcliff runs outside and calls out for Cathy, begging her to come back. Scene 1 Eighteen years earlier, in February of 1817, Mr. Earnshaw, master of the house and father of Cathy and Hindley, sits in front of the fireplace at Wuthering Heights. Cathy at seventeen years has a vivacious personality and is not easily ignored. She asks where Heathcliff has gone. Cathy feels guilty for scolding him and wishes to apologize. She becomes aggravated when Nelly, Mr. Earnshaw, and Joseph each respond that they have not seen Heathcliff. Hindley arrives, dragging Heathcliff behind him. Hindley believes that his father shows preferential treatment to Heathcliff, an orphan adopted by Mr. Earnshaw during a business trip. Earnshaw and Hindley argue about Heathcliff’s role in their family. Hindley promises that when he becomes master of Wuthering Heights, he will force Heathcliff into slavery. Worried about her father’s health, Cathy attempts to stop their fighting. Earnshaw suddenly clasps his chest and collapses on the floor. Hindley announces that Earnshaw has died, and Cathy cradles her father. Heathcliff and Cathy comfort one another, promising to remain together forever. Scene 2 Two months later, in April, 1817, after hours of listening to Bible stories, Cathy grows impatient and demands that she and Heathcliff be released. Her request is ignored, so Cathy lashes out, ripping the cover from her book. Heathcliff immediately does the same. Outraged, Joseph yells for Hindley. Saying nothing, Hindley walks to the table and hits Heathcliff in the face. Cathy demands that she receive the same punishment because she is also guilty. Hindley tells her to be quiet as he escorts Cathy and Heathcliff to the kitchen and locks them in. Happy to be free from Joseph, they

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quickly orchestrate and escape to the moors. They embrace, and Cathy impulsively kisses Heathcliff on the cheek. She takes his hand and leads him toward the Thrushcross Grange, the home of the Linton family. Heathcliff hesitantly agrees, but they are quickly discovered. As they try to escape, Cathy hurts her ankle. She encourages Heathcliff to go, but it is too late. Edgar and Isabella Linton see Cathy’s injury and insist that she stay with them. They instruct Heathcliff to tell Hindley that Cathy will return to Wuthering Heights when her ankle has healed. Heathcliff reluctantly walks home. ACT II, Scene 1 A month later, Heathcliff sits in the kitchen at Wuthering Heights while Nelly cooks. Looking out the window, Nelly announces that Cathy has returned with the Linton children. A noticeable change has come over Cathy. She is elegantly dressed and groomed with the manners of a refined lady. Hindley arrives, mirroring the elegant deportment of his sister and the Lintons. Cathy comments on Heathcliff’s dirty and tattered clothing, upsetting him greatly. As soon as she leaves the room, he asks Nelly to make him “decent.” Nelly happily agrees, and saying Heathcliff must look and act like a gentleman. Nelly also assures him that he has no reason to be jealous of Edgar Linton. When Heathcliff joins the Earnshaws and Lintons for tea, Cathy and Isabella focus their attention on him. Edgar, jealous of his rival, mocks Heathcliff. Enraged, Heathcliff throws tea in Edgar’s face and storms out of the room. Hindley is embarrassed by Heathcliff’s behavior and angrily sets out to find him. Later, as the Lintons prepare to leave, Cathy invites Edgar to visit Wuthering Heights as often as possible. Heathcliff returns after Edgar has gone. His clothes are torn and his body is bruised and bloodied. Heathcliff swears that he will repay Hindley’s abuse one day. Scene 2 A month later Heathcliff is resting in the kitchen when Cathy runs in, trying to button her new silk dress. They are interrupted by Nelly’s announcement of Edgar’s arrival. Cathy refuses to look at Heathcliff during the awkward silence that follows. Jealous, Heathcliff smashes a dish and storms from the house. Cathy regrets hurting Heathcliff’s feelings, she but goes to welcome her guest. Edgar is eager to see her and asks that they be left alone. Nelly replies that it would be improper for them to be unsupervised. Cathy, angry at Nelly’s refusal, attacks her. Edgar is shocked by her outburst and begins to leave. Cathy, flustered from the fight with Nelly, asks where he is going. He says that her behavior disappointed him, and that he is leaving. Overcome by her tears and apology, Edgar stays to comfort her. They profess their love for one another, and he asks her to marry him. She immediately feels troubled, but distractedly agrees. Edgar leaves with a promise to return the next night. When Edgar has gone, Cathy tells Nelly about Edgar’s marriage proposal. Unaware that Heathcliff has entered the room, Cathy tells Nelly of a dream in which she was cast out of heaven. She continues, saying that she has no more right to marry Edgar than to go to heaven, but it would degrade her to marry Heathcliff. Upon hearing this,

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Heathcliff disappears. Cathy stops abruptly, asking for Heathcliff. Nelly responds that he heard what Cathy said and has left Wuthering Heights. ACT III, Scene 1 In August of 1820, three years later, a party is in progress at Thrushcross Grange. Cathy watches the dancing as Edgar chats with their guests. The partygoers begin to discuss a handsome stranger who is visiting the area. The stranger is such an accomplished gambler that only Hindley agrees to gamble with him. According to rumors, Hindley has lost everything except Wuthering Heights to the stranger. The partygoers say that the gambler once lived at Wuthering Heights and that his name is Heathcliff. Cathy runs to Nelly, asking if it is true. Hindley appears, followed by Heathcliff. Cathy is overjoyed to see her dear friend, and embraces him. When they are alone, Heathcliff wastes no time, asking Cathy to run away with him. He explains that he is now a man of power and wealth. When she explains that she cannot leave because she is married, Heathcliff swears that he will not leave without her. They are interrupted by Hindley who is drunk and searching for a gambling opponent. Heathcliff seizes the opportunity and sits down opposite Hindley for the game. Heathcliff wins the card game and becomes the new master of Wuthering Heights. As the guests begin to leave, Isabella asks Heathcliff if he will visit again. He responds with an invitation to Wuthering Heights, then bids good night. As soon as they are alone, Edgar forbids Cathy from seeing Heathcliff again. She quickly dismisses her husband, insisting that she will remain friends with Heathcliff. Scene 2 One month later, Nelly sits in the living room and is joined by Isabella. Isabella reveals that she visits Heathcliff at Wuthering Heights each day. She explains that she has fallen in love with Heathcliff. Nelly, touched and disturbed by Isabella’s profession of love, tells her that she will only receive pain if she pursues the relationship. Cathy arrives and asks why they are talking about marriage. Isabella boldly declares that she is in love with Heathcliff. Cathy is angered by their secret courtship and asks Heathcliff about his relationships with Isabella. Heathcliff admits that he has spent time with Isabella, saying that he could marry her immediately. Cathy asks if he truly loves Isabella. He replies that there is absolutely nothing about Isabella that he could love, but he will marry her if Cathy refuses him. Cathy swears that she will never forgive Heathcliff if he marries her sister- in-law. Heathcliff vows to destroy everything around her if she denies him again. Edgar has been informed of Isabella’s intent to marry Heathcliff. He goes directly to his sister, forbidding her from marrying Heathcliff. Edgar demands that Heathcliff leave and never return. When Heathcliff refuses, Edgar tells Nelly to fetch servants to remove him. Enraged by Edgar’s cowardice, Cathy tells him to remove Heathcliff himself. When they are alone, Cathy exclaims to Nelly that Heathcliff is her soul. She pleads with Nelly to help her die if she must live without him.

