The Telephone
E839708
The Telephone is a one-act comic opera by Gian Carlo Menotti that humorously explores how constant telephone interruptions disrupt personal relationships.
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
one-act comic opera
ⓘ
opera ⓘ |
| alternativeTitle | The Telephone; or, L'Amour à trois NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| commissionedBy | Columbia University NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| composer | Gian Carlo Menotti NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| dramaticConflict | Ben’s inability to propose because of constant phone interruptions ⓘ |
| duration | approximately 20–25 minutes ⓘ |
| firstPerformanceLanguage | English ⓘ |
| firstProducer | Columbia Theatre Associates NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| firstPublisher | G. Schirmer, Inc. NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| genre | comic opera ⓘ |
| hasDevice | telephone ⓘ |
| hasInstrumentation |
brass
ⓘ
percussion ⓘ piano ⓘ strings ⓘ woodwinds ⓘ |
| hasRole |
Ben, her suitor
ⓘ
Lucy, a young woman obsessed with the telephone ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| librettist | Gian Carlo Menotti NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| mainCharacter |
Ben
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Lucy NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| medium | stage work ⓘ |
| notableRecording | RCA Victor recording conducted by Gian Carlo Menotti ⓘ |
| numberOfActs | 1 ⓘ |
| orchestration | small orchestra ⓘ |
| originalLanguage | English ⓘ |
| pairedWithAtPremiere | The Medium NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| period | 20th-century opera ⓘ |
| plotSummary | Ben attempts to propose marriage to Lucy but is repeatedly interrupted by telephone calls. ⓘ |
| premiereDate | 1947-02-18 ⓘ |
| premierePlace | Heckscher Theater, New York City NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| resolution | Ben finally proposes to Lucy by telephone ⓘ |
| setting | Lucy’s apartment ⓘ |
| structure | continuous one-act ⓘ |
| style | lyric, tonal, neoclassical ⓘ |
| subject |
comic treatment of modern communication
ⓘ
satire of social dependence on the telephone ⓘ telephone as a comic device ⓘ |
| theme |
communication and miscommunication
ⓘ
impact of technology on personal relationships ⓘ |
| timePeriodOfComposition | mid-1940s ⓘ |
| vocalForces |
baritone
ⓘ
soprano ⓘ |
| workNumber | no opus number ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.