Themes
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COMPOSER’S NOTE Barnum’s Bird is the story of art — art in service of humanity on the one hand, and in service of commerce on the other. The idea of an opera focused on Jenny Lind’s 1850–1851 American tour first occurred to me in 1995. While writing Seven Ghosts, my choral homage to heroes, I came across a letter penned by Jenny Lind to Harriet Beecher Stowe. I had heard of Jenny Lind, the ‘Swedish Nightingale,’ the most beloved opera star of her time. Her reputation during her American tour rivaled that of Elvis Presley or the Beatles. I also knew of several Jenny Lind products, including the Jenny Lind furniture design, but I knew nothing about Jenny Lind, the person. As I studied her letter, I was startled to find in it a truly compassionate human being in service of the equally compassionate Harriet Beecher Stowe. I was consumed with the idea to learn as much about Jenny Lind as possible. Of course, one cannot learn of Lind without encountering P.T. Barnum. Though he had never met her nor heard her sing, Barnum pursued Lind, until she finally agreed, with a business proposition to come to America for a 150-concert tour. Barnum thus created a merchandising phenomenon unmatched anywhere in the world. Lind agreed to the tour, stipulating a monetary guarantee of 0,000 (one million in today’s dollars). After setting aside a reserve to support herself and her family, she donated most of her earnings to charity. Barnum, on the other hand, made four times that amount on the tour and used the money to reinvest in himself. Could this be the original model for touring artists in this country? Could studying this model shed light on our culture’s dilemma: what is art, what is entertainment? As an artist myself, I am intensely interested in the intersection of art and marketing. I wonder why it seems to be difficult for Americans to define art by its own value and merit. I wonder why arts organizations must so often rely on entertainment value in order to entice an audience to attend their performances of abstract art. I worry about the frustration of artists who are asked to create art which has as its end a certain definition of entertainment. The story of Jenny Lind, a hardheaded businesswoman and a worldclass artist, and P. T. Barnum, an equally hardheaded businessman and a world-class showman, is a compelling musical drama. It is also an extraordinary vehicle to gain insight into ourselves as lovers of art and consumers of entertainment. Mostly, though it is the story of art, artists, and the human soul. —Libby Larsen 2
S A T B Perc. Pno. & 4 ? 4 ÷ & ? 4 4 w æ Í 4 PROLOGUE q = 120 (e»e) ∑ ∑ Sn. dr. snares on q = 120 (e»e) ∑ ∑ w æ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ BARNUM'S BIRD ACT I 8 5 8 5 8 5 8 5 8 5 ∑ ∑ œ ‰ ‰ ‰ ‰ J j ‰ n œ ‰ . n œ. œ f . # œ. # œ ‰ œ . J œ - ∑ ∑ ∑ j ‰ n œ ‰ . n œ. œ . # œ. # œ ‰ œ . J œ - Libby Larsen ∑ ‰ ‰ ‰ f œ # œ œ # œ j j ‰ n œ ‰ ‰ n . n œ. œ œ ‰ . . n œ. œ # œ. F . # œ ‰ œ . # œ. J œ - # œ ‰ œ . J œ - ∑ ∑ ‰ ‰ ‰ f œ œ ∑ # œ # œ Doot Doot 4 4 4 4 4 S A T B Perc. Pno. 7 & ? 4 ÷ 7 & ? 4 4 4 4 œ œ > # œ n œ # œ n œ > > # œ n œ # œ n œ > œ œ # œ n œ # œ n œ # œ # œ Doo Doot Doo Doot Doot Doot œ œ œ œ w æ p ∑ ∑ # œ n œ # œ n œ # œ # œ 4 3 4 3 4 3 3 4 3 4 n œ > > œ # œ n œ œ # œ > > n œ > > œ # œ n œ œ # œ > > ˙ . æ œ œ œ œ Doo Doot Doo Doot œ œ œ œ ∑ ? ∑ for online perusal only 8 5 8 5 8 5 5 8 5 8 ∑ Œ ‰ ‰ œ j J j ∑ œ Œ ‰ ‰ J œ ‰ Œ . J ∑ ‰ n œ . ‰ J n œ . œ . ‰ n œ . ‰ J n œ . œ . & f j # œœ ‰ j . # œ # œ . œ - . # œ ‰ œ . . œ - . Hel - 4 4 4 4 4 Copyright © 2004, Oxford University Press, Inc. Printer in U.S.A.
