a one-act puppet opera in six scenes for soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, bass, speaking cellist, and ensemble
45 minutes
Libretto by Rick Burkhardt
Haydn’s Head is intended as a puppet opera. It is based on a true episode: four days after Haydn’s death, composer Johann Nepomuk Peter and a friend of Haydn’s, Joseph Carol Rosenbaum, opened the departed composer’s grave at night and stole his head. Their quest was fueled by the vogue for phrenology, the pseudo-scientific study of skull shapes.
Introductory Video Produced by The Industry
Performance of Scenes 1, 3, and 4 from First Take 2017
Characters:
Napoleon Bonaparte
Johann Nepomuk Peter
Joseph Carl Rosenbaum
Theresa Gassmann (Rosenbaum’s Wife)
Haydn’s Head
Two Police Officers (one puppet)
Haydn’s Body
Haydn’s New Head
The Spirit of Enterprise
Chorus of Party Guests / Mourners
Scene 1: It is 1809, and Napoleon has just conquered Vienna and makes an official pronouncement of control. Meanwhile, Joseph Carl Rosenbaum and Johann Nepomuk Peter are robbing Haydn’s grave, savoring the decaying flesh and speculating what they may learn about musical genius by studying the skull.
Scene 3: Rosenbaum and Haydn’s severed head are alone in Rosenbaum’s house, discussing life, death, work, and the secret of musical genius.
Scene 4: Napoleon and two police officers are interrogating Haydn’s Headless Body while searching for the missing head. Unsatisfied with the body’s inability to answer their questions, Napoleon orders that the body be given a new head (so that it can comprehend logic). Once the new head has been “obtained,” it and the body are given time toget to know each other.