---- -,.., '
thesis
Presented to Chicago Musical College
in Partial Pulfillment of
the requirements for
iviaster of l1.usic
Education
by
James Hiram Patrenos
November 21, 1950
-- - ' \ Thesis M 782.6 P314 c.1 't
$£p J. 0 1958 ~-
TABL2 OF COHT~N'l'S
I. Introduction II. Background and development in nmerica
III. Down in t:ie Valley IV. The Forest Prince V. The use of the operetta in the high school l
THE HIGH scaooL OP~H.E:TTA
Introduction
This thesis will deal mostly with a compari
son of what I consider an ideal operetta for high
school use, and an ©peretta that I believe to be a
typical example of what so many schools are using.
This will not be a survey of operettas in the
high school category, but rather a singleing out of two certain works tha_t to me will tri_J_thfull;/ represent
the two types of operettas to be discussed in this thesis,
For the ideal operetta, I have selected Down
in the Valley, by Kurt i'/eill, 'l'his was originally
planned for college performances, but I am c~nvinced that high school groups can successfully use Down in the Valley and gain from it more musical benefits
than from the usu~l run of works written or arranged for them,
The Forest Prince, an operetta from a book by Paul Monroe, lyrics by .ci:di th Sanford Tillotson, with music by Tschaikowsky as arranged by Ira B. Wilson, I 2
will be used as an example of a cheaply constructed work, that do3s not give proper musical experiences because it is a misrepresentation of music thut is great(a l:~.sting. \..., _____ .....-
ii general background and developmsnt of the
Light Opera or Operetta in ,.merica will be given.
also, I will give educ&tional views on op"'rettas in
the high school. 3
CHAPTER I
3efore beginning the comparison of these works I would like to b~ly give a general b2ckground of the light opera or operetta in nmerica, No effort will be devoted to the early beginninbs of the light 00era in Europe, f~r it is understood that opera exsisted befiore the country was inh.:.bi ted by a civilized group of people. Our concern is what has happened to this form of music here in America,
The term 'Operetta' co~es to us from Italy, meaning 'Little Opera'. In the eighteenth century it was used for any short opera, but soon the word was
used to denote a theatrical piece of light and
sentimental character in simple and popular style, with spoken dialouge, music, dancing, and etc, ·~-·,/ Victor Herbert and Reginald de Koven were the first
noted composers in i-
in many ways comparable to van Suppe. Of. course opera in America exsisted before 4
Victor Herbert. In fact there is a recorded opera performance as for back as 1730 in South Carolina.
This was Flora, one of the oallad Operas of Cibber.
This type of opera cont~ined a~ncins and pbntomime, and was brought over here from ~ngl lilusic in America was at first considered a luxury, and by many as being frivolous. The wealthy / ."'\ set~~) were about the only ones w:10 made any effort to maintain music in their culture as they had known in Europe. The first light opera composer in America was probably ,fra.mes halph, who was born in Philadelphia in 1698. However, his works w~re really a product of England and were first productea in London. They were mostly concerned with satire and social life there, One can find a close resemblance of halph's f'irst two operas, The Fashionable Lady and •raste of the Town, with the Beggar's Opera by Gay. Francis Hopkinson (1737 - 1791) is credited by some historians as having been our fir·st native composer. It is only f'rom circumstdntial evidence we are able to determine who may have been our first native composer. We must remember that several American born composers returned to Europe and did 5 most of their composing there. 11 A work that was brobably the most import~nt of Hopkinson's efforts was, The l'emple of Minerva- undoubtedly from his penT- although no record has been found of the music,,l setting. Since this 'or&- torical entertainment' was somewhat operatic in type, it has claim to consideration as the first American opera. ( '0ratorial 1 in the usage of that day, was derived from Oratory and not from Oratorio.) The libretto was first printed anonymously in .Freeman's Journal in Philadelphia , December 19, 1781, ar~ the work was performed in the same year 'by a company of gentlemen and ladies' in the Hotel of the Minister of France in the presence of his Excellency, General Washington and his Lady. " 1 The Temple of ~inerva was an allegorical poli tical opera, or dramatic cantata, containing an overture, arias, ensembles, and choruses in Praise of the American Hlliance with .France. I am reasonably sure that even back in these early days of America, most of the people were content to be without the grand opera of Europe. '.Chey looked 1 John Tasker rloward. Our American Music. p. 38. 6 towards the lighter works for relaxation and ent9r tainment. 1~merican people are reE, lly not very ser ious minded, They work hfird durinr: the d y, and then look for frivolity and entertain~ent at night. ~o with this condition prevailing ti was nhtural for the composers in this country to work at the light opera; and even at what musicians term as a step-sister to light opera, the musical comedy. ..n observation made by Deems Taylor several years ago is still pertinent - all the more so since he has been both interpreter and composer of operas in the more serious vien, Mr, Taylor says: '' The one class. of composers that the American people do take seriously is the writer of musical comedy and popular songs. That, perhaps, is why our light music is the best of its kind in the world. The self-styled :'!Usie-lover in this country too often brings little genuine comprehension to music, He is likely to be a highbrow with all the mental obtuseness and snobbishness of his class, He divides music into 'popular' meaning light, and clctssical, meaning pretentious. Now there is good music and bad, and the composer's pretentions h~~ve little to do 7 with the case. Comp•.re, for example, the first-act finale of Victor Herbert's 'Mlle. ~odiste' with . I such vulgar rubbish as Donna ~ mohl(_ie. Yet because the last is sung by members of the .-1etJfopoli tctn , the highbrow solemnly catalogues it as 'classical', abolishing the work of Herbert, Berlin, and ~ern, with the adjective 'popular'." 2 I There seems to be a defference of opinions by historians on the eaP.liest opera performances and composers in nmerica. However, it is not the purpose of this thesis to establish de1inite facts and dates concerning early beginnings of opera in America. mr. ~ouis C. ~1son states in his bJok , American i•iusic, "The earliest opera tic performc;nces in America were deJic:ed, not from Itctlian, but from English sources. The beggar~ Opera, which caused such a furoW in Gretit 3ritain was probably the first entertainment of this kind given in the colonies, being performed in New ¥ork as early as December 3, 1'750, and innumerable times thereafter. " 3 2 Walker McSpadden. Light Opera and J\Usi.cal Comedy. 3 Louis C. ~lson. The History of nmerican Music. P. 95. 8 ~r. ~lson also st••ted that the first nmerican opera was The Vintage, composed by Victor Pellisier, a horn player in an operatic orchestra. But enOilf;h of t.iis controversial listing of first perform&nces and works. Let us pick up the development of op~rettas and light operas about mid-way in the last century. '1his w1ots the beginning of the light operas and operettas thot have 1 sted up to present times. L~onora, an opera by William H. Fry, was pro duced in 1858, and mHrked the beGinning of note able il.merican op~ras. William H. Fry is considered the earliest American composer of re.l prominence. He spent some time in /eris studying, and was very friendly with derlioz, bnd many youpg French com posers. In 1863, Notre l..Jame de Paris was completed und performed in Philadelphia. The libretto was fu:cnished by his brother., J. Fl. Fry. However, we must admit t~.t Fry's works did not achieve l •. sting success, He certairily put forth time, energy, effort, and money in an endeavor to give to the public what he thought to be the beauty of the Italicn school. And although he will not be 9 rem~~bered with the great composers of the world, kmerica should certainly ke~p him in high est3em; for he made his like beneficial to hmerican '"usical 1855 gave us another "'merican opera, rtip Van Winkle, by George .t-. Bristow, who was of snglish descent. Bristow received his training in ~ngland, and seems to have been a well rounded musician, leaving symphonies, overtures, oratorios, and string quartettes as well as his opera hip Van Winkle. Willard Spenser ( 1852 - 1933 ) was one of the ,, first American composers to wirte successful light // opera. First was The Little Tycoon which enjoyed mmmediate success. The first run was over five hundred performances. 'l'his was a record at that time. "Since then it is estimated that professional and amateur performances have totaled over· seven thousand.' In point of time as well as hie;h achieve ment, the Tycoon dese1·vedly bet:ins our record~· 4 Let us now consider '.l.'he J..s le of Champag~e, a comic opera in tlwee acts, by ~illiam i. Furst, as a valuable addition to the very limited literature of this field. It was first presented at the ivJan- ha ttan Opera Hru se in 1892, and became very popular, 4 -nalker Mcspadden. op • .£!!.·, p. 527. 10 probably due to the corr,ic element prcs~nt, and also the foct that its composer was a theatre orchestra conductor who knew what would a:~peal to the majority of the theatre-goers. John Philip Sousa ( 1854 - 1932 ) is most likely known by every member of any band regardless of where it is located or how lar[e or small it may be, as a composer of march tunes. uf co1lrse he was a famous bandmaster and is hiEhly honored in this field, however; !le was also quite a prolific opera • composer. One of the most popular of his operas RBS El Capitan. Produced in 1896, it received popularity quickly as a good comic opera with the best of the stirring Sousa music. Gustave Kerker, musical director of the Casino in New York during the eighties, gave a dozen or • more operettas and comedies to the repertoire of musical plays. The Belle of rlew York, a two act musical comedy was not acclaimed as a terrific work at its first performance ~n Dew York, but in London it became very successful and had a .• run of 697 performances, and it later become very popular on the road in both countries. The Belle of New York is still in the 11 active repertoire today. Next, ~oolson worse 1 s 1858 - 1897 ) Wans deserves mention, This comic opera was first pro- duced under another title and wns a failure, ~orse studied painting in Paris before he became a composer. he painted his own scenery and directed the croductions. The leading ficure of light opera in .,merica was certainly Victor Herbert, We. think of him as being truly representati~e of the best that this country has produced, He should be classified along side of von Suppe in Liermany, Oi'fenbach in Frcince, and Sullivan in ~ngland. hlthough he was of ~rish birth, and he studied at the Stuttgart Conservatory in Germany, his operettas were all composed in America. I might also mention that Victor lierbert was an excellent cellist, and appeared with many famous orchestras playing his own cello concertos, and also other concertos. ne was first cellist of orchestras in ~urope and in b~erich, also, Herbert was well known as a conductor. I will not list his ~orks here, but over thirty operettas were left to us by this master. Many are still performed reg11larly today. I regret to say that too many high schools have used simplified and 12 distorted versions of these works and in my opinion have lessened the popularity that these operettas deserve. Ludwig ~nglander ( 1859 - 1914 ) , an hUstrian, was first known in the music world for his conduct- ing in Vienna. He moved to New York and became a well known theatre orchestra conductor. ~any of his early works written in the ni~es-have been forgotten, but his later Broadway productions have enjoyed con- siderable success. One of his most popular musical was, The Strollers, a comedy in three acts. Another very popular composer was Heginald De Koven, composer of songs ~nd of operas in both ser- ious and lighter viens. He is betterdd remembered ' I for his lighter works, and of thes~ Hobin Hood, a comic opera in three acts, is1best representative. ~Roy, a rom8ntic opera in three acts, has also retained a place in the literature. The Prince of Pilsen, a musical comedy in two acts, by Gustave ~uders ( 1866 - 1913 ); Madame Sherry, a musical comedy in three acts, by ~arl Hoschna 1870 - 1911 ); and The Sultan of Sulu, a musical satire in two acts, by Alfred G. Wathall ( 1880 - ~~),also merit mentioning at this time. 13 This next gro11p of men h&ve really placed musical plsys in a high position in "merica. 