tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11614065570736911602024-02-19T03:50:45.105-05:00The Doctor in Spite of HimselfMICHAEL MONROEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16392848296427560715noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161406557073691160.post-55288040997010214272008-10-01T13:26:00.000-04:002009-01-31T13:32:54.372-05:00Oh yeah, we did the show and it was a big successJust realized I never got around to updating this blog after the performances. The main purpose of this is to say that if you're interested in this performing edition (translation, orchestration, or both), feel free to <a href="mailto:MMmusing@gmail.com">contact me</a>.MICHAEL MONROEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16392848296427560715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161406557073691160.post-68275804099713333262008-09-23T22:22:00.008-04:002008-09-24T23:29:55.066-04:00The Doctor in PrepOver in the margin, you'll find some rehearsal photos from the past weekend. Information about the cast will follow soon [<a href="http://thedoctorinspiteofhimself.blogspot.com/2008/09/cast.html">done</a>] . . . for now, you can click on the little thumbnail slideshow, or go <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/MMmusing/TheDoctorInSpiteOfHimself#slideshow/5249338808524189426">here</a> to see our fabulous cast in action.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/MMmusing/TheDoctorInSpiteOfHimself#slideshow/5249338808524189426"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5249547571132025458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf6pw35Q0EkT1LOEK2KrV8pyis2DKoTScPJVBYYVJJPLtCbiWtAX-_peHwYmfwlU3mW_S4ShLcP0iLTtdRygx3d3mfSP7Svh9iiq3_IcA5o_tI4Q_Q7ubzOpg9m8aLBhqeOlRxJ5a6Yvev/s200/trio_sepia.jpg" border="0" /></a>MICHAEL MONROEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16392848296427560715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161406557073691160.post-54920758976502054242008-09-23T21:23:00.007-04:002008-09-25T08:15:29.754-04:00The Cast<p align="left">Our wonderful cast is made up Gordon College undergraduates, with help from a few recent (mostly very recent) grads. Many of these students participated in our 2006 production of <em>The Doctor in Spite of Himself; </em>Baritone Kreigh Knerr as <em>Valère</em>, Tenor Dustin Juliano as <em>Lucas</em>, Bass Stephen Humeston as <em>Géronte</em>, Soprano Jennica Serra sang in the chorus, Soprano Ellen Sawyer played in the orchestra, and Mezzo-soprano Amy Fichera served as stage manager. Go <a href="http://thedoctorinspiteofhimself.blogspot.com/2008/09/story.html">here</a> to see how these characters fit into the story. Go <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/MMmusing/TheDoctorInSpiteOfHimself#slideshow/5249338808524189426">here</a> to see the cast in action.<br /><hr /><br /><div class="nobrtable"><table><tbody><tr><td width="220"><em><strong>Sganarelle</strong></em>, a woodcutter:</td><td>Kreigh Knerr, '09</td></tr><tr><td width="220"><em><strong>Martine</strong></em>, his wife:</td><td>Jennica Serra, '08</td></tr><tr><td width="220"><em><strong>Géronte</strong></em>, a wealthy man:</td><td>Stephen Humeston, '06</td></tr><tr><td width="220"><em><strong>Lucinde</strong></em>, his daughter:</td><td>Ellen Sawyer, '08</td></tr><tr><td width="220"><em><strong>Léandre</strong></em>, her true love:</td><td>Dustin Juliano, '08</td></tr><tr><td width="220"><em><strong>Jacqueline</strong></em>, Géronte's nurse:</td><td>Amy Fichera, '08</td></tr><tr><td width="220"><em><strong>Lucas</strong></em>, Jacqueline's husband:</td><td>Chris Zini, '10</td></tr><tr><td width="220"><em><strong>Valère</strong></em>, Géronte's servant:</td><td>Nate Haywood, '10</td></tr><tr><td width="220"><em><strong>Robert</strong></em>, a neighbor:</td><td>David Allen, '09</td></tr></tbody></table></div><hr /><br /><p align="center"><strong>CHORUS OF WOODCUTTERS AND COUNTRY MAIDENS</strong></p><p align="center">Catherine Hawkins<br />Christine Houlette<br />Bethany Persenaire<br />Evelynn Sawyer<br /><br />David Allen<br />James Cassell<br />German Disla<br />Jakub Matczynski</p>MICHAEL MONROEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16392848296427560715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161406557073691160.post-20902473909918099042008-09-22T14:30:00.000-04:002008-09-27T14:36:34.541-04:00The Director<p>Ron Luchsinger has directed a number of musical productions for Gordon College, dating back to 1994, including Gilbert and Sullivan’s <em>Patience</em>, <em>Gondoliers</em>, <em>The Mikado</em>, <em>H.M.S. Pinafore</em> & <em>The Pirates of Penzance</em>, Offenbach’s <em>Grand Duchess of Gerolstein</em> and annual evenings of Opera Scenes. He is Director of Productions for Opera North in New Hampshire, where he recently directed productions of Puccini's <em>Madama Butterfly</em> and Mozart's <em>The Magic Flute</em>. He also serves as Artistic Director of Commonwealth Opera in Northampton, MA, where he'll direct Madama Butterfly in November. Other upcoming productions include Purcell's <em>Dido and Aeneas</em> and Ravel's <em>L'enfant et les sortilèges</em> at the Hartt School.