SEMELE

Music by George Frideric Handel

Based on a Libretto by William Congreve

Study Guide
for Pacific Opera Victoria’s Production
February, 2009

TRANSPORTATION
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PACIFIC OPERA VICTORIA, 1815 BLANSHARD STREET, SUITE 500, VICTORIA, BC V8T 5A4 WWW.POV.BC.CA
 Welcome to Pacific Opera Victoria!
This Study Guide has been created primarily to assist teachers in preparing students for
their visit to the opera. It is our hope that teachers will be able to add this to the
existing curriculum in order to expand students’ understanding of opera, literature,
history, and the fine arts.
Materials in the Study Guide may be copied and distributed to students. Some students
may wish to go over the information at home if there is not enough time to discuss in
class. The opera experience can be made more meaningful and enjoyable when
students have the opportunity to learn about the opera before they attend the
performance.
Please visit http://www.pov.bc.ca. to download this study guide or to find more information about
Semele, including musical selections from POV’s Best of YouTube and artist biographies. POV Study
Guides for other operas are also available for download.

Teachers: Your comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Please take a few minutes to
fill out the questionnaire at the end of this study guide.

Please Note: The Dress Rehearsal is the last opportunity the singers will have on stage to work with the
orchestra before Opening Night. Since vocal demands are so great on opera singers, some singers choose
not to sing in full voice during the Dress Rehearsal in order to preserve their voice for opening night.

Contents
Welcome to Pacific Opera Victoria! _____________________________________________________ 1
Cast List _________________________________________________________________________ 2
Synopsis of the Opera ______________________________________________________________ 3
Staging Semele ____________________________________________________________________ 4
Director’s Notes ___________________________________________________________________ 5
Sets and Costumes for POV’s Production ________________________________________________ 6
The Music and the Composer _________________________________________________________ 7
Highlights from the Opera _______________________________________________________ 7
Handel and His Music ___________________________________________________________ 8
Getting a “Handel” on Baroque Opera ______________________________________________ 10
Exploring the Myth of Semele _________________________________________________________ 12
Links for Further Learning ____________________________________________________________ 14
Directions for Further Learning ________________________________________________________ 15
For Elementary and Middle School Students _________________________________________ 15
For Middle School and High School Students _________________________________________ 16
For High School and Post-Secondary Students _______________________________________ 17
For Anyone ___________________________________________________________________ 18
Teacher’s Comments ________________________________________________________________ 19

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Pacific Opera Victoria Study Guide for Semele 2009 1
 Semele
Music by George Frideric Handel
Based on a libretto by William Congreve
First Performance February 10, 1744, Covent Garden, London

Dress Rehearsal February 10, 2009, 7:30 pm

Performances February 12, 14, 17, 19, 21, 2009, 8 pm
Royal Theatre, Victoria, BC
Sung in English with English surtitles
The performance is approximately 2 ¾ hours, with one intermission.

CAST & CREATIVE TEAM

Cast in order of vocal appearance

Cadmus, King of Thebes Nathaniel Watson

Athamas, a Prince of Bœotia,
in love with, and design'd to marry Semele Scott Belluz
Semele, Daughter to Cadmus,
belov'd by and in love with Jupiter Nathalie Paulin
Ino, Sister to Semele, in love with Athamas Anita Krause
Jupiter Benjamin Butterfield
Juno Anita Krause
Iris Anne Grimm
Cupid Joseph Avio Pegler
Somnus Nathaniel Watson
Apollo Aaron Ferguson

Chorus: Priests and Augurs, Loves and Zephyrs , Nymphs and Swains. Attendants

Conductor Timothy Vernon

Director Wim Trompert
Set & Costume Designer Brian Perchaluk
Lighting Designer Ereca Hassell
Resident Stage Manager Jackie Adamthwaite
Assistant Stage Managers Steve Barker
Connie Hosie
Chorus Master & Répétiteur Michael Drislane

With the Victoria Symphony and the Pacific Opera Victoria Chorus

Cast and programme are subject to change.

PRODUCTION SPONSORS

This production is being recorded by CBC Radio Two (92.1 in Victoria) for future broadcast on
Saturday Afternoon at the Opera, heard weekly beginning at 1 pm with host Bill Richardson

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Pacific Opera Victoria Study Guide for Semele 2009 2
Synopsis
Act I
Semele, daughter of King Cadmus of Thebes, keeps delaying her marriage to Prince Athamas of Boeotia because
she is in love with the god Jupiter. She prays to Jupiter for help (O Jove! In pity teach me which to choose, Incline
me to comply, or help me to refuse!) Meanwhile Semele’s sister Ino pines for Athamas (Turn, hopeless lover, turn
thy eyes, And see a maid bemoan, In flowing tears and aching sighs, Thy woes too like her own.).
The wedding ceremony is interrupted when Jupiter, disguised as a purple eagle, carries Semele off and installs her in
a pleasure palace, from which she can be heard singing of Endless pleasure, endless love.

Act II
Jupiter’s wife Juno is enraged to learn that Semele is Jupiter’s latest mistress and threatens to snatch Semele from
the palace and toss her down to Hades. Juno’s spy Iris warns her that the palace is guarded by dragons. Juno then
comes up with a Plan B and departs with Iris (Hence, Iris, hence away,) to call on Somnus, the god of sleep, to
engineer the destruction of Semele.
Meanwhile, Semele wakes from a dream of her lover (O sleep, why dost thou leave me, Why thy visionary joys
remove? O sleep, again deceive me, To my arms restore my wand'ring love! )
When Jupiter arrives, Semele expresses her love (With fond desiring, With bliss expiring), but tells him she is upset
by his frequent absences and by the fact that as a mere mortal she doesn’t fit in with the deities around her. She hints
that she’d like to be made immortal. Worried by her aspirations to immortality, Jupiter distracts her by fetching her
sister Ino for a visit (I must with speed amuse her). He then conjures up a soothing Arcadian scene and sings
tenderly to Semele ( Where'er you walk, cool gales shall fan the glade).