'fhey not only are extremely popular writers of musical shows, but also of popular songs. iliost of these men h~ve had success with the motion pict11re industry too, Rudolf Friml, Jerome hern, Si€mund Ro~berg, Irving Berlin, Gale Porter, George Gershwin, Vincent Youmans, Richard hodge rs, Kurt ·.vei 11, and Harold Arlen have all earned promi~~ pl8ces in the f'ield of' music with their operettas and musical plays. We have quickly traced the growth of' light opera in America f'rom its vsry beginnings up to the present time. Let us now look at the operetta as it f'ound a place in the music programs of' high schools in this country. AS we know, vocal music had a firmly estab- lished pl,ce in public schools long before instr·umental music did. It was about 1900 bef'ore schools really accepted instrumental music as a part of the ed- ucational curric1~lum, but vocal m•.rnic had been present in school systems about seventy-five years before this. However, operettas were not used that far back as a project for vocal groups. In fact, it is surpirsing how slowly we have advanced 14 into this field even today. ht first, opera w&s considered too difficult for students, and in many casef, dangerous to the voice. This has been disproven todby, for we know that it is the way in which a person sings and not the range or loudness of the music that may cause injury to the voice. Supervisors were very cautious about the text of vocal works performed. Very few of the standard operas were acceptable because the librettos were much too bold and out spoken. Therefore, as operas, mostly light, became more popular in the schools, something was needed to supply the proper works for performances. Many of the larger schools wrote their own operettas, the Anglish d7partment funnishing the text, and the music elasses putting it to music. I do not deny the fact that this was wonderful ex perience for the few who may plan a career doing that sort of work, but usually the product was uaed once, and the public, who really did not expect too much from an original production, left the Hall with absolutly no musical gains. Gn the other hand, there were surely some of these or·iginal works that sur·passed any of the published material writ.ten for school use. 15 Composer·s were not inter~sted in writing music for a group of high school amateurs. w~ny who could not motch stBndards necessary to be a composer of any merit to the growing music public in rlmerica, , turned to the high school operetta as a f'1eld suited to their insecurity. This cheap trash invaded the school systems and very nearly ruined the opportunity vocal music had as an educational benefit. Some of the good standard works, most Gilbert and Sullivan, were used by the larger schools; but so many schools turned to these works that were 'written for them', or to rearranged works that were just about as bad musically. Just after the turn of the ~tury, many pub lishers were gringing out hundreds of these so called operettas that were written for high school use. Most of the texts dealt with subjects that were en tirely uninteresting to students of this country. They were usually dealing with fantastic Gypsy tales, Dr fairy tales, For exampl~: The Helle of Barcelona by G, .n.. Chaney, The G;[psy hover- by ruay H. Dodge and John V"i. l.Jodge, In the Garden of the Shah by John ••. Dodge, 'l'he Crowning of the Gypsy Queen by Joseph .surdo, and many many others very similar. 16 Few works concerned with actual American subjects and settings, that would be more authentically pro duced by amateur groups, were supplied by this steady flow of material, Surprising as it may seem, the situation has been altered very little up to this time, Naturally the music teachers are becoming more and more aware of this deficiency in the music programs, and I be lieve that the students are certainly aware that better music should be available for them. But the problem is in finding the right music to perform. The standard works are good and should be used some, but where to go from there? Composers in this I country should realize the need for good musical oper ettas suitable for use in high schools and in college. I think that this has become apparent to many of todays' composers, and soon the old repertoire of high school NOrks will be replbced with good suit able music that will lift the operetta out of the rut it has been in for so long and -lace it on the road to a higher place in the ed1;ca tional program of our schools. It is the demand that calls products out of publishing houses, and if our teachers are wise 17 und demand e;ood original editions, there will be less cheap and common music on the market. Pupils will li~e the original editions much better than the arranged versions even if they ar~ harder, and furthermore, will not be so apt to lose faith in their education later in life. 18 CHAPTER II We will now turn out thoughts to the operetta or folk opera, Down In the Valley, by Kurt ·r;eill. This work was written chiefly for production by non- professional' groups. It can be performed wherever you have a few actors, a few singers, and a chorus. Kurt Weill really hrid colleges and universities in mind when he composed Down in The Valley, but he also recognized the fact that it could be given by smaller organizations too. The work should be produced through the combined efforts of both the music and deama departments. This combination is the basis of all opera. One of the main reasons I hE, ve selected this .work to represent the 'good side of opera literature in the high school is the fact that it offers an opportunity for many students to participate, or if 19 necessary, just a few. Chanacters for this production are as follows: brack Weaver ••••••••••• Tenor or High baritone Jennie Parsons •.••••••• Lyric Soprano Thomas bouche .•...... •. Bass 'l'he Leader •.••.....•• Baritone The Preacher Guard Peters Jennie's Father Two ri,en Two Women The Chorus The Leader and the Preacher can be the same person, 'l'he other characters all h1>ve speaking parts. Some of them can be taken by members of' the chorus. There are also dancers, but they can be mombers of the chorus too if necessary, The two main·~les the singing roles are Brack and certainly should be no trouble in finding a boy f~r the pbrt of Brack, be- cause the range is neither too high or too low. " good strong r.i.edium range voice would be ideal. 'lhe top note used is a G, &nd that is only in one place~ • 20 a duet with Jennie. However, in some recordings this is altered, and the G is t~ken by Jennie. The low note is a D. So you can easily see that this part should be simple from the standpoint of range, for the average tenor in high school. I would recomend that all the principles be taken from the senior class if possible, and if not, from the Juniors. Jennie's part is very similar in range to that of the tenor. These t~o le&ds do not sing along with the chorus. Their voices are heard with the others on one place in the finale. lf you were short on chorus members, I think you could use i>r&ck and Jennie in many places to strengthen the parts. Thomas Bouche, the bass lead, has a very small part, but he should portray a roue:;h hard man, older than Brack, and with a heavy gruff voice if possible. There is only one solo for ~ouche, the rest of his part is spoken. the song leader has a very responsible position. A good strong voice should be ehosen for this role. There will be a good many short solos for him to sing, and he will have to know the chorus parts too. Jennie's father has the longest speaking role. The guard, Peters, two men and two women should all 21 be members of the chorus. 'l'he parts in the chorus are rei.lly the most difficult in the opera. Tenors will be the big worry to the director. However, I believe that students will enjoy working with the chorus parts, for thes are very interesting in .. bothmelody and rhythm. The libretto for this work was furnished by Arnold Sundgaard. T~ere may be some objections from a few people who believe that everything should be painted rosey regardless of what actually takes place in life. Let me give you a brief synopses of the plot before 1 make my stand concerning the use of it for work in the high school. The story of Down In The Valley is simplicity itself. It is the love story of Brack WeaY'.er and Jennie Parsons in a simple setting representing country life in the farming areas of ;~labama, near birmingham. The story opens with ~rack already in prison waiting to be hanged for the killing of ~homas aouche. He is very bitter and uncertain for no word has come from Jennie, and he was sure she would at least write to him before he died. He escapes from his cell and goes to see Jennie. While the sheriff and his men are searching for rlrack, there is a flashback with Jennie and Brack remembering how they first met at a prayer meeting. 22 He wal~s her home and is afraid to openly confess t~at he h&s f~llen in love with her, but he asks her to come to the dance at Shadow Creek with him on Saturday night. Jennie accepts, but when she gets home, Douche is with her father snd also wants to take her to the dance. When she does not give him an answer, he leaves threatenly Lnd says he'll come back for his answer on Saturday. Jennie's father has let bouche become involved with his mortage and no~ Bouche is using this power to force Mr. Parsons~ aid in obtaining Jennie for his wife. 11.r. Parsons is not a cruel man, hnd does not force Jennie into accepting the date for the Saturday night dance, but he will not let her to with anyone else. It is mentioned in the dialogue that Brack's father became involved with a business deal of Bouche's and lost his farm a short while back. Jennie joins Br&ck at the dance despite her father's orders, but Bouche, drunk, comes there looking for her. He and Brack have a fight; Bouche draws a knife, but in the struggle it is he who is killed. The seene returns to Jennie and Brack out near jennie's house where he had come looking for her 23 after his jail break. It is nearly daylight now, and with Jennie declaring ner love for him in a touching love song, Brack walks out into the open to give himself up. Then we have a finale with Jennie and Brack, he is back in jail, joining the chorus with a very effective climax. This is different from the usual run of light operas in many respects. One of the most noticeable differences is in the ending.Light opera or operettas usually end happily, whereas ;this one leaves a very sad mood with the audence. However, if you really study the score you can see how Brack is happy to go back to prison and to his death since he has se~n Jennie once more and knows that she will always love him. The brightening of harmonies as the chorus sings the final number in C major with augmented fifths and a grest many modern chords does a lot to lift the audience from the sadness left by the two lovers parting. The physical production can be as simple as a 'dramatic' concert performance where the principals act their scenes in front Of the chorus, without any help of scenery. If scenery is used, it should con sist of some simply painted frames indicating the 24 pl&ce of action ( jail, porch, church, etc ), which are placed in. front of the chorus. 