The Old Maid and the Thief
Encyclopedia
The Old Maid and the Thief is an opera
in one act by Italian-American composer Gian Carlo Menotti
. The work uses an English language libretto
by the composer which tells a twisted tale of morals and evil womanly power. Menotti writes in the libretto "The devil couldn't do what a woman can- Make a thief out of an honest man."
Commissioned by NBC
, The Old Maid and the Thief was one of the earliest operas composed specifically for performance on the radio. Upon the opera's premiere in 1939, the work was received with wide enthusiasm by American music critics. The success of the opera helped further establish Menotti's career in the United States. Menotti later adapted the opera slightly so it could be performed on the stage; with the first theatrical production given in Philadelphia in 1941. The staged version of the work proved to be successful as well, and the opera is still occasionally mounted by professional companies. It is also a popular repertoire choice by university opera programs in the United States.
to The Old Maid and the Thief himself; initially in Italian but with the intention of having the work traslated into English for its premiere. It was the first of several operas in the English language by the young composer who was just 28 years old at the time. He was inspired to write the story of the opera after visiting the family of Samuel Barber
(his partner). He found that what seemed to be a quaint, cute town actually covered up a plethora of secrets about people and places.
Rather than using the more contemporary through-composed style, Menotti chose to return to the 18th century opera buffa
method of composing set numbers, a format which worked well on the radio. There are 14 short scenes, each preceded by a narrated "announcement", in keeping with the medium of radio (to be excluded if fully staged). The harmonic
language is tonal and conservative. The radio announcements are included in the score, but it is also marked for stage direction.
The opera is most known for two arias. First, "What curse for a woman, is a timid man (Steal me, sweet thief)," is a full scene, where Laetitia sings of her affection for Bob, the bum. The other popular aria is "When The Air Sings of Summer," where Bob contemplates hitting the road. In addition to the original radio broadcast, the opera has been recorded twice on record: an LP from 1970 starring Judith Blegen
and a more recent recording on CD from Dallas, Texas in February 2007. The arias are excerpted and available in the Soprano volume of G. Schirmer's American Arias and the Baritone Volume of G. Schirmer's American Arias.
conducting the NBC Symphony Orchestra
for the closing of the orchestra's 1938-1939 season. The opera was first staged in a slightly revised version by the Philadelphia Opera Company
at the Academy of Music
in Philadelphia on February 11, 1941 in a double bill with the United States premiere of Emil von Reznicek
's Spiel oder Ernst?. The New York Philharmonic
chose to program portions of the opera in 1942 with conductor Fritz Busch
leading the ensemble. The first staged production in New York was presented by the New York City Opera
in February 1948 with Marie Powers
as Miss Todd, Virginia MacWatters
as Laetitia, Ellen Faull
as Miss Pinkerton, and Norman Young as Bob. Other early stagings of the opera were given by the New England Opera Theater
in Boston (1947), the Fort Worth Opera
(1947),, and the Chautauqua Opera
(1951).
The opera was first staged in Europe at the National Theatre Mannheim in February 1947 using a German language translation by Maria Pinazzi. It was subsequently mounted by the Staatstheater Darmstadt (1951) and the Teatro Regio di Parma
(1966) among other opera companies. More recently the opera was performed at London's Arcola Theatre
as part of the 2008 Grimeborn Festival
.
This opera is popular in the United States for colleges and workshop productions due to its English libretto, untaxing roles (since it is only in one act), and high musical value. The story and humor appeal to the modern American audience.
