The King's Henchman
Encyclopedia
The King's Henchman is an opera
in three acts composed by Deems Taylor
to an English language libretto
by Edna St. Vincent Millay
. It premiered on February 17, 1927 at the Metropolitan Opera
in New York City in a performance conducted by Tullio Serafin
. The libretto is based on both legend and historical figures documented in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
including Edgar the Peaceful, Elfrida of Devon, and Dunstan
. It tells the story of a love triangle between King Eadgar, his henchman
Aethelwold, and Aelfrida, daughter of the Thane
of Devon
.
Shortly after becoming General Manager of the Metropolitan Opera
in 1908, Giulio Gatti-Casazza
had set a goal of producing at least one new English language opera by an American composer each season. These were often selected via a competition from works that had already been composed or partially composed. However, the competition for the 1927 season had thrown up no winner, and Otto Kahn, chairman of the board of directors of the Metropolitan Opera, approached Taylor directly with the offer of a commission. Taylor accepted immediately and set about finding a librettist. At the suggestion of his wife, Taylor approached the American poet Edna St. Vincent Millay
who had won the Pulitzer Prize
for poetry two years earlier. Millay accepted on the condition that her name not be mentioned as the librettist until she had completed the work. Taylor left the choice of story to her, and she initially started working on a setting of the fairy tale Snow White
with the provisional title The Casket of Glass. However ill health and an incipient nervious breakdown led her to abandon the unfinished libretto and start afresh. She decided to base the story on figures in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
, a subject that had fascinated her when she was in college, and began working on it in November 1925.
The King's Henchman opened on February 17, 1927 in a performance conducted by Tullio Serafin
with Lawrence Tibbett
in his first major role at the Met as King Eadgar, Edward Johnson
as Aethelwold, the King's henchman, and Florence Easton
as Aelfrida, the woman who comes between them. The large-scale production (twenty-two individual roles plus a chorus) was directed by Wilhelm von Wymetal with sets designed by Joseph Urban
. The premiere was a great success both with the critics and the audience. There were over fifteen minutes of ovations at the end, and the composer and librettist were called back for five curtain calls. The opera's reception prompted the Met to commission another work from Taylor, Peter Ibbetson
, which premiered there in 1931. Millay's libretto was published separately as a book and sold out four editions in its first twenty days. A 1927 painting depicting a scene from Act 2 by the American artist N. C. Wyeth
was commissioned by Steinway & Sons
and is now in the Kelly Collection of American Illustration.
Following its premiere, The King's Henchman was staged sixteen more times at the Met over three seasons, with its last performance on March 28, 1929. Between 1927 and 1928, it was also toured to forty-six American cities with a total of ninety performances given by a company organized by Taylor. On September 18, 1927 it became the first live opera to be broadcast on CBS Radio
when it was performed in a condensed version narrated by the composer. There were sporadic performances in the late 1930's. Cincinnati Opera
staged the work in 1936, and in 1937 it was toured with the Federal Music Project
, but despite its great success at the time, The King's Henchman soon fell out of the repertory and is all but forgotten now.
of Devon
. He has heard that she is very beautiful and despatches his henchman
, Aethelwold and Aethelwold's servant Maccus to Devon to discover whether she is indeed as beautiful as he had heard. If she is, Aethelwold is to arrange the marriage.
to start a new life. Just as they are about to leave, Maccus announces that King Eadgar is arriving to visit them. Aethelwold confesses his betrayal of the King to Aelfrida. She in turn is furious that she has missed the opportunity to be Queen of England. Nevertheless, she agrees to make herself as ugly as possible so that the King will not discover his henchman's treachery. However, when she appears before Eadgar, she has made herself look as beautiful as possible instead. The King confronts Aethelwold, who overcome with remorse, kills himself with his sword. The King orders that Aethelwold be buried with honour and reflects on all that has happened.