'l'he lighting can be as elaborate as the available equipment allows, and can be of great help to the dramatic continuity if it is used carefully and if the technique of fading-out on one scene while fading-in on the next is handled smoothly. The orchestration consists of 2 flutes, 1 oboe, 2 clarinets, 2 saxophones ( alto ~nd tenor ) 1 bassoon, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, quitar, piano, percussion , 1st 2nd and 3rd violins, ( no violas ) cellos and bass; however, the 2nd fl11te, oboe, bassoon, and both horns can be omitted if necessary. There ia a piano arrangement of this work, and also a two piano arrangement. Parts of this score are based on American folk songs. Besides "Down in the Valley'' the following songs have been used: "The Lonsome Dove'', ''The Little Black Trein", "Hop U~, My Ladies'', and "Sourwood Mountain". The libretto of Down ,!.!! the Valley by Arnold Sundgaard reflects the rustic lives of the characters. But it is the homespun texture and the native Amer ican tone of the music which integrates the work. 25 As was said before, some music supervisors may find this work unsuited ( in their opinion ) for use in the high school. But with the novels that are available today, and the true to life movies that are now common, and with radio and television being used by nearly every one ; I feel that the average high school student if ready for plots such as we find here. Their attitude and work will be better with this type of work than with a silly child ish story that they feel should be used in the grr,de school. The fact that it is based on rtmerican folk tunes and on American life will make it more interesting to students too. Here are some comments from Cecil Smith con cerning the first performance of Down in the Valley by the Lemonade Opera Company in "~ew York: ''The book is an expansion of the Appalachian hill-tune, "Down in the Valleu", which permeates the score from beginrung to end. It is a sensible, cogent, and economical libretto, attractive for its refusal to strive for the sort of pseudo-poetry that ruined Helena Carus 1 text for ~rnst Bacon's rl Drumlin Legend ('Given at the Columbia University Festival 26 in May, 1949 ). moreover, it is an operative libretto, for, being skeletal in its demands of staging, it can be reGlized with equal efficacy by a school or amateur group with minimal facilities of equipment and artistic im1,gination and by a pro- fessional groups, such as Lemonade Opera, with the ('t~ysical a~d mental qualities to enrich·and enlarge "-4on it." hlr. Smith also makes a statement about the use of chromatic harmonizations to 'innocent folk tunes'. He feels that this treatment will artifi- cialize and cheapen these simple melodies. Here I completely disagree, for we have already decided that the text is simple, the setting is simple, the staging is simple, and there are no elaborate costumes or colorful scenes ; so if the music were also simple, what would you have? Kurt Weill was convinced that rimerican Gomposers can create a native opera, and it is indeed sad that his untimely death shortened his efforts along thses lines. 'rhe American Opera Society did honor Weill by awarding to him the David ;:iispham iv.emorial 111edal for his American Folk Opera, Down in the Valley. 1 Musical America. August 1949. 27 We will now turn our attention to the music and analyze it more from the standpoint of structure than harmonies., The introduction begins with a chror.ic;tic run in octaves from C sharp to ~, starting mn the bass clef second line C. This gives the feeling of fl. major; and a pattern of chords follow in A major with the fourth being raised. This is done in two measures. Then a sequence is given in B flat major, also with the raised fru rth. The fol lowing two measures is a decending group of three-tone chords in D flat major ending in the seventh measure on a C dominant seventh chord, with a minor sixth sus pension. '.l'his is also the dominant of our new key coming up in the next measure, .F major. This seven bar introduction is without any key signature and is in 4/4 meter with a Largo marking. It is stc;rted fortissimo and ends piano. The following ten measures in 9/8 time, Moderato, is the chorus singing an A cappella accompaniment to the leader 1 s solo, "iJown in the Valley". 'l'his ac companiment is an ostinato pattern in P major ~ith a D flat (used as an appogiature ), borrowed from the minor. this figure does not break until the ninth 28 b&r for the cadence. 'l'here is a vamp of ,;early two measures before the solo voice enters. ~he solo over this accompaniment is in F major staying very close to the tonic triad with a strong major feeling against the minor accompaniment. 'Ihe solo used very simple harmonies I to V and back to I. It is written in two phrases. There is an anacrusis in the tenth measure starting on E flat for all voices and pl cing the melody in il. flat major, this. time in four parts. The tempo piC]{S up ago.in after the :1atural retard in the caden~e. ihis section, seven meaBures, is in A flat with a simple guitar accompaniment. The also voice makes this a very interesting place with the use of the rai~ed fifth and an answering figure with a passing tone and suspension against long tones held in the other three voices. I might mention here that throughout this opera one will find ver., few complete cadences that gives a finished effect. there is a constant over lapping that keeps the action moving at all times. '!:he last measure of this chorus number would be the ei~hth measure of the phrase, but it is really the first measure of a two bar modulation from ii flat 29 major to E major. 'l''.1 e tempo changes to nllegro anima to ,,nd the rhythm to 6/8, We now h"ve twenty-four measur2s of solo by the leader who sings of Brack ~eaver w~o died for the slaying of ThomGs Douche. This melody is a v~r iation on the ilown in the ~alley theme. The accom paniment is a simple ostinato figure that changes harmonically but keeps the same rhythm pattern. The harmony is simply 1 to V progression, but the raised fifth is again used and some altered chords in the accompaniment serve to create more interest in this' solo. It is mad"> up of two eight measure phrases with eight bars of coda or extention added •. The accompaniment f'or this extention changes in rhythm, and as bef'ore , the la-t measure is really the f'irst measure of the next section. ibis measure ends the previous solo in~ major and with ascending chromatic minor thirds we go into " ~ajar which is the signature ~iven at the beginning of' this measure. The tonic of' ~ major becomes the dominant pick-up in " major. 'lhis is a chorus number with the solo in the tenor. Theme is again from the original idea of Down in the Valley. The other three voices are 30 humming the b::ickground. This is also eight measures with the last bar overlapping into the next section. The meter now changes back to 9/8, and the tempo back to tempo 1 which was modera to. 'I'he accompaniment f'or this is again the guitar playing bro~en chords, however, there are no altered chords or accidentals "·n this phrase until it begins modulating in the seventh measure, T'here are three fermatos in this mehsure, (voice only) with chromatic fourths in the soprano voice. Strangely enough, after this deviation from the tonic, the chord for the chorus in the eighth measure is touic in root position, but the accom paniment is going throuLh a series of chromatics that could lead to just about any key. '.l'he A major tonic chord is sustained by the chorus while tnis four bar modulation takes place. 'l'he rhythm has changed back to 6/8 and a de finite jazz pattern is used in going from A major to D major. The following number is a combinHtion of solo and chorus. the leader sings a sixteen measures, and then the chorus is witn him for four bars, and he finishes the last four measures as a solo. ·.1.his 31 is a total of twenty-four l'l1easures, and is ver·y r1uch like the last song sung by the leader and chorus in E major. This can also still be connected with the original vown in the Valley theme, ~ow we have ten measures of agitated movement in the music. ~he key changes to C major in the last b"'r of the leader's solo which was the first measure of this new development. The meter is now 3/4j and the tempo .. iolto ,,gitato. J:<,or eight meHsures you hear an ostinato figure of 16th notes, with harsh chords first in the bGtss, • nd then the treble. This is used while Brack is frantically waiting for some news from Jennie before he dies in the morning. The meter changes to 4/4 in the ninth bar and with a loud dissonant chord, really just a percussive effect, the ostinato figure is bro~en and we have two measures of descending lEth notes. There is a pedal point here, and you really just have a lot of noise. The next seven measurffi find a return of the ostinato figure used a few b«rs back. 'l'his is continued softly while Brack and the guard have some spoken lines. These few measures have ei&ht fermatos which allow time necessary for the spoken parts, Now we have fourteen measures of accompanied dialogue between 0rack and the guard. This is in 32 the style of the accompanied recitative, and part of .uarck' s lines are sung. 'l'he rhyth::'. is back to 9/8 and we are in B minor, with -oderato assai as the tempo marking. The accompaniment is based on the first Down in the Valley theme, with an ostinato bass, and is prolonged with tied notes l&sting for three measures before the pick-up notes for the theme are given. The last measure establishes the dominant of G major, and with a change bach to 9/8 time we hear the tenor, alto, and bass voices of the chorus sing1,n.g "Down in the Valley" in unison. The key is G major and the tempo is now Poco meno mosso. The unison is just for the first half of the phrase, four measures; then we add the bass voices, devided, and have very effective harmonies for two measures. The tenors finish the last two bars of this 'lumber which overlaps into the introduction of Brack's aria that is coming up next. bring in a key change to C major and the time is a cut 4/4 with a tempo mi;rking of Tr&nquillo. J.'here is a four bar introduction which places the aria in ,... minor. This tenor aria is a typical love song, sung 33 by Brack who wonders if Jennie will mourn him when he is gone. ~he melody is simple, but the accom paniment is filled w1t:C1 altered chords ,_,nd inter esting harmonies. The aria is mnde up of two ident ical periods of two phrases each. ~hese periods are separated by a four measure interlude. There is a five bar extension bringing this number to a close in A major. This is a touching and expressive aria that comes to a restful cadence, the first since the opening few measures of the chorus. 