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Scene 3 Seven months later, Nelly and Cathy are alone in the living room at Thrushcross Grange, and Cathy’s physical transformation is startling. She is obviously in fragile health and will soon deliver her baby. Nelly sews baby clothes while Cathy recalls her days of roaming the moors with Heathcliff. Cathy replies that she does not want her unborn baby and does not care about the doctor’s instructions. Nelly answers a knock at the door, revealing a distraught and disheveled Heathcliff. He asks if it is true that Cathy is gravely ill. When Nelly confirms the rumors, he pushes past her and rushes to Cathy. Heathcliff is stunned by her withered appearance. They embrace passionately as Cathy asks him to remember her forever. Nelly interrupts them saying that Edgar is coming. As Heathcliff moves to leave, Cathy asks to see the countryside. He carries her to the door. She exhales deeply and collapses in his arms, dead. Heathcliff holds her in disbelief before slowly moving back toward the sofa. Edgar enters, seeing him gently place Cathy on the sofa. He is shocked to see his deceased wife in the arms of his rival, and falls over Cathy sobbing.

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(b. June 11, 1926) Carlisle Floyd is one of the foremost composers and librettists of opera in the United States today. Born in 1926, Floyd earned B.M. and M.M. degrees in piano and composition Syracuse University. He began his teaching career in 1947 at Florida State University, remaining there until 1976, when he accepted the prestigious M. D. Anderson Professorship in the University of Houston. In addition, he is co-founder with

David Gockley of the Houston Opera Studio jointly created by the University of Houston and Houston Grand Opera. Floyd’s operas are regularly performed in the US and Europe. He first achieved national prominence with the New York premiere of his opera, Susannah (1953–54), by the New York City Opera in 1956 after its world premiere at Florida State University in 1955. In 1957 it won the New York Music Critic’s Circle Award and subsequently was chosen to be America’s official operatic entry at the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair. Of Mice and Men (1969) is Floyd’s other most often performed work. In the 1998-99 season alone it was presented by New York City Opera, Utah Opera, San Diego Opera, and Cleveland Opera. Based on the Steinbeck novel, it was commissioned by the Ford Foundation and was given its premiere by the Seattle Opera in 1970. Floyd’s more recent operas, Bilby’s Doll (1976) and Willie Stark (1981), were both commissioned and produced by the Houston Grand Opera, the latter in association with the Kennedy Center. A televised version of the world premiere production of Willie Stark opened WNET’s Great Performances series on the PBS network in September of 1981. Floyd's latest opera, Cold Sassy Tree (2000) received its premiere at Houston Grand Opera in April 2000. Subsequently, it has been performed by Austin Lyric Opera, Central City Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Opera Carolina, Opera Omaha, San Diego Opera, and Utah Opera. The composer has also gained increasing attention for his non-operatic works. 1993 saw the New York premiere of Floyd’s orchestral song cycle, Citizen of Paradise (1984), given by the leading mezzo-soprano of the Metropolitan Opera, Suzanne Mentzer. Floyd also completed a large-scale work for chorus,

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bass-baritone soloist, and orchestra titled A Time to Dance (1993), commissioned by the American Choral Directors Association. Floyd has been the recipient of a number of honors and awards: a Guggenheim Fellowship (1956); Citation of Merit from the National Association of American Conductors and Composers (1957); the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation Award from the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce (1959); the distinguished professor of Florida State University Award (1964); an honorary doctorate from Dickinson College (1983); and the National Opera Institute’s Award for Service to American Opera (1983). He served on the Music Panel of the National Endowment for the Arts from 1974–80 and was the first chairman of the Opera/Musical Theater Panel. Floyd was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2001, and in 2004 was awarded the National Medal of Arts in a ceremony at the White House. In 2008, Floyd was one of four honorees—and the only composer—to be included in the inaugural National Endowment for the Arts Opera Honors. In 2011, he was inducted into the South Carolina Hall of Fame, an honor reserved for the state’s most-accomplished native sons. Reprinted by kind permission of Boosey & Hawkes

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Background/Origin *Carlisle created a concert aria inspired by Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights for soprano, Phyllis Curtin. Upon hearing this aria, Santa Fe commissioned Carlisle Floyd to write a full-length opera. Santa Fe premiered the opera in 1958 and New York City Opera performed the second version including many revisions in 1959. *Floyd divided the chapters from the novel into acts as seen below:

Novel Chapters Opera Acts 1-5 I 6-9 II

10-16 III

Differences Brontë novel Floyd opera

Time: 1770-1802 Time: 1817-1835 Earnshaw dies after a long illness, while Hindley is away at school. (Chapter 5)

Earnshaw dies after an argument with Hindley at Wuthering Heights. (Act I, Scene 5)

Hindley returns to Wuthering Heights with his pregnant wife. (Chapter 6)

The libretto does not mention a child or spouse for Hindley.

