The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County

Last updated

The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
Opera by Lukas Foss
Mark Twain by Abdullah Freres, 1867.jpg
Mark Twain in 1867
Librettist Jean Karsavina
LanguageEnglish
Based on"The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" by Mark Twain (1865)
Premiere
18 May 1950 (1950-05-18)
East Hall, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana

The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County is an English language American comic opera in one act and two scenes. It was composed by Lukas Foss with a libretto by Jean Karsavina, based Mark Twain's 1865 short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County". The opera was commissioned for television by Roger Englander. [1] It was first staged by Indiana University Opera Theatre at Indiana University's East Hall in Bloomington on May 18, 1950. [2] [3]

Contents

The short opera—around forty-five minutes running time–quickly gained notice: it was work-shopped fifteen times in its first three years and received at least eighteen productions in the six years after its premiere. [4] [5] It is a popular production for small opera companies and student productions. [6] [7]

Plot

Setting: Calaveras County, California, during the Gold Rush, 1850s. The first scene is inside Uncle Henry's saloon, the second out in the town square. [8]

Smiley brags of the talents of his jumping frog, Dan'l Webster, to Uncle Henry and his niece Lulu. The Stranger enters and hears Smiley's boasting. When the Stranger doubts Daniel's abilities, Smiley bets $40 that Dan'l can best any other frog in Calaveras County. The Stranger says he does not have a frog to compete so Smiley leaves to find one. Uncle Henry leaves to tell the townspeople of the wager. The Stranger flirts with Lulu, who invites him to dinner. After she leaves, The Stranger takes down a shotgun off the wall and empties it of its buckshot. The Stranger feeds the buckshot to the frog, singing of how he goes from town to town as a confidence man.

The action moves to the town square. A guitar player strums "Sweet Betsy from Pike" while two men shoot craps. Uncle Henry tells them of the wager on Dan'l Webster. The men disapprove of Lulu's interest in the Stranger. She enters with the Stranger and tells him she hopes he will return to her town. Smiley returns with a frog for the competition. When it begins, the Stranger's frog jumps but Dan'l Webster does not move. The Stranger takes his winnings and leaves. Smiley picks up Dan'l Webster, who vomits the buckshot. Realizing the Stranger's deception, the men leave to find the Stranger. When they haul him back to the square, they rough him up, take his money, and order him to leave town forever.

Performances

Ernst Hoffman conducted the premiere at Bloomington and Hans Busch directed it. [9] The first run had three performances—May 18, 19, and 20—all on a double bill with another world premiere opera, The Veil by Bernard Rogers. [10] [11] The original cast included Alton E. Wilder, Lou Herbert, and Charles Campbell in the leads. [11]

The New York City premiere followed three weeks later when the After Dinner Opera Company performed it on June 7, 1950, at the Master Theatre, Riverside Drive at 103rd Street. [12] The company's four performances were on a triple bill with Johann Sebastian Bach's Coffee Cantata staged as an opera called Grounds for Divorce and Marc Blitzstein's 1928 opera Triple-Sec. [13] Richard Flusser, founder of the company, drected. [14] After Dinner did not use an orchestra; Foss was at the piano. [13] [15] [16] Cecil Smith said of the performance "its tone essentially seems to be that of early Kurt Weill and the other Central European composers who became fascinated with American popular idiom. While Foss writes more like an American than Weill, a dry cynicism often creeps into the score and removes it in mood from the ambling colloquialism of Mark Twain's story." [13]

Foss conducted a performance at the Berkshire Music Festival at Tanglewood on July 30, 1950; the director was Sarah Caldwell. [17] The Chautauqua Opera performed it in 1952. [18]

Several performances were given overseas. The Venice Festival of Contemporary Music performed the work in 1953. [19] Opera, reviewing the Venice production, complimented Foss for his "skilled and sympathetic touch" in creating "a pungent and expressive folk opera of no small distinction". [20] The opera was given in Cologne, West Germany, in 1956. [21]

A performance was given in 1959 at the Royal Court Theatre in London. [22]

Caldwell's Opera New England performed the opera in 1974, 1978, 1986, and 1989. [23]

The score was published by Carl Fischer Music in 1951. [24] Fischer published a revised edition in 1968. [25]

