Tippett The Midsummer Marriage
Plot Synopsis and Character Description of English Fantasy
Oct 16, 2008
Michael Tippett (b. January 2, 1905) composed The Midsummer Marriage, a three-act English fantasy. He also wrote the libretto. It was premiered at London, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, January 27, 1955. The setting is at the woods, present time.
Notable arias: Sosostris's aria (Sosostris), Cosmetics aria (Bella), "How can I such a lovely vision of the mind deny?" (Jenifer)
The Midsummer Marriage by Tippett is an allegorical opera, full of symbolic allusions. The theme is purification of love before marriage.
Character Roles of The Midsummer Marriage
- Mark, A young man of unknown parentage (tenor)
- Jenifer, A young girl, Mark's fianceé (soprano)
- King Fisher, Her father, a businessman (baritone)
- Bella, his secretary (soprano)
- Jack, Her boyfriend, a mechanic (tenor)
- Ancient Priest (bass)
- Ancient Priestess (mezzo soprano)
- Sosostris, A clairvoyant (contralto
Plot Summary / Synopsis of The Midsummer Marriage
Act I. A Clearing in the Woods before a Temple
Mark and Jenifer are about to be married. They meet up with friends before a temple in the woods. The temple dancers perform a ritual dance, but Mark wants something a bit more exotice. Mark and Jenifer love each other, but she calls off the wedding, saying that she seeks truth. She enters the temple and Mark goes into a cave. Jenifer's father, King Fisher, arrives and looks for his daughter. He tries to follow Mark into the cave but he cannot open the gates. Fisher bribes Mark's friends to help him and Bella's boyfriend, Jack, tries to force the gates. Jenifer and Mark reappear, but they have been transfigured into the god and goddess Dionysus and Athena, respectively.
Act II. The Clearing from a Different Angle
Bella decides to marry Jack. The temple priests perform three ritual dances that frighten Bella. reassures her not to be afraid.
Act III. The Clearing at the Original Angle
Mark and Jenifer's friends celebrate by eating, drinking and dancing. King Fisher summons his private clairvoyant, Sosostris, to challenges the ancient temple priests, whom he believes to have kidnapped his daughter. King Fisher asks Sosostris to find Jenifer so she can be rescued. He gets angry when she reports a vision of Jenifer and Mark together in a field. Jack refuses King Fisher's order to unveil Sosostris, so King Fisher does it himself only to find Jenifer and Mark radiantly transfigured. King Fisher draws a pistol on Mark, but before he could fire it, he dies of a heart attack. The chorus sing of "carnal love through which the race of men is everlastingly renewed" as Jenifer and Mark slowly disappear.
It is dawn and the sanctuary is veiled in mist. Jenifer and Mark are ready to marry, purified and happy in their love.
Readers may want to check out this article related to wedding: The Wedding Ring and its Beginnings.
Sources:
Martin, Nicholas Ivor. The Da Capo Opera Manual, Da Capo, 1997
Morley, Sir Alexander F.. The Harrap Opera Guide. London: Harrap, 1970
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