</p><p>Ron's directing career is distinguished by the wide range and diversity of his repertory. Recent productions include Puccini's<em> La fanciulla del West</em>, Britten’s <em>A Midsummer Night’s Dream</em>, Handel’s <em>Agrippina</em>, and Monteverdi's <em>L'incoronazione di Poppea</em>, as well as such standard works as <em>Carmen</em>, <em>La bohème</em>, <em>Il trovatore</em>, <em>Roméo et Juliette</em>, <em>Paglicacci</em> and <em>Don Giovanni</em>. His directing credits include productions for Syracuse Opera, Knoxville Opera, Connecticut Opera, Eugene Opera, Anchorage Opera, Abilene Opera, The Lyric Opera of Dallas, Shreveport Opera, OK Mozart Festival, The California Music Center, Jacksonville Lyric Opera and Amarillo Opera.</p><p>Well known as an educator, Ron has served on the faculties of The University of Connecticut and The Hartt School. He has also offered workshops and directed productions for numerous colleges and schools, including SUNY at Stony Brook, Baylor University and Abilene Christian College, The Oxbow School in Vermont and the Vermont Arts in Education Association. He also teaches acting and oversees a Young Director’s program at Opera North. Currently working on a book on directing opera, Ron and Gordon Professor C. Thomas Brooks have co-produced a highly respected instructional video, Singing/Acting/Surviving. </p>MICHAEL MONROEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16392848296427560715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161406557073691160.post-73605672480512739812008-09-22T14:20:00.001-04:002008-09-27T14:42:49.989-04:00The Orchestra<div align="center"><strong>Violin 1</strong>: Sarah Skinner, Dina Molla </div><div align="center"><br /><strong>Violin 2</strong>: Alyssa Gaul , Andrew Giebel </div><div align="center"><br /><strong>Viola</strong>: Mackenzie Gass </div><div align="center"><br /><strong>Cello</strong>: Korynne Bolt </div><div align="center"><br /><strong>Bass</strong>: Andrew Coulombe </div><div align="center"><br /><strong>Flute</strong>: Nathan Gosselin </div><div align="center"><br /><strong>Oboe</strong>: Rachel Wolcott </div><div align="center"><br /><strong>Clarinet</strong>: Joseph Valadez </div><div align="center"><br /><strong>Bassoon</strong>: Terry Myers</div><div align="center"> </div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5250773340828406898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGG6bPtlHZ5dr6UFk5nX1RxiFpDoapcmtHV37GZNt3Hq9QyQi_z46m4Y7mD_7RnzyncueRvruXCZrvVrMunw7uOLn672dqdMB9Sl9hWodIlPvZx4QgBLL4qFvTYOYKEivveCi1BADzCvmg/s320/orchestra.jpg" border="0" />MICHAEL MONROEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16392848296427560715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161406557073691160.post-3641240221251751722008-09-21T11:47:00.002-04:002008-09-21T16:57:42.938-04:00Doctor Karaoke #6: Music is the Master of all MedicineWe should stop here to acknowledge that our production of <em>The Doctor in Spite of Himself</em> is being sponsored by the brand-new <a href="http://www.gordon.edu/koscdedication">Ken Olsen Science Center</a>. We'll be performing in the MacDonald <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Auditorium</span>. It's a wonderful show of interdisciplinary spirit that these scientists are supporting the arts by letting us bring opera to their lecture hall and by sponsoring a theatre <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">department</span> production of <a href="http://www.gordon.edu/article.cfm?iArticleID=605&iReferrerPageID=5&iPrevCatID=30&bLive=1">A Number</a>, a thought-provoking play about the ethics of cloning - and we're showing our appreciation by offering a show that makes fun of science! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Hmm</span>. But it is fun, and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Molière's</span> story is a useful reminder that science hasn't always gotten everything right.<br /><br />In that spirit, we hope the scientists among us won't be too offended by the following musical suggestion:<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/XtO0FKDuIn4&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/XtO0FKDuIn4&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />These words are sung by a chorus of musical healers, brought in by the "doctor" to help cure the mute <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Lucinde</span>. Here, Gounod intentionally adopts an old-fashioned Baroque style to suggest the 17<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">th</span> century context. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Molière's</span> play was almost 200 years old when Gounod and his librettists set it to music - as it happens, Gounod's comic opera is now exactly 150 years old, so all of the music may seem a bit antiquated to modern ears, but this chorus still manages to stand out as appropriately old-fashioned. The grand and stately tune also serves well as the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">beginning</span> of the Overture; this recording is taken from our 2006 production.<br /><br />Also, updated at the main production <a href="http://www.thedoctorinspiteofhimself.com/">website</a>.MICHAEL MONROEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16392848296427560715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161406557073691160.post-6840262697838388422008-09-18T21:34:00.005-04:002008-09-24T10:13:14.392-04:00The StorySo perhaps you'd like to know what this opera is about. Here's a brief synopsis, with links to the tunes that have already been featured in karaoke.<br /><br /><em>The Doctor in Spite of Himself</em> fits squarely in the French comic opera tradition that was mastered by Offenbach and that <a href="http://thedoctorinspiteofhimself.blogspot.com/2008/08/doctor-karaoke-3-jacquelines-song.html">helped inspire</a> the works of Gilbert and Sullivan. Although Italian comic operas are generally sung throughout, the French, German, and English traditions favor spoken dialogues. In this case, all of the spoken dialogues come directly from Molière's <a href="http://webperso.mediom.qc.ca/~plabrie/Medecin_malgre_lui.html">play</a>. The lyrics for all the musical numbers were written by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, who also served as librettists for <em>Faust</em>, <em>Roméo et Juliette</em>, and most of Gounod's other operas. Our production will be performed <a href="http://thedoctorinspiteofhimself.blogspot.com/2008/08/about-this-performing-edition.html">in English</a>.<br /><br />All the musical numbers are indicated below with <strong><em>bold italics</em></strong>. In all, there are six solo arias, two duets, one trio, a quintet (which is reprised with different words), and a sextet.<br /><br />First of all, here's the line-up of characters (and they are <em>characters</em>):<br /><br /><blockquote><p>SGANARELLE, a lumbering brute of a woodcutter<br />MARTINE, Sganarelle's longsuffering wife<br />GÉRONTE, a wealthy man with an unmarried daughter<br />LUCINDE, Géronte’s daughter<br />LÉANDRE, Lucinde's true love<br />JACQUELINE, Géronte’s nurse<br />LUCAS, Géronte’s servant & Jacqueline's husband<br />VALÈRE, Géronte’s servant<br />MR. ROBERT, a nosy neighbor</p><p>(Go <a href="http://thedoctorinspiteofhimself.blogspot.com/2008/09/cast.html">here</a> to see the cast list.)</p></blockquote><hr /><br /><strong>SYNOPSIS</strong><br /><br /><strong>Act I</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><u>Scene 1 - a forest, somewhere near the border of Vermont and Quebec</u><br /><br /><blockquote>Sganarelle and Martine argue violently in a spirited <strong><em>duet</em></strong>. Their neighbor, Robert, tries to intervene. Though Sganarelle apologizes, Martine <a href="http://thedoctorinspiteofhimself.blogspot.com/2008/08/doctor-karaoke-4-martines-vengeance.html"><strong><em>sings</em></strong></a> of her desire for vengeance. Lucas and Valère, servants of Géronte, arrive in search of a doctor to help heal Lucinde, who has lost her speech. Martine decides to use the men to her advantage and tells them her husband is a great doctor who will only admit to his skill after being beaten severely. Lucas and Valère find Sganarelle <strong><em>singing</em></strong> lovingly to his bottle, and they "persuade" him to help them in a spirited <strong><em>trio</em></strong>. Before our story leaves the forest, we see some of Sganarelle’s fellow woodcutters <a href="http://thedoctorinspiteofhimself.blogspot.com/2008/08/doctor-karaoke-2-lumberjack-song.html"><strong><em>singing</em></strong></a> about their lives and attracting the interest of country maidens.</blockquote><u>Scene 2 – in and around Géronte’s house</u><br /><br /><blockquote>Léandre is heard <a href="http://thedoctorinspiteofhimself.blogspot.com/2008/09/doctor-karaoke-5-youth-and-love.html"><em><strong>singing</strong></em></a> a serenade to his beloved Lucinde, much to the consternation of Géronte who wants to marry his daughter to the wealthy Horace. Lucas and Valère excitedly announce that they’ve found a doctor, although Jacqueline <a href="http://thedoctorinspiteofhimself.blogspot.com/2008/08/doctor-karaoke-3-jacquelines-song.html"><strong><em>sings</em></strong></a> that girls should be allowed to marry for love. Sganarelle is brought in and, after being somewhat distracted by the nurse, he delivers an impromptu diagnosis of Lucinde’s problem in a rousing <em><strong><a href="http://thedoctorinspiteofhimself.blogspot.com/2008/08/doctor-karaoke-1.html">sextet</a></strong></em>. All are amazed.