Four Saints in Three Acts

E237761

Four Saints in Three Acts is an avant-garde opera with a libretto by Gertrude Stein and music by Virgil Thomson, renowned for its experimental language, non-linear structure, and groundbreaking all-Black cast in its original 1934 production.

All labels observed (3)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (49)

Predicate Object
instanceOf avant-garde opera
opera
associatedMovement American modernism
experimental theatre
literary modernism
character Commère
Compère
Ignatius of Loyola
surface form: Saint Ignatius of Loyola

Teresa of Ávila
surface form: Saint Teresa of Ávila
composer Virgil Thomson
countryOfOrigin United States of America
surface form: United States
firstMajorRunCity New York City
firstMajorRunLocation Broadway
firstMajorRunYear 1934
firstPerformanceDate 1934-02-07
genre experimental music theatre
modernist music
opera
hasLibretto Four Saints in Three Acts self-linksurface differs
surface form: Four Saints in Three Acts (libretto)
hasMusic Four Saints in Three Acts self-linksurface differs
surface form: Four Saints in Three Acts (score)
historicalSignificance landmark of American modernist opera
one of the first operas with an all-Black cast presented to a major white audience in the United States
language English
librettist Gertrude Stein
librettoStyle Gertrude Stein’s stream-of-consciousness writing
musicalStyle American vernacular influences
neoclassical elements
notableFor collaboration between Gertrude Stein and Virgil Thomson
notableProductionFeature all-Black cast in original 1934 production
numberOfActs 4
originalChoreographer Frederick Ashton
originalDirector John Houseman
originalProductionDesigner Florine Stettheimer
premiereLocation Hartford, Connecticut, United States
surface form: Hartford, Connecticut
premiereVenue Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art
surface form: Wadsworth Atheneum
premiereYear 1934
productionElement abstract sets
minimal narrative emphasis
stylized staging
structure four acts
styleCharacteristic experimental language
fragmented narrative
non-linear structure
repetitive text patterns
surreal imagery
subjectMatter lives of saints
theme mysticism
playfulness with language
spirituality

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Gertrude Stein notableWork Four Saints in Three Acts
Four Saints in Three Acts hasLibretto Four Saints in Three Acts self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: Four Saints in Three Acts (libretto)
Four Saints in Three Acts hasMusic Four Saints in Three Acts self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: Four Saints in Three Acts (score)