The North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 64, No. 53, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 4, 1980 Page: 3 of 8
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Thursday, December 4, 1980
THE NORTH TEXAS DAILY-PAGE 3
Latham's ^Orpheus' opens today
Ballad opera blends Texas history, Greek mythology
By MIC KIF. FLEETWOOD
Special Writer
The Texas legend of Josiah
Wilbarger, a man who survived being
scalped by Indians, was the inspira-
tion for "Orpheus in Pecan Springs,"
a ballad opera by music faculty
members Thomas Holliday and Dr.
William Latham.
The opera, which is a blend of
Texas history and Greek mythology,
will be performed at 8 p.m. today,
Friday and Saturday in the Univer-
sity Theater of the Speech Building.
Dr. Latham composed the music,
and the libretto was written by Holli-
day. Dr. Latham is a nationally
recognized composer who has been
honored by the American Society of
Composers, Authors and Publishers.
The idea for the opera came to Dr.
Latham when he read an account of
the scalping of Josiah Wilbarger. Ac-
cording to the Texas legend,
Wilbarger was attacked and scalped
by Indians in 1833.
SARAH HORNSBY, the wife of
Reuben Hornsby, awoke from a
dream and vividly described to her
husband a scene in which Wilbarger
lay bleeding under a tree on the
banks of Walnut Creek.
Hornsby gathered a search party
and they found Wilbarger on the
bank of the creek Mrs Hornsby had
described.
"I was fascinated," Dr. Latham
said. He said he began to wonder why
Mrs. Hornsby was having dreams
about Wilbarger and remembered
that an article he had read by Dr.
Joyce Brothers said dreams are often
caused by guilt.
Dr. Latham said as he began to
develop the fictional plot, he thought
he would not make it a story of an or-
dinary love triangle, but would
emphasize the hard life of women on
the Texas frontier.
DR. LATHAM put the idea aside
until about two years ago when Hol-
liday asked him when he was going to
write an opera. Dr. Latham said he
doesn't particularly like opera, but he
told Holliday the Josiah Willbarger
talc.
Holliday was fascinated with the
legend and began working on the
Pholo by TERRY HASKER
Jackson as Levi in "Orpheus in Pecan Springs"
libretto. "Orpheus in Pecan Springs"
is not the legend of Wilbarger.
Instead, it is the story of Isaiah, a
surveyor-minstrel, who saves himself
from death by singing during the In-
dian attack; Levi, a dirty farmer who
berates his wife for her barrenness;
and Hannah, Levi's barren wife.
The emphasis oi the opera is on the
hard life of women on the Texas
frontier and includes the line, "For
women and oxen, to give them their
due, Texas was a perfect hell."
Holliday described the opera as be-
ing "accessible and enjoyable." The
libretto is in English. "The music is a
variety of styles inherited from our
forefathers, including jazz, folk and
church music," Holliday said.
He said he thinks the audience can
identify with the music because it
uses styles they have heard before.
The musical instruments range
from an electronic tape to
washboards. The electronic tape is a
combination of real and synthesized
sounds. It was prepared by Bruce
Ballentine, musical director for the
production.
The tape includes sounds of run-
ning water and night animals. It is
used during Hannah's dream of the
Indian attack. The dream is a ballet,
which was choreographed by Dr.
Pamela E. Fuller of the dance faculty.
Dr. Fuller said she thinks the ballet
depicts all of the good and bad things
that Hannah thinks could happen to
her. The dance includes a love duet,
playing with five children and the In-
dian attack.
The production includes a chorus
that performs much the same role as
the chorus in Greek mythology. The
chorus narrates and its members par-
ticipate in the action.
Mezzo-soprano Sheila M. Smith, a
guest artist from Oklahoma City, will
sing the part of Hannah. Holliday
said Ms. Smith is "probably one of
the finest young mezzo-sopranos in
the country."
Holliday said there are people at
NT who are qualified to sing the part
of Hannah, but that the qualified
singers did not audition.
THE FART of Levi is sung by
tenor Richard Jackson, a San An-
tonio senior. Houston senior Brad
Holmes, a baritone, will sing the part
of Isaiah.
The set, costumes and lighting for
"Orpheus in Pecan Springs" were
designed by Robert W. Lyon Jr. of
Chicago. Lyon, a guest artist, has
designed costumes, lighting and set-
tings for operas, musicals, ballets and
plays. "Orpheus in Pecan Springs"
will be his second production at NT.
"Orpheus in Pecan Springs" will
be listed in the catalog of major new
works by Opera America, the major
association of professional opera
producing companies. Rach member
may sponsor one entry. "Orpheus in
Pecan Springs" is sponsored by the
Fort Worth Opera in the catalog.
DR. LATHAM said he and Holli-
day plan to tape the opera for broad-
cast after the premiere.
