''The Dybbuk'' is an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

in three acts by composer

David Tamkin David Tamkin (28 August 1906 – 21 June 1975) was an American composer of Jewish descent, born in Chernihiv, Russian Empire. He devoted much of his professional career as an arranger, composer ncreditedand orchestrator of film scores for Hollywoo ...

. The work uses an English libretto by Alex Tamkin, the composer's brother, which is based on S. Ansky’s Yiddish play of the same name. Composed in 1933, the work was not premiered until October 4, 1951 when it was mounted by the

New York City Opera The New York City Opera (NYCO) is an American opera company located in Manhattan in New York City. The company has been active from 1943 through 2013 (when it filed for bankruptcy), and again since 2016 when it was revived. The opera company, du ...

through the efforts of Laszlo Halasz. Prior to the premiere, excerpts from the work had been given in concert, both in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

(where Alex Tamkin lived) and in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. The opera was originally supposed to premiere at the New York City Opera in 1950 but was postponed for financial reasons. (First sentences only, full text is paywalled) The opera was also performed at the Jewish Community Center in Seattle in 1963.Seattle Post Intelligencer, Jan 8, 1963, page 7

Roles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dybbuk, The English-language operas Operas 1951 operas Opera world premieres at New York City Opera Operas based on plays