Intermission

Act III
Juno arrives at the cave of Somnus and tries to waken him; he peevishly goes back to sleep (Leave me, loathsome
light) until she promises him the love of the nymph Pasithea. Now that she has his attention, Juno tells Somnus to
arouse Jupiter with a dream so erotic that he will promise Semele anything she demands. She also instructs Somnus
to put Ino to sleep so that Juno can take her place.
Disguised as Ino, Juno now pays a visit to Semele. Flattering her outrageously, Juno shows her a mirror in which
Semele appears even more gorgeous than usual. Semele is transfixed (Myself I shall adore, If I persist in gazing. No
object sure before Was ever half so pleasing. )
Semele is so taken with her own beauty that she agrees to follow Juno’s fatal advice: she will make Jupiter promise
to come to her bed, not as a mortal, but in his true godlike glory so that she can attain the immortality she deserves.
Full of desire as a result of his dream, Jupiter tries to embrace Semele (Come to my arms, my lovely fair, Soothe my
uneasy care). She hesitates (I ever am granting, You always complain. I always am wanting, Yet never obtain).
Jupiter swears he will give her anything she wants. She demands that he cast off his human shape and appear in his
full godly splendour. Dismayed, he urges her to reconsider, but she is adamant: No, no, I'll take no less, Than all in
full excess!
Jupiter knows that even if he uses his softest lightning and mildest melting bolt, the situation is hopeless: he must
keep his promise, and Semele will die. While Juno gloats (Above measure Is the pleasure, Which my revenge
supplies), Jupiter approaches, and Semele is incinerated.
As the people mourn (Oh, terror and astonishment!), Ino recounts a vision in which Hermes told her of her sister’s
fate and of Jupiter’s wish that she marry Athamas, who is perfectly happy to oblige. Apollo appears to announce that
a new god will rise from Semele’s ashes: Bacchus (the god of wine), who will be more mighty than Love. All
rejoice.
Happy, happy shall we be, Free from care, from sorrow free.

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Pacific Opera Victoria Study Guide for Semele 2009 3
Staging Semele
Part of the fun of opera is finding new ways to tell Semele’s story still makes for a delicious roman à
a story, shifting the focus just enough to reveal it clef. Audiences of any time can speculate on the
in a new light. model for the jealous wife or the social-climbing
mistress.
The story of Semele –a pretty girl with ambitions,
who infiltrates the bastions of power and privilege New York City Opera recently brought Semele
– is the oldest of stories and the most into the 20th century, transporting Mount Olympus
contemporary. It’s ripe for all kinds of adaptations: to the Kennedy White House, with a Marilyn
as a romance, a bawdy farce, a soap opera, a Monroe sex kitten in the role of Semele, JFK as
melodrama, political satire, or social commentary. Jupiter, and Jackie Kennedy as the calculating
Juno in a production complete with pillbox hat,
An ancient myth from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, papparazzi, and dancing secret servicemen.
Semele was given a subversive new edge with
William Congreve’s witty 1705 libretto. Congreve, Another recent production went the Sopranos
the poster child for the satirical sexual comedies of route, with the gods as mafia bosses, Jupiter as the
the late 17th century, wrote the libretto for Semele heir to the dynasty, Semele as his mistress, and
around 1705 for an opera by John Eccles. The Juno as the long-suffering Mob wife.
political satire in Congreve’s retelling of the myth
would have been clear to the English public at the A production by internationally known Canadian
time: the romantic, but dangerous Stuarts (Jupiter), director Robert Carsen had the goddess Juno
were trying to stage a comeback and wrest back channeling Queen Elizabeth (All that's missing are
the throne (Semele) from the safe but staid House the corgis, according to one reviewer) with, in
of Hanover (Athamas). earlier stagings, a hint of Princess Diana in the
character of Semele. (Incidentally, Robert Carsen
By the time Handel set Congreve’s libretto to made his Canadian mainstage opera debut with
music nearly 40 years later, the political landscape POV, directing Il Trovatore (1986) and returning
had changed. King George II, like Jupiter, was in 1988 for Fidelio, a production with Michael
known for his many mistresses; after the death of Schade that was broadcast by PBS.)
his wife, George set up his mistress, Amalie von
Wallmoden, with a title and a large income. The For POV’s production of Semele, director Wim
possibility that she might aspire to become queen Trompert looks at the story through the lens of an
was not lost on the British public, and Semele Upstairs/Downstairs sensibility, and not just
could now be read as a warning that such because mortals aspiring to be gods may play
ambitions would only end badly. closer to home if we show upper class toffs trying
to keep out the lower orders.

Mr. Trompert’s choice arises from a profound

empathy with Semele, as he explains in his
Director’s Notes.

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Pacific Opera Victoria Study Guide for Semele 2009 4
Director’s Notes
Semele’s Secret

One of Handel’s most beloved arias sparkles in the With this crucial knowledge of her pregnancy, we
centre of Semele. It is one of the best love songs understand Semele’s motives much better. In fact
ever: the whole story becomes clearer, and our opinion
about the princess changes entirely. Vanity, often
Where’er you walk, cool gales shall fan the glade; chosen as the theme of this opera, no longer plays a
Trees, where you sit, shall crowd into a shade. part. We find a touching story of a young girl
Where’er you tread, the blushing flow’rs shall fighting for her unborn child. Now we accept her
rise, stubborn ambition to become immortal. And we
and all things flourish where’er you turn your understand the fanaticism with which Juno plots the
eyes. elimination of her rival.
The Roman god Jupiter sings these poetic phrases Semele’s extramarital pregnancy has become the
while observing the young princess Semele. It is an focus of this production. For this reason her story is
expression of sincere attachment: let the world be connected to a world where such a pregnancy would
good to you. Apparently Jupiter is deeply in love. cause great scandal and put a young girl at risk. The
And so is Semele. But while Jupiter’s dreams are Victorian era, with its strict moral and social rules,
filled with pink clouds and frolicking cupids, offers us the right setting.
Semele is aware of how vulnerable she is in their
relationship. At first she is extremely happy when In Victorian times antiquity was very popular.
Jupiter abducts her and saves her from a marriage Artists like Alma-Tadema achieved success with
with Prince Athamas. But later on – left alone in her paintings of classical subjects. Roman influences
new palace – she starts worrying. She realises there made their way into architecture and costume
is only one way to protect herself: ask Jupiter to design. This merging of the 19th century and
make her immortal. antiquity, what we experience when we see pictures
of this period, creates precisely the right background
Semele has good reason to feel vulnerable. Jupiter is for Semele’s dramatic story.
so much in love he doesn’t pay any attention to the
consequences of their relationship. The god even There is another surprising aspect we have to
ignores the fact he is already married. His wife consider. At the end, after the death of Semele, the
Juno, goddess of marriage and protectress of atmosphere of the opera changes to show a more
marital fidelity, is not the person to take her spiritual side. Apollo appears to foretell the birth of
husband’s new love affair lightly. Semele's child: A God he shall prove more mighty
than Love, and sighing and sorrow for ever
There is one key element that in the libretto is not prevent.
expressed before the final scene, but that surely has
an enormous impact on Semele’s thoughts and The Chorus responds: Happy shall we be, free from
actions: she is pregnant. When we encounter her, care, from sorrow free.
she has been carrying Jupiter’s child for three
months. The young princess is in big trouble. No We have heard similar phrases before, and so had
wonder her first aria is a prayer to Jupiter for his the audience in Handel's time. Although everybody
help. Semele has been made pregnant by a god, is sings here about the young Bacchus, the audience
supposed to marry a prince, and fears her secret will clearly understood the message of Christian
be discovered soon. salvation. This adds another layer to the story. The
magical world of the Roman gods now becomes a
vehicle for a Christian message of hope.

