Billy Budd (opera)
Encyclopedia
Billy Budd is an opera
by Benjamin Britten
, from a libretto
by E. M. Forster
and Eric Crozier
, was first performed at the Royal Opera House
, Covent Garden
, London
on 1 December 1951. It is based on the short novel Billy Budd
by Herman Melville
.
. He had met Britten before the Second World War
and they built up a friendship. In 1948, the question arose of whether Forster would provide a libretto for Britten, and by that November, Britten seems to have mentioned Billy Budd as a possibility. In fact, Forster agreed to this project, and worked with Eric Crozier, a Britten collaborator, to write the opera's libretto.
While Britten was writing his opera, the Italian composer Giorgio Federico Ghedini
premiered his one-act operatic setting of Billy Budd at the 1949 Venice International Festival. This perturbed Britten somewhat, but Ghedini's opera did not make any impact.
The title role was originally reserved by Britten for Geraint Evans
, who prepared it but then withdrew because it lay too high for his voice. Britten chose Theodor Uppman
to replace him, and Evans sang a different role, Mr Flint. Britten conducted the premiere, there were 17 curtain calls, and Uppman was acclaimed a new star.
broadcast revival, compressing it into two acts and cutting Vere's appearance at the end of Act I. This meant that his first appearance after the prologue was not a public speech but a private moment alone in his cabin. This was conducted by Britten himself with Joseph Ward
as Billy, Peter Pears
as Vere and Michael Langdon
as Claggart. The final recording was attended by staff from Covent Garden where it was revived in this version in 1964. The two-act version is generally considered the more dramatically effective, but the four-act version is occasionally revived and has been recorded.
Other leading baritones who have sung the role of Billy Budd include Sir Thomas Allen, Simon Keenlyside
, Richard Stilwell, Nathan Gunn
, Rod Gilfry
, Bo Skovhus
, Thomas Hampson, and Teddy Tahu Rhodes
. Notable Veres have included Philip Langridge
and Anthony Rolfe Johnson
.
Billy Budd received its United States stage premiere in 1952 at the Indiana University Opera Company. Thereafter, on November 6, 1970 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago
. Uppman reprised the title role for the production. The cast also included Richard Lewis
as Captain Vere, Geraint Evans as John Claggart, Bruce Yarnell
as Mr. Redburn, Raymond Michalski
as Mr. Flint, and Arnold Voketaitis
as Lieutenant Ratcliffe.
A 2010 production of the opera by Glyndebourne Festival Opera
marked the operatic directorial debut of theatre director Michael Grandage
.
One of these sailors, Billy Budd, seems overjoyed with his situation - entirely different from the other two who are not so happy. Claggart, the Master-at-Arms, calls him "a find in a thousand," despite the slight defect of a stammer. Billy says a jaunty farewell to the Rights o' Man
, his former ship, innocent of what his words imply. The officers take his words as a deliberate provocation and order the men below decks. Claggart tells Squeak, the ship's corporal, to keep an eye on Billy and give him a rough time.
The Novice returns from his flogging, unable to walk and helped along by a friend. Billy is shocked at the cruelty of the punishment, but is certain that if he follows the rules he will be in no danger. Dansker, an old sailor, nicknames Billy "Baby Budd" for his innocence.
At this point in the four-act version came the climax of Act I, in which Captain Vere appeared on deck to give a speech to the men. In the two-act version, Dansker simply tells the others Vere's nickname, "Starry Vere," and this is enough for the impulsive Billy to swear his loyalty to the unseen captain.
In his cabin, Captain Vere muses over classical literature. His officers enter, and they discuss the revolution in France and the mutinies in the British Navy
sparked by French ideas of democracy. The officers warn that Billy may cause trouble, but Vere dismisses their fears and expresses his love for the men under his command.
Below decks the sailors rough-house, but old Dansker remains gloomy. Billy goes for some tobacco to cheer him up, and discovers Squeak rifling through his kit. In a rage, Billy begins to stammer. He knocks Squeak to the ground as Claggart and the corporals enter. Billy is still unable to speak, but Claggart takes his side and sends Squeak to the brig. However, when alone, Claggart reveals his hatred for Billy and vows to destroy him. He orders the Novice to try and bribe Billy into joining a mutiny
, and the broken-spirited Novice quickly agrees. Billy refuses the bribe and believes he will be rewarded, but Dansker warns him to beware of Claggart.