'l'his part coming up next is a big emotional scene with Brack and .2eters, a fellow prisoner who is unseen. The key signature is C major, but certainly no definite key is established in this section. There is a constant shifting of harmonies, tempi, and rhythms, This is again in the style of an accompanied recitative with chanted or spoken lines by Peters, the chorus, and 3rack, Four measures are sung by 0rack but there is just a rhythmic pattern to fit the words. This is the scene where Brack escapes from jail, The accompaniment gets wild and frantic as he makes his get-away, then it dies down as you hear Brack in the distance say, "Jennie Jennie, 34 I'm comin 1 to yJU." The key changes to .F minor and the meter back to 6/8. The leader sings Ggain the same theme sued twice before for his solos, only in different keys, First it was i,; major, then D major, and now it is in F minor. 'l'he words and the accompaniment hsve been different each time, This section is 35 measures long with the last bar being the start of a modulation to A major. This modulati )n is five meas1lres and the signature is no sharps or flats with a change to 4/4 cut time. ihe modulation appears to go to A minor; the meter changes to 3/2 time and the signature remains A minor for the following six measures. nowever, the solo, based on the .uown in the Valley theme, sung by Jennie, is in rt major until the fourth measure, and then it firmly ends in A minor. The accompaniment continues on into the next part which is spoken lines between Jennie c.nd her father. 'lhis section contains a recitative withcut bar lines or accompaniment for Jennie. This is a recitative showing Jennie's sorrow that she has not bee~ alloNed by her father to see or to even write to Brack since he has been in the Birmingham jail. 35 Following this recitative is a beaL1tiful aria in D minor, sung by Jennie, based on "The Lonsmoe Love'', an american folk song. It is two sixteen measure periods with each period having two eight bar phrases. there is a four b8r interlude between the periods, and it ends as it started, in D minor. Jennie and her father have some more conver sation for seventeen measures ,_ nd then Jennie has another phrase of the previous aria with three measures of extention and modulatiJn going to B flat. ~his is another solo by the leader, and it is identical to the others sung by him before only in different keys. There is an ostinato pattern set up in the bass during two bars introduction. This figure is based on a group of three staccato 8th notes. We are back in 9/8 time, and this bass figure is heard continuously throughout the solo. ~t the end of the solo there is a short musical interlude of two measures, and the chorus comes in unaccompanied with an echoing effect otJ bhe last line of the sd>lo. This is done with a sequencial pattern used in a fugal manner. 1>fter two measures of this the chorus modulates quickly into C major, using the last part of the leaders solo again, only this time with a 36 choral accompaniment. There is a constRnt rumble of G octaves now, and we hear the Down in the Valley theme being whistled by Brack softly in the dist;lnde. Jennie hear this and know th~t it is Brack. She rushes out to meethim and they embrace amid a tremendous musical climax that quickly dies into an agitated pianissimo accompnaiment in 2/4 time. Brack and Jennie speak to each other in an accompanied recitative style. Suddenly the rhythm changes to 9/8, bnd an ostinato bass figure suggusts the tramping of the sheriff and his men se&rchin~ the woods for the esc&ped prisoner, Brack. 'l'his is built up into a crescendo and then fades away to indicate that they have passed this place by. N1ore spoken dialogue occurs with Drack and .Jennie, and then we have a rhythm change to 4/4 and an introduction for three measures modulating to F major. Brack sings a short solo telling of his love for Jennie. There is a quietly moving accompaniment under this with altered chords and consecutive fourths and fifths. Jennie answers with an aria that ~ consider the most beau tiful part of this score. It is based on the Lone some Dove theme and it is idell for a lyric soprano 37 to show off h-; r voice. The w.ords are very touching, and this should be one of the tenderest moments of the entire ope~a • The melody is in ~ major, but the accompaniment is very elaborate &nd uses many different types of ~usical devices to keep it moving and interesting. 'iii th the last me ·sure of this solo we also have the beginning of the nec:t section. 'I'he key stnys .f<' major, but the tempo is Vivace and the meter is 3/2. The music again represents the sheriff &nd his men approaching the place where Brack Bnd Jennie are. This fades away again, and with a retur•n to 3/4 time and a slower tempo, Jennie resumes her aria. 'l'he accompaniment this time is even more interesting than before. There are beau tiful passages of major and minor thirds with various rhythmic figures of 8th notes, quart er notes, and triplets being used. At the close of this aria in l!', ·1e hea:r again the same figures used in the intruduction to the opera, only this time we are modul1o1ting to ~flat major. Fir·st the pattern is in M flat, then in u major, only ending with a lowered seventh; ~nd then some chromatic chords that lead to the dominant of El flat. there are a few measures of bell-like chords to indicate the flash- 38 back that is coming, Drack end Jennie are remem bering their first meeting in church before all of the trouble came. the chorus makes up the congre- ga ti on and Jennie ano ;:;r·ack are among them. This next chorus number is in ~ flat mRjor with cut 4/4 time and a tempo marking of <>llegretto quasi andantino. ihe folk song ''The Little Black Train" is 1lSed here. 'l'he chorus hums the accom paniment and the solo is heard in the alto voice. 'rhe sopranos are using high 'ahs' in this accom paniment. the bass voices take over the solo next and the choir continues to hum the background. Jennie and orack have a section of spoken dialogue here. The leader now takes over the role of the preacher and sings the solo with the entire chorus humming. 'l'he next thirty-three meas11res are in the form of a spiritual with the leader taking over the solo and the r:horus furniB.hint; the background of answering phrases. 'l'his entire church scene is based on the E flat major chord. This chord in root position, is sustained through-out. The last two bars of' the spiritual slows down ( meno mosso ) and octaves move upward i~ the caaompaniment; then there are 39 ten measures that indicate church is over. The chorus moves bac\{ into their orit;i'.lal position, and Jennie and Brack walk slowly away. 'l'he key changes to D flat major and the tempo is .-.ndante expressive, with a 4/4 time signature. brack and Jennie have some spoken lines while the accompaniment in a broken chord pattern based on D flat in the bass, and the Down in the Valley theme is heard in very strange chords in the treble. The broken chord figure is used continuously during this passage, always based on D flat but with altered tones occuring frequently. Suddenly the mood changes co~pletely as crack a''ks .Jennie to go to the '='aturday niEht dance with him. 'l'he new key is D major althwgh you do not really feel this tonality just yet, and the tempo is an allegro in 2/4 time. This takes eight measures to really establish the new key. 'l'here is a chromatic adcending group of traids with an added major sixth for the last two measures, and this sets up Ll major for the following number. Brack now sings the mountain dance tune "Hop Up My Ladies" which is in two eight measure phrases. There is a typical dance accompaniment for the first 40 p.c1I'ase; two bars introduction and j:ist rhythm based on the tonic and dominant chords. ihe second phrase has a more melodic accompaniment, but the steady rhythm is still present. There is a two meas11re interlude or vamp and jennie sings a response to Brack's solo. ,,fter the first phrase , it is still the foltt tune "Hop Up M.y .1..1adies", Brack joins in and they finish the last phrase, which is extended two measures,in a duet. 'I'hen we hear two bars of dec,.,ndi:J.g thi:rds which lead into another eight measures of simple dance rhythm os we found in the first part of Brack's solo, "Hop Up My Ladies''. Brack &nd Jennie go separate ways still singing for four measures, and then just humming which fades out at the close of the next four measures. Now we have a keJ change to B flat major and the rhythm goes to 3/4. This passage, which is spoken dialogue between Jennie, her flather, and Bouche, is marked tranquillo. 'l'he opening chord is a simple F minor traid in root position which is attacked forte and diminishes to pianissimo. this to me represents the voice of fate, warning us that troubla is ahead. Following the F minor traid we hear a D flat minor 41 traid. Then a B flat minor chord with an ostinato figure ~tarting on the timpani. 1his is just a pattern of quarter notes, B flat, B flat, •ind F repeated throughout the conversation. The rhythm changes back to 4/4 and .Bouche sings a solo which is the sn"~e as we heard before "Hop Up i!iy Ladies". There is a simple rhythmical accompaniment for this and he leaves the stage on the last phrase leaving Jennie and her father still talking. 'rhe timpani sets up another bass figure and there is also a set figure in the upper voices dur the remainder of this scene. The square dance scene comes next, and we are in the key of G major ·Ni th an allegro vivace tempo marking. 'l'he rhythm is in 2/4, as all those country square dances are. First we hear a sixteen measure introduction while the chorus snd dctncers are taking their places. Jennie has disregarded her fathers orders and come to the dance by herself. Brack sees her and during this time, he goes across stage to her side. 'l'here is a two bar vamp and the dance begins, The leader sings "Sourwood 1.,oun tain" While 1·he rest of the chorus >1.nd dancers furnish the responses and rhythm by clapping hands, 42 The accompaniment for this first eight rr.easures is simple dance rhythm using the same chord, tonic 'Ni th the. added second. The entire chorus and group of dancers sing the next eight measures. lhe dance goes on for eight more bars with so singing, then another vamp, and the leader str-rts the "Sourwood Mountain" song again. This goes on as before, solo for eight measures then the chorus taking the next eight bars. Only this time there is a more complicated accompaniment. 'l'he dance continues for Wii_.ht more bars, and then Jennie and Brack h~ve some dialogue taking up seven measures, The last measure is in 3/4 rhythm, and this seven bar phrase is in C major, Following this is eight more measures of dance music in ~ major with a two bar vamp going back to the key of G major. There is more dance music now, the trumpets having a prominent solo for thirty-five measuI'es, The recordings cut out mlJ'st of this dancing c.nd some of it cari easily be left oo t of the actual production if necessary, The key changes back to C major and for 43 thirpy-two measures there is a scene with Jennie and orack. 'l'he flute c >mes in on the tenth measure of this section and plays the Lonesome LJove theme that was Jennie's solo before. The next twenty-one measures become very disturbed and agitated. Bouch, who is d::·unk, h!iS come looking for Jennie. 