Verdi at the Golden Gate: Opera and San Francisco in the Gold Rush YearsOpera is a fragile, complex art, but it flourished extravagantly in San Francisco during the Gold Rush years, a time when daily life in the city was filled with gambling, duels, murder, and suicide. In the history of the United States there has never been a rougher town than Gold Rush San Francisco, yet there has never been a greater frenzy for opera than developed there in these exciting years. How did this madness for opera take root and grow? Why did the audience's generally drunken, brawling behavior gradually improve? How and why did Verdi emerge as the city's favorite composer? These are the intriguing themes of George Martin's enlightening and wonderfully entertaining story. Among the incidents recounted are the fist fight that stopped an opera performance and ended in a fatal duel; and the brothel madam who, by sitting in the wrong row of a theater, caused a fracas that resulted in the formation of the Vigilantes of 1856. Martin weaves together meticulously gathered social, political, and musical facts to create this lively cultural history. His study contributes to a new understanding of urban culture in the Jacksonian–Manifest Destiny eras, and of the role of opera in cities during this time, especially in the American West. Over it all soars Verdi's somber, romantic music, capturing the melancholy, the feverish joy, and the idealism of his listeners. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1994. Opera is a fragile, complex art, but it flourished extravagantly in San Francisco during the Gold Rush years, a time when daily life in the city was filled with gambling, duels, murder, and suicide. In the history of the United States there has never been |
Contents
Prologue | 1 |
PART I | 7 |
Toward a Theatre | 9 |
The First Opera | 18 |
The Celebrity Sopranos | 32 |
More of Ernani and the First Resident Company | 44 |
Anna Bishop and Judith Nabucco | 50 |
Ernani Nabucco I Lombardi and I due Foscari | 67 |
Success of the MaguireLyster Company and Failure of Rigoletto | 176 |
The Annus mirabilis San Francisco Mad for Opera | 189 |
Epilogue | 201 |
Opera Premieres in San Francisco 1851 Through 1860 with Theatre Cast and Number of Performances | 213 |
Chief Theatres for Opera in San Francisco 185160 | 227 |
Transpositions and Tuning A in San Francisco | 233 |
Verdis Operas World Western Hemisphere United States and San Francisco Premieres with Casts for San Francisco | 237 |
Reviews of San Francisco Premieres and Early Performances of Macbeth I masnadieri and Luis a Miller | 247 |
Economic Decline I trovatore in Excerpts and the Vigilantes of 1856 | 89 |
Maguire His Opera House and the Bianchis | 109 |
Il trovatore Premiered Ernani Revived | 125 |
The Bianchis Produce La traviata and Attila | 140 |
Theatrical Scenery and Styles Traviata and the New Realism | 153 |
A Duel and a Period of Operatic Doldrums | 164 |
Performances of Verdis Operas in San Francisco by Decade 1851 Through 1899 | 253 |
Notes | 257 |
Works Cited | 303 |
Index | 309 |
Other editions - View all
Verdi at the Golden Gate: Opera and San Francisco in the Gold Rush Years George Martin Limited preview - 2023 |
Verdi at the Golden Gate: Opera and San Francisco in the Gold Rush Years George Whitney Martin No preview available - 1993 |
Common terms and phrases
Adelphi advertisement Alta California American Theatre Anna Bishop announced April aria artists Attila audience August Barili-Thorn baritone bass Bellini Biscaccianti Bochsa Bohemian Girl Bulletin chorus city's composer concert conductor costumes critic December Der Freischütz Donizetti drama due Foscari Dwight's Journal English opera Ernani Escott February Feret final Freischütz French German Golden Gulpen Hayes Il trovatore Italian opera January July June La traviata Lanzoni Leach Leonardi Loder Lombardi Lucia di Lammermoor Lucrezia Borgia Lyster Macbeth Maguire Maguire's Opera House March masnadieri McCabe Mengis Metropolitan Theatre Minstrels Nabucco night Norma November October orchestra Pellegrini performance Pioneer Magazine Planel play popular production recital repertory Rigoletto role Rossini's Sacramento saloon San Francisco Premiere sang scene season seats September SFDH Signor Signora Bianchi singers singing song Sonnambula soprano Soulé Squires stage style success sung tenor Thillon Tom Maguire Traviata Trovatore Verdi's operas vocal voice Wide West York