The Linton’s dog bites Catherine’s ankle and she recovers for 5 weeks. (Chapter 6)

Cathy injures her ankle running away and she recovers for 4 weeks. (Act I, Scene 2)

Heathcliff returns after 6 months. (Chapter 10)

Heathcliff returns after 3 years. (Act II, Scene 1)

Cathy becomes sick before her pregnancy. She dies during childbirth. (Chapter 16)

Cathy becomes sick during pregnancy. She dies before giving birth. (Act 3, Scene 3)

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Georgia Jarman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Catherine Kelley Markgraf* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Heathcliff Susanne Mentzer* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nelly Vale Rideout. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edgar Linton Heather Buck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Isabella Linton Chad Shelton* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hindley Earnsh Matthew Burns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mr. Earnshaw Frank Kelley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joseph Aaron Short . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lockwood Joseph Mechavich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conductor Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Florentine Opera Chorus * denotes Florentine Opera debut

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Act I Scene 1: The Old Home Sample Room, Cato, Missouri, 1905. Elmer Gantry, captain of the Terwillinger College football team, and his roommate Frank Shallard are getting drunk in a local bar. Elmer regales the patrons with stories of his sexual exploits. A bully picks a fight with him, saying he attends a “sissy bible school.” Elmer sucker punches him. The barroom erupts in chaos. Scene 2: The President’s Office, Terwillinger College and Seminary, the next day. Elmer is called in to a prayer meeting by the college president, Rev. Baines. Captivated by the president’s pretty daughter, Lulu; enticed by the promise of a full scholarship to the seminary; and cajoled by Eddie Fislinger, head of the campus YMCA, Elmer fakes a conversion, to the chagrin of his roommate Frank. The scene ends amid a chorus of Hallelujahs. Scene 3: A field on the outskirts of Grauten, Missouri, 1906. Now in seminary, Elmer Gantry makes unauthorized use of his newfound oratorical skills by selling farm tools in a nearby town. He is also having a surreptitious affair with Lulu, despite her engagement to Eddie. He promises to meet Lulu that night, but then decides to go to a tent revival held by the famous traveling evangelist, Sharon Falconer. Scene 4: Outside Sharon Falconer’s revival tent, Sautersville, Kansas, later that evening. Elmer watches in awe as Sharon Falconer leads her tent meeting. Lulu arrives with Frank to warn Elmer that he is about to be expelled from seminary. Angry and defiant, he chases her away only to be treated with cool indifference by the departing Sharon. Elmer is left alone to rail against the world. He suddenly feels himself in the grip of a true conversion. In a state of agonized delirium, he hears these words over and over: “Never the same again.” Scene 5: The Elks Lodge Meeting Room, Zenith, Missouri, 1911. Sharon Falconer appears before the Elks Lodge of Zenith. She attempts to enlist the aid of the city’s elders in realizing her dream: to build a grand tabernacle in their city. Elmer, now a successful businessman, intervenes on her behalf. The Elks sing in celebration of civic pride. Scene 6: The Pastor’s Study in the home of Eddie and Lulu Fislinger, Cato, Missouri, 1912. There is an undercurrent of tension in the home of the Rev. Eddie and Mrs. Lulu Fislinger. Eddie has begun preparing his Sunday sermon when he pauses over a newspaper story about the proposed building of Sharon and Elmer’s tabernacle. When he resumes his sermon, his hatred and envy of Elmer infect his theme of love.

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Act II Scene 1: Sharon’s suite, The Antlers Hotel, Lincoln, Nebraska, 1912. Working as business manager within Sharon’s ministry, Elmer has helped her to become ever more successful. One night, he confesses the depth of his love for her; she responds by proclaiming the depth of her religious calling. They reach a passionate understanding. Scene 2: The Waters of Jordan Tabernacle construction site, Zenith, Missouri, 1913. Sharon’s grand tabernacle is being built under Elmer’s supervision. Frank, now a minister in Zenith, pays a visit. Eddie, Lulu, and Rev and Mrs Baines tour the site and privately express their displeasure with commercialized religion. The eight principal characters sing an octet in which they debate the merits of the old-time religion versus the new. Scene 3: Same setting, later that night. Frank expresses his doubts about God and yearns for a “fresh, boundless” faith. Scene 4: A hotel room in Zenith, Missouri, a few months later. Elmer has an assignation with Lulu. She sings him a suggestive “bedtime story”, then lets Eddie in the door to spy on them as she and Elmer make love. Scene 5: Sharon’s private sanctuary in the Tabernacle, the same day. In her private sanctuary, Sharon prays to God for help on the evening before the opening of her tabernacle. She also prays for advice about Elmer, who has asked her to marry him. Scene 6: The Waters of Jordan Tabernacle, very late that night. TJ Rigg, financier of the tabernacle, checks last-minute details in the building. He is awestruck by its cross of electric lights. Scene 7: The Waters of Jordan Tabernacle, Opening Night, 1913. Sharon and Elmer enchant their throngs of followers. Eddie and Lulu arrive to denounce Elmer as a philanderer and a sinner. Chaos follows, and a fire breaks out. Elmer tries to save Sharon, but she refuses his help. He escapes; she stays to comfort her flock with a last mystical vision as all are immolated. Epilogue: Another place, a few weeks later. Elmer embarks on a new career with the founder of the ‘New Thought’ movement . The ashes of the fire and the haunting voices of the past surround him.