Later, in Vere's cabin, Claggart repeats the false charge to Billy's face. Once again, Billy begins to stammer in rage. Unable to speak, he strikes Claggart, killing him. The Captain is forced to convene an immediate court-martial, and the officers find Billy guilty and sentence him to hang. Billy begs Vere to save him, and the officers appeal to him for guidance, but Vere remains silent and accepts their verdict. He goes into the cabin where Billy is being held, and the orchestra suggests a tender offstage meeting as the captain informs Billy of the death sentence. This was the end of Act 3 in the four-act version.
Billy prepares for his execution in his cell. Dansker brings him a drink and reveals that the crew is willing to mutiny for his sake, but Billy is resigned to his fate. Four o'clock that morning, the crew assembles on deck, and Billy is brought out. The Articles of War are read, and show that Billy must be hanged. Just before his execution, he praises Vere with his final words, singing "Starry Vere, God Bless you!" echoed by the rest of the crew.
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...
by Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
, from a 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 E. M. Forster
E. M. Forster
Edward Morgan Forster OM, CH was an English novelist, short story writer, essayist and librettist. He is known best for his ironic and well-plotted novels examining class difference and hypocrisy in early 20th-century British society...
and Eric Crozier
Eric Crozier
Eric Crozier was a British theatrical director and opera librettist, long associated with Benjamin Britten....
, was first performed at the Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
, Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 1 December 1951. It is based on the short novel Billy Budd
Billy Budd
Billy Budd is a short novel by Herman Melville.Billy Budd can also refer to:*Billy Budd , a 1962 film produced, directed, and co-written by Peter Ustinov, based on Melville's novel...
by Herman Melville
Herman Melville
Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick and the posthumous novella Billy Budd....
.
Background and premiere
Forster discussed the novel in his Clark lectures at Cambridge UniversityUniversity of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. He had met Britten before the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and they built up a friendship. In 1948, the question arose of whether Forster would provide a libretto for Britten, and by that November, Britten seems to have mentioned Billy Budd as a possibility. In fact, Forster agreed to this project, and worked with Eric Crozier, a Britten collaborator, to write the opera's libretto.
While Britten was writing his opera, the Italian composer Giorgio Federico Ghedini
Giorgio Federico Ghedini
Giorgio Federico Ghedini was an Italian composer.-Life:Ghedini was born in Cuneo in 1892. He studied organ, piano and composition in Turin, then graduated in composition in Bologna under Marco Enrico Bossi in 1911...
premiered his one-act operatic setting of Billy Budd at the 1949 Venice International Festival. This perturbed Britten somewhat, but Ghedini's opera did not make any impact.
The title role was originally reserved by Britten for Geraint Evans
Geraint Evans
Sir Geraint Llewellyn Evans was a Welsh baritone or bass-baritone noted for operatic roles including Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, and the title roles in Falstaff and Wozzeck...
, who prepared it but then withdrew because it lay too high for his voice. Britten chose Theodor Uppman
Theodor Uppman
Theodor Uppman was an American operatic baritone. He is best known for his creation of the title role in Benjamin Britten's opera Billy Budd....
to replace him, and Evans sang a different role, Mr Flint. Britten conducted the premiere, there were 17 curtain calls, and Uppman was acclaimed a new star.
Performance history
Originally, the opera was written in four acts, but, in 1960, Britten revised it substantially in preparation for a BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
broadcast revival, compressing it into two acts and cutting Vere's appearance at the end of Act I. This meant that his first appearance after the prologue was not a public speech but a private moment alone in his cabin. This was conducted by Britten himself with Joseph Ward
Joseph Ward (singer)
Joseph Ward is an English tenor, formerly a baritone, who created roles in operas by Benjamin Britten and Michael Tippett. He has also made a career as a singing teacher – his pupils include Jane Eaglen – and opera producer....
as Billy, Peter Pears
Peter Pears
Sir Peter Neville Luard Pears CBE was an English tenor who was knighted in 1978. His career was closely associated with the composer Edward Benjamin Britten....
as Vere and Michael Langdon
Michael Langdon
Michael Langdon was a British bass opera singer.Langdon was born in Wolverhampton. He had six half brothers and sisters, the youngest, Maud being 19 years his senior. His father, Harry was sixty when his youngest son was born and by all accounts a very strong personality...
as Claggart. The final recording was attended by staff from Covent Garden where it was revived in this version in 1964. The two-act version is generally considered the more dramatically effective, but the four-act version is occasionally revived and has been recorded.
