Evening Concert Series
2023 – 2024 Season
Sara M. Snell Music Theater Monday, March 25th at 7:30 PM
THE ELECTROMAGNETIC VOICE LESSON
(La Leçon de Chant électromagnétique)
JacquesOffenbach,1819-1880(composer)
ErnestBourget,1814-1864(libretto)
Donald George, Tenor (Jean Matois, a shepherd from Quebec)
Steve Groth, Baritone (Pacifico Toccato, an Italian voice teacher)
Andrew Voelker, piano & Crane Ernest Bourget expert
The Electromagnetic Voice Lesson is a comedy/spoof of an Italian voice professor teaching instant voice lessons with the help of a machine and electromagnetic waves. With this machine he can turn the most untalented, clumsy pupil into an outstanding singer. He attempts to teach voice to Jean Matois, a not too bright shepherd from Quebec who has recently managed to escape from prison. However, with the help of this machine even Jean Matois will achieve fame and fortune with every note uttered.
Jacques Offenbach was well known as the composer of over 100 operettas, which are often revived, and the opera Tales of Hoffmann which is a part of the standard opera repertory. Ernest Bourget was a playwright, poet and librettist. He wrote a few libretti for Offenbach including this The scene is set in one act with the following set pieces:
Prelude
Dialogue
1. Everything Sings Above, Everything Sings Below: aria of Toccato Dialogue
2. The Living Tarantella: aria of Toccato
Dialogue
3. Electromagnetic Music-“Disciples of my power magnetic”: with Matois and Toccato
4. Aria “In Montreal the grapes are very good!”: Jean Matois
5. Duet “E viva, a most angelic aria” with Matois and Toccato
Dialogue
6. Finale: “And now we’re off to Italy” with Matois and Toccato
The opera scene was in manuscript form and was reconstructed and transcribed by Crane Alum, Daniel Mertzlufft and the libretti translated and adapted by SUNY Potsdam Alum Veronica Lavia.