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Home , Dead Man Walking (opera), Essex (whaleship), Jake Heggie, Moby Dick (whale), Omoo, Pequod (Moby-Dick)

Moby-Dick Music by ● Libretto by Based on ’s novel, Moby-Dick; or, The Whale Study Guide to the

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Moby-Dick Synopsis Characters

ACT I Scenes 1 to 4. Commander of the , an Day One: The ship Pequod American from has been at sea for one week Greenhorn (Ishmael) tenor Captain Ahab stands alone on deck in A young American crewman on the hours before dawn. Below deck, his first whaling ship voyage while most of the crew sleeps, the harpooneer prays and wakes Greenhorn, a loner and newcomer to Starbuck whaling. Dawn breaks and the call is First Mate on the Pequod, a made for “All Hands!” While the crew is devout Quaker from Nantucket raising the ship’s sails, Starbuck, Stubb, and Flask talk about Ahab, whom no one has seen since the ship left Nantucket. Queequeg bass-baritone A native of Kokovoko, Suddenly, Captain Ahab appears and tells them of Moby-Dick, harpooneer for Starbuck the white whale that took off one of his legs. Then Ahab nails a gold doubloon to the mast and promises it to the man who first (breeches role) sights the white whale. This is the real reason they have Pip sailed, he explains: to search the globe to find and destroy this 14-year-old African-American one whale. His rousing call of “Death to Moby-Dick!” excites cabin boy from Tolland County, everyone but the first mate, Starbuck, who confronts Ahab about what he sees as a futile and blasphemous mission. As the sun begins to set, Ahab mourns that his obsession Stubb baritone deprives him of any enjoyment of beauty. Starbuck, on deck, Second Mate on the Pequod, an bemoans Ahab’s madness. American from Cape Cod

Scenes 5 to 7. Day Two: Three months later Flask tenor Third Mate on the Pequod, an After three months without a single whale hunt, there are rising American from Martha’s tensions among the crew and a dangerous racial fight erupts. Vineyard Greenhorn sights a pod of whales and Starbuck persuades Ahab to let the men hunt. Starbuck and Stubb whales, Captain Gardiner baritone but Flask’s boat is capsized and Pip is lost at sea. Captain of the whaleship Rachel On board the Pequod, a whale is butchered and the oil rendered in the burning tryworks. Flask tells Starbuck that oil Tashtego tenor barrels are leaking. Starbuck goes to tell Ahab they must find a A Gayhead Indian, harpooneer port for repairs but Ahab is unmoved by the report. When to Stubb Starbuck refuses to leave, Ahab threatens him with a musket. Hearing shouts that Pip has been found, Ahab orders Starbuck Daggoo baritone out of the cabin. An African, harpooneer to Flask

Greenhorn describes how Queequeg rescued Pip and pleads Nantucket tenor with Starbuck to get help for Pip, who has gone mad. But, Spanish Sailor baritone Starbuck ignores him and returns to Ahab’s cabin, where the captain is asleep. Starbuck picks up the musket, contemplates Crew of the Pequod male choir killing Ahab, replaces the musket, and leaves the cabin. Many nationalities, ethnicities, Intermission and ages —Adapted from

Pequod have drowned, except for this one survivor. one this for except drowned, have Pequod th crew of the all thatand learns Ahab he Instead, son his missing last atfound has he thinking afar, Gardinerc prayer. friend’s lost his singing softly barely coffin, alive Queequeg’s on floats Greenhorn Manylater days Epilogue: sea. the into down dragged being Moby-Dickbefore stabs at out and cries Ahab whale, withthe whoff. Finallyalone jump or fall captain and all attacked is boat Ahab’s aboard. killing all Pequod, the sinks and rams whale the crews.Then drowning their whaleboats, two destroys Moby-Dick c the During loyalty its Ahab. to crew declares The b stayto him on orders and eye Starbuck’s in again looks Ahab lowered. are whaleboats The horizon. the Moby-Dick sights he relent, to appears as Ahab Just Nantucket. to return should th that Ahab persuades deeply. him Starbuck touches and soul human a eye in Starbuck’s sees He behind. lefall has he and sea at years his forty describes whileAhab horizon gazethe over Starbuck and Ahab blood. with Pip’s harpoon n baptizes his livessomany and devastates who God heartl the contemplates sail to ship on, the orders clothes. Ahab’s on blood gets and himself cuts boy, ownPequod’s the of toshouts Gardiner Pip refuses. Ahab storm, but in the waswholost son 12-year-old searcto help for pleading calls out Rachel, the of c From Gardiner, afar, storm. the survives ship The morningnext The Day 47. to Four: Scenes whale. white the to them guide to heaven from is white the flame them posts, promising their hold that me the demands Ahab Elmo’s fire. withSt. glow andship the the lightning engulf of bolts heavens, singsth defiantly to Ahab As Pequod. the surrounds massiv The builthim. for coffin be that a asks and dyiis that he QueequegGreenhorn tells deck, Below first. to Moby-Dick wants sight as he himself, watch masthead the will announces he take Ahab and dow him crew gets The collapses. Queequeg Suddenly, native his to i together talktravelingof Queequeg and Greenhorn mastheads, the From worksong. joll crewa sings the storm, approaching an Despite year later One Day 13. to Three: Scenes ACT II alls from alls from ite ite but the but t t his h for sland. sland. ess ess . . e storm storm e masts masts e e a sign a hase, hase, aptain aptain y oard. oard. Ahab , , e on on lost n ng ng