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Grammy®-winning composer Robert Livingston Aldridge has written over sixty works for orchestra, opera, music-theater, dance, string quartet, solo and chamber ensembles. His music has been performed throughout the United States, Europe and Japan. He has received numerous fellowships and awards for his music from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Guggenheim Foundation, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Massachusetts Artist’s Foundation, the Lila Wallace Reader’s Digest Fund, Meet

the Composer,The American Symphony Orchestra League, the New Jersey Council on the Arts and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. His opera, Elmer Gantry, based on the novel by Sinclair Lewis, with a libretto by Herschel Garfein, was given its fully-staged world premiere by Nashville Opera in November, 2007, and received very positive reviews in the New York Times ‘Behold! An Operatic Miracle’), The Wall St. Journal and Opera News. Excerpts from Elmer Gantry were performed by New York City Opera on their 2007 VOX Festival. An Orchestral Suite from Elmer Gantry was commissioned by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and premiered on their opening season gala in September, 2011, an event which received international coverage. The Naxos CD of Elmer Gantry was released in July, 2011, and received two Grammy® Awards in 2012: for Best Contemporary Classical Composition and for Best Engineered Classical Recording. Opera News ranked the Naxos recording of Elmer Gantry #1 in the Best Opera Recordings of the Year, 2011. In 2014, his oratorio, Parables, will be released on DVD by Naxos International. His works have been performed and/or commissioned by Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Nashville Symphony, The Milwaukee Symphony, The New Jersey Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Brevard Music Festival, The Beijing Music Festival, The Shanghai String Quartet, Keith Lockhart, Martha Argerich, and Gidon Kremer. His Clarinet Concerto, was released on Naxos in 2010, and was hailed as ‘A brilliant new concerto’ by Gramophone Magazine. His compositions are exclusively published by Edition Peters (CF Peters Corporation, London/NewYork/Frankfurt).Robert Livingston Aldridge received a Doctorate in Composition from the Yale School of Music, a Master’s Degree in Composition from the New England Conservatory of Music, and a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He was Professor of Composition at Montclair State University 2000-2012, Director of the Cali School, 2006-2009 and Chair of the Music Department, 2005-2011. Since 2012 he is Professor of Composition and Director of Music at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.

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Herschel Garfein is a GRAMMY® award-winning writer, composer, and stage director. He conceived, wrote, and directed the theater piece My Coma Dreams, a collaboration with jazz composer-pianist Fred Hersch. My Coma Dreams premiered at Peak Performances at Montclair, and has been in Berlin, San Francisco, and New York City. It has been embraced by the medical community for its reflections on the patient's experience of contemporary medical practice; in Berlin it was produced by the European Society for Intensive Care

Medicine, its 2013 NYC premiere was produced by The Program in Narrative Medicine at Columbia University Medical School. Garfein was awarded the 2012 GRAMMY® award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition for what BBC Music Magazine called his "wildly operatic libretto" to Robert Aldridge's Elmer Gantry in a performance by Florentine Opera (Milwaukee). Released on Naxos, the album won a second GRAMMY ® for Best Engineered Classical Recording. He is currently at work on the libretto for Sister Carrie, commissioned by Florentine Opera for its 2015 season. Garfein received his training at Yale University (cum lade) and The New England Conservatory of Music. He has won awards and fellowships from The National Endowment for the Arts, the Massachusetts Artists Foundation, The National Institute for Opera/Music Theater, and the MacDowell Colony. He lectures in script analysis and teaches composition at The Steinhardt School, New York University, where in the 2012-2013 academic year, he was awarded The Excellence in Teaching Award.

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Early Ideas: *Adapted from Sinclair Lewis’s 1927 satire of evangelism *Since the plot of Elmer Gantry’s plot was too big for one opera, Garfein focused on one major story: Elmer’s relationship with Sharon. *The Lewis estate carved out limited permission for the opera including the condition that there not be one word of spoken dialogue. *Both Aldridge and Garfein made research trips to mountain revival meeting and churches in 1991 and 1992.

An Opera Workshop: *Boston Lyric Opera agreed to put on a workshop production of the first act in February 1992. *After a successful workshop with just piano, BLO offered to finance a full production, but Aldridge and Garfein both declined in order to make a few changes after the workshop. *In 1994, Boston Lyric decided to drop the production for “financial rather than artistic reasons.

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A New Day: *Everything changed in 2003 at Opera America’s New Works Showcase in St. Louis. There, John Hoomes, Artistic Director of Nashville Opera offer to produce their opera. *The opera was performed 4 years later after many edits reducing the musical length by 1/3.

Award Winning: * Florentine Opera produced the work in 2010, which was recorded and released on NAXOS. *This recording earned 2 Grammy Awards in 2011.

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Act I, Scene 3

♦ Elmer Gantry’s aria “The Ballad of the Dying Farmer” gives the audience their first taste of Elmer’s preaching ability and charisma through Aldridge’s beautiful melody.

Act I, Scene 4

♦ The role of Sharon Falconer was originally written for acclaimed American mezzo-soprano, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. Her introductory aria “The Sun Embraces the Earth” highlights the strengths of a mezzo’s vocal range and its simple beauty accurately portrays Sharon’s genuine character.

Act II, Scene 3

♦ Frank Shallard’s aria “Is belief a gift?” demonstrates Frank’s doubt in God while still yearning for real faith. Here Aldridge seamlessly combines this beautiful, serene aria with the sanctuary hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”.

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Craig Verm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Elmer Gantry Katherine Pracht. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sharon Falconer Alisa Suzanne Jordheim. . . . . . . . . . . . Luke Baines Jonathan Boyd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Frank Shallard Kevin Burnette. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TJ Rigg Jeffrey Beruan*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reverend Baines Christopher Larkin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conductor Frank Kelley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stage Director Kris Stone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scenic Designer Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Florentine Opera Chorus *denotes Florentine Opera debut