, "O Caesar, Great Wert Thou!" from Act 1 and "Nay, Maccus, Lay Him Down" from Act 3, were released on Victor Records in 1928 and later re-issued on LP
by New World Records
in Toward an American Opera 1911-1954. The two arias also appear on the Preiser Records 2003 CD Lebendige Vergangenheit: Lawrence Tibbett. In 1998, the International Record Collectors' Club issued the CD Souvenirs From American Operas which contains three remastered excerpts from the opera taken from live broadcasts: Tibbett's "O Caesar, Great Wert Thou!", Jan Peerce
and Vivian Della Chiesa
singing the Act 3 duet "God Willing, We Leave This House Tonight", and Tibbett again in an extended Act 3 finale "Eadgar, Eadgar".
Further reading
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
in three acts composed by Deems Taylor
Deems Taylor
Joseph Deems Taylor was a U.S. composer, music critic, and promoter of classical music.-Career:Taylor initially planned to become an architect; however, despite minimal musical training he soon took to music composition. The result was a series of works for orchestra and/or voices...
to an English language libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Edna St. Vincent Millay
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Edna St. Vincent Millay was an American lyrical poet, playwright and feminist. She received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and was known for her activism and her many love affairs. She used the pseudonym Nancy Boyd for her prose work...
. It premiered on February 17, 1927 at the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in New York City in a performance conducted by Tullio Serafin
Tullio Serafin
-Biography:Tullio Serafin was a leading Italian opera conductor with a long career and a very broad repertoire who revived many 19th century bel canto operas by Bellini, Rossini and Donizetti to become staples of 20th century repertoire...
. The libretto is based on both legend and historical figures documented in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the Chronicle was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great...
including Edgar the Peaceful, Elfrida of Devon, and Dunstan
Dunstan
Dunstan was an Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey, a Bishop of Worcester, a Bishop of London, and an Archbishop of Canterbury, later canonised as a saint. His work restored monastic life in England and reformed the English Church...
. It tells the story of a love triangle between King Eadgar, his henchman
Henchman
Henchman referred originally to one who attended on a horse for his employer, that is, a horse groom. Hence, like constable and marshal, also originally stable staff, henchman became the title of a subordinate official in a royal court or noble household...
Aethelwold, and Aelfrida, daughter of the Thane
Thegn
The term thegn , from OE þegn, ðegn "servant, attendant, retainer", is commonly used to describe either an aristocratic retainer of a king or nobleman in Anglo-Saxon England, or as a class term, the majority of the aristocracy below the ranks of ealdormen and high-reeves...
of Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
.
Background and performance history
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in 1908, Giulio Gatti-Casazza
Giulio Gatti-Casazza
Giulio Gatti-Casazza was an Italian opera manager. He was general manager of La Scala in Milan, Italy and later the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.-Life and career:...
had set a goal of producing at least one new English language opera by an American composer each season. These were often selected via a competition from works that had already been composed or partially composed. However, the competition for the 1927 season had thrown up no winner, and Otto Kahn, chairman of the board of directors of the Metropolitan Opera, approached Taylor directly with the offer of a commission. Taylor accepted immediately and set about finding a librettist. At the suggestion of his wife, Taylor approached the American poet Edna St. Vincent Millay
Edna St. Vincent Millay
Edna St. Vincent Millay was an American lyrical poet, playwright and feminist. She received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and was known for her activism and her many love affairs. She used the pseudonym Nancy Boyd for her prose work...
who had won the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
for poetry two years earlier. Millay accepted on the condition that her name not be mentioned as the librettist until she had completed the work. Taylor left the choice of story to her, and she initially started working on a setting of the fairy tale Snow White
Snow White
"Snow White" is a fairy tale known from many countries in Europe, the best known version being the German one collected by the Brothers Grimm...
with the provisional title The Casket of Glass. However ill health and an incipient nervious breakdown led her to abandon the unfinished libretto and start afresh. She decided to base the story on figures in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is a collection of annals in Old English chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the Chronicle was created late in the 9th century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of Alfred the Great...
