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Treemonisha

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The cover of the Treemonisha score, published in 1911

Treemonisha (1911) is a three-act opera by American composer Scott Joplin to a libretto of his own. It encompasses a range of musical styles, among them ragtime, with which the composer was chiefly associated,[1] and is numbers-based, including an overture and prelude, recitatives, arias, small ensembles, choruses and a ballet.[2]

The work was largely unknown before its greatly delayed first staging in 1972, an occasion that led four years later to a posthumous Pulitzer Prize for music.[3]. Music historian Gilbert Chase called the staging a "semi-miracle," noting that Treemonisha had "bestowed its creative vitality and moral message upon many thousands of delighted listeners and viewers."[4]

Described as "charming and piquant and … deeply moving",[2] Treemonisha taps the popular romantic vein of the early 20th century with elements of black folk song and dance: a kind of pre-blues music, spirituals, and a call-and-response style between preacher and congregation.[5] It celebrates African-American culture while stressing education as people's salvation, its symbolic educator being the soprano title character, who is abducted by a band of conjurers.[2]

History

Inspiration

Joplin's ambition was for Treemonisha to be both a serious opera in the European tradition and an entertaining piece of music. It has been speculated that his second wife, Freddie Alexander, inspired the work.[6] Like the title character, she was well-read and known to be a proponent of women's rights and African-American culture.[7] Joplin set the work in September 1884, the month and year of Alexander's birth, which contributes to that theory.[8] Joplin biographer Edward A. Berlin wrote that Treemonisha may have expressed other aspects of Joplin's life and that it was "a tribute to [Freddie], the woman he loved, a woman other biographers never even mentioned."[9] He noted that in the opera the title character receives her education in a white woman's home. Berlin and other music historians, along with Joplin's widow, have noted similarities between this element of the opera's story and Joplin's own childhood music and other lessons with Julius Weiss. Treemonisha the protagonist is a black teenager educated by a white woman, "just as Joplin received his education from a white music teacher".[10] Historian Larry Wolz agrees, noting that the "influence of mid-19th-century German operatic style" is quite obvious, which he attributes to Joplin learning from Weiss.[11]

Berlin also notes that Lottie Joplin, the composer's third wife, saw a connection between Treemonisha's wish to lead her people out of ignorance and a similar desire in the composer. Lottie Joplin describes Treemonisha as a spirit who would speak to him while Scott Joplin played the piano, and she would "shape" the composition. "She'd tell him secrets. She'd tell him the past and the future."[9] Treemonisha was an entity present while the piece was being created and was part of the process.[9]

Publication and first review

Joplin completed Treemonisha in 1910 and funded the publishing of a piano-vocal score the next year.[12] He promptly sent a copy to the American Musician and Art Journal, securing a glowing full-page review in its June issue.[13] This declared Treemonisha an "entirely new phase of musical art and … a thoroughly American opera,"[12][14] thus affirming Joplin's goal of creating a distinctive form of African-American opera.[13]

First performance (1915)

Scott Joplin

Despite this endorsement, the opera was never fully staged during the composer's lifetime. Its sole performance was a concert read-through in 1915 with Joplin at the piano, at the Lincoln Theater in Harlem, paid for by Joplin.[1] Sam Patterson, a friend, described this performance as "thin and unconvincing, little better than a rehearsal. … Its special quality [would have been] lost on the typical Harlem audience [that was] sophisticated enough to reject their folk past but not sufficiently so to relish a return to it."[15]

Long oblivion, then rediscovery

Aside from this non-staged premiere and a performance, also in 1915, of the opera's Act II ballet, called Frolic of the Bears, by the Martin-Smith Music School,[16] Treemonisha fell into oblivion until 1970, when its score was rediscovered. On October 22, 1971, excerpts were presented in concert form at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, with musical performances by William Bolcom, Joshua Rifkin and Mary Lou Williams supporting a group of singers.[17] Partly as a result of the success of this modest presentation came the first staging, in Atlanta.

