Collaborative Opera Project?

Wow, first things first, Matt

Well, I mean, it'd be a shame if we composed an entire opera and it had to remain nothing more than notes in a .MUS file.

And when writing for an opera, it certainly helps to know the timbres and ranges of the singers you're writing for. :\

Hi, Matt;

This isn't even being commissioned. This is just a collaborated work by a whole bunch of us, so we need to make sure we have what the show is going to be about down first before we decide on vocal ranges. Since this isn't going to be directed to a particular singer, I could only imagine that it will be done within a singer's standard range.

Hey, I just noticed this thread. I would be interested in collaborating on this, even if it just turns out to be an aria or two.

From the look of this thread it seems to be pretty much over, but if any one else is still crawling among the ruins :P I'm game for writing an aria or two. We can just start from there and see where it takes us.

Wow! I just stumbled across this as well... The plot is REALLY interesting (I like the original idea's of Dan G's), and I would like to take a stab at writing the 1st scene, or at least a skeleton of the libretto. I really like the idea of this character - the illusatory nature of his mind, the deep-set mental issues he must have, etc.

I envision the 1st scene as this: the man by himself (in his wildly decadent home) singing of his perfect life, the perfect world, the perfect woman (all in his mind), it culminates in a stunning soliloquy (lights coming all the way down to a single spot on him), when a Maid comes in. Full lights come on at once, we see his trashed, dirty home (set would have been changed while the lights were dimmed). He instantly changes character into a wild, angered beast who tries to kill the Maid for intruding. He claims he already has one, who appears. Maid sees a painting - he claims that's his real housekeeper, and threatens Maid. She runs out, and he has another, more vengeful inner monologue, this time backed by his house of paintings (all the friends and companions he wishes he had). They, in turn, take over, and convince him that the perfect woman is out there for him, hinting that they are tired of supporting him (a subconscious plea from himself that he needs to face the world rather than shun it). He agrees to go find himself a bride.

What do you guys think? I'll try to write a full script to this, but I'm not really a writer. What I have suggests a music structure like so: Short Introduction (in lieu of an overture, which I think is outdated)/ Long uplifting aria of Main Character / Entrance of maid: recit. between MC and Maid / recit bordering on aria of MC, threatening the maid, her exit / Angry aria of MC, subjects of society and wanting privacy / adding Portrait Characters to his ranting / Chorus of PCs / recit to end, MC

I think the main character (name pending) should definitely be a Tenor, a la Peter Grimes (another great troubled antagonist). The maid a Contralto or Mezzo, the Portraits SATB.

Sounds like a great implementation of the overall plot for a first act. Since it seems that everyone else has abandoned this thread, I guess it's just us doing this opera... Your plans for the first act sound good; now I think we should start working on the introduction and first aria and the details thereof.

There are a couple of things we need to establish before we begin. I suppose this will be an English opera? What do you use to compose: Finale, Sibelius, MuseScore, Pen and Paper?

I'm sure since we've gotten this started again it won't be too long before other people take notice and join us.

English, please! I generally write on paper, slowly adding it into the computer as I go. I'm most comfortable with Sibelius (5), but I can use Finale (2009) if that works better for others. What do you use? If you and I make the 1st scene ours exclusively (I'm sure no one would mind that), then we should use whatever you use.

Do you have some pieces up here so I can hear your general style/sound? I write in a modernist vein, and I would definitely pick bi/poly-tonality for most of the Main Character's music, since he's such a layered and complicated person. Although, I feel his first aria would be more straight-forward and accessible, since it's a look into the simplicity of the perfect world he has in his mind. Then when the maid comes in and disrupts him, the music would turn much darker, dissonant.

Anyway, I'll start on a libretto. Keep me informed of any ideas you have!!

Anyone else wanna join us? :D

I gotta say I'm pleased this thread got picked up again - and thanks for liking my plot. Of course I still want to be in on this.

Just a thought that crossed my mind as I was reading your posts - if multiple composers are working on this project, it will naturally not be stylistically uniform throughout. While that's not necessarily a problem, I think we should before writing the actual music set stylistic boundaries. Just how traditional can we get with the music, and just how atonal / dissonant should we get? What if each composer was assigned to certain thematic elements of the opera, and is responsible for only those scenes which address that theme?

Of course, none of this has to interfere with the writing of the libretto. So if you were to write the beginning of the libretto, I would love to discuss it and then we can work from there.

Here is a thought: How about in the libretto, descriptive words are used at different points, describing the basic feel of what's going on, the mood, etc., and a composer will pick the part(s) he feels most comfortable writing in (or the parts that best fit his musical language and style)? Then we can have composers who are adept at transitioning, arranging, etc., to bridge all the gaps and hopefully come out with a cohesive, flowing musical narrative. This is sort of what you were saying, I guess...

But! I think the nature of the MC is so that the music can be in a constant flux - echoing his inherent chaotic nature and duality. So this works to our advantage, the score can be somewhat stylistically complicated. As for the libretto, I plan on only really writing the scenes I plan to contribute music to as well. I'll work on the whole 1st scene, see what comes of it, and then start writing music to parts of it (I definitely want the vengeful aria he sings after the maid leaves, and the chorus of Portrait People).

