FOURSCORE, AN OPERA OF OPPOSITES, Two Acts

Harold Blumenfeld

About this work:
FOURSCORE: AN OPERA OF OPPOSITES - Ensemble Farce in Two Acts, 1986. Libretto by Charles Kondek after Nestroy's "Haus der Temperamente". Hilarious musical frolicking with families representing the Four Temperaments... [Available from composer, blumenf@wustl.edu: CD of four scenes musically; and DVD-R action video of moments from several scenes]... FOURSCORE traces tangled courtships of four pairs of lovers. It unfolds in four households, each dominated by one of the classic temperaments - Cheery, Sad, Sleepy, Mad. In each household: Father, Son, Daughter - and Maid. Dads want daughters to marry school-chum of their own age and temperament. But Girls are in love with their Boy opposites across the hall. There are two intriguants - JIM, barber; OVIDA TIPSYHIPS, fortune-teller. Ovida helps True Love, Jim initially competes with her to hinder it. But, in the end, all works out hilariously, as explained further down... Former Pub: MMB Music,now closed. Published by COMPOSER: blumenf@wustl.edu Vocal score: $175. Orch score rental only. Sample SCORE PAGES from diverse scenes available for viewing on this site... MORE ON THE OPERA: "Fourscore" is a wild ensemble farce - (more ensembles than "Figaro"!). It's navigated by intriguers JIM and OVIDA - in Act One, rivals working at cross-purposes. In Act Two they finally cooperate to win the day for True Love. This through series of outlandish charades involving disguise, ruses, cross- dressing, etc... FOURSCORE is a break-neck extravaganza of intrigue, subterfuge, buffoonery. The musical score bears it out: JIM, barber, backed by Rossini-isms; OVIDA, fortune-teller, by gypsyisms borrowed from "Carmen" and "Trovatore". And the FOUR FAMILIES?? The BOUNCE-BUBBLIES specialize in the MAJOR TRIAD; the WEEPS' refuge is in the MINOR TRIAD. The IMMERGRUMPS' anger is conveyed by DIMINISHED TRIAD with addition of tangy pseudo-Webernian disturbances. The HOHUMS, often nodding off in mid-sentence, laze around in musical goo of the AUGMENTED TRIAD ....And the VOICES? High for the BUBBLIES; high and strident for the IMMERGRUMPS; medium for the WEEPS; and for the HOHUMS, very low... MAIDS and dads' boyhood chum SUITORS are sung in voice ranges of household they're connected with. Scores outfitted with small margin charts showing WHERE the actions are taking place, this at start of each stave, so viewer can't get lost... HOW does it all END? Suffice it to say that the opera - with twenty family-connected leads, two intriguants, pun-laced libretto, comes to Happy Ending: in pandemonium of a final scene, a total of NINE COUPLES gets to be chaotically joined in holy matrimony. This to the composer's interwoving and pulverizing of Mendelssohn and Wagner wedding marches.... SCORE PAGES ON SITE offer samples of varied scenes, varied situations. Included: moments from QUARTET of FOUR DAUGHTERS, waiting for return of their true loves; moment from huge PANDEMONIUM ENSEMBLE ending first act; a moment with BARBER & GYPSY; and - coup de grace - the four MAIDS indulging their fancy for the four jilted CHUM SUITORS - this in bee-bop Andrews Sisters mode...Also a bit of FINAL SCENE, where entire cast succumbs to marriage bug, to pulverization of those Wedding Marches... But this and more are available in the flesh - in composer's already-mentioned CD and DVD, both taken from earlier workshop performances... Here are some of the texts--- DAUGHTERS' QUARTET TEXT: "Love comes, love goes and we wait. With each tick-tock of the clock, each quick click of the gate, the creak of the stair, the knock on the door, we wait and we wait some more. One who has not waited, has not loved."... JIM and TYPSYHIPS--- J: What's a joke without a laugh? O: Each shepherd has his staff. Both: Each whole has got its half. J: I'll get the props - an actor's toys. O: Then I'll tell the girls and boys. Both: I know the shops, I'll get the props. I'll get the clothes. Kerchiefs and mustacchios. Birds of a feather, like thieving magpies we'll work together. A plan is taking shape... ORCHESTRA--- Flute 1 & alto; flute 2 & picc; 2 oboe & Eng horn; clarinet 1 & Eb cl; cl 2 & alto sax; 2 bassoons; trumpet in Bb & D; 3 horns, tuba; 4 perc, harp, strings... Roland RD700 keyboard simulating harpsichord, harmonium throughout, and also - in one scene - mandolin, ukelele, accordeon...Strings 4-4-3-3-2 minimum... Opera is full-length, each act lasting an hour. Idiom is neo-Classic with, nutty neo-Romantic, pseudo-Webernian, etc ingredients... As counterpoise to our Age of Anxiety, FOURSCORE offers uproarious amusement, borrowing liberally from splendors of comic operas of an earlier Age of Innocence. The piece pillages some two dozen such joyous works for context, tunes, spirit... Orchestra--- 43 players: 2-2-2-2 / 3-1-tuba, / 3 perc, harp / Roland RD-700 electronic keyboard for all harpsichord, parlor organ music, and for music scored for pop instruments noted above [accordeon, zither, ukelele, harmonica]... Opening Act of FOURSCORE produced in workshop form by University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music [two years prior to their spectacular premiere of composer's "Seasons in Hell"]... [FOURSCORE workshop performance, Wilson Hall, CCM directed by Malcolm Fraser, Tibby Plyler conducting, piano accompaniment.]
Year composed: 1986
Duration: 02:00:80
Ensemble type: Opera/Theater:Opera, More than One Act, without Chorus
Instrumentation: 1 Piccolo, 2 Flute, 1 Alto Flute, 2 Oboe, 1 English Horn, 1 Eb Clarinet, 2 Clarinet, 2 Bassoon, 1 Alto Saxophone, 3 Horn in F, 1 Trumpet, 1 Tuba, 4 Percussion (General), 1 Electric/Electronic Keyboard, 8 Violin, 3 Viola, 3 Cello, 2 Double bass, 1 Harp, ,4 Soprano soloist(s), ,2 Mezzo-Soprano soloist(s), ,4 Alto soloist(s), ,6 Tenor soloist(s), ,4 Baritone soloist(s), ,3 Bass soloist(s)
Instrumentation notes: Some 20 equal family-connected leads [10 high voices, 5 medium voices, 5 low voices; two super- leads: conniving baritone, typsy-gypsy contralto. Staging calls for cartoon-like faux instruments - ukelele, accordeon, mandolin, mouth harmonica. Throughout opera, music scored for harpsichord and parlor organ to be generated on Roland RD-700 electronic keyboard. Roland also generates all sounds scored for fun-instruments [accordeon, mandolin, ukelele, harmonica], fanciful-comic mock-ups of which may be "played" onstage in the single scene calling for them.

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