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Act I Italy, 1836. While peasants rest from work, Nemorino, a young villager, watches the beautiful farm owner Adina read a book. He loves her but wonders if she is now beyond his reach. The peasants ask Adina what her book is about, and she tells them the story of how Tristan won the heart of Isolde by drinking a magic love potion. A drum roll announces the arrival of Sergeant Belcore and his men. He promptly introduces himself to Adina and asks her to marry him. Adina declares that she is in no hurry to make up her mind but promises to think over the offer. Left alone with Nemorino, Adina tells him that his time would be better spent in town, looking after his sick uncle, than hoping to win her love. Or he should do as she does: change her affections every single day. Nemorino reminds her that one can never forget one’s first love. Dulcamara, a traveling purveyor of patent medicines, arrives in the village, advertising a potion capable of curing anything. When the doctor has finished his routine, Nemorino shyly asks if he sells the elixir of love described in Adina’s book. Dulcamara claims he does and pulls out a bottle of Bordeaux. Though it costs him his last ducat, Nemorino buys it and immediately drinks it; Dulcamara explains that he has to wait until the next day for results (by which time Dulcamara will be gone). When Adina appears, Nemorino begins to feel the effect of the “potion.” Certain he will be irresistible to her the next day, he feigns cheerful indifference. To punish him, Adina flirts with Belcore. The order arrives for the sergeant to return immediately to his garrison, and Adina agrees to marry him at once. Shocked, Nemorino begs her to wait one more day, but she ignores him and invites the entire village to her wedding. Nemorino desperately calls for the doctor’s help. Act II At the pre-wedding feast Adina and Dulcamara entertain the guests with a barcarole. Adina wonders why Nemorino is not present. She doesn’t want to sign the marriage contract until he appears. Meanwhile, Nemorino asks Dulcamara for another bottle of the elixir. Since he doesn’t have any money with him, the doctor agrees to wait at the inn for an hour so Nemorino can borrow the cash from someone. Belcore is bewildered that Adina has postponed the wedding. When Nemorino tells him that he needs money right away, the sergeant persuades him to join the army and receive a volunteer bonus of 20 scudi. Having bought more of the elixir, Nemorino returns to find himself besieged by a group of girls. Unaware of the news that his uncle has died and left him a fortune, he believes the elixir is finally taking effect. Adina enters, feeling responsible for Nemorino’s enlistment, but when she sees him with the other girls, she reacts jealously. Nemorino and the girls leave, and Dulcamara boasts to Adina about the power of his elixir, offering to sell her some as well. She replies that she will win Nemorino in her own fashion.

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Nemorino, having noticed a tear on Adina’s cheek when she saw him with the girls, feels sure that she cares for him. When she returns to tell him that she has bought back his enlistment papers, he again feigns indifference. Finally, she confesses she loves him. Belcore appears to find the two arm in arm and takes his leave, declaring that thousands of women await him elsewhere. Dulcamara reveals to the crowd the news of Nemorino’s inheritance and brags about how his miraculous potion can make people fall in love and even turn poor peasants into millionaires.

Lithograph by J. Brandard showing a London production,

late 1840s. Act I, Scene 2.

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CHARACTER MAP

ORIGIN of the Principals’ Names: *The names in L’Elisir were purposely chosen by Donizetti and Romani to relate to love.

♦ Belcore- (derived from bel cuore in Italian) beautiful heart ♦ Adina- (Hebrew) refined, gentle ♦ Dulcamara- (combination of Latin words dulce and amara) sweet and sour ♦ Giannetta- (stems from Hebrew, Gianna) gracious ♦ Nemorino- (stems from Latin word, nemo) the little nobody

The 2 leading characters:

ADINA Wealthy landowner pursued by Nemorino and Belcore.

SERGEANT BELCORE Arrogant, suave soldier

engaged to Adina and signs Nemorino into the army.

GIANNETTA Gossiping peasant friend

of Adina.

NEMORINO Young farmer who buys a magic love potion to win

Adina's heart.

DR. DULCAMARA Quack who sells fake elixirs

to villagers.

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Dates: (1793-1848) Contributions: Master of the bel canto style along with composers Rossini and Bellini. He dominated the opera scene between the death of Bellini and the rise of Verdi. Compositions: 75 operas, 16 symphonies, 19 string quartets, 193 songs, other vocal works, concertos, quartets, sonatas, and chamber music Best Known Works: Lucia di Lammermoor, L’elisir d’amore, La fille du régiment, Lucrezia Borgia, Poliuto, Don Pasquale.

Biography by Year:

Age 9 ♦ Accepted as a free student to Lezioni Caritatevolin and received instruction from composer, Simon Meyr.

♦ Spent 3 years at the Liceo Filarmonico learning from Padre Mattei, one of Rossini’s teachers.

Age 20 ♦ Joined the army. ♦ First opera Enrico Comte di Borgogna premiered with great success

allowing him to discharge from the army. Age 24-30 ♦ Put under contract to produce operas in Naples, Rome, and Milan. Age 31 ♦ Married his wife, Virginia. Age 33 ♦ Anna Bolena established him as an international composer. Age 39 ♦ Both of his parents died. Age 40 ♦ His wife, Virginia died of cholera. Age 41 ♦ Moved to Paris, wrote remaining operas in French. Age 44 ♦ Moved to Vienna, appointed principal court conductor. Age 45 ♦ Dealt with symptoms of syphilis and bipolar disorder. Age 48 ♦ Suffered from stroke, paralysis, and dementia.

♦ Committed to an asylum in Paris Age 50 ♦ He was moved back to Bergamo and later died.

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Partnership:

♦ Felice Romani developed the libretto based on the play Le Philtré (The Love Potion) by Eugene Scribe, which had been already set to music by French composer, Daniel Francois Auber the year before Donizetti began working on L’elisir.

♦ Donizetti and Romani worked in complete agreement developing the work until Donizetti insisted on a slow, melancholy aria for the tenor. Despite the librettist’s misgivings, “Una furtiva lagrima” made the cut.

♦ Romani wrote the libretto in 8 days and Donizetti wrote the opera in less than 6 weeks.

Creation of Opera Buffa (comic opera):

♦ A movement from taking characters right out of the commedia dell’arte playbook (Pulcinela, Pierrot, and company) to transforming those simple figures into true comic opera, using real-life people with real feelings and passions.

♦ Italian comic operas are known for lively, humorous action; highly developed comic characters and finales with large-ensemble singing.

♦ The opera buffa genre contains musical numbers for solo voices, ensembles, and chorus all linked by recitative.

Reception:

♦ The first performance was in Milan, at the Teatro della Canobbiana, on May 12,1832.

♦ Donizetti dedicated the score “to the fair sex” of that city. ♦ It was the most frequently performed opera between 1838 and 1848, a

time when one out of every four productions in the country was a work of Donizetti.

♦ L’elisir d’amore is ranked number 20 on Opera America’s list of the most frequently performed operas in North America.