, a subject that had fascinated her when she was in college, and began working on it in November 1925.
The King's Henchman opened on February 17, 1927 in a performance conducted by Tullio Serafin
Tullio Serafin
-Biography:Tullio Serafin was a leading Italian opera conductor with a long career and a very broad repertoire who revived many 19th century bel canto operas by Bellini, Rossini and Donizetti to become staples of 20th century repertoire...
with Lawrence Tibbett
Lawrence Tibbett
Lawrence Mervil Tibbett was a great American opera singer and recording artist who also performed as a film actor and radio personality. A baritone, he sang with the New York Metropolitan Opera company more than 600 times from 1923 to 1950...
in his first major role at the Met as King Eadgar, Edward Johnson
Edward Johnson (tenor)
Edward Patrick Johnson CBE was a Canadian operatic tenor who was billed outside North America as Edoardo Di Giovanni, and became director of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.- Early life :...
as Aethelwold, the King's henchman, and Florence Easton
Florence Easton
Florence Easton was a popular English dramatic soprano in the early 20th century. She was one of the most versatile singers of all time. She sang more than 100 parts, covering a wide range of styles and periods, from Mozart, Meyerbeer, Gounod, Verdi, Wagner, Puccini, Strauss, Schreker and Krenek...
as Aelfrida, the woman who comes between them. The large-scale production (twenty-two individual roles plus a chorus) was directed by Wilhelm von Wymetal with sets designed by Joseph Urban
Joseph Urban
Joseph Urban Born in Vienna, Austria, died in New York City, trained as an architect, known also for his theatrical design and his early illustrations of children's books....
. The premiere was a great success both with the critics and the audience. There were over fifteen minutes of ovations at the end, and the composer and librettist were called back for five curtain calls. The opera's reception prompted the Met to commission another work from Taylor, Peter Ibbetson
Peter Ibbetson (opera)
Note: This article is about the opera. For the 1935 film of the same name, see Peter Ibbetson.Peter Ibbetson is an opera in three acts by American composer Deems Taylor from a libretto by Constance Collier and Deems Taylor based on the 1891 novel by George du Maurier. Taylor's music is attractive,...
, which premiered there in 1931. Millay's libretto was published separately as a book and sold out four editions in its first twenty days. A 1927 painting depicting a scene from Act 2 by the American artist N. C. Wyeth
N. C. Wyeth
Newell Convers Wyeth , known as N.C. Wyeth, was an American artist and illustrator. He was the pupil of artist Howard Pyle and became one of America's greatest illustrators...
was commissioned by Steinway & Sons
Steinway & Sons
Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway , is an American and German manufacturer of handmade pianos, founded 1853 in Manhattan in New York City by German immigrant Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg...
and is now in the Kelly Collection of American Illustration.
Following its premiere, The King's Henchman was staged sixteen more times at the Met over three seasons, with its last performance on March 28, 1929. Between 1927 and 1928, it was also toured to forty-six American cities with a total of ninety performances given by a company organized by Taylor. On September 18, 1927 it became the first live opera to be broadcast on CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
when it was performed in a condensed version narrated by the composer. There were sporadic performances in the late 1930's. Cincinnati Opera
Cincinnati Opera
Cincinnati Opera is an American opera company based in Cincinnati, Ohio and the second oldest opera company in the United States .-History:...
staged the work in 1936, and in 1937 it was toured with the Federal Music Project
Federal Music Project
The Federal Music Project , part of the Federal government of the United States New Deal program Federal One, employed musicians, conductors and composers during the Great Depression. People in the music world had been particularly hard-hit by the era's economic downturn...
, but despite its great success at the time, The King's Henchman soon fell out of the repertory and is all but forgotten now.
