''Martin's Lie'' is a

chamber opera Chamber opera is a designation for operas written to be performed with a chamber ensemble rather than a full orchestra. Early 20th-century operas of this type include Paul Hindemith's ''Cardillac'' (1926). Earlier small-scale operas such as Pergoles ...

in one act with music and an English language

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

Gian Carlo Menotti Gian Carlo Menotti (, ; July 7, 1911 – February 1, 2007) was an Italian composer, librettist, director, and playwright who is primarily known for his output of 25 operas. Although he often referred to himself as an American composer, he kept h ...

. Commissioned by

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

, it was Menotti's third opera for television after ''

Amahl and the Night Visitors ''Amahl and the Night Visitors'' is an opera in one act by Gian Carlo Menotti with an original English libretto by the composer.Menotti, Gian-Carlo: ''Amahl and the Night Visitors (piano-vocal score)'', G. Schirmer, Inc., 1997. It was commission ...

'' and ''

Labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the ...

''. Although not initially conceived as a work for the stage, the opera premiered in a live theatrical performance on 3 June 1964 at the

Bristol Cathedral Bristol Cathedral, the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is the Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England. Founded in 1140 and consecrated in 1148, it was originally St Augustine's Abbey but after the Dissolu ...

for the opening of the 17th annual

Bath International Music Festival The Bath International Music Festival was held late each spring in Bath, South West England between 1948 and 2016. The festival included many genres such as Jazz, Classical, World and Folk and merged with the Bath Literature Festival in 2017 to ...

. The opera was subsequently filmed with the same cast for television under the direction of

Kirk Browning Kirk Browning (March 28, 1921 – February 10, 2008) was an American television director and producer who had hundreds of productions to his credit, including 185 broadcasts of ''Live from Lincoln Center''. Born in New York City, Browning dropp ...

with

Julie Andrews Dame Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Fi ...

serving as host. The production used sets and costumes by designer

Anthony Powell Anthony Dymoke Powell ( ; 21 December 1905 – 28 March 2000) was an English novelist best known for his 12-volume work ''A Dance to the Music of Time'', published between 1951 and 1975. It is on the list of longest novels in English. Powell' ...

, and was broadcast nationally by CBS for the opera's United States television premiere on 30 May 1965. The first live performance of the opera in the United States was at the

Washington National Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral, is an American cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located in Washington, D.C., the cap ...

in 1976, with

Paul Callaway Paul Smith Callaway, (August 16, 1909 – March 21, 1995) was a prominent American organist and choral conductor, particularly well known for his thirty-eight years at the Washington National Cathedral, Washington, D.C., between 1939–1977 ...

conducting both ''Martin's Lie'' and the world premiere of Menotti's ''The Egg''. The cast included Gene Tucker as Father Cornelius, Simon Jackson as Martin, Richard Dirksen as the Fugitive, Dana Krueger as the Housekeeper, and Gimi Beni as the Sheriff.

Roles

Plot

Setting- An orphanage in medieval Germany Martin, a 12‐year‐old orphan boy, deeply desires to have a father. An escaping heretic enters the orphanage in order to hide from his pursuers. Martin hides him and forms an emotional attachment to the stranger. Martin is questioned and threatened by the sheriff who is pursuing the stranger, and he lies to protect him. Martin ultimately becomes so frightened by the threats that he is literally scared to death. His refusal to betray the stranger out of love and faith makes Martin "a figure of moral power, an image of redemption. Father Cornelius, the well intentioned, ineffectual shepherd of the orphans, makes the summary point—the force of love is stronger than any sin."

References

{{Authority control 1964 operas Chamber operas English-language operas One-act operas Operas Operas by Gian Carlo Menotti Operas for television