First staging (1972)

This took place on January 27, 1972, as a joint effort of the music department of Morehouse College and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in Atlanta.[18] An orchestration was needed, and one was made for the purpose by T.J. Anderson. The performance was conducted by Robert Shaw, one of the first major conductors to hire both black and white singers for a chorus. This last was the Morehouse Glee Club under Wendell Whalum, who also served as the production's musical director.[19] The stage director was Katherine Dunham,[20] former head of an African-American dance company in her own name. Their work and the opera itself were well received by the audience and critics.[2]

Orchestrations

About the orchestration, Joplin's own notes have been lost (as, incidentally, has all of Joplin's first opera A Guest of Honor from 1903). Besides T.J. Anderson's initial reconstruction, there have been orchestrations from Gunther Schuller, whose version is behind the 1975 Deutsche Grammophon studio recording and the Kultur video of 1982, and Rick Benjamin, whose authentically scaled version for twelve instrumental parts made after twenty years of research is used on the 2011 New World Records studio production.

Gramophone magazine (April 2012): "After listening to Benjamin, the failings of Gunther Schuller’s 1975 DG recording become immediately obvious. Schuller’s glutinous orchestration is pitched somewhere between Falstaff and Oklahoma!, with some harmonies discreetly swung ‘jazzwards’ in a desperate attempt to clinch Treemonisha as a proto-Porgy and Bess."

Roles

(high to low)

  • Treemonisha, a young, educated freed slave – soprano (sung by Alpha Floyd in 1972)
  • Lucy, friend of Treemonisha – mezzo-soprano
  • Monisha, Treemonisha's supposed mother – contralto (sung by Louise Parker in 1972)
  • Remus, friend of Treemonisha – tenor (sung by Seth McCoy in 1972)
  • Andy, friend of Treemonisha – tenor
  • Cephus, a conjurer – tenor
  • Zodzetrick, a conjurer – baritone (sung by Harold Henderson in 1972)
  • Luddud, a conjurer – baritone
  • Parson Alltalk, a preacher – baritone
  • Ned, Treemonisha's father – bass (sung by Simon Estes in 1972)
  • Simon, a conjurer – bass

Synopsis

The action unfolds in September 1884 on a former slave plantation in an isolated forest between Texarkana (Joplin's childhood town) and the Red River in Arkansas. The title character is a young freedwoman. After being taught to read by a white woman, she leads her community against the influence of conjurers, who are shown as preying on ignorance and superstition. Treemonisha is abducted and is about to be thrown into a wasps' nest when her friend Remus rescues her. The community realizes the value of education and the liability of their ignorance before choosing her as their teacher and leader.[21][22][23]

The conjurer Zodzetrick attempts to sell a bag of luck to Monisha ("The Bag of Luck"), but her husband Ned wards him off. As Zodzetrick slinks away, Treemonisha and Remus hear the folks singing and excitedly prepare for the day ("The Corn Huskers"). Treemonisha asks if they would like a ring play before they worked. They accept, and Andy leads the folks in a song and dance ("We're Goin' Around"). When the folks have finished dancing, Treemonisha notices that the women wear wreaths on their heads, and she herself tries to acquire one from a tree ("The Wreath"). However, Monisha stops her in her tracks, and tells her of how this certain tree is sacred. Monisha performs an aria, talking of Treemonisha's discovery under the tree ("The Sacred Tree"). Treemonisha is distraught to learn Monisha and Ned aren't her true parents and laments over it ("Surprised"). Monisha then tells of how Treemonisha was brought up and educated ("Treemonisha's Bringing Up"). Parson Alltalk then arrives in a wagon, talking to the neighborhood and confirming their belief in superstition. Whilst he distracts the folks, the conjurers kidnap Treemonisha ("Good Advice"). Once Alltalk leaves, the neighborhood realizes Treemonisha is gone ("Confusion"). Remus sets out to rescue Treemonisha.

Act II opens with Simon, another conjurer, singing of superstition ("Superstition"). Zodzetrick, Luddud and Cephus then debate on Treemonisha's punishment for foiling their plans earlier in the day ("Treemonisha in Peril"). Whilst Treemonisha is bound, strange creatures perform a dance number about her ("Frolic of the Bears"). Simon and Cephus then take Treemonisha to be thrown in a giant wasps' nest ("The Wasp Nest"), but Remus arrives just in time, masquerading as the devil, scaring the conjurers away ("The Rescue"). The next scene opens on another plantation, where four laborers perform a quartet about having a break ("We Will Rest Awhile / Song of the Cotton Pickers"). Treemonisha and Remus then arrive, and ask for directions to the John Smith plantation. Once they have left, the workers hear a horn, and celebrate that their work is finished for the day ("Aunt Dinah has Blowed de Horn").