Wim Trompert

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Pacific Opera Victoria Study Guide for Semele 2009 5
Set and Costumes for POV’s Production
In this original production by Pacific Opera Victoria, director Wim Trompert transports Semele into the
19th century where her dilemma plays out amid stifling Victorian conventions. Designer Brian Perchaluk,
making his POV debut, has created designs that merge the two worlds of the original Greek myth and the
Victorian era.

Designer Brian Perchaluk’s costume sketches for Athamas (left), Juno (centre), and Semele (right)

Costume sketches for Jupiter (left), Iris (right), and Somnus (right)

Model of the set, designed by Brian Perchaluk

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Pacific Opera Victoria Study Guide for Semele 2009 6
The Music and the Composer
Highlights from the Opera
Handel's music for Semele is simply scrumptious – bright, crystalline orchestration framed by vocal lines that
are as lavishly ornate and ravishingly sweet as spun sugar. Words brimming with innuendo just add to the fun
– although Handel actually toned down Congreve's racy lyrics. Here are a few highlights. You can listen to the
music from these selections on POV’s website at http://www.pov.bc.ca/semele.html.

Semele Somnus Semele

Endless Pleasure, Endless Leave me, loathsome light. Myself I Shall Adore.
Love. Act 1, Scene 4 Act 3, Scene 1 Act 3, Scene 3

Her nuptials disrupted by Every slugabed who has ever hit As part of her plot to destroy
thunderbolts, Semele has been the alarm and burrowed back Semele, Juno, disguised as
carried off by Jupiter, disguised under the covers will appreciate Semele's sister Ino, gives Semele
as a purple-winged eagle. She this petulant growl from Somnus, a magic mirror that makes her
exults in the endless love she is the god of sleep, as Juno orders appear dazzlingly lovely.
enjoying. Called by one critic him to get up. Transfixed by her own beauty,
"that most voracious of arias," Leave me, loathsome light, the naïve Semele sings:
Endless Pleasure is Receive me, silent night! Myself I shall adore,
unabashededly sensual; even the Lethe, why does thy ling'ring If I persist in gazing.
chorus joins in! current cease? No object sure before
Endless pleasure, endless love Oh, murmur, murmur me again Was ever half so pleasing.
Semele enjoys above! to peace!
On her bosom Jove reclining, Juno, more annoying and more
Useless now his thunder lies. persistent than any alarm clock, Semele
has no Snooze button, but after No, no, I'll take no less.
she promises Somnus a pretty Act 3, Scene 4
Jupiter girl named Pasithea, he perks up.
Where'er you walk Overwhelmed with desire, thanks
More sweet is that name
Act 2, Scene 3 to Juno's trickery, Jupiter swears
Than a soft purling stream. to grant Semele anything she
The opera’s greatest hit, this With pleasure repose I'll forsake, wishes. She asks him to cast off
tender love song shows the wily If you'll grant me but her to his human shape and appear in
Jupiter at his most charming and soothe me awake. his full godly splendour. He
amorous. Semele is making urges her to reconsider, but she is
noises about wanting to be adamant:
immortal, and Jupiter distracts No, no, I'll take no less,
her with his love talk; what girl Than all in full excess!
wouldn’t be impressed? Your oath it may alarm you.
Where'er you walk, cool gales Yet haste and prepare,
shall fan the glade; For I'll know what you are,
Trees, where you sit, shall crowd With all your powers arm you.
into a shade.
Where'er you tread, the blushing
flow'rs shall rise,
And all things flourish where'er
you turn your eyes.

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Pacific Opera Victoria Study Guide for Semele 2009 7
Handel and His Music

