''Yan Tan Tethera'' 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 ...

(subtitled ''A Mechanical Pastoral'') by the English composer

Harrison Birtwistle Sir Harrison Birtwistle (15 July 1934 – 18 April 2022) was an English composer of contemporary classical music best known for his operas, often based on mythological subjects. Among his many compositions, his better known works include ''Th ...

with a

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 poet

Tony Harrison Tony Harrison (born 30 April 1937) is an English poet, translator and playwright. He was born in Beeston, Leeds and he received his education in Classics from Leeds Grammar School and Leeds University. He is one of Britain's foremost verse w ...

, based on a supernatural folk tale about two shepherds, their sheep, and the Devil. It was first performed at

Queen Elizabeth Hall The Queen Elizabeth Hall (QEH) is a music venue on the South Bank in London, England, that hosts classical, jazz, and avant-garde music, talks and dance performances. It was opened in 1967, with a concert conducted by Benjamin Britten. The ...

, London, on 7 August 1986. The title comes from a traditional way of counting sheep.

Roles

References

* Holden, Amanda (Ed.), ''The New Penguin Opera Guide'', New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001.
Universal Edition details

Bibliography

*Adlington, Robert (2000): ''The Music of Harrison Birtwistle'', Cambridge University Press. *Beard, David (2012): ''Harrison Birtwistle's Operas and Music Theatre'', Cambridge University Press. *Cross, Jonathan (2000): ''Harrison Birtwistle: Man, Mind Music'', Faber. *Hall, Michael (1984): ''Harrison Birtwistle'', Robson. Operas Operas by Harrison Birtwistle English-language operas 1986 operas {{English-opera-stub