</blockquote><strong>Act II</strong><br /><br /><blockquote>Sganarelle receives praise and payment for his efforts and <strong><em>sings</em></strong> enthusiastically about being a doctor. After learning of Léandre’s interest in the girl, Sganarelle has the young man return in disguise with some musicians to <a href="http://thedoctorinspiteofhimself.blogspot.com/2008/09/doctor-karaoke-6-music-is-master-of-all.html"><em><strong>sing</strong></em> </a>for the patient; Lucinde hums along. Léandre, now disguised as a pharmacist, <strong><em>tries his hand</em></strong> at helping some country folk with a sick relative. Sganarelle, after a bit more flirting in <em><strong>duet</strong></em> with the nurse, introduces Léandre as his pharmacist. The sudden return of Lucinde’s speech ends up enraging Géronte in a frantic <strong><em>quintet</em></strong>. Sganarelle sends her off with the “pharmacist,” only to have Lucas reveal that Sganarelle has helped the young lovers run away. Just when it looks as if things will end badly for our doctor, Léandre <em><strong>returns</strong></em> with good news.</blockquote>MICHAEL MONROEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16392848296427560715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161406557073691160.post-35976797194183719682008-09-06T23:25:00.001-04:002008-09-07T08:00:19.459-04:00Doctor Karaoke #5: Youth and LoveHey, this opera isn't all vengeance and beatings. Here, we hear the ardent young Léandre, tenderly serenading his Lucinde outside her window (and thus enraging her father, of course). The music and words are a bit on the flowery side, but he is a tenor, after all . . .<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vV1Xp4WimwA&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vV1Xp4WimwA&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />This recording is taken from the January, 2006 premiere of this translation/orchestration, and features Wesley Lawrence, now a doctoral student in opera studies at the prestigious Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.MICHAEL MONROEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16392848296427560715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161406557073691160.post-63539013925001693982008-08-25T18:58:00.001-04:002008-08-25T19:52:48.689-04:00Doctor Karaoke #4: Martine's Vengeance AriaOpera arias, at their best, serve to reveal a character's character in ways that words alone can't do. Whereas the folksy, dance-like tone of <a href="http://thedoctorinspiteofhimself.blogspot.com/2008/08/doctor-karaoke-3-jacquelines-song.html">Jacqueline's song</a> (which now features improved audio/video) shows her to be a confident and practical-minded country nurse, Gounod uses broader, more angular strokes to paint a picture of Martine, a wronged wife. She has just been feuding violently with her husband, the crude woodcutter Sganarelle, and she's now been left alone to ponder her next step. As Martine sings of her desire for revenge, the musical line alternates leaping outbursts, both up and down, with more inwardly focused melodic turns of phrase. Note how these softer, almost sobbing phrases have their own sort of quiet intensity, something Gounod achieves by introducing chromaticism (pitches not normally found in the key) into the mix.<br /><br />In the video below, the words are vertically arranged to follow the pitches exactly, so you can easily see how Gounod uses melodic shapes to create this amusing, but slightly harrowing portrait of a woman looking to get even. And she does get even, by the way.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/o8tA7z89A14&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/o8tA7z89A14&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Also now added to <a href="http://www.thedoctorinspiteofhimself.com/">thedoctorinspiteofhimself.com</a>.MICHAEL MONROEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16392848296427560715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161406557073691160.post-35162321472283251712008-08-22T15:44:00.010-04:002008-08-25T21:32:18.390-04:00Doctor Karaoke #3: Jacqueline's Song<span style="color:#660000;">[UPDATE: The audio and video for this karaoke have been greatly improved, now featuring our own Amybeth Fichera singing and me banging away too loudly at the piano. </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tkoptn3XdP8"><span style="color:#333333;">Here</span></a><span style="color:#660000;">'s the older, harder-to-read version.]