The next day Miss Todd learns from Miss Pinkerton of an escaped convict matching Bob's description is in the area. Distressed she tells Laetitia that Bob is undoubtedly the thief and they must get rid of him. Once again, Laetitia, insinuating that Bob is in love with her, convinces Miss Todd to let him stay. Undeterred, she leaves money out for Bob to "steal". Eventually unable to continue financing Bob, she resorts to stealing from her neighbors. Meanwhile, Laetitia is falling in love with the wanderer and sings "Steal Me Sweet Thief" an aria of her love for him, asking him to steal her away before time ravages and withers her looks. Miss Pinkerton encounters Miss Todd and warns her to "Keep all the doors locked, keep all the windows closed" because the thief is in town and has stolen from the neighbors (when it is really Miss Todd who has been stealing from her neighbors.) Intending to leave the next morning Bob sings "When the Air Sings of Summer" (Bob's Bedroom Aria). To prevent him from leaving Laetitia asks him what he wants. He replies he would like to "have something to drink." Miss Todd, who, being a good prohibitionist, doesn't have any in the house and would scandalize the town if she was seen buying liquor, forms a plan with Laetitia to break into a liquor store.
The next day Miss Pinkerton visits Miss Todd at home and informs her that the liquor store has been violated and the owner attacked. A drunken Bob interrupts their conversation, singing loudly upstairs. She also says that the police are going to search every house to find the thief. Forcing Miss Pinkerton out the door, Miss Todd and Laetitia confront Bob about his true identity. Explaining the police were on their way, Miss Todd plans to run away with Bob. Bob refuses to run away because he has done nothing wrong. Miss Todd "Is your love for me so small that you would see me in prison." Bob "Small? I don't love you at all" Miss Todd rages and leaves saying she would call the police and blame all the theft on him. Glumly, Bob and Laetitia duet on whether to stay and face the charges or leave, Laetitia winning the argument. They steal all Miss Todd's valuables including her car and ride off together. Miss Todd returns to find everything stolen and collapses in grief.
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 Italian-American composer Gian Carlo Menotti
Gian Carlo Menotti
Gian Carlo Menotti was an Italian-American composer and librettist. Although he often referred to himself as an American composer, he kept his Italian citizenship. He wrote the classic Christmas opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors, among about two dozen other operas intended to appeal to popular...
. The work uses 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 the composer which tells a twisted tale of morals and evil womanly power. Menotti writes in the libretto "The devil couldn't do what a woman can- Make a thief out of an honest man."
Commissioned by NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, The Old Maid and the Thief was one of the earliest operas composed specifically for performance on the radio. Upon the opera's premiere in 1939, the work was received with wide enthusiasm by American music critics. The success of the opera helped further establish Menotti's career in the United States. Menotti later adapted the opera slightly so it could be performed on the stage; with the first theatrical production given in Philadelphia in 1941. The staged version of the work proved to be successful as well, and the opera is still occasionally mounted by professional companies. It is also a popular repertoire choice by university opera programs in the United States.
Composition
Menotti wrote the librettoLibretto
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...
to The Old Maid and the Thief himself; initially in Italian but with the intention of having the work traslated into English for its premiere. It was the first of several operas in the English language by the young composer who was just 28 years old at the time. He was inspired to write the story of the opera after visiting the family of Samuel Barber
Samuel Barber
Samuel Osborne Barber II was an American composer of orchestral, opera, choral, and piano music. His Adagio for Strings is his most popular composition and widely considered a masterpiece of modern classical music...
(his partner). He found that what seemed to be a quaint, cute town actually covered up a plethora of secrets about people and places.
Rather than using the more contemporary through-composed style, Menotti chose to return to the 18th century opera buffa
Opera buffa
Opera buffa is a genre of opera. It was first used as an informal description of Italian comic operas variously classified by their authors as ‘commedia in musica’, ‘commedia per musica’, ‘dramma bernesco’, ‘dramma comico’, ‘divertimento giocoso' etc...
method of composing set numbers, a format which worked well on the radio. There are 14 short scenes, each preceded by a narrated "announcement", in keeping with the medium of radio (to be excluded if fully staged). The harmonic
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
language is tonal and conservative. The radio announcements are included in the score, but it is also marked for stage direction.
