''The Fall of the House of Usher'' is an opera by

Peter Hammill Peter Joseph Andrew Hammill (born 5 November 1948) is an English musician and recording artist. He was a founder member of the progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Best known as a singer/songwriter, he also plays guitar and piano and ...

(music) and Chris Judge Smith (libretto). It is based on the 1839

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

of the same name by

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

Background

Hammill and Smith, two of the co-founders of

Van der Graaf Generator Van der Graaf Generator are an English progressive rock band, formed in 1967 in Manchester by singer-songwriters Peter Hammill and Judge Smith, Chris Judge Smith and the first act signed by Charisma Records. They did not experience much commerc ...

, worked sporadically on the opera from 1973 until its first recording was released on

Some Bizzare Records Some Bizzare Records was a British independent record label owned by Stevo Pearce. The label was founded in 1981, with the release of ''Some Bizzare Album'', a compilation of unsigned bands including Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, the The, Neu Elect ...

(the only instance of Hammill's work appearing on the label) in November 1991. The album was released on CD, cassette and a limited edition of 500 double vinyl LPs. Smith's libretto takes certain liberties with Poe's source text. The House itself becomes a vocal part, to be sung by the same performer who sings the role of Roderick Usher. The narrator, unnamed in the story, is given the name Montresor (the name of the narrator of another tale by Poe, "

The Cask of Amontillado "The Cask of Amontillado" (sometimes spelled "The Casque of Amontillado" ) is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in the November 1846 issue of ''Godey's Lady's Book''. The story, set in an unnamed Italy, Italian cit ...

"), and a romantic attachment between Montresor and Madeline Usher is hinted at. In 1999, Hammill regained the rights to the music from Some Bizzare and set about revising the piece. He re-recorded some of his own vocals, although the parts of the other singers were untouched. He also removed the percussion, added more electric guitar and remixed the entire recording. The results were released as ''The Fall of the House of Usher (Deconstructed & Rebuilt)'' on Hammill's own Fie! label in November 1999. Hammill regards this version as the definitive recorded version of the opera. The opera has never been performed live in its entirety. In the 1980s Hammill performed "The Sleeper" a capella at a Poetry reading festival in Amsterdam in October 1983, and in New York in July 1986. At live concerts in 1991 and 1992 Hammill frequently sang a suite of songs from the opera, officially released on the video/DVD '' In The Passionskirche''.

Reception

Paul Stump, in his ''History of Progressive Rock'', commented of ''The Fall of the House of Usher'' that "what might be seen as possibly the most appropriate vessel for a Hammill ''

chef d'oeuvre A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...

'' is merely seventy-five minutes of excruciating mannerism ... meandering, formless, electronic non-opera at its warbling worst."

Track listing

Music composed by Peter Hammill; Libretto lyrics written by Chris Judge Smith; except where noted. # "An Unenviable Role" - 2:29 # "That Must Be the House" - 4:57 # "Architecture" - 3:40 # "The Sleeper" (lyrics:

) - 3:19 # "One Thing At a Time" - 2:50 # "I Shun the Light" - 3:46 # "Leave This House" - 5:05 # "Dreaming" - 3:30 # "A Chronic Catalepsy" - 3:16 # "The Herbalist" - 3:32 # "The Evil That Is Done" - 3:47 # "Five Years Ago" - 3:51 # "It's Over Now" - 3:32 # "An Influence" - 3:18 # "No Rot" - 2:27 # "She Is Dead" - 6:44 # "Beating of the Heart" - 5:20 # "The Haunted Palace" (lyrics: Edgar Allan Poe) - 4:22 # "I Dared Not Speak" - 2:57 # "She Comes Towards the Door" - 1:06 #"The Fall" - 3:20

Cast

* Peter Hammill as Roderick Usher and the House *

Lene Lovich Lene Lovich (; born Lili-Marlene Premilovich; March 30, 1949) is an English-American singer, songwriter and musician. She first gained attention in 1979 with the release of her hit single "Lucky Number", which peaked at number 3 on the UK Single ...

as Madeline Usher * Andy Bell as Montresor * Sarah Jane Morris as the Chorus *

Herbert Grönemeyer Herbert Arthur Wiglev Clamor Grönemeyer (born 12 April 1956) is a German singer, musician, producer, composer and actor, popular in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Grönemeyer starred as war correspondent Lieutenant Werner in Wolfgang Pete ...

as the Herbalist

Personnel

* Peter Hammill –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

(removed on 1999 version) * Stuart Gordon –

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

(1999 version only)

Technical

*Peter Hammill – recording engineer, mixing (Sofa Sound/Terra Incognita, Bath) *Les Chappell – recording engineer for parts of Lovich's performance (H.O.M.E. Studios, Norfolk) *Christoph Matlok – recording engineer for Mr Grönemeyer's performance (Outside Studios, Oxfordshire) *Paul Ridout – design, artwork

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fall of the House of Usher, The Peter Hammill albums 1991 albums 1999 albums Operas Operas based on The Fall of the House of Usher