</span><br /><br />Gounod's<em> </em><a href="http://www.thedoctorinspiteofhimself.com/"><em>The Doctor in Spite of Himself</em></a> is part of the French comic opera tradition that would inspire Gilbert and Sullivan to enter the world of musical theater. In fact, I just read on the always reliable Wikipedia that, in bringing Mr. G and Mr. S together, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_D">Richard D'Oyly Carte</a> "hoped that English light operas would supplant the badly translated and bawdy French operettas that dominated the London stage." Well, our show is not too bawdy (although the "doctor" does chase the nurse around a bit), and we also hope it's not badly translated since I did the translating. As I've already <a href="http://thedoctorinspiteofhimself.blogspot.com/2008/08/about-this-performing-edition.html">mentioned</a>, one of the reasons I took on the project is that the 19th century translations I'd found were unsatisfactory. However, I'm too lazy to go find my own G&S, so I just tried to make a better English translation.<br /><br />Anyway, the aforementioned nurse (Jacqueline) first comes on the scene to chide her boss, the wealthy Géronte, for insisting that his daughter marry a rich man. In one of the most Gilbert & Sullivanesque tunes of the show, she offers this bit of wisdom in song:<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/I3ErV-7XOOI&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/I3ErV-7XOOI&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Apologies for the hard-to-read text and the canned soundtrack [<span style="color:#990000;">Both have since been improved</span>]. Hopefully I'll get a chance to improve both, but it had been too long since a new karaoke option had been posted. Consider following the words as part of the challenge in taking on this otherwise very singable song.MICHAEL MONROEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16392848296427560715noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161406557073691160.post-53637768585857999412008-08-11T07:43:00.001-04:002008-08-11T08:41:31.963-04:00Doctor Karaoke #2: The Lumberjack SongI'll admit that when I was working on translating and re-orchestrating <em>The Doctor in Spite of Himself</em>, I was initially least excited about the chorus numbers. Just looking at the whole work, they seemed more tacked on than integral, and the tunes didn't jump out at me when played at the piano. (The only recording I have does not include the choruses.) However, once I heard our lumberjacks belt out this tune, I was hooked, and it became one of my favorite moments in the show. It's not a complicated melody, but the axe-blows in the orchestra and the ringing of the voices above paint a wonderful picture of rustic life. I'd take this over the "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1YsHzTv7mg&feature=related">Anvil Chorus</a>" any day.<br /><br />And it's so singable. In our 2006 production, all the guys who had principal roles were dying to get to sing it, and they'd occasionally jump in during rehearsals. It's easy to take a perfectly designed melody like this for granted. Probably the most distinctive feature is that the men begin in a high register on a pitch one step above the tonic, which gives it a little extra swagger. (If this doesn't make sense to you, imagine starting "Joy to the World" one pitch higher, but still in the same key. <a onclick="MyWindow=window.open('http://monroemusic.home.comcast.net/joy.mp3','MyWindow','toolbar=no,location=no,directories=yes,status=yes,menubar=no,scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes,width=300,height=100,left=700,top=200'); return false;" href="http://www.thedoctorinspiteofhimself.com/joy.mp3">Listen</a>.) The effect is almost as if the exaggerated motion of swinging the axe back causes them to overshoot the pitch.<br /><br />Maybe the woodcutters are just showing off for the country maidens who are flirtatiously watching. In fact, the country maidens take over for most of the rest of the chorus (not included below) and then, in one of those basic but brilliant compositional strokes, the maidens' melody is combined with the lumberjack tune, blending harmoniously and yet each sounding a distinctive character. It's so thrilling, I included that section as bonus at the end of the video below.<br /><br />I've taken to calling this chorus "The Lumberjack Song," even though the Monty Python gang <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lumberjack_Song">owns</a> that name. One of the purposes of these karaoke bits is to reveal how many great tunes there are in the show, so it's worth remembering that Gounod is probably best-known for a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_-uUjsx3ao">great melody</a> (<em>Ave Maria</em>) he crafted above a Bach prelude<em>. </em>Since there is an equally famous Schubert setting, we generally speak of the "Bach-Gounod <em>Ave Maria</em>," so let's call this "The Gounod Lumberjack Song." Just follow the bouncing axe!