The Devil and Daniel Webster (opera)
An American Faust about a farmer who sells his soul.
The Devil and Daniel Webster is a folk opera in one act by American composer Douglas Moore, with an English-language libretto by Stephen Vincent Benét. Based on Benét's 1936 short story, it premiered on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on 18 May 1939. The work is often described as an 'American Faust' and was the first opera by Moore to achieve wide success.
Quick Facts
- Composer
- Douglas Moore
- Language
- English
- Librettist
- Stephen Vincent Benét
- Based on
- Benét's short story
- Premiere date
- 18 May 1939
- Premiere location
- Martin Beck Theatre, New York City
Facts from the source article.
Plot
In 1840s Cross Corners, New Hampshire, farmer Jabez Stone, facing relentless hardship, sells his soul to the devilish lawyer Mr. Scratch in exchange for prosperity. Years later, on Jabez's wedding day to Mary, Mr. Scratch arrives to claim his soul. Daniel Webster defends Jabez in a trial before a jury of damned historical figures, including Blackbeard, Walter Butler, and Simon Girty. Webster's eloquence secures a verdict of not guilty.
Composition history and premiere
Stephen Vincent Benét's short story The Devil and Daniel Webster was first published on 24 October 1936 in the Saturday Evening Post. After unauthorized stage adaptations appeared, Benét contacted composer Douglas Moore in 1937 to create an authorized opera. Moore wrote most of the music in 1938, with alterations continuing until the 1939 premiere. The libretto was a collaboration between Benét and Moore. Benét later adapted the libretto into a stage play, which became the basis for the 1941 film All That Money Can Buy. The opera premiered on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on 18 May 1939, presented by the newly created American Lyric Theatre in a double bill with Virgil Thomson's ballet Filling Station. The production was funded by Eli Lilly and Company, directed by John Houseman, with sets, costumes, and lights by Robert Edmond Jones. After its Broadway run, the production was performed at the 1939 New York World's Fair.
Performance history
A concert version was performed at Barnard Hall in 1940 with Metropolitan Opera soloists and the Columbia University symphony orchestra. Early stagings included Chautauqua Opera (1940, 1947), Los Angeles City College (1942), and the Worcester Music Festival (1942). In 1942 it was performed in WOR's American Opera Festival sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The High School of Music & Art mounted it at Hunter College in 1946, broadcast on WNYC. In 1953 the opera was filmed for television and broadcast nationally on CBS. The UK premiere was a live BBC Third Programme recording in 1955 with baritone Jess Walters as Webster. The New York City Opera staged it in 1959 with Joshua Hecht as Jabez Stone, Walter Cassel as Webster, and Norman Kelley as Mr. Scratch. Other 1950s productions included the Boston Arts Festival (1959) and performances at universities such as Yale, Cornell, and Brigham Young.
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