The opera is most known for two arias. First, "What curse for a woman, is a timid man (Steal me, sweet thief)," is a full scene, where Laetitia sings of her affection for Bob, the bum. The other popular aria is "When The Air Sings of Summer," where Bob contemplates hitting the road. In addition to the original radio broadcast, the opera has been recorded twice on record: an LP from 1970 starring Judith Blegen
Judith Blegen
Judith Blegen is an American soprano, particularly associated with light lyric roles of the French, Italian and German repertories.-Life and career:Blegen was raised and attended high school in Missoula, Montana...
and a more recent recording on CD from Dallas, Texas in February 2007. The arias are excerpted and available in the Soprano volume of G. Schirmer's American Arias and the Baritone Volume of G. Schirmer's American Arias.
Performance history
The Old Maid and the Thief was premiered on NBC Radio on April 22, 1939 with Alberto EredeAlberto Erede
Alberto Erede was an Italian conductor, particularly associated with operatic work.Born in Genoa, Erede studied there before studying in Milan, then with Felix Weingartner at Basle, and after this with Fritz Busch at Dresden. He made his debut in Turin in 1935, conducting Der Ring des Nibelungen....
conducting the NBC Symphony Orchestra
NBC Symphony Orchestra
The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a radio orchestra established by David Sarnoff of the National Broadcasting Company especially for conductor Arturo Toscanini...
for the closing of the orchestra's 1938-1939 season. The opera was first staged in a slightly revised version by the Philadelphia Opera Company
Philadelphia Opera Company
The Philadelphia Opera Company was the name of two different American opera companies active during the twentieth century in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The first company was founded by impresario Oscar Hammerstein I in 1908. That company disbanded only two years later as a result of financial...
at the Academy of Music
Academy of Music (Philadelphia)
The Academy of Music, also known as American Academy of Music, is a concert hall and opera house located at Broad and Locust Streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1857 and is the oldest opera house in the United States that is still used for its original purpose...
in Philadelphia on February 11, 1941 in a double bill with the United States premiere of Emil von Reznicek
Emil von Reznicek
Emil Nikolaus Freiherr von Reznicek was an Austrian late Romantic composer of Czech ancestry.-Life:...
's Spiel oder Ernst?. The New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
chose to program portions of the opera in 1942 with conductor Fritz Busch
Fritz Busch
Fritz Busch was a German conductor.Busch was born in Siegen, Province of Westphalia. He held posts conducting opera at Aachen, Stuttgart and Dresden. In 1933 he was dismissed from his post at Dresden because of his opposition to the new Nazi government of Germany...
leading the ensemble. The first staged production in New York was presented by the New York City Opera
New York City Opera
The New York City Opera is an American opera company located in New York City.The company, called "the people's opera" by New York Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, was founded in 1943 with the aim of making opera financially accessible to a wide audience, producing an innovative choice of repertory, and...
in February 1948 with Marie Powers
Marie Powers
Marie Powers was an American contralto who was best known for her performance as Madame Flora in Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Medium, a role that she played on stage, screen and television....
as Miss Todd, Virginia MacWatters
Virginia MacWatters
Virginia MacWatters was an acclaimed American coloratura soprano.Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, MacWatters studied at the Curtis Institute of Music, and sang 611 Broadway performances of Adele in Rosalinda , conducted by Erich Korngold, from 1942 to 1944...
as Laetitia, Ellen Faull
Ellen Faull
Ellen Hartla Faull was an American operatic soprano and distinguished voice teacher. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she was primarily associated with New York City Opera, where she sang from 1947 until 1978 and created the role of Abigail Borden in Jack Beeson's opera Lizzie Borden in its 1965...
as Miss Pinkerton, and Norman Young as Bob. Other early stagings of the opera were given by the New England Opera Theater
New England Opera Theater
The New England Opera Theatre was an American opera company that was active from 1945 to 1985. Founded by Boris Goldovsky in January 1945, the company was originally based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was initially established under the sponsorship of the New England Conservatory as a training...
in Boston (1947), the Fort Worth Opera
Fort Worth Opera
According to the company, Fort Worth Opera is the oldest, continually performing opera company in the state of Texas and among the oldest in the United States. While originally presenting operas one at a time over a fall/winter season, it changed to a "festival" format in 2007...