Recordings

The After Dinner Opera Company in 1951 released a recording on Lyrichord Discs without an orchestra and only a piano accompaniment by Frederic Kurzweil. [26] A review stated "the music is functional rather than memorable and there are a few opportunities for the singers to use their legato style. Not all the diction is easy to follow, for things happen fast, and the demands on the listeners attention are considerable. In short, here is modern American opera serving comedy, as Weill's Down in the Valley served tragedy." [27] Arthur Berger's review in the Saturday Review called the opera "a forceful work as outrightly American in feeling as anything any American composer has written" but faulted the recording for sounding like a rehearsal take. [28] Donald Richie in the American Record Guide was the inverse, praising the recording for its "fine diction" and good sound but faulting the opera itself as "an empty, labored and pretentious work", whose "inept libretto" did not connect with the music. [29] The New Records said the piano accompaniment drowned out the singers and the lack of a libretto with the recording made it difficult to understand the singers. [30]

The Manhattan Chamber Orchestra in October 1996 recorded Jumping Frog at the Church of the Epiphany in New York City, released the next year on the Newport Classic label. [31] A review in the Deseret News praised conductor Richard Auldon Clark for "keep[ing] things hopping, his singers likewise leaping into their roles with polish and enthusiasm" and Foss's music, particularly the opera's overture, "with its Appalachian Spring -like flavor". [32]

Another review of the recording was exuberant in praise: "By the first scene, however, Foss has plunked himself down in the mining camp (at least as a tourist), and the interest–particularly the rhythmic interest–picks up. The music sparkles, every note tells. Foss's speech-setting, artificial as a Fruit Roll-Up, nevertheless comes across as vernacular. It inhabits a twilight of neo-classicism, folk song, and musical comedy. I feel as if I'm watching some gorgeous clockwork mechanism reeling off fiddle tunes, waltzes, even scat. This isn't the West as it was or even as Twain depicts it, but a loving homage to the West by a master musical jeweler." [33]

Roles

Roles, voice types, premiere cast
Role Voice type Indiana University premiere,
Bloomington, May 28, 1950
Conductor: Ernst Hoffmann 		After Dinner Opera Company,
New York premiere, 1950 [31] 		Berkshire Music Festival, Tanglewood, 1950
Conductor: Lukas Foss [34] 		Manhattan Chamber Orchestra recording, 1997
Conductor: Richard Auldon Clark [31]
Smiley tenor Alton E. WilderBurton TrimbleNino LucianoFrederick Urrey
Stranger bass Charles Campbell Paul Ukena Luis PichardoKevin Deas
Lulu mezzo-soprano Lou HerberRuth Biller Eunice Alberts Julianne Baird
Uncle Henry baritone Elvin CampbellCarmon CaplingerPeter Castaldi
First CrapshootertenorKarl BrockGene CoxGeoffrey Friedley
Second CrapshooterbassAhti TuuriAlbert BassoMark Moliterno
Guitar PlayerbaritoneRalph Cavalucci Mac Morgan Christopher Arneson

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calaveras County, California</span> County in California, United States

Calaveras County, officially the County of Calaveras, is a county in both the Gold Country and High Sierra regions of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 45,292. The county seat is San Andreas. Angels Camp is the county's only incorporated city. Calaveras is Spanish for "skulls"; the county was reportedly named for the remains of Native Americans discovered by the Spanish explorer Captain Gabriel Moraga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fritz Reiner</span> American conductor (1888–1963)

Frederick Martin Reiner was an American conductor of opera and symphonic music in the twentieth century. Hungarian born and trained, he emigrated to the United States in 1922, where he rose to prominence as a conductor with several orchestras. He reached the pinnacle of his career while music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in the 1950s and early 1960s.

Calavera or its plural calaveras, may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lukas Foss</span> American composer

Lukas Foss was a German-American composer, pianist, and conductor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County</span> 1865 short story by Mark Twain

"The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" is an 1865 short story by Mark Twain. It was his first great success as a writer and brought him national attention. The story has also been published as "Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog" and "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County". In it, the narrator retells a story he heard from a bartender, Simon Wheeler, at the Angels Hotel in Angels Camp, California, about the gambler Jim Smiley. The narrator describes him: "If he even seen a straddle bug start to go anywheres, he would bet you how long it would take him to get to wherever he going to, and if you took him up, he would foller that straddle bug to Mexico but what he would find out where he was bound for and how long he was on the road."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra</span>

The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra located in Buffalo, New York led by Music Director JoAnn Falletta. Its primary performing venue is Kleinhans Music Hall, which is a National Historic Landmark. Each season it presents over 120 classical series, pops, rock, youth, and family concerts. During the summer months, the orchestra performs at parks and outdoor venues across Western New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smiley Burnette</span> American country music performer and comedic actor (1911–1967)

Lester Alvin Burnett, better known as Smiley Burnette, was an American country music performer and a comedic actor in Western films and on radio and TV, playing sidekick to Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and other B-movie cowboys. He was also a prolific singer-songwriter who is reported to have played proficiently over 100 musical instruments, sometimes more than one simultaneously. His career, beginning in 1934, spanned four decades, including a regular role on CBS-TV's Petticoat Junction in the 1960s.