I think people should start thinking of what kind of music they would like to write / what they write the best, so they have an idea of what scenes would work for them.

Let's get a list going, of composers/librettists!!

COMPOSERS:

Oingo86 (Nick)

xiii1408 (?)

Dan Gilbert

Mathieu

LIBRETTISTS:

Oingo86 (in progress: A 1 S 1 lib.)

Mathieu

Here are my Character ideas (nothing has to be final, I'd like to hear everyone's opinions on these):

(main character) JACOB ROBERT FLINT: 30, TENOR.

MAID: 40-60, female, CONTRALTO

PORTRAIT CHARACTERS: 1 Housekeeper(S), 1 Escortwoman or Governess(A), 1 Tailor(T), 1 Cook(B), 4-12 others-upperclass(SATB)

all from chorus

TOWNSPEOPLE: SATB Chorus, minor roles here and there

(love interest) DAPHNE CONSTANCE DUKE: 20, L. SOPRANO

daughter of wealthy businessman, caught up in town's bigotry and hatred.

BROTHER 1/BENJAMIN BRADSHAW DUKE: 26, BARITONE Manipulative, father's right hand man

BROTHER 2/VAUGHN PEERS DUKE: 22, TENOR Neutral character, very family oriented, wary of the public yet joins them in slander

FATHER/GRAHAM RICHARD DUKE III: 50-60, BASS-BARITONE

DAPHNE's PORTRAIT: COLORATURA

My idea for the 'world' this takes place in is an alternate universe similar to the American Victorian era, circa mid-19th century. Or maybe more like turn of the century? Something like that. Notice how most of the names are British in origin. This is to sort of help clarify the world they live in.

Sounds good, and, yes, I think the opera should be staged more around the 1880's or 1890's.

I use Finale, but I think we can export to MusicXML to exchange files between the Finale and Sibelius. I just opened a file I exported in MusicXML from Finale in a Sibelius 5 demo, and the notation looked correct. However, I couldn't get playback to work, but I think that has something to do with the fact that I was using a demo.

I want to write an overture!!!

ooh Daphne's Portrait, I have an idea!!! I have a few coloratura friends I can go to them to ask about certain vocal gesturings.

"Well I'm just a portrait, make of me what you will...

Am I the love you really want, or just some silly dream?

I'll tell you now, that you'll never have me,

That's the point of my ever knowing smile.

I spend my days smiling, and at night in my solitude laughing ha ha ha!"

IDK

I'm just going on a tangent.

What do you guys think of singing, and what are your voice types? I'm going to post a sound clip of some of my singing (oh dear) and some notation of my vocal range later today.

It's not important that we write for a specific non-professional singer, but knowing what it will sound like if one of us sings it might be important (unless I'm mistaken, those were two contradictory statements :D; don't worry, though, it is important).

:) good point! If you need a Baritone, I am your man.

OH, and I am collaborating on the music too. But, I said that... like 4 pages ago.

I seriously thought I mentioned this already but I guess I didn't. My vocal range is as follows, G3 to G5 on a good day, my tessitura would be c3 to C5 I think I'm saying this wrong... Tenor High C.

(a) is my practical regular range, (b) is my practical falsetto range, © is my impractical regular range (I can reach these notes, but they aren't practical for a performance), and (d) is my impractical falsetto range.

Link here if the image doesn't show above.

Let's get started on the libretto. Who wants to be in charge of the libretto? Preferably, the person would have some sort of experience with opera and libretto-writing. I think Dan Gilbert said something about having written a short comic opera. Dan Gilbert, do you want to be in charge of the libretto? This doesn't mean you're confined to any part of the opera; we just need to assign a few positions at the beginning to help us get this project started more quickly.

Anybody else who wants to manage the libretto, please say so.

I've started the libretto already. I plan on doing just the 1st scene, then maybe helping out wherever needed later. I'm not really a writer, but I wrote the libretto to my 15-minute opera 'One' last year. It's posted in Major Works if you want to check it out. Obviously it's a different mood than this, and I plan on using more poetic language. I'll post what I have soon!

Oh, and as far as singers go for when the whole thing is finished, a bunch of my friends are voice students at Peabody, so I'm sure I could have them read some parts. My friend Billy is actually the best tenor at Peabody right now, so he'd be great for the main role. But we can't record if there's no music yet, and we can't write music if there's no libretto so....... I have to get back to work!! :)

Thanks :thumbsup:, I'm relieved to know that I won't have to sing. I'm going to start thinking about melodic themes and development :whistling:.

Well, since you asked, I think I will generally oversee the libretto and write parts as they are needed. I would like to establish a couple of ground rules:

1) Anything and everything is open to be revised and changed by others, however, the changes have to be generally approved of by the people working on the opera. If the original writer/composer wants to protest the changes, they can argue for the original material.

2) Whenever you write something or compose something, you have to explain your thinking somewhat extensively so that other people working on the project can fully understand your intentions and all of the things you have woven into your work. That way people can be faithful to this throughout the rest of the work. This is especially true with the composition - if you have incorporated a theme into the music, point it out and explain it so that others can continue using those themes, etc.

WELL said, Dan. I agree on all points.

Sounds good. Now we've got two responsible people working on the libretto. When I come up with a theme, I'll upload it and explain it.