George Frideric Handel (February 23, 1685 – April the bitter rivalry between two prima donnas,
14, 1759) was one of the greatest European Faustina Bordoni and Francesca Cuzzoni, who
composers during the Baroque period of the 18th actually came to blows on stage during a
century. He was born the same year as the other performance in 1727. The antics of these spoiled
great Baroque composer, Johann Sebastian Bach, foreign singers were yet another blow against Italian
although the two never met. opera; the rivalry between Faustina and Cuzzoni
was satirized in John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera,
When Handel was born in Halle, Germany, he was which appeared a few months after their public spat.
given a good German name: Georg Friederich
Händel. Years later, in 1727, he became a British After the decline of the Royal Academy, Handel
subject and anglicized the spelling of his name to went into partnership with the impresario Johann
George Frideric Handel. Jacob Heidegger to lease the King`s Theatre and
continue to produce Italian opera. Even as he
Like many parents who want their children to take churned out more operas through the 1730s, he
up a lucrative and respectable career, Handel’s began turning to the English language oratorio.
father hoped he would be a lawyer and discouraged However, oratorios remained a sideline until 1738,
his early interest in music. However, Handel by which time he was bankrupt and ill. Changing
managed to sneak a small clavichord into his attic public tastes and rival opera companies had taken
and practice in secret. In his teens he worked as a their toll.
church organist and then in 1703 he landed a job as
violinist in the Hamburg opera orchestra. In 1741 the Duke of Middlesex set up an opera
company in competition with Handel. Handel now
Within a year he had composed his first opera, made writing and producing oratorios the main
Almira, and was nearly killed in a duel. Handel and business of his career. His most popular oratorio,
his friend, the composer Johann Mattheson, had Messiah, premiered in Dublin in 1742. In order to fit
disagreed over who should get to play the everyone into the hall, organizers published an
harpsichord during a performance of Mattheson's announcement requesting the Favour of the Ladies
opera Cleopatra. They decided to settle the matter not to come with Hoops this Day to the Musick-Hall
with a duel, and Handel was saved only when a big in Fishamble Street: The Gentlemen are desired to
brass button on his coat broke the point of come without their Swords.
Mattheson’s sword. Afterward, the two became
better friends than ever. Handel had now found a viable business model.
Oratorios – unstaged dramatic works in English,
In 1706 Handel went to Italy, which was the centre usually with a biblical theme – were not only
of operatic innovation. In 1710 he returned to cheaper to produce, but were acceptable fodder for
Germany and became Kapellmeister (director of performance during Lent when staged performances
music) for George, Elector of Hanover, who would were forbidden. Handel could therefore present his
become King George I of Great Britain in 1714. dramatic works during Lent, when there were no
Handel made several visits to England. His opera rival operas and when the theaters were cheaper to
Rinaldo, the first Italian opera composed for the hire.
London stage, premiered in 1711 and was a great
success. By 1712 he had settled permanently in When Semele premiered as a concert piece during
London, and in 1717 he became resident composer the 1744 Lenten concert series at Covent Garden,
for the Earl of Caernarvon (later the Duke of Handel tried to pass it off as an opera after the
Chandos). manner of an Oratorio. Neither fish nor fowl, the
work offended everyone: pious oratorio purists who
In 1719 Handel became Music director of the new expected a high-minded religious work were
Royal Academy of Music, an organization that affronted by its sexuality; opera aficionados were
presented performances of Italian opera in London. put off because it was in English rather than the
But by 1728 the Royal Academy folded due to proper language of opera – Italian. Charles Jennens,
financial problems, waning public support for the librettist of Messiah, dismissed Semele as no
“foreign opera”, squabbles among the directors, and oratorio but a baudy opera.
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Pacific Opera Victoria Study Guide for Semele 2009 8
What added to the tension and further eroded ticket Handel`s Music
sales was the rivalry between Lord Middlesex’s Handel wrote over 40 operas, over 30 oratorios, and
opera company and Handel’s oratorio productions. a variety of church music, odes, cantatas, orchestral
With Semele, Handel had stepped over the line into suites, keyboard works, concertos for various
operatic territory. He had managed to put on an instruments, and concerti grossi (instrumental works
opera (and really, it was an opera; there were even in which a small group of instruments alternates
stage directions in the libretto) without having to with a larger group).
spend money on sets and expensive Italian singers.
From Middlesex’s perspective, Handel had broken a Among his most familiar works are these:
gentlemen’s agreement to live and let live. And so Water Music, so called because it was performed for
during the performances of Semele there were a royal concert on the River Thames in 1717. The
stories of ruffians (presumably hired on Middlesex’s musicians played on a barge close to the royal
behalf) harassing concertgoers as they entered the barge.
theatre and of muggings as people returned to their
carriages after the performances. Mary Delany, a Zadok the Priest, an anthem for the 1727 coronation
friend of Handel, commented: Semele has a strong of King George II, which has been performed at
party against it, viz. the fine ladies, petit maitres, every British coronation since.
and ignoramus's. All the opera people are enraged Music for the Royal Fireworks, commissioned by
at Handel. King George II for a celebration of the 1749 Treaty
of Aix-la-Chapelle.
With so much controversy swirling around it,
Semele lasted just four performances. For a revival Ombra mai fu, an aria from from the opera Serse
the following December, Handel inserted a few (Xerxes); (often just called Handel’s Largo)
Italian arias to placate the opera nuts and removed Where’er you walk, the beautiful love song Jupiter
some of the most explicit material to mollify the sings in Semele.
pious, but Semele fell into a long decline. It was not
Messiah, Handel’s best known work, a famous
until 1925 that Semele was actually staged as an
oratorio which we hear frequently around
opera, in Cambridge, and it had to wait over 200
Christmastime. Handel actually composed Messiah
years – till 1982 – to return to its original Covent
for Easter; it was first performed in Dublin in April,
Garden venue as a staged work.
1742. Beginning in 1750 Handel gave regular Easter
performances of Messiah in London, in support of
Handel continued to write oratorios until he went
the Foundling Hospital, an organization for
blind in 1751. Even after that he continued to
underprivileged children, which still exists today as
conduct performances of his work. He died in 1759
the Thomas Coram Foundation. Handel was so
and was buried in Westminster Abbey, recognized
committed to this charity that he left a copy of
in England and by many in Germany as the greatest
Messiah to the Hospital in his Will. The tradition of
composer of his day.
using his music to raise money continues today with
a fundraising concert every February, celebrating
Handel`s music and his contribution to helping
disadvantaged children.

Handel's ability to capture not only the poetic surface of a text, but also the recesses of underlying meaning is
second to none. His music not only fits the text like a glove, but often elevates and deepens the meaning and
characterization.
John Andrews, British conductor and musicologist

Handel is the greatest composer that ever lived... I would uncover my head and kneel down on his tomb
Beethoven.

[Handel] is the only person I would wish to see before I die, and the only person I would wish to be, were I not
Bach.
J. S. Bach.

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Pacific Opera Victoria Study Guide for Semele 2009 9
Getting a “Handel” on Baroque Opera