53 B. 434 V œ œ œ œ b œ œ œ
B. 459 V 4 ˙ ˙ œ b˙ . F . b œ
57 B. 478 V Œ # œ œ œ 8 5 n œ
59 S A 496 & b # œ œ œ # œ q»q
516 ? # # S. B. B. œ œ œ œ œ
63 S A 541 n & n q = 100 Ó f 3 œ
T. T. Pno. T. T. Pno. T. T. Perc. P
67 T. T. 579 & ‰ j b œ œ n œ b
B. 595 V U ∑ HH q = 100 ∑ ∑ q
T. T. B. Pno. 613 & Œ n œ b œ œ
73 B. 631 V ∑ U q»q 4 3 ∑ 4
75 B. S A T B Perc. Pno. 646 V & ?
77 B. 666 V œ œ ˙ œ . # œ n œ
79 J. L. 695 & JENNY LIND ∑ Œ *
81 J. L. Pno. 723 & 723 œ b & œ b
J. L. Bel. Pno. 743 & ? 743 & ? b
85 J. L. freely, recitative 764 & N
87 784 # S. T T. V # œ œ œ œ fa
89 S A # & # # S. TT. V # œ œ œ
J. L. T. T. Perc. Pno. Tom Thumb bo
93 T. T. Pno. 841 & b œ b œ œ b
T. T. Bel. Pno. T. T. Pno. T. T. Pn
TT q = 100 97 J. L. 885 & œ œ ≈
99 Bel. 896 ? Ó BELLETTI ≈ œ œ
101 J. L. 901 & ‰ œ œ œ œ œ
103 J. L. 912 & JENNY LIND œ œ œ
105 She signs. S A T B 921 & & F V
107 8 929 & ? ˙ . long. ˙ . œ Yo
109 J. L. 936 & ∑ Ó JENNY LIND
111 J. L. 942 & œ 3 # œ œ œ . J
113 T. T. B. 947 & V ‰ ˙ . n J
115 T. T. B. Bel. 954 & œ œ œ œ
117 T. T. 960 & j œ œ . œ . j œ
119 T. T. 967 & œ œ œ œ b œ œ
121 B. 974 V XX f œ 4 & ONE SINGER
123 B. 979 œ œ . V ∑ ∑ ∑ &
ACT II 125 PROLOGUE: THE AUTOMATON
S A T B Pno. 20 & b & b V b ? b 20
S A T B Pno. S A T B Pno. 43 & b &
S A T B Pno. 63 f & b & V & b b ? b
B. S A T B Perc. Pno. 81 V & & V ?
135 B. C. S A T B Perc. Pno. 87 V ?
137 B. C. S A T B Perc. Pno. 95 V ?
139 B. C. S A T B Perc. Pno. 102 V
141 B. C. S A T B Perc. Pno. 108 V
143 B. 116 V ∑ F ∑ ∑ b˙ ˙ C
145 B. 123 V ˙ . œ j œ œ . œ .
147 B. 131 V Ó ˙ œ œ œ œ b˙
149 8 148 & ? œ . œ . J œ œ . B
151 8 156 & ? œ . œ . œ J œ J
B. Pno. B. Pno. Mr. D. Perc. Pno. 1
Pno. 184 & ? a tempo wœ œ ≈ œ
157 T. T. B. S A T B Perc. Pno. 202
159 S A MERCHANTS OF AMERICA 209 F
161 T. T. B. 213 & V œ . œ J fire
163 T. T. 217 3 & œ œ œ b œ œ
165 B. 221 V . œ œ œ Ó Ó œ .
167 T. T. 225 & b œ œ œ œ œ Œ
169 B. 236 V 4 ‰ j œ b œ œ œ
8 244 f (S) & # œ . f ? # œ SCENE
173 248 & œ . # J œ œ . j # œ #
175 B. 252 V ∑ Yes! A song contes
177 256 & œ . # J œ # œ . œ J
179 T. T. 263 & TOM THUMB Ó (to hi
181 Bel. 272 ? œ . œ œ . œ œ .
B. Perc. Pno. 278 V Œ œ ‰ œ œ
185 J. L. 286 & Ó JENNY LIND float
187 J. L. 290 & ∑ floating softly
189 J. L. 294 & ˙ ˙ , w Hng T. T.