Other leading baritones who have sung the role of Billy Budd include Sir Thomas Allen, Simon Keenlyside
Simon Keenlyside
Simon Keenlyside CBE is a British baritone who has had an active international career performing in operas and concerts since the mid 1980s.-Early life and education:...
, Richard Stilwell, Nathan Gunn
Nathan Gunn
Nathan Gunn is an operatic baritone from the United States.He has appeared in many of world's well-known opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Seattle Opera, Dallas Opera, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh Opera,...
, Rod Gilfry
Rod Gilfry
Rodney Gilfry is a leading American opera baritone. After launching his career at Frankfurt Opera in 1987, Gilfry quickly established a reputation for stylish singing and acting...
, Bo Skovhus
Bo Skovhus
Bo Skovhus is a Danish opera singer .Skovhus studied at the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, at the Royal Academy for Opera of Copenhagen and in New York with Oren Brown....
, Thomas Hampson, and Teddy Tahu Rhodes
Teddy Tahu Rhodes
-Early life:Teddy Tahu Rhodes was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, on 30 August 1966, to a British mother and a New Zealand father. The Maori word "Tahu", which means "to set on fire", was added to the family name soon after they settled in New Zealand...
. Notable Veres have included Philip Langridge
Philip Langridge
Philip Gordon Langridge CBE was an English tenor, considered to be among the foremost exponents of English opera and oratorio....
and Anthony Rolfe Johnson
Anthony Rolfe Johnson
Anthony Rolfe Johnson, CBE was an English operatic tenor.-Life and career:Born in Tackley in Oxfordshire, Rolfe Johnson studied with Ellis Keeler and Vera Rosza at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He first appeared in opera in the chorus and in small roles at the Glyndebourne Festival...
.
Billy Budd received its United States stage premiere in 1952 at the Indiana University Opera Company. Thereafter, on November 6, 1970 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago
Lyric Opera of Chicago
Lyric Opera of Chicago is one of the leading opera companies in the United States. It was founded in Chicago in 1952, under the name 'Lyric Theatre of Chicago' by Carol Fox, Nicolà Rescigno and Lawrence Kelly, with a season that included Maria Callas's American debut in Norma...
. Uppman reprised the title role for the production. The cast also included Richard Lewis
Richard Lewis (tenor)
Richard Lewis CBE was a Welsh tenor.Born Thomas Thomas in Manchester to Welsh parents, Lewis began his career as a boy soprano and studied at the Royal Manchester College of Music from 1939 to 1941...
as Captain Vere, Geraint Evans as John Claggart, Bruce Yarnell
Bruce Yarnell
Bruce Yarnell was an American actor who co-starred in the second season of NBC's Western television series Outlaws, set in the lawless Oklahoma Territory. He was also a noted Broadway and opera baritone.Yarnell played Deputy U.S. Marshal Chalk Breeson, having replaced Jock Gaynor in the role of...
as Mr. Redburn, Raymond Michalski
Raymond Michalski
Raymond Michalski is an American operatic bass-baritone. He studied voice with Rosalie Miller at the Mannes School of Music in New York City before making his professional stage debut in 1959 as Nourabad in Georges Bizet's Les pecheurs de perles with the Philadelphia Grand Opera Company...
as Mr. Flint, and Arnold Voketaitis
Arnold Voketaitis
Arnold Voketaitis is an American bass-baritone of Lithuanian descent who had an active singing career performing in operas, concerts, and recitals from the late 1950s through the 1990s. He enjoyed a particularly successful partnership with the New York City Opera and has performed with most of the...
as Lieutenant Ratcliffe.
A 2010 production of the opera by Glyndebourne Festival Opera
Glyndebourne Festival Opera
Glyndebourne Festival Opera is an English opera festival held at Glyndebourne, an English country house near Lewes, in East Sussex, England.-History:...
marked the operatic directorial debut of theatre director Michael Grandage
Michael Grandage
Michael Grandage CBE is a British theatre director and producer, and current Artistic Director at the Donmar Warehouse, London. Grandage won the 2010 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for Red.-Early years:...