<i>The Adventures of Mark Twain</i> (1944 film) 1944 film by Irving Rapper

The Adventures of Mark Twain is a 1944 American biographical film directed by Irving Rapper and starring Fredric March as Samuel Clemens and Alexis Smith as Twain's wife Olivia. Produced by Warner Bros., the film was nominated for three Academy Awards, including that for Best Music for Max Steiner's score. Irving Rapper was hesitant to direct the film but was persuaded by Hal B. Wallis.

Julianne Baird is an American soubrette and early music soprano. She has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Theatre de la Monnaie, Bach Festival Leipzig amongst many. She has recorded with Christopher Hogwood, John Eliot Gardiner, Joshua Rifkin and sung on five of the world’s continents in both opera and Sacred Music. She has more than 100 recordings to her credit and is a well-traveled recitalist and soloist with major symphony orchestras. She is also a noted teacher of voice.

"The Wayfaring Stranger", Roud 3339, is a well-known American folk and gospel song likely originating in the early 19th century about a plaintive soul on the journey through life. As with most folk songs, many variations of the lyrics exist and many versions of this song have been published over time by popular singers, often being linked to times of hardship and notable experiences in the singers' lives, such as the case with Burl Ives' autobiography.

<i>The Adventures of Mark Twain</i> (1985 film) 1985 film

The Adventures of Mark Twain, also known as Comet Quest in the United Kingdom, is a 1985 American independent stop-motion claymation fantasy film directed by Will Vinton and starring James Whitmore. It received a limited theatrical release in May 1985 and was released on DVD in January 2006 and again as a collector's edition in 2012 on DVD and Blu-ray.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frog jumping contest</span> Competitive pastime for humans

Frog jumping is a competitive pastime for humans in which frogs are entered into competitions to jump certain distances. Frog jumping contests are held in small communities scattered around the United States, as part of the folk culture.

<i>Best Man Wins</i> 1948 film by John Sturges

Best Man Wins is a 1948 American historical drama film directed by John Sturges and starring Edgar Buchanan, Anna Lee and Robert Shayne. It was produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures. It is based on the story The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County by Mark Twain.

<i>Griffelkin</i> 1955 TV opera by Lukas Foss

Griffelkin is an opera in three acts by Lukas Foss with a libretto by Alastair Reid. The opera was first performed on November 6, 1955, in a nationwide telecast by the NBC Opera Theatre.

The Saturday Press was a literary weekly newspaper, published in New York City from 1858 to 1860 and again from 1865 to 1866, edited by Henry Clapp Jr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Twain bibliography</span> About the works of Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens ,⁣ well known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist. Twain is noted for his novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), which has been called the "Great American Novel," and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876). He also wrote poetry, short stories, essays, and non-fiction. His big break was "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" (1867).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Tiboris</span> American conductor (1947–2024)

Peter Ernest Tiboris was an American concert producer, music director, and conductor. He was known for conducting and producing concerts at Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center, as well as in Greece. Through his company, MidAmerica Productions, he staged over 1,500 concerts worldwide.

Dan'l Webster may refer to:

<i>The Garden of Mystery</i> 1925 American opera in one act by Charles Wakefield Cadman

The Garden of Mystery is an English-language American opera in one act and three scenes. The composer was Charles Wakefield Cadman with a libretto by Nelle Richmond Eberhart. The opera was based on Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1844 short story "Rappaccini's Daughter".

