Born August 4, 1846, Addison, Vermont Died October 30, 1916, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
About Silas G. Pratt
A pianist and composer, Pratt is said to have been called "the Richard Wagner of the United States" by Wagner himself, to which Pratt replied by calling Wagner the "Silas Pratt of Germany." Today, while Wagner is remembered, Pratt, one of the earliest American opera composers, is all but forgotten. In addition to his compositions, he was the author of a once-popular book of anecdotes about Abraham Lincoln.
Pratt composed one additional work, entitled The Triumph of Columbus, which was first performed in New York in 1892. My sources have not been able to confirm whether this was an opera or a cantata or other nondramatic work.
Operas
Antonio (composed 1871 (; selections performed in Farwell Hall, Chicago))
Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra, opera in four acts Libretto by the composer. June 15, 1882, Central Music Hall, Chicago ((concert performance)); March 26, 1883, McVickers Theater, Chicago ((first staged version))
Lucille (March 14, 1887, Columbia Theater, Chicago) [rev. of Antonio]
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