.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 1 December 1951 (Conductor: Benjamin Britten) |
|---|---|---|
| Captain Vere of HMS Indomitable | 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... |
Peter Pears Peter Pears Sir Peter Neville Luard Pears CBE was an English tenor who was knighted in 1978. His career was closely associated with the composer Edward Benjamin Britten.... |
| Billy Budd | 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... |
Theodor Uppman Theodor Uppman Theodor Uppman was an American operatic baritone. He is best known for his creation of the title role in Benjamin Britten's opera Billy Budd.... |
| John Claggart, Master-at-arms | Bass | Frederick Dalberg |
| Mr. Redburn, First Lieutenant | 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... |
Hervey Alan |
| Mr. Flint, Sailing Master | Bass-Baritone Bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three Wagnerian roles: the Dutchman in Der fliegende... |
Geraint Evans Geraint Evans Sir Geraint Llewellyn Evans was a Welsh baritone or bass-baritone noted for operatic roles including Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, and the title roles in Falstaff and Wozzeck... |
| Lieutenant Ratcliffe | Baritone or Bass | Michael Langdon Michael Langdon Michael Langdon was a British bass opera singer.Langdon was born in Wolverhampton. He had six half brothers and sisters, the youngest, Maud being 19 years his senior. His father, Harry was sixty when his youngest son was born and by all accounts a very strong personality... |
| Red Whiskers,an impressed man Impressment Impressment, colloquially, "the Press", was the act of taking men into a navy by force and without notice. It was used by the Royal Navy, beginning in 1664 and during the 18th and early 19th centuries, in wartime, as a means of crewing warships, although legal sanction for the practice goes back to... |
Tenor | Anthony Marlowe |
| Donald | Baritone | Bryan Drake |
| Dansker, an old seaman | Bass | Inia Te Wiata Inia Te Wiata Inia Watene Tauhia Te Wiata was a New Zealand Māori bass-baritone opera singer, film actor and carver.-Early life:Inia Te Wiata was born in Otaki, New Zealand, into the Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga Iwi... |
| A Novice | Tenor | William McAlpine |
| Baritone | John Cameron | |
| Squeak | Tenor | David Tree |
| Bosun | Bass | Ronald Lewis |
| First Mate | Bass | Rhydderch Davies |
| Second Mate | Bass | Hubert Littlewood |
| Maintop | Tenor | Emlyn Jones |
| Arthur Jones, an impressed man Impressment Impressment, colloquially, "the Press", was the act of taking men into a navy by force and without notice. It was used by the Royal Navy, beginning in 1664 and during the 18th and early 19th centuries, in wartime, as a means of crewing warships, although legal sanction for the practice goes back to... |
Tenor or Baritone | Alan Hobson |
| Cabin Boy | spoken role | Peter Flynn |
| Four midshipmen Midshipman A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya... |
treble Boy soprano A boy soprano is a young male singer with an unchanged voice in the soprano range. Although a treble, or choirboy, may also be considered to be a boy soprano, the more colloquial term boy soprano is generally only used for boys who sing, perform, or record as soloists, and who may not necessarily... s |
Brian Ettridge, Kenneth Nash, Peter Spencer, Colin Waller |
| Chorus: Midshipmen, Powder monkey Powder monkey Powder monkeys were a part of warships' crews during the Age of Sail that carried bags of gunpowder from the powder magazine in the ship's hold to the gun crews. Powder monkeys were usually boys or young teens selected for the job for their speed and height — they were short and would be... s, Officers, Sailors, Drummers, Marines |
||
Synopsis
- Place: On board the battleship HMS Indomitable, a "seventy-fourSeventy-four (ship)The "seventy-four" was a type of two-decked sailing ship of the line nominally carrying 74 guns. Originally developed by the French Navy in the mid-18th century, the design proved to be a good balance between firepower and sailing qualities, and was adopted by the British Royal Navy , as well as...