'lhis is still in C major and 2/4 time. We find one measure of 3/4 time as Bouche and brack come face to face; then six more bars of 2/4. The nest eight measures change back and forth from 2/4 to 3/4 while bouche and Brack are fighting. ·The last eighteen measures of this scene are back in 2/4 and becomes very wild as Bouche draws a knife and atb,cks rlrack. The dancers rush in and surround the two men; women scream and the music plays wildly as the lights go out to end the scene. The next action is the following morning, with two women wlaking by the ~arsons' house. They let the audience know that Bouche was killed and that Brack was taken to Birmingham jail. There ane four measures in 3/4 time, andante sostenuto accompaning this conversation. 'l'his is in C msjor. The leader now sings a solo in C minor, 44 based somewhat on the ~o~n in the Valley theme. This is twelve measures and the accompanim~nt is simple harmony with rumbling chords. The sadness of this song is emphasized by the use of the flated fifth. This ends the action in the flash-bac~, and the msuic, still in C minor be~ins a short development to describe the breaking of dawn. " steady chromatic run ascending is at first employed, then with a section of ascending shard~ each appearing a little brighter and a little louder , is heard. Jennie and Brack are fou,,d in the field just beyond the house. They have been there all night remembering the past. T:-iere are a few lines between them and Jennie again sings P'''rt of the love song with The Lone sane Dove theme. The key changes to F major for this solo, and the aecompanim8nt is in the upper register with beautiful harp-like arpeggios. This ·i~ just eight measures, and Brack then bids Jennie good-bye ~nd walks 011t in the open to meet the sheriff °' nd his men. 'lhi s parting takes f'o ur measures and Jennie again sings the closing phrase of her love song, only this time the cadence is in F minor. 45 An ostinato bass is set up in the next secticin, wnich is modul&ting to ~ msjor for the fin~le. ~his is done in five measures. the tempo changes to 11ndante sostenuto and the bass voices of the chor11s enter with the original .l.Jown in the Valley theme that was heard in the beginning of the opera. ·rhe melody is in C major with only tlhe tonic and dciminant chords used. However, the tenors ,,re humming chroma tic minor thirds that give the effect of ma.:or and minor in the part. After four measures the tenors sing the melody in unison with the basses and the minor thirds are heard in the alto and soprano voices. The lights show nrack again in the jail, only now there is a quiet expression of fulfillment on his face. ,..,s the tenor and bass voices end the phrase, hhere is a quick modula tl·Jn to the domin"'nt of a major, and Drack sings, as a solo, the next eight barsJin G. There has been an ostinhto figure in the bass throughout the finale. -"'Ven with the key change, this pattern was not broken. There was no change in the signature for these eight measures, accidentals were just written in. nt the end of this phrase we go quickly back to C major with the 46 • entire chorus building a trementous climax. Jennie's voice is heard with the sopranos at t~e t1me. the bass figure continues, but after six measures there is a change to 9/8 time and a fugal pattern is set up. 'i'he sopranos start it off', and f'rom here until the very end there is a def'inite three-voice ~nd sometimes, a four-voice fugue working. this is a very difficult secti~n and will require a lot of rehearsal if yo11r chorus is not made up of competent musicians. The curtain closes as the chorus ends with a C major chord with the added sixth in both the soprano bnd tenor voices. this ending gives a re lief for the tension left in the audience by ~rack's return to jail. ii.nd thus we have Down in the Valley, a f'olk opera or operetta that I sincerely believe will in terest any group of high school students. You can see by this discussion and description that this is a fast movin~ work that will not let the participators relax from beginnin£ to end. 'f'he style in which the music is composed should be very helpful in preparing students for 47 the new music that they should be hearint; in their other music classes, 48 CHAPTEH III He will now turn to the operetta, 'ihe 1''orest Prince, from a book by Paul ~onroe with lyrics by Edith Sanford Tillotson: and 'Nith music by •rschb-ikow• sky, •s arranged by Ira B. ••ilson. This work is published by the Lornez publishing company. It was copyrighted in 1940 by the publishers. It is my intentions to show thet this is a weak work, and that it is a misrepresentation of good music. However, I certainly will 8ive credit where I feel it is due. ~irst let us study the text. You can see by the first paragraph that this libretto did not or~•inete with the music, or even with intent1Qns towards an operetta. ~his does not mean thbt it is a bad text necessarily. The treatment &.nd the wording with the music wi 11 be tlhe judge of th"' t. The time of action is the latter· part of the sixteenth century. The action tokes place in a 49 Cossack Camp near fuOsco~, and in the palaee in Following is a cast of the char •. cters: Tatiana Princess of nussia, held for r~nsom by Gossacks. (Soprano) Sonia A bluff, hearty, but friendly ~ossack girl. Vaslav 'I'he young, handsome chief of the Cossacks. (Tenor) Ivan Cossack, friend of ~onia and Vaslav; ,~ great joker. (...;aritone) Tatiana's Lady-in-Waiting. Ilytch rt Cossack, next in rank under Vaslav. Mother Vanya An old woman of the tribe of Cossacks; later Vaslav's foster mother. Tsar Mikhail 'l'he aged ruler of nussia. Prince Dmitri Prince Dmitri is the prospective hus band of Tatiana, generul of the Russian armies; a coward. Jester at the Tsar's Court. fuessengers, Cossack men and girls, nussian soldiers, Courtiers, Ladiers of the court, etc. The pl9t is simple, and typical of works published for school groups some years ago: Tatiana, a princess of riussia, is held for ransom by the Cossacks. Although Dmitri, prince of Russia and her fiance, is general of '.isar fiiikhail' s arm.,, he is too cowardly either to rescue Tatiana or defend Hussia against invading Tartars. 50 Vaslav, chief of the Cossacks, goes to the Tsar's court to get the r~nsom. He finds himself admiring ·the Tsar, and offers the help of the Cossack forces against their CO'T:rnon enemy, the I\;rt'.,rs. The Tartars are beaten, and the two victorious ~1 people pledge peace, Events show th&t Vaslav is the the son of Tsar fuilhail, long ago captured by the Cossacks. Since he is of royal b~o(l}d, Tatiana, who has fallen in love with him, may marry him, The music is not orchestrataidr;t and is published only in simple piano accompaniment v-1ith the text. Here is a listing of the_musical numbers f'ound in this operetta, and the source from which they were obtained: Overture ( 'I'hemes from the 6th Symphony Op, 74, 8.nd .-iarch f'rom the i'l"ut cracker Suite Op 71.) i•iild and Free (Trepak, Op. 71.) ,-- A Picture in illy neart (June Barcarolle, Op.37 - No. 6. ) A cossack Ilia id (Hurr,oreske, Op. 10, no. 2.) Kings are V"\re • (March Of the 'l'in Smihdiers, Op. 39, No, 5. ) Song of the Cossacks (Marche Slave, Op. 31.) Here in the Forest (Themes from Sixth Symphony Op. 74. ) B~ck from the Fight (March Slav, Op. 31.) While Festive Banners Wave 51 When the Lamps of the Palace are J:lrie;ht (Waltz Op. 39, No. 8,) Sometime (Carnival, Op. 37, No, 2. ) The Waltz of the Flowers (Waltz of the Flowers Op. 71.) Il. 111an Who Speaks His uiind (March from "The Nut Cracker Suite, Op. 71.) Down With the Tartar Band (Marche Slav, Op, 31.) A Tsar is Our Guest (Song ~ithout ~ords, Op, 2. )lo. 3.) The Use of the Brain (Italian Song, Op. 39.) When you leave my j?orest (Chanson Triste, Op. 40, No. 2. ) Sing in Salutation (Heroic lviarch, from 6th Symphony Op, 74,) A Dreamy Waltz (Sleepine; Beauty 'Naltz, Op. 66 Ho. 6. ) Sweet to Remember (nndante Cantabile, from the Fifth Symphony, Op 64.) Hail to Our Forest Prince (Heroic march, Oc, 74,) The overture is based on Th9mes from the Sixth Symphony, Op, 74, and the u.arch from the .~utbracker Suite, Op. 71. This is in C major, 4/4 time with Andante tempo marking, and begins with a e octave in the Bass; then a figure resembling the subordinate theme in the first movement of the 0ixth Symphony is used, After six measures of hinting at this theme, there are four measures of the actual theme used. 52 You will see by the example that the b&r line is not in the right place. Overture -·------) ) \ J)_ - ;--- . ,. . -- ' ,, -,----..-'• • -- . ~ . b ~ ,_ • • ------4-- - .. 1"----~--- ' -"• , I' - • I f ~- ~-~~ ... " -- ~1H Sixth Symphony ------~·-~------~-·-==----;::::_-=- 'l'he ending of this phrase is in F minor, and we h&ve four measures of modulation to 'bhe dominant of E flat major. 'l'his is a poor modulation because it gets too close to the new key too quickly •. ~here is a h:lnt of the thematic material from the Jviarch found in the Nutcracker Suite. There is a two measure in- terlude afte1· the key lrhange to ~ f'la t, and the d om- 53 inant of ~ flat is the only harmony used, By this time the listener knows for certain the new key is ~ flat for there has been nothing but n flat dominant seventh chords for three measures, We now hear this karch for twenty-eight measures, the last ten measures being repetition in different closely related keys, ( Mostly C minor ) modulating back to C major. Be~ow you see an example of the first and second measures and the fifth and sixth measures as compared with the original, Overture .• March from the Nutcrack0r Suite Te."'f" Ji M..i·l..id. vivo ~c:-l't#f=f-, $I}~~--:i·-~:f-~~ ,,..-t r . . . . . 54 Since tt1is operett& is arranged only for piano I have piano arrangements of Tschaikowsky's works concerning the music used here. However, these ar- rHngements are as closely related to the originals as possible. Getting back to the overture, the teVipo is back to icndante and we he&r the ther.le from the Sixth SyrnphGny again in C major. I am comp&ring the first two measures with the theme from the sTnphony in B major. Overture ' t; {; •.... !!: • ,.. ,, " ..-. • • • .. ,.-. L - ·~ ~~-==-~~------. -" IL ·- • - .. t ·t ~ •.. .. .t. - -•• L ... t r: • - •• , CI - ' " , I - ' 7 ' • -----~- t ------. - ' - - j -.; ' , . Syrnphon~r J J! ~ t ... ,_ !- • - .... ·' - ~ ,_ • -.: ~ . fl,..Jpf4- G.011t'- f'Yj,.,.,. r11- - I I ~ -- ~ 'T \ I ·I I I. I " J • • ... . • - 1#5~ . r . • --.-:.. . . : t : ~ I··~.,; i ~' '• ' , ~ 'Lt ------'------.-- 55 This is the climax of the overutre, and we hear twelve measures of this material staying in C major. The lest me~sure is retarded with sustained dominant seventh chords and the final tonic chord to end the cadence is heard in the first bar of the chorus number, "Wild r-,nd Free". This is sung by the Cossacks around their camp fire, and is based on 11 'l'repak", opus 71. The center of the st,ge should be left clear for dancing. The rhythm changes to 2/4, allegro con spirito, und the key to ~ flat major. There is a four bar intro duction modulating from C to ~ flab major, and this modulation is harmonically the same as we heard be fore in the Overture. The Cossacks are made up of boys and girls, so this number is in four part harmony. The first section is composed of two eight measure phrases, the first ending with a ;:.alf cadence on the dominant, and the second with a full cadence on the tonic. Now, two more eight measures phrases with the men singing the first four bars and all voices on the last four are heard. '1'he first phr11se begins on the dominant, and ends on the doninant of the dominant. (F) 56 'l'he second phrase starts and ends on the dominant. (n flat) these phrases, like the first two are identical except for the cadences, The accompan- iment is simple hermonically and technically. i.e have a four measure intr'Jrlude going back to B flat major, and the two openini:; phrases are repeated. Now we have t-No four bar phrases with the soprano and tenor voices sustaining a 3 flat while the alto and bass voices carry the melody in thirds, These each go from dominant to tonic; then the final phrase is treated as a coda, the voices heard for six bars sustaining a tonic chord for three of these, hnd the accompaniment ending with four tonic cr1ords on diff- erent inversions. Here you have the opening measures of this chorus number and the opening measures of the orig- inal hussian '"'ance, "Trepak" Hussian Dance \ Trepak) ,,.. . .r--.. . . r-. ';! ,/"""· - ~ I • L i .. - ,. "" .. I I 7_,_, -- - I .,, 'I ~-~ ,, I I 7 - . c-f- .. I ~• I I y I ~ , I I • ~ . -. . c; -f f . < f . .. ~--.