Other principal characters in the
opera are Flossie, a neighbor, played
by Dallas graduate student Julie
Tinsley Payne; Jared, Flossie's hus-
band, played by Van Buren, Ark.,
graduate student Stephen L. Edds;
and Mary, Isaiah's dead sister
played by Amber Jorgensen,
Lnglewood, Colo., graduate student.
Reservations for "Orpheus in
Pecan Springs" may be made by call-
ing the NT Union Box Office at 788-
26II.
^Kramer vs. Kramer'
shows parents' battle
"Kramer vs. Kramer," starring
Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep and Jane
Alexander will be shown at 7 p.m. and
9:30 p.m. today and Friday and at 8 p.m.
Saturday in The Lyceum. Admission is
SI with an NT ID.
The film is about parents entangled in
a legal and emotional tug of war over
their child Ted Kramer (Hoffman) is a
Madison Avenue advertising account
executive who lacks sensitivity to his
wife's needs of self-fulfillment. Joanna
Kramer (Streep) abandons her role as
wife and mother and leaves her husband
and son on their own. Eventually she
returns to claim her 7-year-old son, Billy
(Justin Ilenry).
"The movie deals with a reality that's
pretty current these days, such as broken
homes and one-parent families," said
Bruce Balentine, Union Program Com-
mittees director.
"The movie also has something to say
about the inadequacies of our laws in-
volving divorce and child custody and it
is enlightening," Balentine said.
Show perks up dorm
About eight student acts will perform
in the Clark Hall Dorm Association's
free coffeehouse in the Clark Hall living
room at 8 p.m. today, Vicki Jasper, as-
sociation vice president, said.
The coffeehouse will feature Clark
residents singing, dancing, performing
comedy routines and playing musical in-
struments, Dan Clark, dorm president,
said.
"We try to have a coffeehouse at least
once a month to get everyone together,"
( lark said. "It is really just to break
away from studying."
Miss Jasper said the coffeehouse
production will last about 30 minutes.
The Textbook Department of the University Store
Would Like to Express our "Thanks" to the
Faculty and Staff for your Promptness in
Returning the Spring Adoption Forms.
"And They Said It Couldn't Be Done"
THANKS AGAIN
(JUje (Ctiateau
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Symphony seat waits
for senior horn player
By LAQUITA DAVIS
Daily Reporter
Sue Hudson, Bryan senior, is taking a
one-year leave of absence from school to
play professionally in the San Antonio
Symphony Orchestra.
At the end of that year Miss Hudson
plans to return to complete a music per-
formance degree in French horn.
The orchestra auditions this summer
attracted 35-40 players nationwide. Four
semifmalists included a Miami man, a
Mexico City woman and two NT stu-
dents: Miss Hudson and Scott Fearing,
Denton graduate student and teaching
assistant on French horn
Fearing attributed the large number
of auditions to the fact that "a French
horn position is really rare. There hasn't
been one in four months."
Both players are students of Clyde
Miller, head of the French horn depart-
ment. "I was very proud of them," Mil-
ler said. "It was a feather in their caps
and a feather in mine. They really
deserved it."
Miss Hudson and Fearing agreed
their accomplishments speak well for
NT's School of Music and especially
Miller. "It was a real triumph for him,"
Fearing said. "You should have seen
Mr. Miller. He was so happy and
proud."
Miss Hudson said, "He's an incredi-
ble teacher. He's made us believe in
ourselves and our music."
In addition to playing in the Univer-
sity Orchestra, she was principal horn in
the Symphonic Wind Ensemble con-
ducted by Dr. Robert Winslow, a
member of the faculty Brass Quintet and
Horn Choir.
Miss Hudson has substituted in the
Dallas and Fort Worth Symphony
orchestras and in 1976 was soloist with
the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra
on a performance in Rudder Theater at
Texas A&M University.
Upon graduation from NT in August
1981, Miss Hudson said she plans to
continue playing in orchestras. "I'm go-
ing to play until I'm as good as I'm
capable."
DOORS OPEN
Weekday— 4 45
Weekend — 12 30
Adults—S3 50
Child —$2 00
Early Bird Tickets
Ail Seats S? 00 til 5 30
PHONE 383
GOLDEN A
TRIANGLE *t
LOOP 288 &
■35 N
Hopscotch
Ordinary People
Weekdays—5 00-7 15-9 30
Weekends—12 45-3:00-5 15
7:30-9:45
Weekdays—5:00-7:00-9:00
Weekends—1: 00-3:00-5:00-
7 00-9:00
Song of PG
The South
I irst Deadly Sin
Weekdays—-5:15-7:15-9:15
Weekends—1:15-3.15-5:15
7:15-9 15
Weekdays—5.30-7 30-9 30
Weekends—1:30-3:30-5:30
7:30-9:30
HAVE YOURSELF A VERY
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Whitehead, Mike. The North Texas Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 64, No. 53, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 4, 1980, newspaper, December 4, 1980; Denton, TX. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth332547/m1/3/: accessed July 12, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.