it it ey ew n n currently at work on work on at currently A Choral Opera Choral A works, including the Ahab Symphony. Symphony. Ahab the works,including orchestral and pieces, choral music, chamber concerti, well as as songs, art nearly 300 composed also has He 2019. for Program Opera Merola bythe commissioned Green, byJulian story the on Faustian based (Scheer), Venus Remain Remain (Scheer), by Gene Scheer), byGene Decembers extensive practicing, he developed developed he practicing, extensive toDue UCLA. student at whilea music in “found refuge” and wasten, he (Scheer), (Scheer), and and again writingmusic began he singers, by Surrounded in 1994. department PR Opera’s Francisco San withthe job a took Heggie music, from Withdrawing control. without curl to caused his that fingers condition a neurological dystonia, hand Focal Terrence McNally), Terrence Man WalkingDead composed the has Heggie Jake hiring his PR guy to write an opera. opera. an write guy PR to his hiring impresario an of case unprecedented an being well is as history—as rest The aopera. new on withhim collaborating McNally discuss to Terrence playwright withthe meet Heggie that suggested Opera, Francisco San the of manager general then Mansouri, Lotfi that, after Notlong music. Heggie’s of champion active an became and them, loved She Stade. von Frederica soprano gave some songs mezzo- to gavesome (McNally), and and (McNally), (Scheer), (Scheer), Out of Darkness: Two Two Darkness: of Out Great (Scheer), (Scheer), (Scheer).isHeggie At the Statue of of the Statue At It’s A Wonderful Life It’sA Wonderful (libretto by (libretto Moby-Dick Composer Composer lost his father when when his father lost He Florida. Beach, Palm in West (1961— ) ) (1961— Heggie Stephen ("Jake") John Meet the Meet If I Were YouI If Were (McNally), To Hell and Back and Hell To The Radio Hour: Hour: Radio The was born wasborn (libretto (libretto Three Three

Meet the Librettist Pittsburgh Opera

Edited by Jill Leahy Education thanks our Gene Scheer (1958— ) is an American songwriter, librettist, and generous supporters:

lyricist. He was born in New York James and Electra Agras City and earned Bachelors and Allegheny Regional Asset District Masters degrees at the Eastman Anonymous School of Music in Rochester, New The Olga Barry Fund York, followed by a scholarship to The Frick Fund of the Buhl Foundation the University of Cologne and an International Rotary The Jack Buncher Foundation Fellowship to study at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna. The Bob Crewe Foundation Mr. Scheer’s work is noted for its scope and versatility. He Davis Vision has collaborated on operas and many other projects with The Alice M. Ditson Fund the composer Jake Heggie, including the lyric drama To Hell Eat’n Park Hospitality Group, Inc. and Back and the song cycle Camille Claudel: Into the Fire . EQT Foundation Scheer has also worked with composers Tobias Picker, Dr. Donald R. and Nora Barry Fischer Steven Stucky, Joby Talbot, Jennifer Higdon, as well as Dr. Freddie and Hilda Fu artists Wynton Marsalis and Ken Burns. The Grable Foundation Hefren-Tillotson, Inc. Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Meet the Author Roy A. Hunt Foundation

The Huntington National Bank Herman Melville (August 1, 1819— Intermediate Unit #1, Pennsylvania September 28, 1891) , the third child of Department of Education Allan and Maria Gansevoort The Christian A. Johnson Melvill's eight, was born into a Endeavor Foundation socially connected New York Kerr Engineered Sales family. His forebears had been Levin Furniture among the Scottish and Dutch McCune Foundation McKinney Charitable Foundation settlers of New York and had taken through The PNC Charitable Trust leading roles in the American Grant Review Committee Revolution and in the fiercely OPERA America: The Opera Fund competitive commercial and political life of the new country. Mr. and Mrs. Willie M. Owens To his socialite parents, young Herman did not fit their mold Pennsylvania Council on the Arts of a good, God-fearing, noble, and refined child. In 1826 PNC Allan Melvill described his son as "backward in speech and UPMC & UPMC Health Plan somewhat slow in comprehension . . . of a docile and Vincent Lighting Systems amiable disposition." After the collapse of the family's import The Hilda M. Willis Foundation business and his father’s death in 1832, Herman's oldest brother, Gansevoort, took over his father's business and the For more information on family added the "e" to the family name. Herman worked as Pittsburgh Opera's education a bank clerk, on a farm, in the family business, and as a programs, please contact: cabin boy on a merchant ship. During a voyage to the South Seas on the whaler Acushnet , Melville began to write of his Marilyn Michalka Egan, Ph.D. Director of Education adventures, ultimately writing : A Peep at Polynesian [email protected] Life, Omoo: A Narrative of Adventures in the South Seas, 412-281-0912 ext 242 , Moby-Dick, Pierre; or, The Ambiguities, : Pittsburgh Opera His Fifty Years of Exile, and The Confidence-Man: His 2425 Liberty Avenue Masquerade. Melville’s last novel, , was never Pittsburgh, PA 15222 finished; the manuscript was found during the 1920s. www.pittsburghopera.org