-. ~ . ~./- t • +-- . . . ., I I . . . - .. • r- I - " - ,... ' r 58 "':'iild and Free" i------. ------ ------ f. Following this is a scene b tween 7atiana, who is watching the dancint, and singing, and her captives, I'll show a little of the dialogue here, and it can be used to refer to later, for tnere are 59 a good msny spoken lines in this operet~a. Sonia •. ,.~id you like the dance, yotIT Highness? Tati~na~~;~Pretend I am only your guest if you wish, Vaslav,,,,But you are our guest, Ivan ••.• Until 'l'asr mikhail sends us your ransom. Vaslav, •• ,Silence! :.e can enjoy ourselves without insulting Her Highness, ~atiana,,,,Laugh and sing all you can now. ~hen the Tsar's soldiers come after me, you won't be laughing. Sonia •••• That's as may be, your Highness, But we shall be happy until then. Ivan •••.. Who's cooking dinner? Various Girls •• We are. Ivan •..•• You'd better see about it. The meat's burning. This is typical of the conversation f::>und throughout this work. To me it is silly and childish. But this operetta is on lists for use in the high schools, and is used by high sbhool groups. After this episode, Tatiana sings with the Cossack girls, ''A Picture in :ny Heart". .lhis is in G minor, with 4/4 time ~nd marked rlndante ~antabile. It is based on the June darcarolle, opus 37 rio, 6, The melody has been greatly altered to fit the v110rds and to stay in a singable range. See the examples below. 60 11 .n Picture in r1,y Heart" Barcarolle Op. ~7 ~o. 6. This unison singing goes on for thirty-one mea3ures and you can inagi:-ie how well a group of [;irls, who are mostly untrained nusici&ns, ~ill sound to- getner. This ends in D minor, coing out of the key in the very last measure. 61 The Cossack girls now sing the second part wi~hout Tatiana. This is in F major, and the harmony is very simple, wit~1 an acco'!lpaniment that is very weak in both harmony and structure. this is an eight measure phrase with a four bar extention toing to D minor. Tatiana now sings a solo with the Goss~ck gi~ls furnishing a background in a few places with 'ahs'. This is twelve measures, in G minor, and is really devided into thre~ four measune phrases. There is a short scene with Vaslav, Ivan, the Lady-in-Waiting, and Sonia, 'lhen lvan sings the song, ''A Cossack Maid", taken from iiumoreske, opus 10, Ho 2. This is a piano piece Tschaikowsky dedi cated to his friend, Shilovsky, in 1872. It is in 2/4 time, key of F major, with moderato for the tempo marking. There are four measures introduction, then two eight measure phrases cadencing in F major. I four bar interlude follows anc:i th"ln ·.ve have three eight measure phrases - the first and second ones begin'.ling on the sub-dominant and ending on the tonic. There is another four measure interlude here, and it is re petition of the original introduction to this song. 62 Next there are two eight measures hprases that are exact repetition of the ~irst two found in this sane. The next interlude, four measures unti the last phrase, eight measur~s, are also a r2petition. So we heard exactl~- the same thint_; , just short two phrases, t·.vice. The ending is a four b~r coda in the accompaniment based entirely on the F major chord. 11 " A Cossack 1i.aid r ! 2~$ ~I ~ ~ ci~~ ~I g v pJ1t_; -EE i IF '°" SllOA.I> Ge A- ~K-ilb' TlllS Wl\t!l£w!Q:-WC2J.lj A-R,olll\lb) ro ' ,_ ------,. ".. I I 1 I l l l 1 I ' • ,' -'' l l l • -'' -' l • • , - r-· • , #+ , • - .. , :;.- - ... • ! I lrl~ ' , - ' II: ,, • - - - . I". • r- • - 1 r • r • - •" • I 1 II' r 1 1 I ,, ' . " • • I ' • • - -~ ''Humoreske'' Op. 10 ------Allc.1..-:tt• Sc-J.~rs.-i.. .1 • -n-..- ;;: = ft .. I n I - 1 . I 7 • I • .. - • < - , ~ • i • .. . I - • ' r I ' - • .6 • -- ,,,.-+ . • '( '( I v V" ra 1- "( ~ "l :? ' . _, •I• - I • 63 Here we have a scene wi t:'l Tatiana and Vaslav. You can already see th&t they are falling in love with one another. Vaslav and the Cossack men sing "Kings 1-1.re i•e", Vaslav taking the solo lead. The key is C major and we are in 2/4 time. ¥irst we hear eight measures of introduction beginning and ending on the dominant. 'l'hen Vaslav has two eight measure phrases as a solo to the eossack men. The first one goes from t~nic to dominant, and the second one from tonic (C major) • to G major, the modul5tion occuring in the seventh bar with the raised fourth.becoming a lesding tone in the new key, The Cossack men now sing a reply to Vaslay's solo with two eight measures phrases in this new key. The harmonies in the first one go from tanic to dominant in G major, with the neapolitan sixth used several times; and the second one from tonic to tonic, still using the neapolitan sixth. Vaslav and the other men join voices for two more eight measure phrases. Valsav sings the lead while the rest sing a bactcground of' echos or answers, either in unismn or in thirds. 'l'hese phrases are 64 back in C major with the first one going from tonic to dominant and the second one from tonic to tonic. There is a four measure i~terlude nwo which is ex- actly the same as the lbst four meKsures of the introduction to the number. Then the entire piece is repeated note for note, with just a c~ange in the text. There is a four measure coda or extension on the end of the last phr·ase. This musical number ''Kings ~e hre'', was t~k0n from the" iiiarch of the Tin Soldiers" , Opus 39, l~o. 5. "Kings We ,ire 11 r r\ '( f If) 1 f 1 ~ I J'. if > f t F /IM.f _...... , I ' ~ I ' ~ • - - • I .. ' II , . ~ , I - • '. • ., lrT 1 ' J -.f \ 'l ~ ') - . H -, . . ~ • -, ' • - . 7 .. . ~~- • ------• - - - • -- ... • 1 11 fuarch of the Tin ~oldiers'' - "' -n" ' - - I . - I \ '~ ,, r l . ,. 'I ~ I ., I I - .. # K " r ~ . • ' , r ~ I . " ' • • '• - ~--.l-- . v - ' ,/ • u .. n • • -.--, . ,.. ~ l I w I .. -. I I ~ -. ~ ' ~ I • .,. \ ' • I -. • . ...- , . I .. • " • • - 65 Following this we hnve a scene with all the Cossacks on the sta£e eating and preparing to go meet the ~sars' soldiers who ure coming to rescue 'ratiana. 'l'he men all sing the 11 .:>ong of the Cossacks", as they make ready to meet the foe. This is in i' minor, 4/4 time, and at a Mod era to •»arch tempo. There are four measures of introduction, using F octaves in the bass to represent the drum beats, There is unison singing for two eight measure phrases, each going from tonic to dominant. Now, there is two-part singing for eight measures, still going from tonic to dominant. Then eight more b:3rs of unison singing still using the same harmonies as before, tonic to d omi nG. nt. The 11' st sec ti '.)U of this number is another eight measure phrase with two-part singing and a five measure coda going to ~ major. The music is based on 11 1i.arche _Slav", opus 31. "Song of the Cossacks'' f .£>- . - - - ""' .., " _,, - . ' I ' I I I' - I I I I I " r u L I I &,. L ~ ~ I L I I I i,. L r - , . I I .. I - .... . w ' ' - /'fMer,.,fo Mania/~ ., , ' ... .,. ' - ~ I I I I ' ' . ' • • • • ·- . .. . , .... ~ + ~ 1~ 7:J. ~ ~-~.i~ I~ ~ .... ~ - ~·. . ,.. • ·~ . -. • - ...... I ,, -• - . • , j , , .. • • • • • . • • ~ . . 66 "Marche Slav'' Op, 31 With a little more conversation the men leave the stage for their battle. Mother Vanya :_-.nd Ta ti&na discuss the situation as you hear the noises from the fighting off stage, Tatiana ~nd the Cossack girls Live the next musical number, "Here in The Forest". It begins in 3/4 time, key of C major, with Tatiana singing the solo, A four measure introduction is marked Andante lamentoso. Tatiana now sings wh~t is called a recitative for ten measures, but it is accompanied and is just a preview of the main theme coming· up in the song. There ere four measures of extension in the accompaniment ending in S major. The rhythm changes to 4/4 and the tempo to ,,.na,_.nte cantabile. Still in C major, Tatiana sings this solo 67 which is an important musical offering in this operetta, ~he theme was used in the overture, and is taken from the Sixth Symphony. I will not show a comparison l"lere, for it w l..l ld be the s am·: as ... he; ve already given for the overture, There are thirteen measures in the first part of this stb1ho, beginning and ending in C major. i•ow comes a two bar interlude folloNed by ten more mea sures of solo by Tatiana. ~e hear aga±a the four bars preceding the opening of the "ndente Canta:Jile. The Cossack girls join Tatiana for the last section of this song which is fourteen me~sures, TRtiana still has the solo, ·11ith the girls humming ancl singing a gackground. Tatiana and 11iother Vanya continue their talk, and.it is easy to see that ~other Vanya knows some thing concerting Vasl~v 1 s oast history that ~ould make a big difference to ~atiana. The Cossack men retur·n leedinb the ~sar 1 s troops that have be8n cap~ared. The men sing "Back from the 1'ight 11 which is the same es "song of the Loss&ck'' that they sang before going into battle, .'.e have the introduction and first two phrases exactl~' the same, the 1 _st phr2se which is also identical with t;1e last phrase of the previous song. There is some conversation betwe9n the men tJ.nd women, r,nd we hc,ve the final chorus of t:1e first act. 'l'his is a combination of all the music we had during this act. Tatiana and Vaslav have solos, and the men and women all take part. It begins in "' flat major as the overture did. ~ct two takes us to the lsar's palace in ~os- cow. The 'lsar is seen in his throne room with soldiers standing around, a Jester, a group of dancers, C>nd a multitude of Courtiers and Ladies. We hear a fanfare based on the March from the Nut- cracker Suite. 'I'he meter now changes to 3/4, and we are in the key of D flat major. ~he tempo marking i§ Pesante. ?irst a four bar introduction, followed by a three b2r vamp. 1·he Courtiers an·_: .Wadies sing iri four-parts, "When the Lamps of the .Pal&ce are Bright". This is taken from ''Waltz'' Opus 39, No. 8. ''Waltz'' Oo. 3n iuo 8 - "'• " ------. . ;> ? . '7 ft ~ • . - I I - ,,. - I -~ .., • • . - . -~' .. . ., • • ,, f I .... • ~-~-- -, • • ---F--- ~"" - - c -· ...... !: !'; . r ...... ~ .'~ - ~ ~ ~ . . • • T"',. r.. •• n -.. , • I I I• •I I ' . I I . . I I I I - . • . 69 "'Ivhen the Lamps of the Palace are icr•ight 11 . D L ., . , ' J ., ' . I l.. •• ... ' \ I • I l ' '1 L ~ r I l I r ., . . - ' .. ' . ,, • . "' I I " • - • ·- ' . n L . - r l -;;; . 7 - I I .. I --· I \ '. D L ~ .. I I I ~- I I I . I ~ I ' I • • I ~· • , - - . ' h • ,, . I I - . L . "' ' ' I I I I 1 . . ' I - .. I ' • • 1 l • 1 . • • 'I . ' • ~ -ti- . I r • • ~ ., I . '. h ., ' • f===i= t' I ~ .- "I . ' t r UL • .. - - i --- \ - n'. ' . ' ' . I I • , .. D I - . II ' ~"" . • ' - " - - - ' ~ ~ .. ' r r . - ' "-~ r I• J . - - " -~ - - . 7 I J I L • ..,.. -L -I • • .. J . ... 7 ~ ' . ' ' • -• • i~ .- i ~ 1 ·------~- ·------· The first part of this consists of eight four measure phrases ~ith a one bar break between four and five. 'l'hen the mr3n sing four measure und the ·Nomen answer four measures; the men four ~easures, the women four measures. B. four bar interlude occurs here, and again we hear all voices with the opening chorus repehted exbctly with a four bar coda added. 