The Long Christmas Dinner (opera)
Encyclopedia
The Long Christmas Dinner is an opera
in one act by Paul Hindemith
, with an English
libretto
by Thornton Wilder
based on his play of the same name
.
Wilder collaborated with the composer in order to make the text work effectively with the music. It was arranged for chamber orchestra and used a harpsichord.
under the direction of the composer. A digital recording of the work on the Wergo label was performed in the German language; Hindemith himself provided the translation of the English libretto into German. A commercial recording in English has yet to be made.
The opera opens with Lucia, wife of Roderick Bayard, setting the table for Christmas
dinner. Having finished, she calls down her husband and his mother, who is joining them in their first Christmas dinner in their new house. Over dinner, Roderick’s mother, referred to as Mother Bayard, recalls a time in her childhood when Indians
lived where the house now rests; at the time, there was no city, only a church and surrounding forestry. She goes on to discuss the importance of remembering the names of one’s ancestors.
The opera fast-forwards to another Christmas dinner between Roderick, Lucia, and Mother Bayard, this time joined by Roderick’s cousin Brandon, who is back from his time spent in Alaska
. As they eat, Brandon asks Mother Bayard how the two are related. As the years go on, Mother Bayard passes away, leaving Lucia, Roderick, and Brandon. All three wonder aloud how long they’ve resided in the Bayard house, remarking on how quickly the time flies. Soon after Mother Bayard passes away, Lucia’s and Roderick’s son Charles is born. Not long after the birth of their son, another baby arrives: Genevieve, their daughter.
Fast-forward to a Christmas dinner joined by a grown-up Charles and Genevieve; Roderick, Lucia, and Brandon have all aged significantly. The men give a toast
to the firm owned and run by the Bayard family, and the women join in on the merriment. Roderick passes away shortly after this point in time, leaving behind a devastated Lucia. She, Brandon, Genevieve, and Charles reflect on dinners of Christmas' passed. After a quick change in subject, Genevieve announces to her mother that Charles is engaged to be married, adding that she herself will never marry, so that she may always remain with her mother.
The scene shifts briefly to show the marriage
of Charles and his wife, Leonora. The newlyweds join Lucia, Brandon, and Genevieve for Christmas dinner. Not long after Charles and Leonora marry, the couple birth a baby—however, the baby dies in infancy
. Brandon passes away, and is quickly followed by Lucia. The death of Lucia greatly devastates Genevieve, who is left wondering what to do with her life. On the tail end of Lucia's death is the birth of Leonora's fraternal twins: Sam and Lucia II Bayard. Not long afterward, Roderick Brandon Bayard II is also born.
Leonora and Charles write to the latter’s cousin Ermengarde, asking her to stay with them. During dinner one Christmas, Ermengarde and Charles discuss their relation and reminisce about their ancestors. Sam, on holiday leave from the military, joins the family for Christmas dinner along with his twin sister, Lucia II. Sam tells his family to do what they normally do on Christmas day, so that he may cherish the memory of his family’s Christmas dinner. Soon after, he goes off to war
and dies there.
Years later, Roderick II jovially joins the family, talking of his and Lucia II’s fun time at the ball. Charles berates Roderick II for getting drunk and making a fool of himself, and reminds him that he will soon enter the family firm. Roderick II lashes out angrily, claiming that the town in which they live is so dull that drinking is the only way to endure it. He angrily storms out as he exclaims that he will move away to a “town where something happens,” despite his mother's pleading that he stay. Lucia leaves soon afterward to travel with her spouse, promising to bring children back with her.
Charles and Ermengarde both fall ill, and an atmosphere of sadness is draped over the household. Eventually, Genevieve snaps, fed up with her life of depression following her mother’s death. She informs her family that she will go away to die alone, and leaves.
Charles writes his son a letter, forgiving him for tarnishing the family name and refusing to carry on with the firm. He promises to send him another message the following Christmas, but dies before he is able to do so.
Leonora’s health declines as she is left with only a dying Ermengarde in the house. The two try to reflect on just how old the house has become: it is nearly ninety years old by this point. Leonora tells Ermengarde that she may have the house if she wants it, as there are no more children around to inherit it. Leonora leaves the room, and Ermengarde finds a letter sent to the house by Lucia II. Attached are pictures of her children--a boy named Roderick III and a girl named Lucia III—along with a letter, informing her that a new Bayard house has been built by Lucia II and Roderick II. Whilst reading the letter, Ermengarde passes away.
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 one act by Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and conductor.- Biography :Born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, Hindemith was taught the violin as a child...
, with an English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
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 Thornton Wilder
Thornton Wilder
Thornton Niven Wilder was an American playwright and novelist. He received three Pulitzer Prizes, one for his novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey and two for his plays Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth, and a National Book Award for his novel The Eighth Day.-Early years:Wilder was born in Madison,...
based on his play of the same name
The Long Christmas Dinner
The Long Christmas Dinner is a play in one act written by American novelist and playwright Thornton Wilder in 1931. In its first published form, it was included in the volume The Long Christmas Dinner and Other Plays in One Act.-Characters:...
.
Wilder collaborated with the composer in order to make the text work effectively with the music. It was arranged for chamber orchestra and used a harpsichord.