By Robert Holliston
Composers during the seventeenth and eighteenth (including Handel himself) regularly scoured the
centuries (at least those without independent means) continent hoping to entice the most celebrated singers
really had two options open to them for regular of the day with promises of high fees.
employment: the court and the church.
Performers like the soprano Francesca Cuzzoni and
The earliest (late sixteenth-century) Baroque operas the castrato Francesco Bernardi (better known as
had in fact been composed for aristocratic courts, but Senesino) enjoyed adulation that is virtually
with the opening in the 1630s of the first public opera unimaginable today; it was not unusual for wealthy
house in Venice, this new music/theater hybrid aesthetes to give gifts of ermine coats, gold-plated
became the height of fashion for audiences from all carriages, and real estate to their favorite divas and
levels of society, and an exciting new breed of free- divos.
lance composer emerged.
Needless to say, these creatures could be difficult and
Germany’s first public opera house opened in demanding, and any composer eager to please his
Hamburg in 1678, and quickly became the most public had first to write carefully for his stars. Handel
important operatic center in the German-speaking was no exception, but he was made of sterner stuff
world (which of course included Austria). It was here than most: when Cuzzoni refused to sing a particular
that the ambitious 20-year-old George Friderick aria (apparently because it had originally been
Handel had his first Italian opera, Almira, produced in composed for another singer) he threatened to toss her
1705. out the third-story window unless she complied with
his wishes. Or so the story goes; in any case, she not
France and England, with their well-established only sang the number but went on to have great
traditions of classical theater, were somewhat more success with it.
resistant to this upstart new genre: the idea of
presenting a story solely through the medium of As early as Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo (1607), composers
singing did not at first appeal to them. But composers had used instrumental pieces to introduce a musical
such as Jean-Baptiste Lully and Henry Purcell were drama. Gradually during the seventeenth century, two
able to forge an operatic style that suited the French main types of overture crystallized: the French
and English languages, and by the time Handel arrived ouverture (pioneered by Lully) and the Italian
in London in 1710, opera was truly the international sinfonia.
popular entertainment.
A typical Handel opera will begin with a French-style
Indeed, it was eventually said that in Handel we had a ouverture, which consists of two main sections: a
German composer who wrote Italian operas with slow, stately, majestic opening with solid chords and
French overtures for English audiences. dotted rhythms (one can easily imagine a monarch
such as Louis XIV entering the room to such an
If Venice and Hamburg had given the world its first accompaniment); and a faster second section, which is
public opera houses, eighteenth-century London usually imitative (i.e., fugal) and concludes with a
became the mecca for entrepreneurial free-lance brief return to the slow tempo and dotted rhythms of
composers eager to make their fame and fortune in the first section. This is designed at least in part to get
this fickle new industry. the audience’s attention.
Perplexing as it may seem today, fashionable Patrons of the Queen’s Theater on Haymarket were
Londoners flocked to the theater to see performances not the disciplined, well-ordered lot we are today: if
of ancient histories and classical myths given in a the music was not to their liking – or if the star of the
language they did not understand, although a serious moment did not happen to be singing – they were
student of the genre – or an au courant young man- quite happy to chat, comment on the fashions
about-town eager to impress his date – could purchase displayed in the neighboring box seats, play cards, eat,
a copy of the libretto ahead of time in order to drink, and engage in amorous intrigues.
acquaint himself with the story.
Once the star of the moment did take center stage, he
After Purcell’s death in 1695 foreign composers and or she would probably sing an aria in the fashionable
star performers dominated London’s lyric stages da capo (Italian for “from the head”) form.
utterly. And what star performers! Theater managers
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Pacific Opera Victoria Study Guide for Semele 2009 10
This structure, which can be abbreviated A/B/A, was An important feature of eighteenth-century opera was
central to the operatic school associated with Naples the emergence of two distinct types of recitative:
and the works of Alessandro Scarlatti; Handel had secco (“dry”) and accompagnato (“accompanied”).
mastered this style during his years in Italy. Simply The difference was in the type of accompaniment:
put, one section of music is followed by a contrasting recitativo secco is accompanied only by harpsichord
one, after which the performer is instructed to return and a sustaining bass instrument, and used chiefly to
to the beginning and repeat the first section. get through long stretches of dialogue or monologue
as quickly and in as speechlike a way as possible.
The success of this form depended on the solo singer’s Recitativo accompagnato is accompanied orchestrally,
ability to improvise variations and ornaments during and used for especially tense dramatic situations. The
this repeat, and this skill was learned by, and expected rapid changes of emotion in the words are reinforced
of, all professional singers. by the orchestra, which both accompanies the singer
and punctuates his or her phrases by brief instrumental
In general, there were two ways of ornamenting a outbursts.
given melodic line:
The world of opera is nothing if not fickle. A
(1) small melodic formulas (such as trills, turns, composer can have a raging success on Monday and
appoggiaturas, mordents) attached to one or two of the be out by Friday – as Handel himself discovered.
written notes; and
Inevitably, fashions shifted and the English public
(2) longer ornaments by means of which the notes of a tired of the complicated plots, predictable structure,
melody were broken down into a multitude of smaller and foreign language of Italian opera. Its demise may
notes to produce a free and elaborate paraphrase of the have been hastened by the production in 1728 of John
written line (this practice was most appropriate to Gay’s Beggar’s Opera, whose songs had popular
melodies in slow tempo). tunes and English words and whose plot replaced
Roman emperors and Greek gods with the
Still another species of ornamentation, common in late pickpockets, prostitutes, and crooked civil servants of
Baroque opera, was the cadenza, an elaborate contemporary London street life.
extension of the final cadence or full stop. These
practices varied from country to country and from Handel, stubborn old Saxon that he was, had to lose a
time to time, so that the restoration by modern fortune before finally admitting defeat and turning his
scholars of all these traditions of performance is a attention almost exclusively to the English-language
complex and delicate operation. oratorio. Although Semele was first presented “in the
manner of an oratorio,” it is in reality more of an
The aria is essentially a non-narrative medium, during opera. And in the words of Lord Harewood:
which a character may reflect on or respond to the
dramatic situation at any point in the story. The music ... the music of Semele is so full of variety, the
is given priority over the text (which is usually kept recitative so expressive, the orchestration so
short and simple, with sections of words repeated in inventive, the characterization so apt, the
accordance with the musical phrasing), and the rhythm general level of invention so high, the action so
is metrical and dance-like. (The same is true of any full of credible situation and incident — in a
ensembles and choruses, although these tend to play a word, the piece as a whole is so suited to the
less important role in Handel’s operas than in his operatic stage — that one can only suppose its
oratorios.) neglect to have been due to an act of abnegation
on the part of opera companies.
The main vehicle for storytelling is the recitative, in
which the non-metrical rhythms of speech are imitated As we have done so frequently in past seasons, Pacific
and intensified by the addition of musical pitches. Opera Victoria is attempting to redress this neglect
with our upcoming production.
This is perhaps the chief innovation of the early Italian
opera composers, and it presented the biggest hurdle
when moving the genre from one language to another.
A popular public speaker, teacher, and musician, Robert Holliston has given pre-performance lectures for Pacific
Opera Victoria since 1993 and was Chorus Master for many years.