70 The Tsar and Jester have a short scene, and then the Gourties and Madics sing "Sometime'', to cheer the Tsar. This is ti:ken from"Carn1val 11 O'JUS 37, ,'{o. 2. "Sometime" . • • " ... • r - . .. , .• (I I • . . '< , I I - • ~. - ' -l • • I • • . I I ,. . I ' • ...... ' - • . ,, r ·• " .. . . ~ ~... -- - I I 'L ~ ' . • ' -~ ' ' ~ ~ ~ r ,"r· r- 1 ~ '~ ~- • • , ' ., -... ,. ...." • "f .. ~ I . l r . . . ~ • , , I • l ;r 1 ,. j l ;r ------"Carnival" .. 'lhis is in JJ major, 2/4 time, r.ndante mod era to. There is a two b&r vamp ~nd the men sing in unison the first phrase, eight measures, beecinning and end- ing on the tonic, The La.dies sing the next phrase which is in the dominbnt, a major. They begin in the 71 dominant of ,, major and end with the tonic •• All join in for the last phrc·se, beginn1ne; and ending on the tonic of f) major. We hear now a scene between the 'l'sar '-nd Dmitri. You quickly see that Dmitri is a cowQrd and that he is disliked by all of Russia. The Tsar is still longing for his own son, kidnapped twenty years ago by the Cossacks. The ladies of the Court enter and sing 11 'I'he 11 \"ial tz of the .t ''The Waltz of the Flo~ers II I ,,..,.------.....,_ • , ,.- ...... ---I• . - • • " .i . r I • ..- • • ' ~ }-..--'F J ' _Jr ' • • ~ •I ·'- -1-1--- . ' . -~ - ' ' , Ii • .. ..,. L - " . ·--- • I !---- h---1 '1. l" I I' ~ ' "' ~ ~ • • , I ~ - . .., ' ' I , • -- ---.,.. -·------=-... t------·--- J~ ---- .. - • L , . _J •• . ) ¥ ~' f ' ' I .. .. ' ' R. l__; . ;-• # .. -!: ~ t . . .. " I . . +.. • I• .. -J \ I I I • ' • y Jo -_, ' u • . . - 72 ttThe Waltz of the ~lowers 11 Oo. 71 ? 7 7 _,. ~ 1L . " , ,, ' ., , .,. - I .. • ' , , ,, ' . ' , I • I I I h~ . "' - ~ - - '7 ~rflv . . .. • + 1<• oL 1 / I - - I • " ~·-~-::... , .. • . t • . \ ~ 'l'his number is in l:3 flat major, 3/4 time, i.nd tempo di valse, First there is a four bar vamp, Then there is a group of four measure phrases, very dull harmonically. ~hen we h~ve a k'y ch~nge to E flat major, ~his section is still in short phrases, but there is a little attempt at simple counterpoint tetween the two voice lines while the accomp~niment if strictly an 'um pah pah1 affair. Then the key chances back to B flat major and we hera tr1e first part again, The last few phrases va1·y a little fro~ t~e first time we heard them , into a simple finale, n little counter- point is employed here betwe~n the voice parts. F9llowing this is a scene with the Jester ~nd Dmitir. Vaslav ent Cowardness of Dmitri to the soldiers. "lhen Vaslav 73 and the "ussian soldiers sing "," r.;an ,\ho ::>pec..ks rlis Mind'', which is baseo on the murch tro!n the ''Nut cracker ~u1te, opus 71. fhis is in ~ flat major, and with a 4/4 time signature. There is a four bur introduction, and Vaslav sings the first phrase, eight measures, as a solo. 1~is goes from tonic to dominant. ~he soldiers sing an answering phrase of eight measures beginning on the tonic and modulating in the eie;ht bar to G major. Vaslav sings two measures in G minor, o:md the soldiers sing an ans~ering two measures, ihe accom paniment has a two b&r interlude going back to ~ flat major. Vasluv ~nd the soldiers join together for the last ei6ht measure phruse. l'his begins in tonic and ends on the tonic. ~here is a u. ~. sign that curries JOU back to the last two bars of the introduction, and the entire number is heard 12gain, with diff,3rent 'VOrds for the solo pBrts. Vaslav and the tsar are having a tense scene soncenning the status of the Cossacks, when suddenly a messenger nuns in ~ith news of ~n advancing Tartar Army, bitter enemies of itussia. Dmitri is too cowardly to lead hussia's ~rmy into battle, so the • ~-~----- 74 Tsar takes command himself. Vaslav joins forces with the •rsar s.nd there is great excitment atthe Palace. All the men , soldiers and Vaslave, sing "Down with the Tartar .Dand", which is taken from ''ruarche ~lave'', opus 31. There h&s already been ~n example of this given so l will not repeat it here. 'Ne are in the key of F' minor with a 4/4 march tempo. The opening chorus consists of four four mea sure phrases, all staying very close to the tonic and dominant of F minor. It is devided in two p~rts for the next two f~ur measure phrases. .1.he lG.st phrase ends in C major, and the accompanim~nt pro ceeds to a c seventh chord, dominant of 1'', and bhe key changes to F major. The next section is based on the March from tra"Nutcracker Suite". It contains four four ·bar" phrases in two-pbrt harmony. It ends in F major with a four bar coda in the accom paniment. This finishes the second act. The setting for the third act is the same as 1n act one. ~here are some chanbes however, in the appear»nce of the s t<.,ge. 'i'ihere before, the camp of the Cossacks was merely the place where they lived, ------v.., 75 now it is prepared for some sort of form~l cel~bration. A pair of crude throne-chairs h&.ve been pl2.ced in the center of the stage, and some battle st ndards are planted in the ground behind them. 'l'he Cossacks who are on the st ge are festively dressed, and in a festive mood. They sing joyfully in anticipation of a good time. 'l'he opening number sung by the Cossacks is "A Tsar is Our Guest". This wa~ tsken from !•song without Words, 11 opus 2 no. 3. "A Tsar is Our Guest" ------··------·------·---- ~ ' 76 "Song ':Vithout "'Ords"Op. 2. - -- - ! I 0C I l J I ~ - I • , j "" .... , I I , • I . . r • • ' • .. J ,, . • • I • I I v •. Of • .. I "f .. .' • .. ~ - , • ' 'I I " -· •r ... ~ • . " " " " " ... ' f ~ ,, , _, I ,_ ,!~J ~ . n ., ·1 .• _,- ,, ...... ~ .I L F . ' ~ . • F • .. ... • - 1-- ' - - - ------ The tempo marking for this number is .nndante grazioso e cantabile. It is in~ flat major with a 3/4 meter. There is an elaborate eight measure intro- auction, not really elGborate, only a little more interesting than the other introductions have been. 'l'hen there is a two bar vamp on the tonic. 'ihe sopranos and tenors sing the openin~ phrase, four me8sures, in unison. The altos and oasses have the next two Lars, allso in unison, and then the entire ensemble join in the next two '.':easures completing the phrase. 'Y.·1e following eight measures are just a repetition of this first section. The, next eight measures have the men singing in unison, and the women imitating them in unison, one measure behind. ~his smiple 'round' breaks up --~-- ·------·,· 77 three bars before the cadence and we end in 1" major with the voices devid1n5 into four-parts. there is a four measure interlude with the accompaniment modulating back to D flat major, and the sopranos w1 th the tenors sing in unison a four rr,e>isure phrase. The alto~ and the basses answer in unison for two bars and again the entire group finishes the phrase. This pattern is repeated once more, and after a one bar interlude the entire ensemble in four-parts, close this number with a six bar phrase. Ivan, donia and a Gossack girl sing this next song, assisted by the entire company. It is called "The use of the Brain", &nd is taken from the Italian Song, opus 39. ''The Use of the Brain" . L. - - T' •. -= n I I - - ·p .J .. I ' I I - f' I II . I I • ' "u ' ' • • • ~ I . . • • . ,f ~=~3--..------~------~ --;,-- - .,, - - I I l . ----< L- u • ·---. ' -. I:" :1: : ~I: - .. .L ~ ~ -;T = ~ c - -~ ., n "'I• fl J - ...... ,, , .. I I I T " - « • - -, " • I .. - ' I .... - --•' 78 ''Italian ~ong'' Op. 39 r- 1 .J. - , - • .. ~ I T u I I f • I . I , • '\, • ' -. I # -• F+ • --~-----~- • • - ---·-·------f--J"---~ ---1----·----~- ·- - f' ~--- - - . --- . . -- ' L .. u ., ' • . c ._ . . ... ,__ ~ • 1• .. ~ - I I - - I I .. ' I . ' -' • , \..-- I. -I This is a lively piece with a 3/8 meter, and in J.) major, It is repeated five times, and consists entirely of short equal phrases of four measures each, and staying within the harmonic scope of I IV snd V. Tatiana and Vaslav have a short scene and sing the duet "When you Leave ,1;y l<'orest", which is t11ken from"Chanson Triste", Op. 40. rio, 2. "When You .ueave "·Y L''orest " l . I I I I ' 'I I' ... , I I I I I I I I , • • /J I . , , • I ' n 1 1 I I • I , .-l-, I I L ... ~ ... , • r r p . ~ - "L . • "'• . • . . • 'I . ' ,., ' --~ 1 • ' n ' .,. -, r I I I L I • -0--- ~ . • , • • - "------. 79 ''Chanson Triste" Op. 40 This is in 4/4 meter, key of B mii:ior with a moder a to tempo marking. 'l'he introduction is the usual four measures ending on the dominant. 'l'his is a series of short four measure phrases; Vaslav sing1ne bhe first and Tatiana giYing the answer. The voices are used in harmony the last phrase of this section - measures seventeen through 1:lwenty. ~here is a change of key for the next part, to B flat major. ~his is twenty measures of short phrases with several places being taken over by the accompaniment. The last four b~rs are modulating back to D minor. The closing section is twenty eight measures, very similar to the ooening phrase. It ends in v minor with both voices extending the last pij.rase to tlj.e .fillmal"cadence. Tatiana and Vaslav admit their love for each -- ;,• - ~--- --~ ------ 80 other, but Vasla~ will not allow Tatiana to give up her position to marry him. The Tsar and the entire cast 'lnter here. "Sing in Salutaion'' based on the ''Heroic -arch'' from the Sixth Symphony, up. 74 is used by the ensemble to show their friendship and trust towards one another. '' Sing In Salutation'' - -- . . • -. '. o' L' ,, - I I I I ' I I ,, I. I " ; " Cl I I I I \ ~ " ~ "I I I I I • •I "1 • > • • I• . • I ~ . I .. . ..,. '#"" \ - -, ..,.. I • . -: , T -,. I , ·7. ' I ' I "l I I '-' J I -, I ~ .. ,, ~ • .. • I - - . . J ' ...,.. .,.. . - -#- " ~ . _,.' - ~ .. r r t i ~- - ~ . ,.,., -; • - • . • '- . I , . -· • \ J ,_ --...... ~ . T I - l i.. .~ p- ~ - ~ I ,, 1 .. f • "Heroic '"arch" Oo. 74 ------.~ 81 This is in Li' major, 4/4 time tJ.nd ... aestoso, with the introduction ( four bars ) resembling a fanfare. The first section is sung in unison by all voices, then there is a series of short phrases with the high and low voices separately. ·J.'he last section , one eight measure phr .. se with a four bar extention or coda is sung in four-parts. It ends very pompously in F major. 11 'l'he ense:r:ble sings now, 1l. Dreamy •;ialtz", taken from ''the Sleeping Beauty Waltz II Op. 66. "A Dreamy Waltz'' - ---- \ - L • . I I -. -. ' J I I • ' • I I • . l -, ~ , -~ "- I ' ~ 4- ---=------.------. J • I I . . - • I • . --t ~ . ---t r-=-t=- ---!- ~ . - j l I f ~ .f i '= ff I f f f r ~ .. ~ , -~ J .., _, , _, -, '· " ~ -- ... I ,,' .... > 7 • I -. • ' • • -• • • • - _L • - • • -. 1 - - - .. ~ 82 11 'l'he Sleeping Beauty \1al tz 11 ------1---~----- This stays in F major, and is a quick waltz tempo. 'l1here are eii:;ht measures of' introduction, and the ensemble sing in unison the f'irst twenty-eight measures. The remaining seventy-six measures are sung either in p~rts, or unison with bhe high and low voices. ~h 'I'he Tsar offers to nmke Vaslav Gener:,l of' his ,,rmies, but Vaslav does not accect ~Jecause he things he is not suited f'or a life at hlle court, and he could never mbrry Tatiana, bacause he is of' lowly birth. Vaslav, Tatiana, and all the men sing ''Sweet to rtemember, Taken from the rlndante ~Dntabile, f'rom the ¥if'th oym phony, oous 64. ----- ,• 83 "Sweet to ftemember " "Fifth .3ymphony" - ~· g~~~¢-=--~:zt·-==-==·---±·~·~ ... --~ -=~ -.