Principal roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, February 17, 1927 (Conductor: Tullio Serafin Tullio Serafin -Biography:Tullio Serafin was a leading Italian opera conductor with a long career and a very broad repertoire who revived many 19th century bel canto operas by Bellini, Rossini and Donizetti to become staples of 20th century repertoire... ) |
|---|---|---|
| Aethelwold, Earl of East Anglia and the King's henchman | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
Edward Johnson Edward Johnson (tenor) Edward Patrick Johnson CBE was a Canadian operatic tenor who was billed outside North America as Edoardo Di Giovanni, and became director of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.- Early life :... |
| Aelfrida, daughter of Ordgar, Thane of Devon | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
Florence Easton Florence Easton Florence Easton was a popular English dramatic soprano in the early 20th century. She was one of the most versatile singers of all time. She sang more than 100 parts, covering a wide range of styles and periods, from Mozart, Meyerbeer, Gounod, Verdi, Wagner, Puccini, Strauss, Schreker and Krenek... |
| Eadgar, King of England | baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... |
Lawrence Tibbett Lawrence Tibbett Lawrence Mervil Tibbett was a great American opera singer and recording artist who also performed as a film actor and radio personality. A baritone, he sang with the New York Metropolitan Opera company more than 600 times from 1923 to 1950... |
| Maccus, servant and friend of Aethelwold | bass Bass (voice type) A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C... |
William Gustafson |
| Ordgar, Thane of Devon | baritone | Louis D'Angelo |
| Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury | tenor | George Meader |
| Hwita, Cup-bearer to the King | tenor | Max Bloch |
| Ase, servant to Aelfrida | mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above... |
Merle Alcock |
| Thored, Master-of-the-Household to Ordgar | baritone | Arnold Gabor |
Synopsis
Setting: England in the 10th centuryAct 1
Eadgar, the widowed King of England, is seeking a new wife and contemplating choosing Aelfrida, the daughter the ThaneThegn
The term thegn , from OE þegn, ðegn "servant, attendant, retainer", is commonly used to describe either an aristocratic retainer of a king or nobleman in Anglo-Saxon England, or as a class term, the majority of the aristocracy below the ranks of ealdormen and high-reeves...
of Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
. He has heard that she is very beautiful and despatches his henchman
Henchman
Henchman referred originally to one who attended on a horse for his employer, that is, a horse groom. Hence, like constable and marshal, also originally stable staff, henchman became the title of a subordinate official in a royal court or noble household...
, Aethelwold and Aethelwold's servant Maccus to Devon to discover whether she is indeed as beautiful as he had heard. If she is, Aethelwold is to arrange the marriage.
Act 2
Aelfrida finds Aethelwold sleeping in the woods and awakens him with a kiss. She had just uttered an incantation to make the next man who sees her fall in love with her. Aethelwold does indeed fall in love with her. He sends a message to the King that she is actually very ugly, marries her himself, and settles down in Devon.Act 3
A few months later, the couple become restless and decide to leave for FlandersFlanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
to start a new life. Just as they are about to leave, Maccus announces that King Eadgar is arriving to visit them. Aethelwold confesses his betrayal of the King to Aelfrida. She in turn is furious that she has missed the opportunity to be Queen of England. Nevertheless, she agrees to make herself as ugly as possible so that the King will not discover his henchman's treachery. However, when she appears before Eadgar, she has made herself look as beautiful as possible instead. The King confronts Aethelwold, who overcome with remorse, kills himself with his sword. The King orders that Aethelwold be buried with honour and reflects on all that has happened.
Recordings
There have been no complete commercial recordings of the opera. However, two excerpts sung by Lawrence TibbettLawrence Tibbett
Lawrence Mervil Tibbett was a great American opera singer and recording artist who also performed as a film actor and radio personality. A baritone, he sang with the New York Metropolitan Opera company more than 600 times from 1923 to 1950...
