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National Publication of Mu Beta Psi Honor&ry Musical Fraternity

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To ; THE BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF MU BETA PSI

I apologize to Mu Beta Psi for my performance as National zeitor of the Clef. I, more than anyone else, realize what a poor job I have done. Any reasons that I may give would make it appear that I am trying to cop out on the responsibility that I had been given, and failed to meet it. However, my personal life has been pretty well messed up since August. If our representa-tives to the National fe$1 that it is necessary to say more, t here will be nothing that I can do about it. I regret that I cannot attend the National to take the blame that is due to me. However, I feel it is more important for me to straighten out my personal life, rather than attend the National.

I thank those chapters that responded to the~. One work that I did include is the "Great Works in Music." I personally do not feel that it is necessary, or relevant to the workings of Psi. The Fraternity as a whole, should examine and evaluate this work and dec ide if it is necessary. It is also an added expense to the Fraternity and extra work for the editor.

To the editor of the future, I would like to offer several suggestions . First, to contact Ralph Daniell about arranging for the printing of the Clef and designing a standard cover, which would lower printing ~osts. A major expense was the artwork on the cover. This would also eliminate the necessity of hunting all over to find the best place to have it printed. The future editor should also ask each chapter how many copies it will need (including actives, pledges, advisors, and alumni members). This would have helped me greatly to determine the number of copies to print.

Having failed at the job of editor, I do not feel that I can offer anything of value to the Clef, so I merely apologize again, and wish the next editor much luck.

Fraternally yours,

JERRY HAMPTON NATIONAL EDITOR

MIliUTES OF TEE MU BETA PSI IiATIO!;'AL CONVEr,"TION

Wa shington & Le e Universi t y - Lexingt on , Va. .

l~ e.rch 18 t 1972

?R.ZSIJEG : l>1ike A~ee , r;ational P::-e s i c.en t

? he I:'lee t ing ... ·a s c alled t o or der by Pres ident Agee at 1:25 p .m. A ... ·elcome '\,'as extende d t o t he atte:: :"ees by Paul Weeks , president of Epsilon C:-.o.;:r:.e:- · ... hich "'as hosting t his cor.·/ention .. Weeks t hen presented the Outstanding r.:e::;,'ce :- of t he Year a ..... a r d to Pre sident f..gee on behalf of Epsilon Chapter.

Executi .... e Sec:-etar y P.alph Daniel read the minut es of t he 1971 nationn.l con·ient':on , end pn: ~ec:ed t11e fir:.a.ncia l r eport o f the na ti onal ,,:·eas· ... ry . The r::.in\,.;.tes s-'1d !"ina."'lcial ::-eport ..... e r e accept ed as r e ad .

Ole. bus: ness vas called , begi nning wi t h chapter repo r ts . J2p~a Cha?~er repc:-~ed 6 r-ecbership of 24 brot her s , ushering at

ca.::!;J'"J.s ccnc e:o

t-tu Beta Psi 1912 National Convention f.linut e s - page 2

Delta Chapter r eporte d that the s itua tion '~f i t h Ps i Eu Ps i on t he Cl e mson c ampus ~as s till ami able and unch~~ged .

Hew business wa s then c a llee. . We ek s ::-.o·/ed tha'; the net!.o r.a.l cons -t itut i on be emended a.s follo .... s: "Amen~::lent 10 . The Tcs?onsibility fo r pub li ca ti on of The CZef shal l res t wi\. ~ a chapter . Sairi chapter sha l l elect from i t s r a nks the National Editor . Both cri i. t o rsh~? and pub l ication r espons i bil ity sha ll be s ubjec t t o re - el ec tion annua l ly . " A f :-iendl y ~-::endr.:ent added afte r second ing r

Mu Beta Psi 1972 National Convention tr.inutes - page 3

A brief recess was called to allow time to c~ear up ho~sing problems at the host botel.

Following the recess t Ted Halve:-son s,?o}:e on The Clef and the need for maintaining a standard cover heac. ing . This '~'as not only t raditi onal , but '.muld be necessary if the time ca..::::.e to oota:':J. s econd-cless me:li r.~ priveleges.

Carl Da .... son moved that tr.e convention pe.!3S ';he follo· ... ing a-::end.::ent. to the national constitution: "Arr.endment 11. An)' chapte r ..... hose ac'.:i':e membership falls below six (6) me:l and/o r ',,'omen sha ll lose its p~i\' ~ie6e o f ·voting at National Conventions unless i n'li ted by t he President to s?c~k i:1 their behalf. After a period of one year of mcmbcrs:-tip less than s : x (6) men and/or women, said chapter shal l lose its charter . 1I Aft'C! !" s eccnJ.::-,; . a friendly amendment during discussion produced the above ·.;ordir:i.j:~ . S:'n.:e six is the minimum required for ins tallation , it "oIas felt the a::ove tl:.

Mu Beta Ps i 1912 Nati onal Convention minutes - ~ese 4

Next I the floor "'as opened ~o;;- no:,:". i:-,?:.ion~ to the :~a.tional Vice Presidency. nominated 'Were Dua.:le Eva:1s and i:ank 1;,;e :1 5 . ;iOF.:ir.a't::'or.s ... .:! re again closed , speeches were made, and sec ret ~al:o't~ cast, ~he vo~in; ;;-eg ~ltei in a tie, so the · outgoing Executive Coc;:.: .... :.o:e ·';(;.5 c e.::"ed :r.to ~ession to brea.".t the tie according to the nat: o:;~ ·oy- 1a·,;:.; . ~\,;$.:-:e Evan.> is th~ :;c~i():.:~ Vice President for 1972-73 .

