Gambling in Opera
Gary Nooger
The Tales of Hoffman
Capa0848 wrote:
> An e-mail from a friend got me thinking about gambling in opera.
>
> It appears in quite a number of operas, doesn't it, in one form or another? I
> had never really thought about it before.
>
> Fanciulla, Manon, Traviata, Pique Dame, The Gambler, Cosi fan tutte, Arabella,
> The Ballad of Baby Doe, Porgy and Bess all feature gambling of some sort.
>
> And of course Calaf bets his life, more or less, that he can solve Turandot's
> riddles.
>
> What others?
>
> Regards,
>
> Pat
>
> The while let music wander round my ears,
> And as it reaches each delicious ending,
> Let me write down a line of glorious tone
>
> Keats On Leaving Some Friends at an Early Hour
Capa0848
Matthew B. Tepper
>
> What others?
_The Rake's Progress_.
--
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Mark D. Lew
(Capa0848) wrote:
> And of course Calaf bets his life, more or less, that he can solve Turandot's
> riddles.
I wouldn't call that "gambling", and ditto for Cosě. If you're counting
bets of any sort, then I suppose you have to add the one between
Mefistofele in God in Boito's _Mefistofele_.
> What others?
Don't forget Svanda Dudák!
mdl
tresbirri
>
> If you're counting
> bets of any sort, then I suppose you have to add the one between
> Mefistofele in God in Boito's _Mefistofele_.
>
> > What others?
>
Another bet by a slightly lesser God -- the "Wissenswette" between
Mime and the Wanderer, 1st act Siegfried.
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Martyn Gore
Johnson against sheriff Jack Rance in a game of cards where she cheats to
win !
"tresbirri" <tres...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:8insqj$7eh$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
Karen Mercedes
> An e-mail from a friend got me thinking about gambling in opera.
>
> It appears in quite a number of operas, doesn't it, in one form or another? I
> had never really thought about it before.
>
> Fanciulla, Manon, Traviata, Pique Dame, The Gambler, Cosi fan tutte, Arabella,
> The Ballad of Baby Doe, Porgy and Bess all feature gambling of some sort.
>
> And of course Calaf bets his life, more or less, that he can solve Turandot's
> riddles.
>
> What others?
>
Gambling at cards is referred to in the Venice scene of LES CONTES
D'HOFFMANN, Choudens edition, and actually depicted in the Oeser Edition.
In Offenbach's LA BELLE HELENE, Calchas, the high priest, gambles with the
Greek kings and wins by cheating.
In CANDIDE, in the Constantinople casino, Maximilian acts as croupier, and
enables Candide to win at the table.
In Stravinsky's HISTOIRE DU SOLDAT, the soldier gambles with the devil and
loses.
In Bizet's LA JOLIE FILLE DE PERTH, the Duke of Rothsay gambles at cards.
In Lukas Foss's THE JUMPING FROG OF CALAVERAS COUNTY,Smiley bets the
Stranger $40 that Smiley's frog Daniel can out-jump any frog the Stranger
can find.
In Poulenc's LES MAMELLES DE TIRESIAS, Presto and Lacouf gamble and drink
together before challenging one another to a friendly duel.
In William Bolcom's MCTEAGUE, Trina buys a lottery ticket and wins $5,000
in gold.
In Lehar's PAGANINI, Paganini gambles his money and his violin in a card
game with Pimpinelli, and loses both.
In Previn's A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, Stanley and his friends gamble at
their weekly poker game.
Shostakovich's THE GAMBLERS
KM
-----
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Der in den Zweigen wohnet;
Das Lied, das aus der Kehle dringt,
Ist Lohn, der reichlich lohnet.
-- J.W. von Goethe, WILHELM MEISTER
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Capa0848
>From: mark...@earthlink.net (Mark D. Lew)
>I wouldn't call that "gambling", and ditto for Cosě.
>
snip/snip
>
>mdl
>
I think "betting" (as in Don Alfonso's challenge) is hardly distinguishable
from "gambling", Mark.
My dictionary shows one of the definitions of "gamble" as "to bet on an
uncertain outcome."
Regards,
Pat
That tall Man, a giant in bulk and in height,
Not an inch of his body is free from delight;
Can he keep himself still, if he would? oh, not he!
The music stirs in him like wind through a tree.
Wordsworth, The Power of Music
Capa0848
>Date: 06/20/2000 8:27 PM Pacific Daylight Time
>Message-id: <Pine.SV4.3.96.100062...@saltmine.radix.net>
>
a number of interesting contributions snipped
>
>In Lukas Foss's THE JUMPING FROG OF CALAVERAS COUNTY,Smiley bets the Stranger
$40 that Smiley's frog Daniel can out-jump any frog the Stranger can find.
>KM
===============
Hi, Karen
Not familiar with that opera at all, but it is one of the great short stories
ever written.
Jim Smiley is an inveterate gambler, who will bet on anything. ANYTHING.
Smiley learns that Parson Walker's wife has been taken sick --
"Parson Walker's wife laid very sick once, for a good while, and it seemed as
if they warn't going to save her; but one morning he {the Parson) come in, and
Smiley up and asked him how she was. He {the Parson} said she was considerable
better -- thank the Lord for his infinite mercy -- and coming on so smart that
with the blessing of Providence she'd get well yet; and Smiley, before he
thought, says, "Well, I'll resk two-and-a half she don't anyway."
Ya gotta know when to hold 'em,
Know when to fold 'em.
Best,
Mark D. Lew
(Capa0848) wrote:
> I think "betting" (as in Don Alfonso's challenge) is hardly distinguishable
> from "gambling", Mark.
I guess we interpret the word differently. To me, "gambling" suggests an
organized game, not simply any wager between two people.
> My dictionary shows one of the definitions of "gamble" as "to bet on an
> uncertain outcome."
No doubt, but to me "gambling" implies something more specifc than just the
gerund form of "to gamble". My dictionary shows one of the definitions of
"hunt" as "to attempt to find something", but I wouldn't call the first act
of LA BOHEME an example of hunting in opera.
mdl
Capa0848
>Date: 06/22/2000 12:04 AM Pacific Daylight Time
>Message-id: <markdlew-ya0240800...@news.earthlink.net>
>
>In article <20000620222417...@ng-ba1.aol.com>, capa...@aol.com
>(Capa0848) wrote:
>
>> I think "betting" (as in Don Alfonso's challenge) is hardly
>distinguishable
>> from "gambling", Mark.
>
>I guess we interpret the word differently. To me, "gambling" suggests an
organized game, not simply any wager between two people.
>
>mdl
==========
Dear Mark,
I'll have to check with my bookie. His mother wouldn't call Louie 'organized'.
In fact, he was he was one of the targets of a recent high-profile
investigation into disorganized crime in the Los Angeles area.
Pat
The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but that's
the way to bet!
Damon Runyan
Andre Edouard
AE
Mark D. Lew wrote:
In article <20000620222417...@ng-ba1.aol.com>, capa...@aol.com
(Capa0848) wrote:
> I think "betting" (as in Don Alfonso's challenge) is hardly distinguishable
> from "gambling", Mark.
I guess we interpret the word differently. To me, "gambling" suggests an
organized game, not simply any wager between two people.
> My dictionary shows one of the definitions of "gamble" as "to bet on an