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Pacific Opera Victoria Study Guide for Semele 2009 11
Exploring the Myth of Semele
Handel’s opera Semele sticks fairly close to the elements of the original Greek myth, but it leaves out some of the
story. If we explore Semele’s place in Greek mythology, we can learn a lot more about what happened before
Semele got involved with Jupiter and after her fiery death.
Chart of Who’s Who
Reading ancient mythology is a bit like shopping in a Canadian grocery store. It helps to be bilingual. Meat and
produce are labelled in both pounds and grams. Gods of the ancient world had both Greek and Latin names. Here`s a
chart of some of the characters mentioned in this study guide.
Greek Name Roman (Latin) Name Who is this?

Zeus Jupiter or Jove King of the gods, god of the sky, law, and fate. Chronically
unfaithful husband of Hera/Juno. Father of Ares (and therefore
great grandfather of Semele).

Hera Juno Wife (and older sister) of Jupiter/Zeus. Goddess of marriage.

Mother of Ares. Great grandmother of Semele.

Semele Semele Girlfriend (and great grand-daughter) of Jupiter. Mother of

Bacchus.

Dionysus Bacchus Son of Jupiter and Semele. God of Wine.

Cadmus Cadmus Father of Semele. A mortal.

Harmonia Concordia Goddess of harmony and concord. Daughter of Ares and

Aphrodite. Mother of Semele.

Ares Mars God of war. Son of Jupiter and Juno. Father of Harmonia.
Grandfather of Semele.

Aphrodite Venus Goddess of love and beauty. Mother of Harmonia,

Grandmother of Semele

Eros Cupid or Amor God of love. Son of Ares and Aphrodite. Brother of Harmonia.
Uncle of Semele. His arrows caused people to fall in love.
Hypnos Somnus / Sopor God of Sleep.

Iris Iris Messenger of Juno. Goddess of the rainbow.

Minerva Athena Goddess of wisdom. Daughter of Zeus and Metis, born fully
armed out of Zeus’ head

Hephaestus Vulcan Son of Hera. God of blacksmiths, technology, fire and

volcanoes. Midwife to Zeus (he split open Zeus’ head so that
Athena could be born.)

Europa Europa Sister of Cadmus. Aunt to Semele. Carried off to Crete by

Jupiter. Her family never found her. The continent of Europe is
named after her.

Hermes Mercury God of travel, thieves, writing, and messenger of the gods. Son
of Zeus and Maia.

Hades Pluto King of the Underworld and god of death. Brother of Jupiter.
Husband of Persephone

Persephone Proserpina Queen of the Underworld, goddess of spring. Wife of Hades.

Daughter of Demeter by Zeus.

Demeter Ceres Goddess of agriculture. Sister of Hera, Zeus, and Hades.

Mother of Persephone.

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Pacific Opera Victoria Study Guide for Semele 2009 12
The Prequel
Semele really should have known better than to get to Crete). Eventually Cadmus founded the Greek city
involved with Jupiter. First of all, if you examine her of Thebes and brought the alphabet to Greece. He
family tree, you’ll find that he was her great became the first king of Thebes, married Harmonia,
grandfather. Of course, he was also an immortal god, daughter of the gods Ares and Aphrodite and had five
and no one batted an eye about such matters. children with her. Most of them met with tragic ends,
because Cadmus had once killed a serpent sacred to
What is more, Jupiter had previously disguised himself
Ares. Saddened by all the tragedy in their lives,
as a bull and abducted Semele’s aunt Europa. Semele’s
Cadmus and Harmonia eventually left Thebes and
father Cadmus had searched long and hard for his
sister, but never found her (Jupiter had carried her off were finally themselves turned into serpents.

The Sequel
The story of Semele doesn`t really end with her death. Bacchus became the god of wine, agriculture, fertility,
Like a movie that spawns an entire franchise of sequels and the theatre. Festivals in his honour were called
or a television series that generates spinoffs, the story bacchanals. Today the word bacchanalian refers to any
of Semele keeps going even after her death. Here are kind of drunken revelry or orgy.
answers to some questions we might ask at the end of
the opera. Is Semele really dead?
Well, yes. But in Greek mythology as in modern
What happens to Baby Bacchus? vampire and zombie stories, even dead people can get
The first order of business when a baby is born around.
prematurely is to try to save its life. In this case, the
Like many children who have lost a parent, Bacchus
baby`s father, Jupiter, stepped in and sewed the baby
wondered about the mother he had never met.
into his thigh in order to bring him to full term.
Eventually he went down to the Underworld and
The notion of a father carrying a baby to term (in rescued her. She became a goddess on Mount
essence being pregnant) is not without precedent. Olympus, with the new name Thyone ... and finally
Seahorses do it. And Jupiter had done it on another achieved immortality after all!
occasion. Afraid that his child by the goddess Metis
There are myths of other people being brought back
would be more powerful than he, he had tricked Metis
from the Underworld. Persephone, daughter of the
into changing herself into a fly and then swallowed earth goddess Demeter, was abducted by Hades, the
her. He later developed a splitting headache. The god king of the Underworld. She was eventually allowed to
Hephaestus split open Jupiter’s head, and out came his
return to earth for part of the year. During her visits
daughter Athena – fully grown and wearing full
home, Demeter is happy and the earth flourishes. But
armour.
when Persephone returns each year to Hades, Demeter
After a few months inside Jupiter’s thigh, Bacchus was refuses to let anything grow, and winter begins.
born as a healthy baby and nicknamed the twice-born.
The great musician Orpheus travelled to the
But Juno’s revenge had not ended.
Underworld to retrieve his dead wife Eurydice His
Jupiter left the baby with Ino and Athamas (Semele’s singing was so beautiful that Hades’ heart was
sister and her husband), and persuaded them to rear softened and Orpheus was permitted to lead Eurydice
him as a girl in order to protect his identity. But Juno back to the world of the living – as long as Orpheus
found out and drove Athamas and Ino into madness so did not look back during their journey. However, he
that they killed two of their children. did look back to be sure Eurydice was following him,
Bacchus was then placed in the care of the nymphs of and this time he lost her forever.
Mount Nysa, who were rewarded by Jupiter by being
placed among the stars; they are known as the Hyades
Can Juno and Jupiter’s marriage be
star cluster. saved?
When Bacchus had grown, he discovered that grapes There’s no record of their ever divorcing, although
could be made into wine. However, he was driven they fought, separated, and reconciled many times.
mad by the still jealous Juno, and wandered through Jupiter was notorious for seducing or abducting a
the world, conquering lands as far away as India and succession of women. It’s no wonder Juno, his wife,
teaching people to cultivate grapes and make wine. set the gold standard for the conduct of jealous
spouses. She had plenty of practice.
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Pacific Opera Victoria Study Guide for Semele 2009 13
The 5th century Greek poet Nonnus wrote an epic The list that followed, including Europa, Semele, and
about Bacchus/Dionysus, called the Dionysiaca in others, was nowhere close to a complete list of
which he listed just 12 of the women with whom Jupiter’s girlfriends.
Jupiter had affairs:
As she did with Semele, Juno took revenge on many of
Now Eros the wise, the self-taught, the manager of the women with whom Jupiter was involved. She
the ages, knocked at the gloomy gates of primeval turned one (Callisto) into a bear. She tormented
Chaos. He took out the divine quiver, in which another (Io) by sending a gadfly to sting her as she
were kept apart twelve firefed arrows for Zeus, wandered the earth. When another, Alcmena, was in
when his desire turned towards one or another of labour with Jupiter’s son, Hercules, Juno persuaded the
mortal women for a bride. Right on the back of his goddess of childbirth to prolong the labour; she also
quiver of lovebolts he had engraved with letters of sent snakes to kill all Alcmena’s children (Baby
gold a sentence in verse for each. Hercules strangled and killed the snakes).

