The Canterbury Pilgrims (De Koven)
The Canterbury Pilgrims is an opera by the American composer Reginald De Koven. It premiered at the Metropolitan Opera House on March 8, 1917. The libretto, written by Percy MacKaye, is loosely based on Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 8 March 1917[1] (Conductor: Bodanzky) |
|---|---|---|
| Chaucer | baritone | Johannes Sembach |
| Alisoun, The Wife of Bath | contralto | Margaret Ober |
| The Prioress | soprano | Edith Mason |
| The Squire | tenor | Paul Althouse |
| King Richard II | tenor | Albert Reiss |
| Johanna | soprano | Marie Sundelius |
| The Friar | tenor | Max Block |
| Joannes | tenor | Pietro Audsio |
| Man of Law | baritone | Robert Leonhardt |
| The Miller | bass | Basil Ruysdael |
| The Host | bass | Giulio Rossi |
| The Herald | bass | Riccardo Tegani |
| Two Girls | Marie Tiffany, Minnie Egener | |
| The Pardoner | tenor | Julius Bayer |
| The Summoner | baritone | Carl Schlegel |
| The Shipman | baritone | Mario Laurenti |
| The Cook | bass | Pompilio Malatesta |
Synopsis
Place: England. Time: April, 1387.[2]
The story has to do with the merry schemes of the Wife of Bath, who has fallen in love with Chaucer who in his turn loves the Prioress, and of her winning of a bet to gain possession of a certain brooch which carries with it Chaucer's promise of marriage He is finally rescued by Richard II who decides that the Wife may marry a sixth time only on condition that she marry a miller. A devoted miller joyfully accepts the opportunity and the Proiress and Chaucer are reconciled.
Notes
- ^ List of singers taken from Gustav Kobbé: The Complete Opera Book (1919 ed.), p. 843.
- ^ The synopsis is taken from Leo Melitz, The Opera Goer's Complete Guide, 1921 version.
References
- The Opera Goer's Complete Guide by Leo Melitz, 1921 version.
- The Complete Opera Book by Gustav Kobbé, 1919 version.