, "O Caesar, Great Wert Thou!" from Act 1 and "Nay, Maccus, Lay Him Down" from Act 3, were released on Victor Records in 1928 and later re-issued on LP
LP record
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
by New World Records
New World Records
New World Records is a record label based in New York City specialising in American music. The label was established in 1975 through a Rockefeller Foundation grant to produce a 100 disc anthology covering 200 years of American music....
in Toward an American Opera 1911-1954. The two arias also appear on the Preiser Records 2003 CD Lebendige Vergangenheit: Lawrence Tibbett. In 1998, the International Record Collectors' Club issued the CD Souvenirs From American Operas which contains three remastered excerpts from the opera taken from live broadcasts: Tibbett's "O Caesar, Great Wert Thou!", Jan Peerce
Jan Peerce
Jan Peerce was an American operatic tenor. Peerce was an accomplished performer on the operatic and Broadway concert stages, in solo recitals, and as a recording artist. He is the father of film director Larry Peerce....
and Vivian Della Chiesa
Vivian Della Chiesa
Vivian Della Chiesa was an American lyric soprano who achieved a high level of popularity in the United States singing on the radio during the 1940s and the early 1950s. She performed a wide variety of classical and popular works from opera to musical theatre, jazz, and popular songs...
singing the Act 3 duet "God Willing, We Leave This House Tonight", and Tibbett again in an extended Act 3 finale "Eadgar, Eadgar".
Sources
- Camner, James (October 1998). "Recording Review: Souvenirs from American Operas (IRRC 818)". Opera NewsOpera NewsOpera News is an American classical music magazine. It has been published since 1936 by the Metropolitan Opera Guild, a non-profit organization located at Lincoln Center which was founded to support the Metropolitan Opera of New York City...
, Vol. 63, No. 4. - Downes, Olin (February 18, 1927). "King's Henchman Hailed as Best American Opera". New York Times, p. 1 . (The article is also reprinted in the Metropolitan Opera Archives.)
- Kirk, Elise Kuhl (2001). American Opera. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0252026233
- Metropolitan OperaMetropolitan OperaThe Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
Archives. The King's Henchman. MetOpera Database - Millay, Edna St. VincentEdna St. Vincent MillayEdna St. Vincent Millay was an American lyrical poet, playwright and feminist. She received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and was known for her activism and her many love affairs. She used the pseudonym Nancy Boyd for her prose work...
(1927/2005). The King's Henchman a Play in Three Acts. Kessinger Publishing, 2005. ISBN 141791372X (originally published in 1927 by Harper & BrothersHarper & BrothersHarper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher HarperCollins.-History:James Harper and his brother John, printers by training, started their book publishing business J. & J. Harper in 1817. Their two brothers, Joseph Wesley Harper and Fletcher Harper, joined them...
) - New York Times (October 20, 1950)."Edna St. V. Millay Found Dead At 58"
- Pegolotti, James A. (2003). Deems Taylor: A Biography. UPNE (2003). ISBN 1555535879
- Phillips-Matz, Mary Jane (1984). The Many Lives of Otto Kahn. Pendragon Press. ISBN 0918728363
- Youngstown Vindicator (February 18, 1927). "Hail 'The King's Henchman' as Greatest American Opera"
Further reading
- Brody, Elaine (December 1977). "The King's Henchman: Fifty Years Later". Notes Second Series, Vol. 34, No. 2, pp. 319-322
External links
- Scene from the 1937 Los Angeles performance of The King's Henchman on the Federal Music ProjectFederal Music ProjectThe Federal Music Project , part of the Federal government of the United States New Deal program Federal One, employed musicians, conductors and composers during the Great Depression. People in the music world had been particularly hard-hit by the era's economic downturn...
tour. - Photograph of Lawrence Tibbett as Eadgar from the Meropolitan Opera Archives.
- Steinway & Sons 1928 advertisement incorporating N. C. WyethN. C. WyethNewell Convers Wyeth , known as N.C. Wyeth, was an American artist and illustrator. He was the pupil of artist Howard Pyle and became one of America's greatest illustrators...
's painting of Act 2.