An Alternate Version of the Semele Myth

Many ancient myths have multiple versions, and Semele’s story is no exception. One alternate version says that
Bacchus was the son of Jupiter and Persephone. The jealous Juno sent the Titans to kill the child. They ripped him
to pieces after luring him with toys, then boiled the pieces. Zeus killed the Titans and gave the pieces of his son’s
heart to Semele in a drink, and she thus became pregnant. The story then picks up as before, with Juno, disguised as
Semele's nurse Beroe, telling the girl to ask Zeus to come to her in his full glory, with the same fatal results.
This version makes Bacchus not twice-born, but thrice-born!

Links for Further Learning

Below are some general links to help you learn more about Semele. These are followed by several pages of
additional resources and suggestions for listening, for classroom activities, and for further reading.

The Myth of Semele

http://www.theoi.com/
A superbly detailed, cross-referenced site exploring Greek mythology and the gods in classical literature and art,
with reference to the ancient sources for each story.
Within this site you can find the story of Semele at http://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/Thyone.html
You can also find Semele’s family tree at http://www.theoi.com/Tree5.html

http://classics.mit.edu/Ovid/metam.3.third.html
Book 3 of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the main source for the myth of Semele.

Handel
http://gfhandel.org/
Website devoted to all things Handel (even trading cards with pictures of Handel)

Semele
http://opera.stanford.edu/iu/libretti/semele.htm
The Libretto of Handel’s Semele, adapted from the libretto by William Congreve

http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~rbear/congreve1.html
William Congreve’s original libretto for the opera Semele by John Eccles.

http://www.pov.bc.ca/semele.html (Click on Musical Selections)

POV’s Best of YouTube: Hear and watch selections from productions of Semele.

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Pacific Opera Victoria Study Guide for Semele 2009 14
Directions for Further Learning
For Elementary and Middle School Students
1. Discover Handel’s Music
Listen to examples of music by Handel. You can start by listening to some of the music from Semele at
http://www.pov.bc.ca/semele.html (click on Musical Selections). Then you can listen to online recordings of some of
Handel’s most famous music
Water Music
http://www.archive.org/details/HandelWaterMusic

Music for the Royal Fireworks (wait for the fireworks!):

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=I38Kw-oG0kE&feature=related

The famous Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah

http://www.archive.org/details/GeorgeFridericHandelHallelujah

The Coronation Anthem, Zadok the Priest. Performed during the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. Includes
video of her coronation in 1952.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1W1XJ96y9k&feature=related

The Harmonious Blacksmith, a piece for piano by Handel, recorded by Sergei Rachmaninoff in 1936
http://www.archive.org/details/Harmonious_Blacksmith

Ombra mai fu from the opera Xerxes.

Here are two versions of this beautiful aria. One is sung by a woman with a contralto voice (the lowest female
voice). The other is sung by a man with a.countertenor voice. A countertenor is a male singing voice whose
vocal range is equivalent to that of a contralto, mezzo-soprano or (less frequently) a soprano. Today,
countertenors are much in demand, particularly for Baroque opera. The role of Athamas in POV’s Semele is
sung by countertenor Scott Belluz.
Listen to these two recordings and discuss the differences between them.
Contralto Kathleen Ferrier sings Ombra mai fu.
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9LiyM3ZwxA
Countertenor David Daniels sings Ombra mai fu.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa1e49KLXNU

2. Explore the Vocabulary of Mythology

The gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece and Rome may seem very remote, but they have become part of our
everyday language. Starting with the names on the chart on page 12, see how many English words you can think of
that originated with a Greek or Roman god or goddess. Explain what the words mean and how they relate to the god
or goddess from whose name they are derived.
Example: The god of sleep is called Hypnos in Greek and either Somnus or Sopor in Latin. Here are some English
words that are derived from the names of the god of sleep: hypnosis, somnolent, insomnia, somnambulate, soporific.
What does each word mean?

Many more English words are derived from mythological names. You can find more resources at these web sites:
http://www.vocabulary.com/index.php?dir=def_match&file=attempt_def_match&theme_id=52
Match myth-derived words to their definitions (an interactive online exercise which may also be printed)
http://fayette.k12.in.us/~cbeard/calliope/ Worksheets for classroom use.
http://library.oakland.edu/information/people/personal/kraemer/edcm/index.html
Useful lists of modern English words with definitions and explanation of the mythical origin of each word.

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Pacific Opera Victoria Study Guide for Semele 2009 15
3. Design an Opera Production
If you could create your own production of Semele, what would you do?
Choose a time and place to set your production. It can be anywhere, at anytime. Use your imagination.
The planet Jupiter in 2099?
A pre-historic plain with woolly mammoths running around?
Victoria, BC, in 1900?
Mount Olympus in 2000 BC?

Now you need to design a set that matches the time and place you have chosen.
What scenery or furniture will you have on stage?
How will your characters dress?
Draw your set. You may need a different set for each act of the opera.
Design the costumes for your characters.

