''The Saint of Bleecker Street'' 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 librett ...

in three acts by

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 ...

to an original English

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 ...

by the composer. It was first performed at the

Broadway Theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

in New York City on December 27, 1954. David Poleri and

Davis Cunningham Thomas Davis Cunningham (May 7, 1916 – June 19, 1984) was an American tenor who had prominent career in operas, musicals, concerts, and on television from 1949 through 1973. Biography Cunningham was born in the Philippines, the son of an Ameri ...

alternated in the role of Michele, and

Thomas Schippers Thomas Schippers (9 March 1930 – 16 December 1977) was an American conductor. He was highly regarded for his work in opera. Biography Of Dutch ancestry and son of the owner of a large appliance store, Schippers was born in Portage, Michiga ...

conducted. It ran for 92 consecutive performances. The opera is

through-composed In music theory of musical form, through-composed music is a continuous, non- sectional, and non- repetitive piece of music. The term is typically used to describe songs, but can also apply to instrumental music. While most musical forms such as t ...

, and set in the intensely

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Little Italy Little Italy is a general name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an urban neighborhood. The concept of "Little Italy" holds many different aspects of the Italian culture. There are s ...

of New York City in 1954. It follows Annina, a young and simple woman who is blessed with the

stigmata Stigmata ( grc, στίγματα, plural of , 'mark, spot, brand'), in Roman Catholicism, are bodily wounds, scars and pain which appear in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus Christ: the hands, wrists, and feet. Stigm ...

. She often hears voices and has

visions Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain un ...

of the

angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

s. Her brother, Michele, is an

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

who is intensely protective of his sister; he believes she requires hospitalization, but he cannot stop the rest of the neighborhood from believing her a

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

. ''The Saint of Bleecker Street'' won Menotti the

Pulitzer Prize for Music The Pulitzer Prize for Music is one of seven Pulitzer Prizes awarded annually in Letters, Drama, and Music. It was first given in 1943. Joseph Pulitzer arranged for a music scholarship to be awarded each year, and this was eventually converted i ...

in 1955 and the

New York Drama Critics' Circle The New York Drama Critics' Circle is made up of 22 drama critics from daily newspapers, magazines and wire services based in the New York City metropolitan area. The organization is best known for its annual awards for excellence in theater.Jone ...

Award for Best Musical. Although it is not part of the standard operatic repertory, recordings of it exist, and it is occasionally performed. The original set for ''The Saint of Bleecker Street'' was designed by the American symbolic realist painter George Tooker, and was based on elements from his painting ''The Subway'', currently in the collection of the

Whitney Museum of American Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is an art museum in the Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–1942), ...

Roles

Synopsis

Act 1

In her tenement on Bleecker Street, Annina has visions of Jesus Christ and wakes up to find stigmata on her hands ("Oh sweet Jesus, spare me the agony"). The neighbors and Don Marco, the neighborhood priest, believe that she is a saint with healing powers, but her protective brother Michele makes them leave and declares that her visions are simply the evidence of illness. Annina discovers to her dismay that her friend Carmela is going to be married instead of becoming a nun with Annina. Meanwhile, Michele has forbidden Annina from attending the annual Feast of San Gennaro. He mocks her religious beliefs and is determined to keep her from becoming a nun. However, the Sons of San Gennaro tie Michele to a fence on Mulberry Street and carry Annina away to the feast against his wishes.

Act 2

Annina and Michele attend Carmela's wedding reception at an Italian restaurant ("Be good to her, be kind"). Desideria, Michele's secret girlfriend, arrives without an invitation and announces that she has been kicked out of her mother's house and wants Michele to move in with her ("What does she ever do for you except light candles for your soul?... Ah Michele, don't you know"). Michele refuses because he doesn't want to leave his ill sister. When he tries to sneak Desideria into the reception, it starts a fight with other guests. Michele accuses the guests of throwing away their Italian heritage ("Although you made this land your home"). Michele and Annina decide to go home, but Desideria flies into a jealous rage and accuses him of being in love with his sister. Michele, enraged, stabs Desideria in the back and flees.

Act 3

Michele and Annina meet secretly in the subway ("You remember the time") and Annina begs Michele to turn himself in for Desideria's murder. When Michele refuses, Annina reveals that she is dying and intends to take the veil before she succumbs to illness. As her health deteriorates dangerously, Don Marco finally receives approval from the church to make Annina a nun. While Annina is taking her vows, Michele forces his way past watching neighbors and tries to convince her to give up her plans. However, Annina is too far gone to hear him and dies shortly after completing the ceremony.

References

External links

''The Saint of Bleecker Street'' page at the US Opera website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint of Bleecker Street 1954 operas English-language operas Operas by Gian Carlo Menotti Operas set in the United States Operas Pulitzer Prize for Music-winning works Tony Award-winning musicals