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♦ Donizetti’s librettist, Felice Romani, objected to the tenor aria “Una furtiva lagrima”, fearing that its pathos would slow the action in a comic opera. Donizetti held his ground and Nemorino’s song has become the most famous piece of music in the opera.

Una furtiva lagrima negli occhi suoi spuntò: Quelle festose giovani invidiar sembrò. Che più cercando io vo? M'ama! Sì, m'ama, lo vedo. Un solo istante i palpiti del suo bel cor sentir! I miei sospir, confondere per poco a' suoi sospir! I palpiti, i palpiti sentir, confondere i miei coi suoi sospir... Cielo! Si può morir! Di più non chiedo, non chiedo Ah, cielo! Si può! si può morir! Di più non chiedo, non chiedo Si può morire! Si può morir d’amor.

A single, hidden tear began to form in her eyes: She seemed to be envious of those playful youths. What more do I need to look for? She loves me! Yes, I see that she loves me. If only for an instant to feel the beating Of her beautiful heart! My sighs for a moment melded fleetingly with hers ! To feel her heart beating, beating, My sighs melded with hers as one... Heaven! Yes, I could, I could die! I do not ask for more. Oh, heaven! Yes, I could! Yes, I could die! I do not ask for more, I do not ask Yes I could die. I could die of love.

♦ In the first production of L’elisir d’amore at the Metropolitan Opera, Enrico

Caruso sang the aria so well that the audience forced him to sing it again. ♦ The role of Nemorino was a large part of many artists’ careers including:

Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Nicolai Gedda

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Diana McVey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Adina Rolando Sanz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nemorino Kelly Markgraf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sergeant Belcore Musa Ngqungwana*. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Dulcamara Lindsay Metzger. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Giannetta Joseph Rescigno . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conductor William Florescu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stage Director Lisa Schlenker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scenic Designer Floretine Opera Chorus Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra *denotes Florentine Opera debut

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Opera Etiquette Etiquette means the proper way to behave. Here are rules for audience behavior during the opera:

1. Remain quiet – don’t do anything that will disturb or distract the performers or the audience. 2. Do not leave your seat during the performance. 3. No gum, candy, or drinks are allowed in the theater. 4. Applaud politely at the end of a scene or act. 5. Dress appropriately for a special occasion.

Why we follow these etiquette rules: 1. Because the performers really can hear the whispers from on stage, and other people are trying to enjoy the performance. 2. Because it is dangerous to try to step over people in the dark, and because it’s disrespectful to the performers and the other audience members. 3. Gum, candy, and drinks make noise that will distract the performers and other audience members. It also could make a mess in the theater. 4. Shouting or whistling is not appropriate for an opera. 5. Because it is respectful to the performers and the theater to dress nicely.

Appendix

Ideas for Reflection After the Florentine Opera’s Performance

Encourage personal responses by suggesting they write thank-you notes to the singers, journal, write a continuation of the story, re-write specific scenes from the opera, create artwork conveying what they saw, or write a critic’s review.

If opera is a completely new art form to your students, this first exposure may have been quite different from what they expected. Discuss how their experience differed from their expectations.

If some students have previous experience with opera, talk about how they felt returning to the art form and how seeing opera for a second (or third) time compared with the first.

Offer extra credit for students who undertake an opera-related project (e.g., writing a review of the next opera televised on public television, clipping a magazine or newspaper article about a famous opera singer to share with the class, etc.).

See Section B of this Appendix for additional curricular connections.

A

Evidence of Learning We believe that introducing students to opera is a perfect opportunity to foster an appreciation for the arts. Teachers frequently recognize improvement in a student’s attitude or growth in perspective, but unfortunately these things are nearly impossible to test for quantitative documentation.

Methods of Documenting Learning

A simple method of tracking and documenting a student’s progress is to have them complete a simple written survey before and after their opera unit. Here are some suggested questions to include on your survey: Before the unit begins…

List some adjectives you think of when you think about opera. What do you think an opera might be? What might you see in an opera? Do you think you would enjoy watching an opera?

After completing the unit…

List some adjectives you think of when you think about opera. What is opera? Did you enjoy learning about opera? Would you like to see an opera again?

Curricular Connections [Each activity idea can be used under the umbrella of one or more core/state standards]

Theatre 1. Examine the story of The Flying Dutchman, Wuthering Heights, Elmer Gantry,

or The Elixir of Love. Have students re-write short scenes and act them out from their own perspectives. Allow them to change aspects of the plot if they feel it necessary.

2. Assign each student a character from The Flying Dutchman, Wuthering Heights, Elmer Gantry, or The Elixir of Love and play an improvisational theatre game in which characters must interact given a specific scenario (i.e. Mimi and Rudolpho run into each other on the street and must solve a specific problem.)

3. Have the students select one character from The Flying Dutchman, Wuthering Heights, Elmer Gantry, or The Elixir of Love and write a journal entry from their perspective.

4. Have students design a simple set, costumes, make-up, etc.

5. Put on a play, completing the production process from start to finish. Hold auditions, post a cast list, and bring the students’ “backstage” plans to life. You could even double- or triple-cast the show so that each student is involved “on stage.”

6. Explore the challenges of the stage director. The director of an opera must be able to clearly explain his/her vision for a production to the singers. Some scenes can be very complicated if there is a lot of action involved. Have students take turns directing a short scene, noting the difficulties of getting the performers to do what they are directed to do.

7. Have students play the role of a theatre critic. Write a review of The Flying Dutchman, Wuthering Heights, Elmer Gantry, or The Elixir of Love.

B

Music 1. Explore the tools the composer uses to create sympathy and understanding for

the characters. Help the students to recall the music in the program. What moods were created? What story did the music convey?

2. Ask students who their personal favorite singers are. Discuss whether or not they sound like trained classical singers, explaining why or why not.

3. Demonstrate the difference between beat and rhythm. Have the students find their pulse on their wrist or neck. Compare the human heartbeat to the “pulse” or “beat” of a song. You could also have them march around the room to the beat of a song so they feel the beat in their bodies. To demonstrate rhythm, have them speak the words to a familiar song or chant, and ask them to clap along with the words they are saying. Once the class can do each activity independently, divide them into two groups. Have one group march to the beat and the other speak and clap the rhythm of the song/chant.