Act III opens with an instrumental prelude. We are on an abandoned plantation. Back in the neighborhood, Monisha and Ned mourn Treemonisha's disappearance ("I Want to See My Child"). When Remus and Treemonisha return, the neighborhood celebrate, and show that they have captured two of the conjurers, Zodzetrick and Luddud ("Treemonisha's Return"). Remus then lectures about good and evil ("Wrong is Never Right (A Lecture)"). Andy still wants to punish the conjurers, and riles up the neighborhood to attack them ("Abuse"). Ned then lectures the conjurers about their own nature ("When Villains Ramble Far and Near (A Lecture)"). Treemonisha persuades Andy to forgive the conjurers ("Conjurers Forgiven"), and sets them both free. Luddud decides to abandon conjuring, but Zodzetrick insists that he will never change his ways. The neighborhood then elect Treemonisha as their new leader ("We Will Trust You As Our Leader"), and they celebrate with a closing dance ("A Real Slow Drag").

Musical numbers

Act I

  • Overture
  • The Bag of Luck – Zodzetrick, Monisha, Ned, Treemonisha, Remus
  • The Corn Huskers – Chorus, Treemonisha, Remus
  • We're Goin' Around (A Ring Play) – Andy, Chorus
  • The Wreath – Treemonisha, Lucy, Monisha, Chorus
  • The Sacred Tree – Monisha
  • Surprised – Treemonisha, Chorus
  • Treemonisha's Bringing Up – Monisha, Treemonisha, Chorus
  • Good Advice – Parson Alltalk, Chorus
  • Confusion – Monisha, Chorus, Lucy, Ned, Remus

Act II

  • Superstition – Simon, Chorus
  • Treemonisha in Peril – Simon, Chorus, Zodzetrick, Luddud, Cephus
  • Ballet: Frolic of the Bears
  • The Wasp Nest – Simon, Chorus, Cephus
  • The Rescue – Treemonisha, Remus
  • We Will Rest Awhile / Song of the Cotton Pickers – Chorus
  • Going Home – Treemonisha, Remus, Chorus
  • Aunt Dinah Has Blowed de Horn – Chorus

Act III

  • Instrumental prelude
  • I Want To See My Child – Monisha, Ned
  • Treemonisha's Return – Monisha, Ned, Remus, Treemonisha, Chorus, Andy, Zodzetrick, Luddud
  • Wrong is Never Right (A Lecture) – Remus, Chorus
  • Abuse – Andy, Chorus, Treemonisha
  • When Villains Ramble Far and Near (A Lecture) – Ned
  • Conjurors Forgiven – Treemonisha, Andy, Chorus
  • We Will Trust You As Our Leader – Treemonisha, Chorus
  • A Real Slow Drag (Marchin' Onward) – Treemonisha, Lucy, Chorus

Critical appraisal

Though enthusiastic about the resuscitation of the opera on January 27, 1972, The New York Times expressed reservations only hours later: "As an opera it is naive, with a libretto virtually devoid of tension or literary ability, and the music makes no pretense at development. Joplin thought naturally in small forms, and his opera is a collection of set pieces rather than a work with any kind of musical thread running through it. And Joplin, too, unfortunately tried to echo European harmonies and part-writing … . This is not a ragtime opera, though several sections make use of ragtime elements, and there are sections of the work that reflect the strained writing of a composer floundering outside of his natural world.[24]

"But," continued the same critic, "Treemonisha makes an impact despite itself. Joplin could write extremely attractive melodies, and they [are] the kind of folk‐tinged, Afro‐American [sic] melodies that no white composer could have written. There are moments when Treemonisha comes unforgettably to life, as in some of the choruses that reflect the tradition of the spiritual, or above all the slow drag … that ends the opera. This slow drag is amazing. Harmonically enchanting, full of the tensions of an entire race, rhythmically catching, it refuses to leave the mind. Talk about soul music!"[25]

Later critics have also praised the opera as occupying a special place in American history, with its heroine "a startlingly early voice for modern civil rights causes, notably the importance of education and knowledge to African-American advancement."[26] Curtis's conclusion is similar: "In the end Treemonisha offered a celebration of literacy, learning, hard work, and community solidarity as the best formula for advancing the race."[21] Berlin describes it as a "fine opera, certainly more interesting than most operas then being written in the United States." On the other hand he agrees with the NYT's man that Joplin's libretto shows the composer to be "not a competent dramatist."[27] Opera historian Elise Kirk noted that "the opera slumbered in oblivion for more than half a century before making a triumphant [debut]. It was also recorded commercially in its entirety, the earliest African-American opera to achieve that distinction and the earliest to receive widespread modern recognition and performance."[28]