<br /><center><br /><object height="349" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oAp_8_ymWYM&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><br /><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oAp_8_ymWYM&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="349"></embed></object></center>MICHAEL MONROEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16392848296427560715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161406557073691160.post-89532112853419943152008-08-09T09:15:00.001-04:002008-08-09T10:39:59.312-04:00Doctor Karaoke #1Our first "Dr. Karaoke" singalong feature is Sganarelle's celebratory tune from the big "examination" scene at the center of the opera. The crude but resourceful lumberjack has just figured out that he can easily pass himself off as a great doctor, having just wowed the crowd with a brilliant diagnosis. In the original three-act version of the show, this scene comes in the middle of Act II, but we've reorganized the opera into two acts so that this wonderful sextet is the Act I finale. The tune is also featured in the overture.<br /><br /><center><object height="290" width="380"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/u3LO0eP39ko&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&border=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/u3LO0eP39ko&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="380" height="290"></embed></object></center><center></center><br />More Karaoke coming on Monday. Don't forget to visit the <em>Doctor in Spite of Himself</em> <a href="http://www.thedoctorinspiteofhimself.com/">homepage</a>.MICHAEL MONROEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16392848296427560715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161406557073691160.post-33874740038338992252008-08-08T10:22:00.001-04:002011-06-06T08:59:16.815-04:00About this Performing EditionFirst, let's get the big joke out of the way. Yes, I created a new performing edition of Gounod's <em>The Doctor in Spite of Himself</em> in, as they say, partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Musical Arts, a fulfillment which had been a long time coming. You could even say it seemed for awhile as if I'd never finish. You could even say it allowed me to become...wait for it... <em>a doctor in spite of myself</em>. In fact, I was just thinking how, in the story, a lumberjack is beaten into admitting (pretending) that he is a medical doctor, and he then impresses a gullible crowd by spouting off a bunch of nonsensical latin. Much like I was once beaten by the experience of taking comps (analyzing Babbitt, for heaven's sake) and then found my inner professor by throwing out lots of big words in front of gullible students - words like <em>ricercare, fauxbordon, dodecaphonic, </em>and <em>Babbitt. </em><br />
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Anyway, as my story goes, I'd been letting the all-but-dissertation years fly by uneventfully, and the department chair under whom I was adjunct-ing was getting concerned. One day, he suggested that I take a look at the Gounod, which he'd conducted many years before in a somewhat mangled edition titled <em>The Frantic Physician</em>. His idea was that I prepare a reduced orchestration. (I've since learned that the rental score for <em>The Frantic Physician</em> demanded larger forces than Gounod's original.) As I looked through a couple of 19th-century piano-vocal scores, I decided that a new English translation would be useful as well. (I'll cover the whole rationale for singing in translation in another post.)<br />
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My source for the orchestration turned out to be Gounod's own 600-page manuscript, which is housed (physically and virtually) in <a href="http://beinecke.library.yale.edu/dl_crosscollex/getSETS.asp?ITEM=2003567">Yale's rare book collection</a>. I quickly learned that Gounod's orchestration is not unwieldy, but it still made sense for our small music department context to use a smaller ensemble. I also learned that <a href="http://www.fondation-salabert.org/spip/-Epoque-Romantique-#gounod">Bärenreiter</a> is preparing an authoritative critical edition of the score, so there wasn't much point in me trying to do the same thing. Basically, I reduced doubled woodwinds (2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons) to single woodwinds and eliminated the horns, which mostly provide harmonic support. This also makes it practical to use a smaller string section. Thus, it's not a particularly drastic reworking of the original, but it can easily be realized by an ensemble less than half the size, which has advantages both for small music department budgets and for young singers not used to projecting over a big orchestra.<br />