4. Play a popular song that the students will recognize. Discuss how changing certain elements of the music (tempo, instrumentation, vocal timbre, text) would alter the overall effect of the song.

5. Using material from a regular classroom subject, have students rewrite lyrics for music they’ve studied from The Flying Dutchman, Wuthering Heights, Elmer Gantry, or The Elixir of Love. Practice the song together for a few days, and then discuss how the music helped them to understand and remember the new concepts or information.

6. Explore how a singer’s voice type affects his/her character’s personality. Using the sections of this guide devoted to specific voice types (lyric tenor, coloratura soprano, etc.) and genres of opera (opera buffa, opera seria, operetta, etc.) discuss with your students the roles typically played by each voice type in different genres. Choose a popular movie or TV sitcom to use as an example, preferably one with an ensemble cast. Have the students determine into which opera genre the show or movie could be classified, and assign each character in the cast a voice type. (For example: The sitcom the Simpsons would be considered an opera buffa, with Homer being a baritone, Marge being a mezzo-soprano, Patty and Selma being contraltos, and so on.)

Visual Art 1. Create a favorite scene from the production three-dimensionally using a

shoebox. Scene designers make such working models when designing a set for production.

2. Look at all the visual elements in opera. Opera isn’t just music. It incorporates all the arts, especially visual art. Have students list all the elements of an opera or play that are visual (i.e. set, costumes, props, makeup, etc.) Discuss how these things can be considered “art.”

3. Make storyboards. Before building the scenery for an opera, the production designer draws out plans of the look of each major scene in the show. Have students pick out the most important moments in The Flying Dutchman, Wuthering Heights, Elmer Gantry, or The Elixir of Love and draw what they think each scene might look like.

4. Have the students draw pictures of what they think a typical opera singer looks like. Go to a few of the singer websites in the “Operatic Singing” section and look at their photographs. Compare the students’ drawings with the real photos and discuss their reactions.

5. Design a poster to promote the opera. Create posters for a production of The Flying Dutchman, Wuthering Heights, Elmer Gantry, or The Elixir of Love that might represent the “look” of the show.

6. Have students design set or costume elements that they would like to see in a future production of The Flying Dutchman, Wuthering Heights, Elmer Gantry, or The Elixir of Love.

Language Arts 1. Drama, conflict, resolution, and the way in which these ingredients transform

and illuminate the characters are what make a story interesting. Have your students rewrite the story of The Flying Dutchman, Wuthering Heights, Elmer Gantry, or The Elixir of Love.

2. Assist students in writing a critical review of the performance of The Flying Dutchman, Wuthering Heights, Elmer Gantry, or The Elixir of Love.

3. Students in younger grades can be guided using single words to describe their musical experience. This project will facilitate students’ listening, writing, communication, and aesthetic judgment skills.

4. Watch opera on Looney Tunes! Search for the “Rabbit of Seville” and “What’s Opera, Doc?” on YouTube. (The “Rabbit of Seville” is based on Rossini’s “Barber of Seville,” and “What’s Opera, Doc?” uses the music of Richard Wagner, specifically “The Ride of the Valkyries.”) Before watching, give students several questions with which to guide their viewing experience. (What kind of feelings does this give you about opera? How would the cartoon have been different if they had used pop music instead of opera? How do you think the director of the episode picked the music to go with certain parts of the story?) Have students write reactions to these two opera-infused cartoon episodes.

5. Talk about conflict. Stories generally have some conflict that needs to be resolved. What is the conflict in this opera? How is it resolved?

6. Identify character types in The Flying Dutchman, Wuthering Heights, Elmer Gantry, or The Elixir of Love. Who is the “bad guy,” the “hero,” the “love interest,” etc.?

7. Remove, add, or change one of the characters from the story. How would this change the plot?

8. New Endings: Read the synopsis for the opera The Flying Dutchman, Wuthering Heights, Elmer Gantry, or The Elixir of Love.

Social Studies 1. History: Read about the composer of The Flying Dutchman, Wuthering Heights,

Elmer Gantry, or The Elixir of Love.

2. Do some research with your students and try to determine what important world and US events happened while he wrote this piece. Discuss which social and political events might have been most influential to the author.

3. History: Research what was happening in the year that The Flying Dutchman, Wuthering Heights, Elmer Gantry, or The Elixir of Love was composed. What kind of entertainment was popular? How much did things cost? What inventions did we see during this time? What was happening politically? What did people enjoy in their free time? What were the popular professions of this time? What did children do for entertainment? What has changed since that time?

4. History: Opera stars aren’t just known for their artistry. A few have made a real difference in the cultural and social landscape of the United States. In 1939, African American contralto Marian Anderson gave a historical concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for an integrated audience of more than 75,000 people! For more information, go to http://www.biography.com/people/marian-anderson-9184422.

5. Geography: Popular operas were written in Europe and take place all over the world. Have your students find the countries in which different operas were written and those in which they take place.

6. Culture: Many operas, as well as stories, are multicultural. Discuss the methods writers and composers use to effectively communicate ideas that appeal and are relevant to various ethnic and cultural groups.

Math, Science, & Technology

1. Math: Calculate the size of the set. Calculate the correct dimensions of the space and decide how big the set should be. Perhaps draw or build a model of the set.

2. Science: Talk about various scientific discoveries that had not been made by the 1700s. Did modern conveniences like the telephone or TV exist? How would opera production have been different if these things were or were not available?

3. Science: Take a tour of your school’s auditorium or a local performance space. Have students list all the scientific elements of performance spaces: pulley systems, lights, acoustics, etc.

4. Science: Special effects – Often, smoke machines are used to add a different visual atmosphere to a production. If your school wanted to put on an opera that required smoke and you didn’t have a smoke machine, how would you create it?

5. Science: Medical discoveries –What other medical advances have been made since the 1700s?

6. Science: Learn more about the science of sound by visiting the following interactive website: http://www.exploratorium.edu/music/index.html

7. Science: Let there be lighting! Lighting a stage effectively is not as simple as flipping a light switch. Read all about the science and history of stage lighting at http://www.mts.net/%7Ewilliam5/sld.htm

8. Technology: Pretend you are the General Director of an opera company. Create an Excel spreadsheet to calculate a budget for your company.