Influences noted

The themes of superstition and mysticism evident in Treemonisha are common in operatic tradition. Aspects of the plot are similar to devices used by Richard Wagner and known to Joplin. A sacred tree under which Treemonisha is found recalls one from which Siegmund retrieves a vital sword in Die Walküre; the recounting of the heroine's origins echos aspects of the opera Siegfried. African-American folk tales also influence the story; for instance, the wasp-nest incident mirrors the story of Br'er Rabbit and the briar patch.[29] Joplin uses ragtime and other black music styles sparingly, to convey "racial character"; much more of the score reflects his childhood — indeed it is a valuable record of rural Southern black music from the 1870s and 1880s, recreated by a "skilled and sensitive participant."[30]

Performances since 1972

Since its first staging in Atlanta Treemonisha has been performed all over the United States: by Houston Grand Opera, in two runs, using Schuller's orchestration; at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; at the Uris Theatre on Broadway; and on many other occasions. The opera has also been staged in Europe several times.

Houston Grand Opera

In early 1976 Houston Grand Opera first staged Treemonisha; the conductor was Chris Nance, the orchestration Gunther Schuller's, the stage director Frank Corsaro. (Using the same principal Houston cast, but with Schuller conducting, Deutsche Grammophon had made a studio recording in New York in October 1975, and this was released on LP in 1976.) In 1982 the Texas company revived Corsaro's staging and produced a video of it for television. Schuller's orchestration was again used but John DeMain conducted. Starring were Carmen Balthrop as Treemonisha, Delores Ivory as Monisha, and Obba Babatundé as Zodzetrick.

Europe

Europe soon saw staged versions in Venice (Italy) and Helsinki (Finland). The German premiere took place at the Stadttheater Gießen in 1984.[31]

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

A fully orchestrated and costumed production of Treemonisha was staged in February 1991 at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.[32]

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

In 2000 Opera Theatre of Saint Louis mounted a staging by Rhoda Levine, conducted by Jeffrey Huard, and choreographed by Dianne McIntyre. The cast included Christina Clark (Treemonisha), Geraldine McMillian (Monisha), Nathan Granner (Remus), and Kevin Short (Ned).[33] Unlike the 1976 Houston Grand Opera production and recording, this production used Joplin's original dialect.[34]

Paragon Ragtime Orchestra

Rick Benjamin, conductor of the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, spent five years orchestrating the opera score for Treemonisha for a 12-piece theater pit orchestra of the kind Joplin and his peers wrote for and performed with.

In June 2003 Rick Benjamin and the Paragon Ragtime Orchestra premiered their version of Scott Joplin's opera Treemonisha at the Stern Grove Festival in San Francisco. An extensively annotated 204-page book and two-CD recording of Benjamin's orchestration was released in 2011.[35][36]

European revivals

In 2010 a production was mounted in Paris at the Théâtre du Châtelet.[37] Germans saw a new staging at the Staatsschauspiel Dresden in 2015,[38] and there were performances in 2019 at the Arcola Theatre, London, as part of the Grimeborn Festival.[39]

Recordings and video

key: conductor/treemonisha/monisha/remus/zodzetrick/ned

  • Shaw/Floyd/Parker/McCoy/Henderson/Estes - 1972, live in Atlanta (Libsyn)
  • Schuller-G/Balthrop/Allen-B/Rayam/Harney/White-Wd - 1975 studio recording (Deutsche Grammophon)
  • DeMain/Balthrop/Ivory/Rayam/Babatundé/Duckens - 1982 video made in Houston (Kultur)
  • Benjamin-R/Johnson-A/Sandy/Packer/Pleasant/Ward - 2011 studio recording (New World)

Adaptations

Aaron Robinson conducted Treemonisha: the Concert Version at the Rockport Opera House in Maine in 1997 with a new libretto by Judith Kurtz Bogdanove.[40] In 2008 Sue Keller produced and arranged an abridged choral-orchestral rendition of Treemonisha (this was commissioned by the Scott Joplin International Ragtime Foundation,[41] which hosts a piano extravaganza annually in Sedalia, Missouri; the 1911 piano-vocal score was used as a basis for Keller's work).[42] Three songs from the opera (Nos. 4, 27 and 18) were performed at Berlin University of the Arts in 2009, a new arrangement for singers and brass band having been commissioned from composer Stefan Beyer.[43] An orchestral suite from Treemonisha was arranged by Schuller before he died; it featured in 2013 during The Rest Is Noise season at London's South Bank.[44]