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Obviously, preparing the new score was fairly time-intensive, but the task of translating the French libretto into English proved to be the most creative and rewarding aspect of the project. I'll write in more detail about the translation in a post to come, but the big challenge was to match the rhymed and metered French of all the musical numbers with rhymed and metered English. Of course, the English needs to be singable and tell the same story in fundamentally the same way. And, above all, it needs to stand on its own as something worth singing and listening to. I'm pleased with most of the solutions I came up with, and I learned a lot about the remarkable richness and flexibility of language.<br />
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But enough about me. In upcoming posts, I'll be writing more about the work itself, the story, the standout musical numbers, the translation, etc., while exploring such interesting questions as, "What does this comic opera have in common with the world of the Three Stooges and the Marx Brothers?" And, don't forget, we'll be slowly unveiling all the big tunes in karaoke versions. Hopefully, by the time opening night arrives, we'll have a whole audience just dying to sing along. A new tune debuts on Monday.<br />
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[If you're interested in learning more about this edition, email MMmusing at gmail dot com ]MICHAEL MONROEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16392848296427560715noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1161406557073691160.post-17438812568547792612008-08-07T08:23:00.003-04:002008-09-19T09:49:40.567-04:00Welcome to the ShowThis blog is devoted to the upcoming Gordon College production of Charles Gounod's comic opera, <em>The Doctor in Spite of Himself. </em>The performances will be:<br /><br /><div align="center"><strong>Saturday, September 27 at 8pm</strong></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><strong></strong></div><div align="center"><strong>Sunday, September 28 at 3pm</strong></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="left"><br />The production is part of the ceremonies for the opening of the new Ken Olsen Science Center. The performances are based on my 2006 edition of the score, which features a new English translation and a new orchestration for chamber orchestra. The show will be directed by Ron Luchsinger, director of productions for <a href="http://www.operanorth.org/">Opera North</a>, with me waving my arms wildly at the orchestra. Admission is free.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><br />Gounod's delightful, but little-known work is closely based on a play of the same name by Molière. (The original title for both is <em>Le médecin malgré lui</em>.) The story combines elements of pure farce with biting satire as Molière takes one of his many jabs at the medical profession. In this case, a lumbering brute of a woodcutter is able to pass himself off as a doctor with a bit of resourcefulness and a lot of absurd Latin. Along the way, he gets the beating he deserves for mistreating his wife and manages to help out a pair of young lovers who've been kept apart by a disapproving father.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><br />Gounod is best-known for his grand operatic settings of <em>Faust</em> and <em>Romeo and Juliet</em>, but this lighthearted score is full of catchy tunes and cleverly constructed ensembles that match the energy of the madcap plot. A more detailed synopsis may be found <a href="http://thedoctorinspiteofhimself.blogspot.com/2008/09/story.html">here</a>.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><br />This blog will serve as a companion to the production <a href="http://thedoctorinspiteofhimself.com/">website</a>, which already features one little bit of singalong fun. Over the next few weeks, more information and karaoke(!) will be provided. You can stay up-to-date by <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheDoctorInSpiteOfHimself">subscribing</a> to this blog - or just check back here or <a href="http://thedoctorinspiteofhimself.com/">there</a>. In fact, I dare you to <a href="http://thedoctorinspiteofhimself.com/karaoke01.html#karaoke">go</a> sing the first karaoke offering right now. You'll feel like a genius!</div>MICHAEL MONROEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16392848296427560715noreply@blogger.com0