+-d'-- We find this number in 12/8 time, " flat major with a four bar introduction. ~he first sixteen measures are sung by Vaslav to the ·rsar, expressing - 84 his gratitude for the offer made to him. ·ihe Cossacks and the Courtiers devide into two-parts and sing the next phrase, four bars. the acco .p>:niment has a two measure interlude and Vaslav sings now to T'atia.na for sixteen measures telling of the memories he will always cherish of her, The last phra.se, four measures, is sung by all men and Vaslav with 'n.. tiana asking to stay in the Forest. Mother Vanya steps forward and tells the secret, that surely everyone htos guessed by now, that Vaslav is really the Tsar's long lost son. Vaslav and Tatiana embrace, and the entire company join in with the finale. ihis is "Hail to Our .r'orest Prince", based on the Heroic •arch, Op. 74. This is at first just like the previous number ""'ing in ~alutation". It is in .t' major and 4/4 rh~·thm. The introduction, with the first twelve measures a:·e • the same as you heard before. ~he fest of the finale is based on tl11ngs heard before also. a series of key and rhythm changes, and ends very majestically in ~ flat major, ~ow, let me say that I am very much oposed to this type of arranged music, It is true that the students taking p&rt in this production will become 85 familiar with some of the best melodies of Tscfiai kowsky, but will they recognizr them if they hesr the original musical music performed? This operetta was so simple in the first plµce, that even a third rate composer should have been able to use original music. Of COtlrse, without the good 'fschaikowsky melodies this work would be absolutly nothing. ~ra B. Wilson has done an injustice to a musical gaint by treating his music in this chiap, common fashion. This mutation is a typical example of the kinds of operettas some publishers send out to the schools. Naturally they are not all 'arranged' from good music as this one was, but they all have that amateur form that should be an insult to the music teachers in hmerica. I realize that we have a great number of teachers in our school today who would think this operetta as a fine project, but I trust that as we progress, that in time this type of literature will be banished fro~ the repetoire, and replaced with original works written by our composers just for this field. ~usic teachers must learn how to select music for their students. Some arrangea music is no doubt very fine and in some fields necessary. 86 But if there is a chance to avoid this music and still hkve useable and suitable material, tnen by all means,d© so. r--- . .• 87 Cful.PTi:<:R IV I will now establish my opinions concerning the educational benefits derived from operettas in the High School. This particular field has had such a limited and poor literature that educators sometimes exclude it from their aims and objectives, First, I consider High School Music a definite part of the community. This topic is generally con- sidered from just the viewpoint of what students, usually in groups m1;y contribute to the community. While this is only one aspect of the topic, it is an important one. "Music is a the chief value of which is realized when we give it away. the surest way in which the musician can be assured of h~ving skill and even enjoyment in music is by performing for others. Just as Antaeus renewed his strength each time he touched the earth, so musical organizations are re- newed each time they give a satisfactory performance of good material for an appreciative audience." 1 American audiences are apt to applaud anything. 1 Peter w• .l.iykema and Karl W, Gehrkens. The Teaching -and Administration of High School Music:--p. 343 88 Americans as a whole need to learn how to listen at tentively and d1scriminatingly--wh1ch means apprece atively--and to express its evaluations ho~estly, applauding when a good thing is well done and at least keeping silent when the material is shoddy or poorly done. It is therefore the job of school music teachers to train students in the proper attitudes and appre ciation of what music really is, If this is not done here, wnere else will there be such an o~oortunityY Performance is the lifeblood of a musician. It is an essential factor Ln the development of any musical culture. Performance b:f the school choir helps both the c1oir and the school; and a well trained organization can certai.1ly create school spirit and pride as well as encourage more students to enter into music activities. Public performance often brings the music department into a closer contact with the other departments of t:1e school, and it stimulates fellow ship among the studen.ts of various organizations. It takes practice for players or singers to get before an audience and perform. The more a student performs the easier it becomes for him, and self-conf"idence grows in him. All Choir CTembers should be encouraged to perform by themselves, except, of course, when 89 there is a physical handicap prGsent. ~lthouth many of the choir members will never be c•,pable of solo work, it is good for them to attempt simple solos dur- ing their sci1ool career. ''There is probably not a music student or & musical amateur, who, if he is honest with himself, will refuse to admit that he wants chances to sing or play for other people, and who does not really enjoy the whole business of doing so, even thoue:b he may be scared and nervous when the great moment arrives,2 Operettas do not furnish experience just to the School Ghorus, but to the entire m~sic department as well as other departments in the school. Most of the concert type• of performnaces deal with a cert&in group or organization. Too many school present long programs ·,·;here be- sides using the various music organizations, every class is represented by so~ething or other. The pub- lie wants to know th~t the schools are teaching the children something, but one should keep in mind that the public is being asked to [email protected] to a musical per- formance, not a pedagogical demonstration, 2 James L. "''Ursell. M'rnic in American Schools. p. 294. 90 In the giving of an operetta or light opera, one of the most important tasks is the selection of the proper work to be performed. The size of the school and the available talent should certainly be the first thought. Look over the school plant; check the auditorium, stage, li~hting equipmant, curtains, scenery, and etc. Ask th~ Dramatic De partment, if you have one in school, for assistance. Consider the community, and think of the audience your performance will dnaw. rlemember to judge the time element. Allow yourself ample time for a good job, but do not let the work get st~le beDore it is used. 'l'hink of the costumes and necessary props. for the production. Gonsider the ability of your per formers. You will most likely think now, that it is not possible to find a work suitable for any school, but you can. Just be patient and don't buy the first thing you see advertised in a publisher's catalogue. Examine ·the work carefully before decidin~ to use it. If the new works seem unsuited for your situation, use one of the standard light operas--perhaps a Gilbert and Sullivan. I hosestly believe that these 91 have been overworked in High Schools due to the leek of suitable works; however, they may be fresh and new for your situation. Rehearsal time will be one of your main pro blems. Arranged your time and place .well in advance, There will be a great deal of work on your part, especially if you are the only music teacher in the school. However, I believe thGt there is nothing in the whole range of music th~t will so quickly and so thoroughly interest the pupils of a small high school or any school where music is new or unpopular, as learning and giving a light opera. The music and action should be learned together so the combination will later be smooth and convincing instead of appearing to be two sepeDate instincts as you so often find in am~teur performances. Of course, you must rmeember that it is an amateur perforr.iance you are presenting. Fine musicians sometimes fail in attempting to do high school music work. " They are looking at the music so hi, rd that they do not take into consideration the limited ability qna experience of the student~. Get the pupils to do the very best they are capable of doing, and then do not fuss if results are not perfect. Get the pupils 92 interested and the perfect results will come l&ter~.3 If you are not well versed in stage-man&gement, you should rent the "Stage Manager's Prompt Book" from some musical library. This book is a great help to any one stag~ng an opera or any stage production. If you have sufficient soloists you might plan to give the opera at least twice, so that as many as possible may have a chance to s~ng the solo parts. You should by all means have understudies to depend upon if one of the soloists is ill or unabl2 to perform at the last moment. I firmly believe that the students should learn to sing their parts absolutely from memory. The leader must have attention from everyone on stage, and if music is being used, this is not always pos- Sible, Students must hot be allowed to make rehearsals an excuse for unprepared lessons 1n other subjects. Music students are usually the type of person who takes pride in all his work and is better than average in most of it. In some schools, the Operetta is merely a means of raising money. This, of co11rse, is E wrong attitude to t[,ke. The main interest should be the benefits gained by the students. 3 T. P, Giddings and Earl L.. Baker. High School Music Teaching. p. 129. 93 I have tried to show in this thesis that Operettas can and should be an important requirement ·)n the activity list of any high school that has a music department. I have showed what l consider to be a good work in this field, and what I consider to be a poor work. The first chapter w1;s given to show the little background the light opera has had in America, and how composers have avoided writing for the high schools and amateur groups. I sincerely hope that my intentions and beliefs concerting the High School Operetta are firmly established and ~ade clear by this thesis. BI.!:3LIOGB.1tPHY aoel, Willi. Harvand Dictionary of Music. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. "TI147, 833 pp, Bowen, Cathe· ine .1.1. and Von iv;eck, .3arb·.ra. Beloved i•'riend 'The Story of 'l'chaikowsky. New York: Dover Publi- cations, 1946. 484 pp. Dykema, Peter ~i. and Gehrkens, 1\.arl 'Ailson. 'l'he Teach ing und Administration of HBgh School 1v1USTc. Boston: c.c. Birchard and ompany. 1947. 814 pp. Giddings, T.P. and ~aker, ~arl L. High School wusic Teaching. Appleton: Giddings-Baker Go~ 1932. 178 pp. Hipsher, Edward E. American Opera ,,nd its Composers. Philadelphia: T~eodore Presser Co-.~1927. 478 pp. Elson, Louis c. The History of American Music. New York: MacMillan CO:- 1915. 387 pp. Howard, John T. Our American Music. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell -CO:- 1929. 713 pp. Elson, rlrthur. !::. History of Opera. .Boston: L.C. Page & Co. 1929. 536 pp. McSpadden, J. ~. Opera Synopses. New York: Tho:nas Y. Crowe'.1:1. 1935. 493 pp. McSpadden, J. w. Opera and M11sical Comedies. New York: T.Y.Crowell Co, 1946. 607 pp. Mursell, James L. Music in American Schoollil. Nevi York: Sitv Purdy, Claire Lee. 'l'he 3tory of Tchaikovsl '.l'chaikovsky, modeste. '.!.'he Life & Letters or Peter Ilich Tschaikovsky • .LO:'ldon: 'h • .3rendon & :::ion. 1905. 782 pp. Wier, Albert ;;, Light Opera "t Home. New York: D, nppleton & Co. 1928. 256 pp. Zanzig, A. l.J. iv.usic in ttmerican ~ire. L'.Jndon: Oxford University Press. 1932. 560 pp. BIBLIOGRAPHY Cont, Musical America. August, 1949 Musical Courier. April 15, 1949 Musical Journal November - December 1949 And all of the liated music of Tschaikowsky found in this thesis. Down In The Valley Vocal score and music. The Forest Prince Vocal score and music.