Performance history
It was first performed on 13 March 1963, at the Juilliard School of Music, New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
under the direction of the composer. A digital recording of the work on the Wergo label was performed in the German language; Hindemith himself provided the translation of the English libretto into German. A commercial recording in English has yet to be made.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 13 March 1963 (Conductor: Paul Hindemith Paul Hindemith Paul Hindemith was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and conductor.- Biography :Born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, Hindemith was taught the violin as a child... ) |
|---|---|---|
| Lucia I | 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... |
|
| Lucia II | soprano | |
| Leonora | soprano | |
| Mother Bayard | contralto Contralto Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above... |
|
| Ermengarde | contralto | |
| Geneviève | 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... |
|
| Charles | 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... |
|
| Roderick I | 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... |
|
| Roderick II | tenor | |
| Sam | baritone | |
| Brandon | bass | |
Synopsis
The opera depicts 90 years in the history of the mid-western Bayard family.The opera opens with Lucia, wife of Roderick Bayard, setting the table for Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
dinner. Having finished, she calls down her husband and his mother, who is joining them in their first Christmas dinner in their new house. Over dinner, Roderick’s mother, referred to as Mother Bayard, recalls a time in her childhood when Indians
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
lived where the house now rests; at the time, there was no city, only a church and surrounding forestry. She goes on to discuss the importance of remembering the names of one’s ancestors.
The opera fast-forwards to another Christmas dinner between Roderick, Lucia, and Mother Bayard, this time joined by Roderick’s cousin Brandon, who is back from his time spent in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. As they eat, Brandon asks Mother Bayard how the two are related. As the years go on, Mother Bayard passes away, leaving Lucia, Roderick, and Brandon. All three wonder aloud how long they’ve resided in the Bayard house, remarking on how quickly the time flies. Soon after Mother Bayard passes away, Lucia’s and Roderick’s son Charles is born. Not long after the birth of their son, another baby arrives: Genevieve, their daughter.
Fast-forward to a Christmas dinner joined by a grown-up Charles and Genevieve; Roderick, Lucia, and Brandon have all aged significantly. The men give a toast
Toast (honor)
A toast is a ritual in which a drink is taken as an expression of honor or goodwill. The term may be applied to the person or thing so honored, the drink taken, or the verbal expression accompanying the drink. Thus, a person could be "the toast of the evening," for whom someone "proposes a toast"...
to the firm owned and run by the Bayard family, and the women join in on the merriment. Roderick passes away shortly after this point in time, leaving behind a devastated Lucia. She, Brandon, Genevieve, and Charles reflect on dinners of Christmas' passed. After a quick change in subject, Genevieve announces to her mother that Charles is engaged to be married, adding that she herself will never marry, so that she may always remain with her mother.
The scene shifts briefly to show the marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
of Charles and his wife, Leonora. The newlyweds join Lucia, Brandon, and Genevieve for Christmas dinner. Not long after Charles and Leonora marry, the couple birth a baby—however, the baby dies in infancy
Infant mortality
Infant mortality is defined as the number of infant deaths per 1000 live births. Traditionally, the most common cause worldwide was dehydration from diarrhea. However, the spreading information about Oral Re-hydration Solution to mothers around the world has decreased the rate of children dying...
. Brandon passes away, and is quickly followed by Lucia. The death of Lucia greatly devastates Genevieve, who is left wondering what to do with her life. On the tail end of Lucia's death is the birth of Leonora's fraternal twins: Sam and Lucia II Bayard. Not long afterward, Roderick Brandon Bayard II is also born.
Leonora and Charles write to the latter’s cousin Ermengarde, asking her to stay with them. During dinner one Christmas, Ermengarde and Charles discuss their relation and reminisce about their ancestors. Sam, on holiday leave from the military, joins the family for Christmas dinner along with his twin sister, Lucia II. Sam tells his family to do what they normally do on Christmas day, so that he may cherish the memory of his family’s Christmas dinner. Soon after, he goes off to war
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
and dies there.
Years later, Roderick II jovially joins the family, talking of his and Lucia II’s fun time at the ball. Charles berates Roderick II for getting drunk and making a fool of himself, and reminds him that he will soon enter the family firm. Roderick II lashes out angrily, claiming that the town in which they live is so dull that drinking is the only way to endure it. He angrily storms out as he exclaims that he will move away to a “town where something happens,” despite his mother's pleading that he stay. Lucia leaves soon afterward to travel with her spouse, promising to bring children back with her.
Charles and Ermengarde both fall ill, and an atmosphere of sadness is draped over the household. Eventually, Genevieve snaps, fed up with her life of depression following her mother’s death. She informs her family that she will go away to die alone, and leaves.
Charles writes his son a letter, forgiving him for tarnishing the family name and refusing to carry on with the firm. He promises to send him another message the following Christmas, but dies before he is able to do so.
Leonora’s health declines as she is left with only a dying Ermengarde in the house. The two try to reflect on just how old the house has become: it is nearly ninety years old by this point. Leonora tells Ermengarde that she may have the house if she wants it, as there are no more children around to inherit it. Leonora leaves the room, and Ermengarde finds a letter sent to the house by Lucia II. Attached are pictures of her children--a boy named Roderick III and a girl named Lucia III—along with a letter, informing her that a new Bayard house has been built by Lucia II and Roderick II. Whilst reading the letter, Ermengarde passes away.