For Middle School and High School Students

Character analysis
Read the synopsis of Semele in this study guide. If possible, read the online libretto at
http://opera.stanford.edu/iu/libretti/semele.htm

1. Create a character sketch for one of the main characters. Consider the following questions:
What can be assumed about this person?
What is the character’s relationship with the other characters?
Why does the character make the choices he or she does?
Include evidence from the opera to support your claims.
Include information about the following:
Character’s Name
Physical Characteristics (style and physical attributes)
Psychological Characteristics (mental aspects of character, how does he/she think?)
Emotional Characteristics (is he/she generally cheerful, sad, snobbish, “off-balance” etc.?)
Family background
How the events in the opera have affected the character
Other interesting facts
After seeing the opera, look at your character sketch again. Does any aspect of the performance or the music you
heard change your view of the character you have profiled? Why? Do the emotions conveyed through the music fit
the character sketch?

2. Create a journal or blog from the point of view of your character: Choose a point of conflict for the character
you chose for your character sketch, and write a journal or blog of those events from the character’s point of view,
using the character profile for assistance. Take on the persona of that character and refer to the character in the first
person. Remember to express only information that your character would know.

3. Draw a Family tree for your character. Use the chart in this study guide to help, or consult online
resources, such as the family trees available at http://www.theoi.com/Tree.html

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Pacific Opera Victoria Study Guide for Semele 2009 16
For High School and Post-Secondary Students

Women in Victorian Times

Director Wim Trompert is setting Pacific Opera Victoria’s production of Semele in Victorian times in order to
highlight the dilemma of a young girl who finds herself pregnant with no legitimate refuge.
In the original mythological setting, Jupiter regularly impregnates girls. The consequences can be dire (being
incinerated or changed into a bear, for example), but they can feel rather remote to a modern audience.
Consider how the choice of a Victorian setting can sharpen the focus on Semele’s plight, not to mention that of the
other women in the opera. Examine aspects of the Victorian era and the place of women in society at the time.

Consider too how a similar situation might play out if the opera were set in the present day.

Starting points for research on Victorian Times

Victoria Research Web: Links to books and articles on the social, political and economic atmosphere that inspired
the literature of the day. http://www.victorianweb.org/

The Victorian Women Writers Project, Indiana University: transcriptions of works by many lesser known
British women writers of the 19th century including anthologies, novels, political pamphlets, religious tracts,
children's books, and volumes of poetry and verse drama. http://www.indiana.edu/~letrs/vwwp/

Literay History: Nineteenth Century Literature: Academic, scholarly, and critical articles on American and
British poets, novelists, and essayists of the nineteenth century. http://www.literaryhistory.com/19thC/Outline.htm

Some authors to explore

Charlotte Brontë George Eliot
Elizabeth Gaskell Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Jane Austen (technically a pre-Victorian as she died in 1815, and Queen Victoria didn`t come to the throne
until 1838). But Ausen`s novels are well known and sharply focused on the predicament of many women at the
time. Yes, they are wonderful romances. But note the frequent discussion of money, the constant pressure for
women to marry well in order to achieve economic security, the tension between love and pragmatism, and the
threat of scandal at any hint of impropriety.

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Pacific Opera Victoria Study Guide for Semele 2009 17
For Anyone

A Review of the Opera

Before you see the opera, you might read a few examples of reviews for fine arts events from the newspaper, or have
a look at some online reviews of opera. Here are a few examples of reviews of Semele from the Internet:
http://www.operatoday.com/content/2004/11/handels_semele.php
Opera Today: Robert Thicknesse reviews English National Opera’s revival of Robert Carsen’s production
(November, 2004)

http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/ViewArticle.aspx?articleid=2606412
Scotland on Sunday: Sarah Jones reviews a Scottish National Opera production (February, 2005)

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/15/arts/music/15seme.html?_r=2&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Organizati
ons/N/New%20York%20City%20Opera&oref=slogin
New York Times: Bernard Holland reviews New York City Opera`s production (September , 2006)

After seeing Semele, make some notes in point form, answering the following questions:
What did you like about the opera? What did you dislike?
What did you think about the sets, props and costumes?
What did you think of the singers’ portrayal of their characters?
Would you have done something differently? Why?
What were you expecting? Did it live up to your expectations?
Discuss your reactions with your fellow students. Feel free to go beyond the questions listed above.
Then begin to outline your review. Keep in mind that a review should contain the following:
A clearly stated purpose (why are you writing this and who is your audience?)
A brief plot synopsis (including who sang what role, etc.)
A coherent series of paragraphs comparing and contrasting things you liked or didn’t like
A summary / closing paragraph
Your review should capture the interest of the reader. Once your outline has been completed, write your rough
draft. Exchange reviews with other students to critique and edit. Focus on effective and logical expression of ideas
and correct grammar and punctuation. Edit and revise your review until you have a polished final version.
Students might submit their writing for publication such as a school newspaper. Students are also welcome to send
the reviews to Pacific Opera. We would love to hear your thoughts!

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Pacific Opera Victoria Study Guide for Semele 2009 18
Teacher’s Comments
Your comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated. Please take a few minutes to fill out this
questionnaire and return it to the address below. Thank you for your comments and suggestions.

Name: ________________________________ School: _____________________________________

Address: _____________________________________________________________________________
Phone Number: ________________ Fax: ___________________ Grade(s) you teach: ________________
Email: _____________________________________ Subjects: __________________________________
Have you attended other arts events with your students in the past year? Yes No
If yes, what were they? __________________________________________________________________
Were you able to use the Teacher’s Study Guide in your classroom activities before attending the opera?
 Yes  No
If not, please elaborate: _________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

If so, which sections of the Study Guide did you find most useful?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How appropriate was the information provided in the Study Guide? _______________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What would you add/delete?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Did you spend classroom time discussing the performance after your students attended the opera?
 Yes  No

Do you have any comments about the performance itself?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Would you like to receive information on our future Student Dress Rehearsals?  Yes  No
How would you like to receive information?  Fax  Email  Letters  Other ______________
Further comments and suggestions _________________________________________________________
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Please return this form to:

Pacific Opera, 1815 Blanshard Street, Suite 500, Victoria, BC V8T 5A4 Fax: 250.382.4944
Or you may scan and email it to [email protected]

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Pacific Opera Victoria Study Guide for Semele 2009 19