James Stevenson at the Opera

In the setting of Verdi's Aida, the grandest of grand operas, the late James Stevenson proposed an age-old question about composition. In this cartoon rough, the particular opera can be readily identified from the inclusion of elephants in the grand pageant.

James Stevenson, "Which comes first—the music or the lyrics?"

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James Stevenson, "Which comes first—the music or the lyrics?"

The scene Mr. Stevenson has depicted is the Triumphal March from Verdi's Aida. The march, as it happens, is a second-act musical interlude with no lyrics. Once upon a time, it was performed by the Met with live elephants, but no longer:

Triumphal March from Aida by Giuseppi Verdi
The Metropolitan Opera, 1989

Mr. Stevenson's idea was very likely not sold to the New Yorker, but a related idea from cartoon editor Lee Lorenz was published:

Lee Lorenz, The New Yorker, June 2, 1975, page 45

http://archives.newyorker.com/?i=1975-06-02#folio=044

Note:  With the passing of New Yorker cartoonist James Stevenson (1929-2017), Attempted Bloggery would like to hear from anyone with original drawings, photographs, or correspondence that shed light on this important cartoonist.

Quick Links to Attempted Bloggery's Triumphal Archives
James Stevenson (1929-2017)
Lee Lorenz
Cartoon Roughs
Giuseppe Verdi

Grand Opera

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Barney Tobey's Operatic Rx

A 1957 New Yorker cartoon by Barney Tobey offers a bravura rendition of the inside of the Metropolitan Opera House, then located at 39th and Broadway. The old Met was built in 1883 and it closed in 1966 when the Metropolitan Opera moved uptown to the brand new Lincoln Center. From the stage setting it is clear we are in the final scene of Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata, specifically in Violetta's bedroom. Violetta is on her deathbed succumbing to tuberculosis. Of note here, the postwar years have ushered in a new antibiotic era, and Tobey's well-informed opera-goer shares with her husband a contemporary musing on the opera's tragic conclusion.

"Isn't it a pity they didn't have drugs like streptomycin in those days?"
Barney Tobey, Original art, The New Yorker, March 23, 1957, page 29

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"Isn't it a pity they didn't have drugs like streptomycin in those days?"
Barney Tobey, The New Yorker, March 23, 1957, page 29

"Isn't it a pity they didn't have drugs like streptomycin in those days?"
Barney Tobey, The New Yorker, March 23, 1957, page 29

http://archives.newyorker.com/?i=1957-03-23#folio=028

The Old Met as it appeared on January 1, 1896. The opera house opened in 1883 and closed in 1966 when the Metropolitan Opera moved to its current home in Lincoln Center.

http://thegildedageera.blogspot.com/2012/11/at-met-part-1.html

Giuseppe Verdi, La Traviata - "Parigi, o cara"

The Royal Opera

Renée Fleming as Violetta Valéry

Joseph Calleja as Alfredo Germont

Note:  Did Barney Tobey get the staging right? I would be delighted to see a photograph or even a set design showing Violetta's bedroom from the 1950's-era Metropolitan Opera production of La Traviata. Who can help out with this?

Tragedy on the high C's? See what happens when Attempted Bloggery goes to the opera.

Also see what happens when this blog sings the praises of Barney Tobey.

How about some more original New Yorker cartoon art? There's more of it here than on any other blog. And that's not just Wagnerian bombast.

Do you know when the blog post is over? Hint: The fat lady is singing.

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