''Blennerhassett'' is a brief

radio opera Radio opera (German: 'Funkoper' or 'Radiooper') is a genre of opera. It refers to operas which were specifically composed to be performed on the radio and is not to be confused with broadcasts of operas which were originally written for the stage. ...

in one act by American composer

Vittorio Giannini Vittorio Giannini (October 19, 1903 – November 28, 1966) was an American neoromantic composer of operas, songs, symphonies, and band works. Life and work Giannini was born in Philadelphia on October 19, 1903. He began as a violinist under the t ...

with a libretto by Phillip Roll and

Norman Corwin Norman Lewis Corwin (May 3, 1910 – October 18, 2011) was an American writer, screenwriter, producer, essayist and teacher of journalism and writing. His earliest and biggest successes were in the writing and directing of radio drama during the ...

. It was commissioned by CBS Radio as part of the Columbia Composers Commission, following the success of Giannini's earlier radio opera ''Beauty and the Beast''. It received its premiere in a radio broadcast on 2 November 1939. ''Blennerhassett'' was subsequently performed in several staged and concert productions, including a 1991 semi-staged concert performance in New York City by American Chamber Opera. A performance of the opera generally lasts less than thirty minutes, although the 1991 production added a 10-minute prelude set in a radio studio which reenacted the pre-broadcast preparation for the original premiere.

Roles

*Stephen –

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

*Madeleine – soprano *

General Wilkinson James Wilkinson (March 24, 1757 – December 28, 1825) was an Americans, American soldier, politician, and double agent who was associated with several scandals and controversies. He served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution ...

– baritone *Anne – mezzo-soprano *Mrs. Field –

contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typica ...

*A messenger – tenor

Synopsis

The opera is set on

Blennerhassett Island Blennerhassett Island is an island on the Ohio River below the mouth of the Little Kanawha River, near Parkersburg in Wood County, West Virginia, United States. Historically, Blennerhassett Island was occupied by Native Americans. Nemacolin, ...

, named for

Harman Blennerhassett Harman Blennerhassett (8 October 1765 – 2 February 1831) was an Anglo-Irish lawyer, a member of the Society of United Irishmen who emigrated in advance of their rebellion in 1798 to become a socially and politically distinguished plantation ...

, a figure in the Aaron Burr conspiracy. The plot centers on Stephen, a young follower of Aaron Burr, and his fiancée, Madeleine. Stephen gathers a band of men on the island and plans to join Burr's forces. When Madeleine unwittingly reveals the secret plan to General Wilkinson, he sets the militia on Stephen and his men. In the ensuing battle, Stephen is mortally wounded. He survives long enough to return to Madeleine and then dies in her arms.Synopsis based on Eaton (1961) p. 145.

References

Notes Sources * Eaton, Quaintance (1961)
''Opera Production''
University of Minnesota Press. *Holland, Bernard (28 February 1991

''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''. Retrieved 24 September 2012. *Simmons, Walter (2004)
''Voices in the Wilderness: Six American Neo-Romantic Composers''
Scarecrow Press. {{authority control 1939 operas English-language operas Operas set in the United States Operas One-act operas Radio operas Historical operas

Roles

Synopsis

See also

References