(1947),, and the Chautauqua Opera
Chautauqua Opera
The Chautauqua Opera is the resident summer opera company of the Chautauqua Institution. It is the oldest continuously active summer opera company in the U.S, having been founded in 1929, and it has produced several operas during the Institution's nine-week summer season every year since...
(1951).
The opera was first staged in Europe at the National Theatre Mannheim in February 1947 using a German language translation by Maria Pinazzi. It was subsequently mounted by the Staatstheater Darmstadt (1951) and the Teatro Regio di Parma
Teatro Regio di Parma
Teatro Regio di Parma is a famous 19th century opera house and opera company in Parma, Italy. The theatre was originally known as the Teatro Ducale....
(1966) among other opera companies. More recently the opera was performed at London's Arcola Theatre
Arcola Theatre
Arcola Theatre is a studio theatre in Dalston, in the London Borough of Hackney. The theatre's ambition is to create and present high-quality theatre with a social and political relevance to its multicultural local community as well as a wider audience....
as part of the 2008 Grimeborn Festival
Grimeborn
Grimeborn is an annual musical theatre and opera festival which coincides with the world famous Glyndebourne Opera Festival. Founded by Arcola Theatre’s artistic director Mehmet Ergen in 2007, the festival is held at Arcola Theatre in Dalston, East London...
.
This opera is popular in the United States for colleges and workshop productions due to its English libretto, untaxing roles (since it is only in one act), and high musical value. The story and humor appeal to the modern American audience.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast April 22, 1939 (Conductor: - Alberto Erede Alberto Erede Alberto Erede was an Italian conductor, particularly associated with operatic work.Born in Genoa, Erede studied there before studying in Milan, then with Felix Weingartner at Basle, and after this with Fritz Busch at Dresden. He made his debut in Turin in 1935, conducting Der Ring des Nibelungen.... ) |
Premiere Stage Cast February 11, 1941 (Conductor: - Sylvan Levin Sylvan Levin Sylvan Levin was an American concert pianist and conductor. He notably served as the assistant conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York City Symphony under Leopold Stokowski for many years... ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miss Todd, Old Maid (unmarried) | mezzo-soprano or 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... |
Mary Hoppel | Gabrielle Hunt |
| Bob, Wanderer (or Thief) | 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... |
Robert Weede Robert Weede -Biography:Born Robert Wiedefeld in Baltimore, Maryland, Weede studied voice at the Eastman School of Music and in Milan. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1937, as Tonio in Pagliacci... |
Robert Gay |
| Laetitia, Miss Todd's Maid | 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... |
Margaret Daum Margaret Daum Margaret Daum was an American classical soprano. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Daum studied singing at the Ithaca Conservatory of Music where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1928... |
Frances Greer Frances Greer Frances Greer was an American soprano. A leading performer at the Metropolitan Opera and the Philadelphia Opera Company, she recorded 13 albums, mostly musical operattas with RCA Victor, and made several concert appearances at Carnegie Hall... |
| Miss Pinkerton, Miss Todd's Spinster Neighbor | 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... |
Dorothy Sarnoff Dorothy Sarnoff Dorothy Sarnoff was an American operatic soprano, musical theatre actress, and self-help guru. She had an active performing career from the late 1930s through the 1950s, during which time she sang in several operas with the New York City Opera and created several roles on Broadway, most notably... |
Hilda Morse |
Synopsis