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b "Treemonisha". operaam.org. Archived from the original on February 18, 2005. Retrieved September 13, 2005.
  2. ^ a b c d Southern (1997), p. 537
  3. ^ "Scott Joplin Pulitzer Prize". The Pulitzer Prizes. Archived from the original on 2019-08-20. Retrieved 2019-08-19.
  4. ^ Chase, p. 545
  5. ^ Southern (1997), pp. 537–540
  6. ^ Berlin (1996) pp. 207–8.
  7. ^ Kenny Blacklock, "Scott Joplin", The Unconservatory website. Accessed 11 September 2017.
  8. ^ Berlin (1996) pp. 207–8.
  9. ^ a b c Berlin (1996), pp. 207–208
  10. ^ Berlin (1996), p. 205.
  11. ^ Wolz, Larry."Julius Weiss", Handbook of Texas Online, Texas State Historical Association, accessed November 24, 2018
  12. ^ a b Chase, p. 546
  13. ^ a b "Scott Joplin". Vance's Fantastic Classic Black Music Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 13, 2005.
  14. ^ Berlin (1996) p. 202.
  15. ^ Southern (1997), p. 324; Southern cites Rudi Blesh, "Scott Joplin: Black-American Classicist", The Collected Works of Scott Joplin (New York, 1971), p. xxxix
  16. ^ Center for Black Music Research Digest
  17. ^ Nancy R. Ping-Robbins, Scott Joplin: A Guide to Research (New York: Garland, 1998), p. 289. ISBN 0-8240-8399-7.
  18. ^ Jones, Nick (1999). "The Legacy of Robert Shaw, Music Director (1967–1988)". Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  19. ^ "Wendell Whalum, a choral music legend". African-American Registry. 2013. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  20. ^ "Katherine Dunham biography (1909–2006)". The Katherine Dunham Centers for Arts & Humanities. 2011. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  21. ^ a b Christensen (1999) p. 444.
  22. ^ Berlin (1996) p. 203.
  23. ^ Crawford (2001) p. 545.
  24. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/1972/01/30/archives/music-treemonisha.html
  25. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/1972/01/30/archives/music-treemonisha.html
  26. ^ Kirk (2001) p. 194.
  27. ^ Berlin (1996) pp. 202–203.
  28. ^ Kirk (2001), p. 189
  29. ^ Berlin (1996) pp. 203–4.
  30. ^ Berlin (1996) pp. 202 & 204.
  31. ^ Nancy R. Ping Robbins, Guy Marco: Scott Joplin: A Guide to Research. Routledge, 2014, p. 299
  32. ^ "A Musical Miracle. Joplin's Little-known Treemonisha Is A One-of-a-kind Opera.", Chicago Tribune, February 10, 1991
  33. ^ https://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/20-years-of-favorites-from-opera-theatre-of-st-louis/collection_c4822e0a-c5dc-525e-a2d9-395cbd7b5b87.html
  34. ^ "Can Joplin's Great Opera Go Home Again?" by Anthony Tommasini, New York Times, May 7, 2000
  35. ^ "How Joplin heard America singing" by Jesse Hamlin, San Francisco Chronicle, June 21, 2003
  36. ^ Stern Grove Festival Web Site
  37. ^ "Treemonisha in Paris – Scott Joplin's rarely performed opera gets a rousing ovation in the City of Lights" Archived 2010-04-10 at the Wayback Machine
  38. ^ "Treemonisha Oper mit getanzten Szenen". Staatsschauspiel Dresden. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  39. ^ https://www.arcolatheatre.com/grimeborn/
  40. ^ Martin, Lucy (November 8, 1997). "Making a Joyful Noise with Joplin (Entertainment section)". Lincoln County News. Damariscotta, Maine.
  41. ^ Scott Joplin International Ragtime Foundation
  42. ^ Library of Congress scan of the entire 246-page Treemonisha piano/vocal sheet music book as published by Scott Joplin (1911)
  43. ^ "Brass meets Musical" – Treemonisha (Arr. Stefan Beyer) in Berlin June 2009
  44. ^ "The Rest is Noise: American mavericks". Time Out.

Sources

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