William Schuman

William Schuman was one of New York's foremost musical citizens during the 1940s and 1950s, during which time he was president of the Julliard School and Lincoln Center, and won the first Pulitzer Prize ever awarded for musical composition. Schuman's reputation as a skilful composer for the orchestra has continued to grow, with his symphonies being especially popular; he also wrote much noteworthy choral music, including quirky settings such as the Mail Order Madrigals, set to text from the 1897 Sears, Roebuck catalog.

Schuman wrote only two operas, both brief one-acts, but well worth hearing. One of them, 1953's The Mighty Casey, was later reworked by the composer into a cantata on the same subject.

• The Mighty Casey, baseball opera in three scenes
  Libretto by Jules Gury after the poem Casey at the Bad by Ernest L. Thayer.
  May 4, 1953, Hartt College of Music, Hartford, Connecticut
• A Question of Taste, opera in one act
  Libretto by J. D. McClatchy after the story Taste by Roald Dahl.
  June 24, 1989, Glimmerglass Opera, Cooperstown, New York

Discography

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The Mighty Casey (abridged) on Adairondack Chamber Orchestra/Smith Three American One-Act Operas CD / Premier 1009 (1998)

William Schuman The Mighty Casey/A Question Of Taste Julliard Opera Center/Schwartz 2 CD / Delos 1030 (1994)

Bibliography

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Prayer from The Mighty Casey in G. Schirmer American Opera Anthology: Mezzo-Soprano G. Schirmer 2004	"In 1839" from The Mighty Casey The Catcher's Song from The Mighty Casey The Manager's Song from The Mighty Casey The Umpire's Song from The Mighty Casey in G. Schirmer American Opera Anthology: Baritone/Bass G. Schirmer 2004
Prayer from The Mighty Casey in G. Schirmer American Opera Anthology: Soprano G. Schirmer 2004

Last update: January 1, 2009