9. Technology: Communicating with your cast of artists. In a Word document, create a mail merge letter to send to members of the cast. Create fields for name, address, roles, arrival dates, etc. Go even further and create printed materials for your opera company (letterhead, business cards, pamphlets, and performance programs.)

10. Technology: Using a desktop publishing program like MS Publisher or Quark XPress, create posters and programs for The Flying Dutchman, Wuthering Heights, Elmer Gantry, or The Elixir of Love. Use various fonts and graphics that will capture the atmosphere of a fairy tale opera.

NATIONAL AND STATE STANDARDS:

How does opera fit in?

National Standards for Music Education according to MENC: the National Association for Music Education

(http://musiced.nafme.org/resources/national-standards-for-music-education/)

1. Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music. 2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music. 3. Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments. 4. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines. 5. Reading and notating music. 6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music. 7. Evaluating music and music performances. 8. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts. 9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture.

The Florentine Opera Company’s education programs provide educators, music and classroom alike, with opportunities for cross-curricular connection. The state and national standards for music education can be used as a framework for such co-curricular work. The first five standards can be described as performance-based, but are certainly not limited to music educators or the music classroom environment. Classroom teachers may encourage students to explore many avenues of creative writing and storytelling (such as those listed in the “Language Arts Activities” section) while also creating accompanying musical elements. These elements can be as simple as creating a soundscape with everyday objects to perform with the reading of a student’s work, or as complex as composing full songs to go with each student’s writing. Standards six and seven call upon the students’ critical thinking and observation skills. Again, one need not be an expert on music to appreciate and critique a musical performance. Critical listening is one of the most innate skills a child has, regardless of his or her age. Depending on the age level, teachers can tailor guiding questions to invoke extremely thoughtful responses. Elements such as mood, setting, and possible storyline require no musical study at all – merely a working imagination. Using the concept of a movie soundtrack as the basis for such exercises, teachers can help students to explore the “who/what/where/when/why/how” of any story, as told through its music. Reverse composition is a great way to begin with students of all ages – listen to a “soundtrack” and write a possible storyline to go with it. Standards eight and nine are the most versatile in terms of cross-curricular opportunities. Music itself is a cultural phenomenon. There is no music on earth that does not in some way reflect its composer, time period, geographical location, or culture. There is an abundance of information available, both online and in hard copy format, on the roots of any piece of music, as well as its genre, composer, targeted audience, effect on the world or culture at the time, and present-day reverberations. Get

C

creative with your students! If you are studying explorers of Western Europe, do a class study on musical explorers from the 17th and 18th centuries. During a unit on the peoples and cultures of West Africa, discover the instruments and everyday uses of music in cultures from Ghana. The Florentine Opera believes that the possibilities are endless when it comes to connecting Music Education with the other content areas.

Wisconsin Academic Standards can be found at

http://dpi.wi.gov/standards/

OPERA-RELATED LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN AND EDUCATORS

Anderson, Marian. My Lord, What a Morning. New York: The Viking Press, 1956. Comstock, Ariane Csonka. The Young Person’s Guide to the Opera. Los Angeles: Monarch Media, Inc., 1997. Cross, Milton. The Complete Stories of the Great Opera. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1952. Geras, Adele. The Random House Book of Opera Stories. New York: Random House, 1997. Pavarotti, Luciano and William Wright. Pavarotti: My Own Story. Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Co., Inc., 1981. Pogue, David. Opera for Dummies. New York: Hungry Minds, 1997. Price, Leontyne. Aïda: A Picture Book. New York: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1990. Rosenberg, Jane. Sing Me a Story: The Metropolitan Opera’s Book of Opera Stories for Children. New York: Thomas & Hudson, 1989.

WEBSITES FOR MUSIC EDUCATORS

Opera Websites www.florentineopera.org ✦ Florentine Opera Company website. www.operaam.org ✦ OPERA America Website.

Find research and countless other resources here. www.operainfo.org ✦ A project of the Metropolitan Opera Guild.

Synopses, composer bios, photographs, lesson plans, and more.

Arts in Education Websites www.aep-arts.org ✦ Arts Education Partnership Website.

Support for arts in the classroom. http://www.kennedy-center.org/education/ ✦ The John F. Kennedy Center. www.aate.com/ ✦ American Alliance for Theatre and Education. www.americanartsalliance.org ✦ Founded in 1977.

Advocates for the performing arts. www.artsusa.org/ ✦ Americans for the Arts. www.nafme.org ✦ National Association for Music Education. www.exploratorium.edu/music/ ✦ Interactive website for music and science. www.juliantrubin.com/topicprojects/musicprojects.html ✦ Music-centered science

projects and experiments. Topics, Ideas, Experiments, Reference Resources and Sample Projects.

2014/2015 Teacher Evaluation Form

The Florentine Opera Company is dedicated to sharing opera with all audiences and has a particular interest in introducing students to this rich medium. Your comments will help us as we continue to develop our programs and educational materials. Thank you for taking a few minutes to share your feedback! School Name: Date: _______________ Your Name: Position: Performance Attended (please circle): The Flying Dutchman Wuthering Heights Elmer Gantry The Elixir of Love Number of students: _____________ Grade(s): ______________ Tell us about your opera background (check one): Very knowledgeable: ___ Moderate: ___ This was my first experience: ___ How much classroom preparation time did you spend before the performance? Did you find the teaching materials helpful in planning lessons and activities? Please describe the activities that were planned around the program: Do you have any recommendations for future Teacher Resource Guides? ____________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

D

How do you feel this experience impacted the students? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Would you bring your students to another performance? __________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Additional comments: ________________________________________________________________________ May we call you to discuss this evaluation further? ___________ Telephone number: Best time to call:

Please return this form to: Florentine Opera Company/Attn: Sarah Lewis Martin

930 E. Burleigh St., Lower Level Milwaukee, WI 53212

2014/2015