The Innocence of Lennie Small in Carlisle Floyd's Opera of Mice and Men in Excerpts Presented As a Performer's Guide
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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 7-11-2021 The Innocence of Lennie Small in Carlisle Floyd's Opera Of Mice and Men In Excerpts Presented as a Performer's Guide Michael Robert Hendrick Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the Music Performance Commons Recommended Citation Hendrick, Michael Robert, "The Innocence of Lennie Small in Carlisle Floyd's Opera Of Mice and Men In Excerpts Presented as a Performer's Guide" (2021). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 5605. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/5605 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. THE INNOCENCE OF LENNIE SMALL IN CARLISLE FLOYD'S OPERA OF MICE AND MEN IN EXCERPTS PRESENTED AS A PERFORMER'S GUIDE A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agriculture and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in The School of Music by Michael Robert Hendrick B.M.E., Berry College, 1989 M.M., University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, 1991 A.D., University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, 1993 August 2021 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Professor Robert Grayson, thank you for heading my committee and for guiding me to be a better singer and teacher. Your eloquent command of writing, and your invaluable feedback, set a high standard almost equal to your renowned excellence in teaching. Dr. Loraine Sims, thank you for your support throughout my three years at LSU, for entrusting me to teach applied lessons to wonderful students, and for the opportunity to teach the freshmen diction class this year. I have learned much from your expertise in pedagogy and look forward to continuing the pedagogical journey. Thank you, Professor Sandra Moon and Dr. Alison McFarland, for your feedback while serving on my committee, and for your excellence in teaching in the classroom. Dr. Robert Mann, thank you for serving as LSU's Dean's Representative for my committee, and for your perspectives. Dr. Lori Bade, Dr. Brandon Hendrickson, and Professor Dennis Jesse, thank you for the model of excellent teaching that you presented in our classes together. Thank you, Professor Terry Patrick-Harris, for letting me sit in on your lessons to watch you teach music theater students. Thank you, also, Dr. Hendrickson, for lending your excellent baritone voice in singing with me on my 2nd doctoral recital, as “George” in the opening scene from Of Mice and Men! Patricia Bretas, DMA, thank you for playing for me on that recital, and for your support as we earned our doctorates together! Louis Wendt, thank you for playing selections from Of Mice and Men for my doctoral lecture recital, and for serving as accompanist for my first doctoral recital. Thank you, Dr. Zachary Hazelwood, for your help in my music theory analysis for this project. To Mom and Dad, Rogene and Robert Hendrick, thank you for all you did to love and guide me through life's decisions. Above all, thank you to my wife, Nancy Hendrick, and to our son, George Hendrick, for the sacrifices you made during these last three years to enable me to reach this goal, and for encouraging me to return to school after 25 years. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................................................. ii LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES.................................................................................................. v ABSTRACT................................................................................................................................... vi INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1. OF MICE AND MEN: THE CREATION, AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF LENNIE SMALL............................................................................................................................. 5 The Creation of Of Mice and Men....................................................................................... 5 The Development of Lennie Small.................................................................................... 10 CHAPTER 2. ACT ONE, SCENE 1. OPENING SCENE WITH GEORGE AND “IT WAS SOMETHIN' I COULD STROKE” .............................................................................................. 13 Analysis: Opening Scene with George.............................................................................. 13 Summary of Characteristics: “It Was Somethin' I Could Stroke” .................................... 21 Analysis: “It Was Somethin' I Could Stroke” ................................................................... 22 Performance Suggestions................................................................................................... 25 CHAPTER 3. ACT THREE, SCENE 1. “WHY DID YOU HAVE TO GO AN' DIE?” AND BARN SCENE WITH CURLEY'S WIFE..................................................................................... 32 Analysis: “Why Did You Have To Go An' Die?” ............................................................ 33 Analysis: Barn Scene with Curley's Wife.......................................................................... 34 Performance Suggestions................................................................................................... 50 CHAPTER 4. ACT THREE, SCENE 2. “OH, I FEEL COLD INSIDE” AND FINAL SCENE WITH GEORGE............................................................................................................................ 52 Analysis: “Oh, I Feel Cold Inside” ................................................................................... 52 Analysis: Final Scene with George.................................................................................... 55 Performance Suggestions...................................................................................................68 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................. 71 APPENDIX A. CARLISLE FLOYD'S BIOGRAPHY................................................................. 72 APPENDIX B. WORKS BY CARLISLE FLOYD....................................................................... 75 APPENDIX C. INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS............................................................................ 76 WNIB Classical 97 Chicago Interviews Julian Patrick, 1985............................................ 76 Deseret News Interviews Carlisle Floyd, 1999.................................................................. 83 The Washington Opera Magazine Interviews Michael Hendrick, 2001............................ 85 Louisiana Eccentric Observer (LEO) Weekly Interviews Carlisle Floyd, 2009................ 86 Kentucky Courier Journal Interviews Michael Hendrick and Rod Nelman, 2009............ 88 iii YourObserver.com Interviews Carlisle Floyd, 2013.......................................................... 90 YourObserver.com Interviews Michael Hendrick and Sean Anderson, 2013................... 95 Herald-Tribune Interviews Michael Hendrick and Sean Anderson, 2013........................ 97 War Horses Blog, William Burnett Interviews Carlisle Floyd, 2014.............................. 100 San Francisco Opera Magazine Interviews Carlisle Floyd, 2014................................... 106 Winnipeg Free Press Interviews Michael Hendrick, 2016.............................................. 110 APPENDIX D. LETTER OF PERMISSION FROM BOOSEY & HAWKES.......................... 113 APPENDIX E. THE AUTHOR AS LENNIE SMALL: LIST OF APPEARANCES................. 114 APPENDIX F. THE AUTHOR AS LENNIE SMALL: PRESS REVIEW EXCERPTS........... 115 BIBLIOGRAPHY........................................................................................................................ 123 CURRICULUM VITAE.............................................................................................................. 129 iv LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES Example 2.1 Something I Could Stroke motive, Act 1, Scene 1, mm. 70-72............................... 14 Example 2.2 “The cloth looked so soft, George.” Act 1, Scene 1, mm. 77-78............................. 15 Example 2.3 “I just wanted to stroke the cloth.” Act 1, Scene 1, mm. 81-82............................... 16 Example 2.4 “Just give me the word - I.” Act 1, Scene 1, mm. 172-75........................................ 17 Example 2.5 “Just give me the word - II.” Act 1, Scene 1, mm. 184-86....................................... 18 Example 2.6 “Just give me the word - III.” Act 1, Scene 1, mm. 189-91..................................... 19 Example 2.7 “All right, George, I'll stay with you.” Act 1, Scene 1, mm. 193-96........................ 20 Example 3.1 Bird motive, Act 3, Scene 1, mm. 1-3...................................................................... 33 Example 3.2 “Now I've got nothin' to pet.” Act 3, Scene 1, mm. 37-41....................................... 34 Example 3.3 “Our farm's got a small house.” Act 3, Scene 1, mm. 65-69.................................... 37 Example 3.4 “It will