"Goblin Market" [Daniel Steven Crafts]

"Goblin Market" [Daniel Steven Crafts]

First line of lyrics: Morning and evening

Crafts, Daniel Steven; music (American, born 1949)

Rossetti, Christina Georgina; text (English, 1830-1894)

genre: opera

solo: soprano|mezzo-soprano|bass|baritone|tenor

chorus: men's TBB chorus|SA chorus

instrumentation: flute|bassoon|strings|oboe|piano

initial sharps/flats: no sharps or flats

initial time signature: 4/4

origin: United States

male composer

English

Rossetti poem(s): "Goblin Market"

Composition history: When asked how he came to set multiple Rossetti texts, Crafts responded: "I first discovered C Rossetti's poetry through Goblin Market. I found it an intriguing Gothic tale which I used to read aloud around the campfire during backpacking trips through the American Southwest. Through that process over several years, I found that melodies were forming in my head. Eventually, I constructed a libretto using the poem virtually verbatim, but assigning the words to the two women of course, but also to a narrator and women's and men's choruses. Perhaps the highlight of the opera is the lullaby that the two girls sing to each other after Laura has eaten the fruit but is still unaware of the consequences. I see it as the "calm before the storm." (Crafts)

Tempo markings: quarter note = 52

Performance instructions: "An opera in one act based by the poem by Christina Rossetti." To be performed by a cast of solo characters, women's chorus, men's chorus and flute, oboe, bassoon and strings (or two pianos). Characters are voiced thus: Laura (soprano), Lizzie (mezzo-soprano), Narrator (baritone). There are also four soloists from the men's chorus: Goblin 1: bass; Goblin 2: baritone; Goblin 3: tenor; Goblin 4: tenor.

Performance history: Crafts comments that the duet "Golden head by golden head" is the only excerpt from the opera that has been performed thus far. View soprano, Deborah Benedict (Laura) and mezzo-soprano, Karen Carle (Lizzie) with pianist, Charles Worth performing this excerpt, after an introduction by the composer: "Goblin Market - Daniel Steven Crafts - excerpt: Duet." YouTube, uploaded by wilton warlock, 17 Aug. 2019, https://youtu.be/IuY1lNnbR-Q.

Format 1: musical score

115 pages (3 parts: pp. 2-40, "continuation" pp. 1-41, "conclusion" pp. 1-25); performance time 80 minutes

Other data reference(s): Crafts, Daniel Steven. "Re: Goblin Market." Received by Mary Arseneau, 12 July 2017.

Cataloguer: Mary Arseneau, University of Ottawa

Musical score compliments of composer Daniel Steven Crafts.

Record: CRM-goblinmarket-crafts

File(s): CRM-goblinmarket-crafts.pdf

This work is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This score appears in this website by kind permission of the copyright holder, composer Daniel Steven Crafts.

The Christina Rossetti in Music project website is hosted in Canada at the University of Ottawa Library, and we aim to comply with Canadian copyright laws. If you believe we have violated Canadian copyright law, please contact us at christinarossettimusic@uottawa.ca. The Christina Rossetti in Music project is strictly not for profit and intended for research and educational purposes only.