The Saint of Bleecker Street
Encyclopedia
The Saint of Bleecker Street is an opera
in three acts by Gian Carlo Menotti
to an original English libretto
by the composer. It was first performed at The Broadway Theatre
in New York City
on December 27, 1954. David Poleri and Davis Cunningham
alternated in the role of Michele, and Thomas Schippers
conducted. It ran for 92 consecutive performances.
The opera is through composed, and set in the intensely-Catholic
Little Italy
of New York City in 1954. It follows Annina, a young and simple woman who is blessed with the stigmata
. She often hears voices and sees visions of the angels. Her brother, Michele, is an atheist who is intensely protective of his sister; he believes she requires hospitalisation, but he cannot stop the rest of the neighborhood from believing her a saint
.
The Saint of Bleecker Street won Menotti the Pulitzer Prize for Music
in 1955 and the New York Drama Critics Circle award for best musical. Although it is not part of the standard operatic repertory, recordings of it exist, and it is occasionally performed.
The original set for The Saint of Bleecker Street was designed by the American Symbolic Realist painter George Tooker
, and was based on elements from his painting The Subway, currently in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art
.
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 by 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...
to an original English 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. It was first performed at The Broadway Theatre
The Broadway Theatre
The Broadway Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 1681 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on December 27, 1954. David Poleri and Davis Cunningham
Davis Cunningham
Thomas Davis Cunningham was an American tenor who had prominent career in operas, musicals, concerts, and on television from 1949 through 1973.-Biography:...
alternated in the role of Michele, and Thomas Schippers
Thomas Schippers
Thomas Schippers was an American conductor. He was highly-regarded for his work in opera.-Biography:...
conducted. It ran for 92 consecutive performances.
The opera is through composed, and set in the intensely-Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
Little Italy
Little Italy, Manhattan
Little Italy is a neighborhood in lower Manhattan, New York City, once known for its large population of Italians. Today the neighborhood of Little Italy consists of Italian stores and restaurants.-Historical area:...
of New York City in 1954. It follows Annina, a young and simple woman who is blessed with the stigmata
Stigmata
Stigmata are bodily marks, sores, or sensations of pain in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus, such as the hands and feet...
. She often hears voices and sees visions of the angels. Her brother, Michele, is an atheist who is intensely protective of his sister; he believes she requires hospitalisation, but he cannot stop the rest of the neighborhood from believing her a saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
.
The Saint of Bleecker Street won Menotti the Pulitzer Prize for Music
Pulitzer Prize for Music
The Pulitzer Prize for Music was first awarded in 1943. Joseph Pulitzer did not call for such a prize in his will, but had arranged for a music scholarship to be awarded each year...
in 1955 and the New York Drama Critics Circle award for best musical. Although it is not part of the standard operatic repertory, recordings of it exist, and it is occasionally performed.
The original set for The Saint of Bleecker Street was designed by the American Symbolic Realist painter George Tooker
George Tooker
George Clair Tooker, Jr. was a figurative painter whose works are associated with the Magic realism and Social realism movements...
, and was based on elements from his painting The Subway, currently in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, (Conductor: Thomas Schippers Thomas Schippers Thomas Schippers was an American conductor. He was highly-regarded for his work in opera.-Biography:... ) |
|---|---|---|
| Annina | 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... |
Virginia Copeland |
| Don Marco | 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... |
Leon Lishner Leon Lishner Leon Lishner was an American operatic bass-baritone. He was particularly associated with the works of Gian Carlo Menotti, having created parts in the world premieres of four operas by that composer... |
| Michele | 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... |
David Poleri |
| Assunta | 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... |
Catherine Akos |
| Maria Corona | soprano | Maria Marlo |
| Desideria | mezzo-soprano | Gloria Lane |
| Salvatore | 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... |
David Aiken David Aiken (baritone) David Aiken was an American operatic baritone, opera director, and United States Army Air Corps officer... |
| Carmela | soprano | Maria di Gerlando Maria di Gerlando Maria di Gerlando was an American operatic soprano and voice teacher who was a leading performer at the New York City Opera from 1953-1969... |
| A young man | tenor | Richard Cassilly Richard Cassilly Richard Cassilly was an American operatic tenor who had a major international opera career between 1954 and 1990... |
| A young woman | soprano | Elisabeth Carron |
| 1rst guest | tenor | Keith Kaldenberg |
| 2nd guest | baritone | John Reardon |
| Concettina | silent role | Lucy Becque |
| Maria's son | silent role | Ernesto Gonzales |
| Bartender | silent role | Russell Goodwin |
External links
- The Saint of Bleecker Street page at the US Opera website
- The Saint of Bleecker Street at the IBDB database