191 J. L. 298 w & b w T. T. B. & V
193 B. 303 V 3 ‰ j b œ œ œ œ
195 319 œ & œ Ó Ó f J œ œ . P
freely 197 B. 332 BARNUM gallantly
The press assaults her. . . poco an
B. 8 Pno. 360 V & & & & V V ? ? 360
203 J. L. freely, recit. 365 JENNY
J. L. B. 371 & V & ∑ ∑ ∑ free
207 B. freely 379 V U ∑ U ∑ a t
J. L. 391 & ∑ U 6 8 qk = 60 ∑ r
211 8 S A T B Perc. Pno. 413 & œ
213 J. L. 423 & JENNY LIND Œ œ œ
C. T. Pno. C. T. B. T. 445 # & 445
C. T. 477 # & j œ œ j œ œ œ .
219 C. T. T. T. Pno. 517 # & # & 51
221 J. L. 555 & . œ Œ œ œ œ œ
223 B. 576 V N U ∑ Broadly ∑ Ó
225 T. T. 593 & # œ J œ . œ œ
227 T. T. 603 & ∑ ∑ ∑ U ∑ (
J. L. 614 # & JENNY LIND dismayed f
231 T. T. 624 # & Œ œ œ œ œ Œ
J. L. T. T. B. Bel. 8 S A T B Pno.
T. T. B. 8 S A T B Pno. 647 # & # V
8 Perc. Pno. 657 n & ? n ÷ 657 & n
Pno. 665 œ œ œ œ j œ œ œ œ
J. L. 684 & b œ œ J œ œ J n œ
243 J. L. 696 & b j œ ‰ ‰ Œ .
245 J. L. 711 & b œ> . œ œ œ œ
247 B. 8 S A T B Perc. Pno. . œ >
J. L. B. Pno. J. L. Pno. J. L. B. P
251 J. L. 742 & N Œ Œ sternlỵ
253 SCENE 7: THE AMERICAN TOUR Thro
255 J. L. 8 S A T B Perc. Pno. HH q
257 J. L. 774 & C II q = 120 ∑ #
259 A crowd of excited concert goer
261 T. T. 787 & ∑ TOM THUMB Œ œ
263 J. L. 795 & & œ œ œ # œ œ
265 J. L. 803 & œ œ œ œ œ œ
267 J. L. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ w &
269 J. L. 833 # & # œ . œ œ œ
Jenny is irritated. Belletti steps
273 J. L. B. Bel. 8 S A T B Pno. 86
275 J. L. 864 & ˙ Ó floating ˙ .
J. L. 868 & œ œ œ œ ˙ Œ ˙ œ
279 J. L. 872 b w & rit. ∑ OO ∑
T. T. B. 8 S A T B Perc. Pno. 882 #
283 T. T. 893 # & œ five œ> œ œ
T. T. B. 8 S A T B Pno. 903 # & # V
287 J. L. 909 & œ . œ . œ . œ .
sees Mr. Dodge, and goes to him. He
291 8 S A T B Pno. 919 & ? ‰ f j
293 B. 943 V a tempo ∑ ∑ Œ .
Bel. 963 ? ≈ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
Bel. 990 ? 297 Pno. B. 8 S A T B Pe
299 Bel. 1004 ? N U ∑ freely BELL
301 T. T. 1017 & œ œ . œ œ 3 #
Jenny sings with Tom Thumb 303 J. L
B. 1051 V œ œ œ J œ œ . œ œ
Bel. 1063 ? 307 ACHIEVEMENT. Come,
B. 1073 V humble glass of water ins
J. L. T. T. B. Bel. S A T B Perc. P
313 J. L. 1092 & ∑ Œ . œ œ œ
315 J. L. 1102 & ∑ Œ ‰ œ œ
317 J. L. 1111 & 4 ∑ ∑ ∑ 8 5
319 1119 & Œ œ œ œ Œ œ œ œ
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