The Bishop’s Ghost (1974)

Opera – 8 Singers and Chamber Orchestra – 60 min.

Audio

Vocal Score (Free Download)

Libretto (Free Download)

Program Note

Cast of Characters:

The Ghost of Bishop Reinholdt Benson (baritone)

The Ghost of Thomas Carson (tenor)

The Ghost of Samuel Barker (bass-baritone)

The Ghost of Jane Lucas (soprano)

The Ghost of Sarah Adamson (mezzo)

The Ghost of Lorna Cabot (soprano)

The Ghost of Charlotte Dawson (mezzo)

The Ghost of Alma Eliot, later Alisa Evans (soprano)

Joseph Evans, a printer (baritone)

Willy Masters, a plasterer (baritone)

Silas Alexander, a sexton (tenor)

The cast consists of seven ghosts, three mortals, and one person who, during the course of the action, changes from ghost to mortal. The ghosts are clearly distinguishable as to their facial features, physical characteristics, and attitudes. The difference between them and the mortals (all are dressed in period clothes) is that the ghosts have a uniformly luminous white appearance. They glow in the dark or in the half-light before dawn. In full light, they appear completely white-hair, skin, and clothes.

The most prominent ghost is Bishop Reinholdt Benson. His age is about 60. He is plump, and he usually has a pleasant expression on his face. He is alert with a practical mind, and he is dedicated to his ever-present sense of propriety and self-esteem. His good qualities served him well during the 20 years, which he spent as priest of the Church of the Resurrection before he became a bishop. Bishop Benson was never noted for his scholarship, but he was commended on many occasions for his patience and kindliness, as well as for his devotion to his parishioners.  When the bishop died, he was mourned by the entire community.

Thomas Carson is a 40-year-old ghost. He is of average build and is noted for his high animal spirits. When he lived, he was a painter and carpenter. He was married and had two children whom he loved but neglected because he was devoted to spending as much time as possible in the local bars. Tom moves always as though he were slightly tipsy. He has an unusually shiny bald head.

Samuel Barker is a 35-year-old ghost, Thomas Carson’s drinking companion. Sam suggests and enters into many pranks which he and Carson enjoy. He is a bit fatter than Carson and has a very full head of hair. His general appearance suggests an overgrown cherub. Sam had been a bricklayer by trade. He was married and had three children. He and Tom are good-natured and easy-going.

A 50-year-old ghost, Jane Lucas is fat and jolly. She is quick in movement and in lively response to her environment. Although she was the mother of six children, Jane never lost her youthful attitude. Now, as a ghost, she is full of vigor and enjoys the pranks which she plays as she roams about at night.

At 55 years of age, Sarah Adamson is a very handsome woman. Even as a ghost, she reveals admirable characteristics — a stately carriage, a kind disposition, and a happy facial expression. She had been the wife of a prosperous gold and silversmith and the mother of four children. She occupied a position of respect in the town, just as she now does among her fellow ghosts.

As a 45-year-old ghost, Lorna Cabot looks just as she must have looked for years. She is extremely thin and wiry. Her face is long, as is her nose, and she resembles a bird of prey, poised ready to peck at newly found flesh; Lorna never married, nor did she have but one date in her entire life. She is a busybody, her chief interest being those who lead the type of life she never knew.

Charlotte Dawson is a young ghost, 20 years old. She is pretty and lively. In fact, she appears to have led a happy life. Charlotte has a round, sensuous figure. Though she is not fat, she has a well developed, sexy body. Her walk and general attitude are those of a woman who is very much aware of her femininity. She is a dreamer, a romantic. Before she died, her days were filled with the attentions of her admirers.

The ghost of Alma Eliot is 18 years old. Alma is easily contrasted with Charlotte, for Alma is slim and reserved. She is a beautiful girl who died shortly after being jilted by the one great love of her life. She is melancholy, though she is kind and sweet. When she is transformed from the ghost Alma Eliot to the mortal Alisa Evans, it is a matter of removing the unearthly whiteness of her ghostliness so that the true beauty of the living girl can be seen. Alma is quietly radiant as a ghost, and Alisa is equally radiant as a living person.

The printer, Joseph Evans, is 40 years old. He is a devout and humble man who is devoted to family life. He is thin, and his clothing, though neat, is slightly shabby. Near the church is his house where he lives with his only child, Alisa, the mother having died some years ago.

The 30-year-old plasterer, Willy Masters, is full of youthful good spirits. He seems to enjoy every minute of being alive. His pleasant disposition is contagious wherever he goes.

Silas Alexander, the sexton, is 50 years old. His mere presence suggests comedy of a gentle type. He takes his work seriously, but he is not overly enthusiastic when extra work comes his way. He is by nature superstitious, always being a bit afraid that the dead in the cemetery will come to life.

Setting

The scene is the churchyard of the Church of the Resurrection. The time is the late eighteenth century. As the curtain rises, the stage is engulfed by swirling mists which obscure the set. The ghosts enter from the wings, from the audience, or both, depending upon the arrangement of the interior of the theater. As the ghosts enter, the mists begin to clear until, with the entrance of Alma, the set is completely visible through a thin curtain of fog, which soon disappears entirely. In the background is the door of the Church of the Resurrection, at one time an imposing structure, but now showing evidence of decay. Through the gloom are seen the outlines of old, cracked and crumbling tombs. Just left of stage center, a tomb more elaborate than the others dominates the setting. On the front of the large tomb is the inscription Bishop Reinholdt Benson.

Other tombs bear the names Samuel Barker, Thomas Carson, Sarah Adamson, Lorna Cabot, Charlotte Dawson, and Jane Lucas. To the far left is the tomb of Alma Eliot. To the right is an altar on which candles burn. At the side of this is a stone bench. As each ghost enters, he carefully examines his tomb, then moves about the churchyard, at times swiftly, at times slowly, exchanging a word from time to time with the other ghosts. The ghosts repeat the singing of “Ah” individually, and subsequently together as they work into a chorus. They appear anxious to share their experiences with each other, for they are just returning front their nightly escapades.