This one-act opera, divided into 14 scenes, is about an old maid, Miss Todd, who is a busybody in her small town. Though she is of high standing in her community, her love life has been bare for over forty years. Her housemaid Laetitia is a young, catty eavesdropper who is wary of becoming an Old Maid like her employer. Bob, a wanderer, comes to Miss Todd's door one afternoon while the town gossip, Miss Pinkerton is visiting. Enamored of his beauty, Laetitia easily convinces Miss Todd to let him stay. Getting acquainted with each other Laetitia then convinces Bob to stay by promising him more food and accommodations without any cost.The next day Miss Todd learns from Miss Pinkerton of an escaped convict matching Bob's description is in the area. Distressed she tells Laetitia that Bob is undoubtedly the thief and they must get rid of him. Once again, Laetitia, insinuating that Bob is in love with her, convinces Miss Todd to let him stay. Undeterred, she leaves money out for Bob to "steal". Eventually unable to continue financing Bob, she resorts to stealing from her neighbors. Meanwhile, Laetitia is falling in love with the wanderer and sings "Steal Me Sweet Thief" an aria of her love for him, asking him to steal her away before time ravages and withers her looks. Miss Pinkerton encounters Miss Todd and warns her to "Keep all the doors locked, keep all the windows closed" because the thief is in town and has stolen from the neighbors (when it is really Miss Todd who has been stealing from her neighbors.) Intending to leave the next morning Bob sings "When the Air Sings of Summer" (Bob's Bedroom Aria). To prevent him from leaving Laetitia asks him what he wants. He replies he would like to "have something to drink." Miss Todd, who, being a good prohibitionist, doesn't have any in the house and would scandalize the town if she was seen buying liquor, forms a plan with Laetitia to break into a liquor store.
The next day Miss Pinkerton visits Miss Todd at home and informs her that the liquor store has been violated and the owner attacked. A drunken Bob interrupts their conversation, singing loudly upstairs. She also says that the police are going to search every house to find the thief. Forcing Miss Pinkerton out the door, Miss Todd and Laetitia confront Bob about his true identity. Explaining the police were on their way, Miss Todd plans to run away with Bob. Bob refuses to run away because he has done nothing wrong. Miss Todd "Is your love for me so small that you would see me in prison." Bob "Small? I don't love you at all" Miss Todd rages and leaves saying she would call the police and blame all the theft on him. Glumly, Bob and Laetitia duet on whether to stay and face the charges or leave, Laetitia winning the argument. They steal all Miss Todd's valuables including her car and ride off together. Miss Todd returns to find everything stolen and collapses in grief.
Recordings
| Year | Cast: Miss Todd, Bob, Laetitia, Miss Pinkerton |
Conductor, Orchestra |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Anna Reynolds Anna Reynolds (singer) Anna Reynolds is an English classical mezzo-soprano and contralto singer in opera and concert.- Professional career :Ann Reynolds first studied piano, then voice at the Royal Academy of Music... , John Reardon, Judith Blegen Judith Blegen Judith Blegen is an American soprano, particularly associated with light lyric roles of the French, Italian and German repertories.-Life and career:Blegen was raised and attended high school in Missoula, Montana... , Margaret Baker |
Jorge Mester Jorge Mester Jorge Mester is a Mexican conductor of Hungarian ancestry.-Biography:He studied conducting with Jean Morel at the Juilliard School in New York, and worked with Leonard Bernstein at the Berkshire Music Center and with Albert Wolff... , Orchestra of the Teatro Verdi di Trieste |
Mercury Records Mercury Records Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal... |
| 2007 | Natalie Arduino, Blake Davidson, Nicole Franklin, Lynn Parr Mock |
Victoria Bond Victoria Bond -Life:Victoria Bond was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of operatic bass Philip Bond and concert pianist Jane Bond. Her grandfather was also a liturgical composer. The family later moved from California to New York, and Bond studied piano at the Mannes School of Music with Nadia... , Lone Spring Arts Orchestra |
Albany Music |
Sources
- Archibald, Bruce (1992), 'Old Maid and the Thief, The' in The New Grove Dictionary of OperaNew Grove Dictionary of OperaThe New Grove Dictionary of Opera is an encyclopedia of opera, considered to be one of the best general reference sources on the subject. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes....
, ed. Stanley Sadie (London) ISBN 0-333-73432-7