References

  1. ↑ Greissle, Felix (September 1949). "Publisher vs. Composer: Can They Agree?". Musical America . Vol. 69, no. 11. p. 25. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  2. ↑ Griffel, Margaret Ross (2013). Operas in English: A Dictionary. Vol. 1. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. 253. ISBN   9780810883253 . Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  3. ↑ Tobias, Marianne Williams; Calder, George (2010). Opera for All Seasons: 60 Years of Indiana University Opera Theater. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. p. 327. ISBN   9780253353405.
  4. ↑ Parmenter, Ross (March 22, 1953). "The World of Music: Norma and Pelleas Revivals and Return of Rake and Boris Likely for Met". The New York Times . p. X7. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  5. ↑ Eaton, Quaintance (1961). Opera Production: A Handbook. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. p. 193. ISBN   9780306706356. LCCN   61-16843 . Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  6. ↑ Wlaschin, Ken (2024). Encyclopedia of American Opera. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. p. 185. ISBN   9781476612386 . Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  7. ↑ Meyers, Eric (April 2004). "Opera at Land's Edge". Opera . Vol. 55, no. 4. London. pp. 396–399.
  8. ↑ Machlis, Joseph (1963). American Composers of the Time. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell. pp. 196–199. LCCN   63-009204 . Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  9. ↑ Nettl, Paul (June 1950). "Indiana University Presents New Foss and Rogers Works". Musical America . Vol. 70, no. 7. p. 11. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  10. ↑ Tobias & Calder 2010, p. 327.
  11. 1 2 Nettl 1950, p. 11.
  12. ↑ Smith, Cecil (June 1950). "Jumping Frog Shares Bill with Bach and Blitzstein". Musical America . Vol. 70, no. 7. p. 11. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  13. 1 2 3 Smith 1950, p. 11.
  14. ↑ "Richard Flusser, 75, Founder of a Chamber-Opera Company". The New York Times . July 3, 2002. p. C12. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Music: Jumpin' Opera". Time . Vol. 55, no. 28. June 19, 1950. p. 51. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  16. ↑ Johnson, H. Earle (1964). Operas on American Subjects. New York: Coleman-Ross. p. 52. LCCN   64-017352 . Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  17. ↑ Boston Symphony Orchestra (1950). Tanglewood Music Center Yearbook. Lenox, Massachusetts: Berkshire Music Center. p. 250. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Music Festivals' Far-flung Way" (PDF). International Musician. Vol. 1, no. 12. Newark, New Jersey: American Federation of Musicians. June 1952. pp. 14–15. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  19. ↑ Winesaker, Michael (March–April 1960). "American Comic Opera–Yesterday and Today". American Music Teacher . Vol. 9, no. 4. pp. 8, 23–27. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  20. ↑ Jolly, Cynthia (November 1953). "Venice". Opera . Vol. 4, no. 11. London. pp. 683–685.
  21. ↑ Marshall, William (August 1956). "Cologne". Opera . Vol. 7, no. 8. London. pp. 494–495.
  22. ↑ Cairns, David (June 26, 1959). "Borderline Cases". The Spectator . Vol. 203, no. 6835. London: The Spectator (1828) Limited. pp. 911–912. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  23. ↑ Kessler, Daniel (2008). Sarah Caldwell: The First Woman of Opera. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. pp. 265, 273, 284, 287. ISBN   9780810859470 . Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  24. ↑ Foss, Lukas; Karsavina, Jean (1951). The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County: An Opera. New York: Carl Fischer Music. LCCN   52-043535.
  25. ↑ Foss, Lukas; Karsavina, Jean (1968). The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County: An Opera (revised ed.). New York: Carl Fischer Music. LCCN   76-209236.
  26. ↑ National Music Council, Committee on Recordings of American Music (1956). American Music on Records: A Catalogue of Recorded American Music Currently Available. New York: American Music Center. p. 13.
  27. ↑ Miller, Philip L. (1955). The Guide to Long-playing Records: Vocal Music. Vol. 2. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. p. 89. LCCN   55-5609.
  28. ↑ Berger, Arthur (May 26, 1951). "Spotlight on the Moderns". Saturday Review . Vol. 36. New York. pp. 62–63.
  29. ↑ Richie, Donald (July 1951). "Foss, The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County". American Record Guide . Vol. 17, no. 11. Pelham, New York: Peter Hugh Reed. p. 357.
  30. ↑ "Foss: The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County". The New Records. Vol. 19, no. 5. Philadelphia: H. Royer Smith Co. July 1951. p. 10.
  31. 1 2 3 Wlaschin 2024, p. 185.
  32. ↑ Goodfellow, William S. (August 24, 1997). "2 albums set poetry and prose of Americans to varied pieces of music". Deseret News . Salt Lake City. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
  33. ↑ Schwartz, Steven (2000). "CD Review: Lukas Foss, The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County". ClassicalNet.
  34. ↑ Boston Symphony Orchestra 1950, p. 250.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.