" - Time: The French Revolutionary WarsFrench Revolutionary WarsThe French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
in 1797
Prologue
Captain Edward Fairfax Vere, an old man, reflects on his life and his time in the navy. He reflects on the conflict between good and evil, he is tormented by guilt over the case of Billy Budd on board his ship, HMS Indomitable, some years earlier.Act 1
The crew of the Indomitable works on deck. For slipping and bumping into an officer, the Novice is sentenced to be flogged. At the same time a cutter approaches, returning from a merchant ship where it has pressed three sailors into England's Navy.One of these sailors, Billy Budd, seems overjoyed with his situation - entirely different from the other two who are not so happy. Claggart, the Master-at-Arms, calls him "a find in a thousand," despite the slight defect of a stammer. Billy says a jaunty farewell to the Rights o' Man
Rights of Man
Rights of Man , a book by Thomas Paine, posits that popular political revolution is permissible when a government does not safeguard its people, their natural rights, and their national interests. Using these points as a base it defends the French Revolution against Edmund Burke's attack in...
, his former ship, innocent of what his words imply. The officers take his words as a deliberate provocation and order the men below decks. Claggart tells Squeak, the ship's corporal, to keep an eye on Billy and give him a rough time.
The Novice returns from his flogging, unable to walk and helped along by a friend. Billy is shocked at the cruelty of the punishment, but is certain that if he follows the rules he will be in no danger. Dansker, an old sailor, nicknames Billy "Baby Budd" for his innocence.
At this point in the four-act version came the climax of Act I, in which Captain Vere appeared on deck to give a speech to the men. In the two-act version, Dansker simply tells the others Vere's nickname, "Starry Vere," and this is enough for the impulsive Billy to swear his loyalty to the unseen captain.
In his cabin, Captain Vere muses over classical literature. His officers enter, and they discuss the revolution in France and the mutinies in the British Navy
Spithead and Nore mutinies
The Spithead and Nore mutinies were two major mutinies by sailors of the Royal Navy in 1797. There were also discontent and minor incidents on ships in other locations in the same year. They were not violent insurrections, being more in the nature of strikes, demanding better pay and conditions...
sparked by French ideas of democracy. The officers warn that Billy may cause trouble, but Vere dismisses their fears and expresses his love for the men under his command.
Below decks the sailors rough-house, but old Dansker remains gloomy. Billy goes for some tobacco to cheer him up, and discovers Squeak rifling through his kit. In a rage, Billy begins to stammer. He knocks Squeak to the ground as Claggart and the corporals enter. Billy is still unable to speak, but Claggart takes his side and sends Squeak to the brig. However, when alone, Claggart reveals his hatred for Billy and vows to destroy him. He orders the Novice to try and bribe Billy into joining a mutiny
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
, and the broken-spirited Novice quickly agrees. Billy refuses the bribe and believes he will be rewarded, but Dansker warns him to beware of Claggart.
Act 2
Claggart begins to tell Vere about the danger that Billy represents, but is interrupted by the sighting of a French ship. The Indomitable attacks, but loses the enemy in the mist. Claggart returns, and tells Vere that Billy poses a threat of mutiny. Vere does not believe him and sends for Billy so that Claggart may confront him.Later, in Vere's cabin, Claggart repeats the false charge to Billy's face. Once again, Billy begins to stammer in rage. Unable to speak, he strikes Claggart, killing him. The Captain is forced to convene an immediate court-martial, and the officers find Billy guilty and sentence him to hang. Billy begs Vere to save him, and the officers appeal to him for guidance, but Vere remains silent and accepts their verdict. He goes into the cabin where Billy is being held, and the orchestra suggests a tender offstage meeting as the captain informs Billy of the death sentence. This was the end of Act 3 in the four-act version.
Billy prepares for his execution in his cell. Dansker brings him a drink and reveals that the crew is willing to mutiny for his sake, but Billy is resigned to his fate. Four o'clock that morning, the crew assembles on deck, and Billy is brought out. The Articles of War are read, and show that Billy must be hanged. Just before his execution, he praises Vere with his final words, singing "Starry Vere, God Bless you!" echoed by the rest of the crew.
Epilogue
Vere, as an old man, remembers Billy's burial at sea, reflecting that the man he failed to save has instead blessed and saved him. As he recalls Billy's blessing, he realises he has discovered genuine goodness and can be at peace with himself.External links
- Current performances of Billy Budd from Operabase
- Allen, Stephen Arthur, " Billy Budd: Temporary Salvation and the Faustian Pact", Journal of Musicological Research, Vol. 25, Issue 1, January 2006:43-73. (Also can be purchased at Informaworld.com)
- Further Billy Budd discography