According to the 10th a:.£':-.c..'7 .. :'!:.~ ';0 :':'1'2 cc:-,s tit,::t::'or. , r('.ti:ied 1:, t he convention I the office of li6.~::'c :'::l: :.C.l~O:' i:; :·~':J...:c by 't:-.e ch:>.:,.'te:o .responsible for the publication of ~t:e C:e f. ':'r.e :~:oc ;;- ·~·g,s OPC:1

fora ot Jazz to the !It.u.d.e:U,. 01' !:t.:3U. Ja.== 18 an .. :-eil !:o:o.dJ.~1 laC?;:!.::g c.t S~at.f').

acb1ev. :hi s end ro r j au: , to •. e p !' ~s1de!l.'" ~;'Fci!l:·d !a·,.tl'··.""c" C~::!'i:-:g;~!' t~ t.he

COIl1Sl.1,t .. e with Da.1e .... i J..I1Ams a~ cha::.rman . 'l'ce c ~;;,::1t.t.elS \1a.S !li'.:lre -:r.~ CO!:'.:ii~e~

on ~ne Pro~o tio~ of J~:z. It was s U6ge ste~ ~.t ~L. co~ito ", e e take ad7a~ta6A

of t;h. tact. t na t. t.n. offic .. ot Hu.s ic !. a=-i::l-P'"dd('!~C e :IO:: 1972- 1.5 nad o", ,,,:'!. gl..' . ='

t? Da.1d ¥.aun~7 . jazz ~i~lst . vlbra?b~~!st , Rnd h.s ~ ist .

On S-'!ptOl.!l':l.r 28 . t h . cOli!lli tt .. appro:r.eh.d Mr. Mauney a~ ask-d r.i m ·,.c.,a.t

Mu Seta Psi ~lsht do t~ aid him in achle7i~g hi s idea o~ ~ulfilling ~i3 ot~~c • .

~r. UaWle.1 :stated a du1re to conduct a series of serolinars d..,al1 ng '00/1 til J":::

a::ld U1provisatic:lal theory. bl~t h. said r. ,. ."as not s ure all to hew to i!::stlga~.

th~ opera ti on. Tb.. O:::O!nl!itte e offered to org~.!ll ze the urlfts for )~r . ~~au:1ey .

leaving hi:» CO :'lc .r!l~ only with subject !!R tta r a:!d med:!.UJ:t. :!r. !l au..'l~Y s::" a. ~,,-

tro~ th~ resp~~ 3e ~hether or !lot t o ~~a ::"t a serl ~s . The date chos ~~ :or tt~

-prdi:ll~a.r7 s , .o l':.~!' was OctoDer 18 . on~ Iofee k: a:ft~r tne next oeet1::g of .,n.,r,a ch~pt.r. T~i~ ~.~ done to allo~ t he brothera~ oi to vot~ on necess~rl ~ot10e~

relatl !l6 to tba organization of th~ s'ml~~r. particulary funding pu~llc:!.t] .

(1 )

l\uuving a r.ehersal rOOM in the ne;.; ;lOusic bu1!d!.!'J& wa s llO prooh;:) for the

c ')!Il..fl.itt'!, . Tb.~ p l'OOl e2l; "alS in tb'! oarl] stage l ') f s :::u:-i:lJ; p ..... olic!.ty. ':'ne

licity. Indoed, the d.p:~rt:J8nt~. c onCert, are !"'.o t .... ~.L.i pU:)liciz uc. .

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t~~t tho F.i would fQ:d exactly ~lf tee total c~st ~f puhlicity , afte~ ~h!.c~

... .::: o~tradic tory .lIotlon al! o',"ln~ ths b1l1e. to Do Be~t to Hu. 3eta ?si .... as .:.150

Tho advertiae:nont '..,.1.5 run 1n tho n{'::o:::t three l s 3u!ls o:~ th~ ':;:er:!:!~1

of the seminar. AIl articlo written Dy tno co;n,.'J1tt~~ chc.irtli..':l 't!a3 printed !.:l.

the paper :~onday . Oetooer lb . The two hu.. ... d.:-ed gr"f':l- On-Y'Hlo'W" pIJSters ~ a1-

r$ady s \,artod gOl116 u.p 0:1 tuO \;I. l.rt.enth. A::l announCOAlent was aubjJ)itt~ to the

...,~aks edi tlo~ of tho StudeDt Activities Calendar. Starting t~se days prior

to tho . o~1na:, Q.!1!l~u.I!e.lA.nh w.are maAt'I through t;"e caopu.s ;-:uiio s tati on , ·..rai'~.

n~ws, Tcr~uJ,;bo~t ... 11 of thi~ pU·ol1c1t7 . tr.1! na::n "i·fu 3~t~ Psi II .... :;l.S

(2)

CO:!5'p !.CU~Ua1y di3pl~.7~.

will b. :Pr o~~tio::l of J ... z'Z . T::'e!' ! ::.o 100=" ~~!Ul !.::.v ~l ·n:i . S:.a.:\li , :"1) or.e rO .1)o::":' e'::' ~ ..

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d~.per i~to Jazz .

10VJ:r:s.

D.!a T. ;ill!i;;ul.!J Cb':'ir&Ul!J , C O!ll. :.;.i tt~ . 0:1 tee ?ro:':OItio::

of J:;.:,:;:: ~U:,,::!l .. Cb:a,ter

(})

Ed Parrett , a membe:!" of :1-.e Zeta C":1a?ter at :-!i::higan

Technologica l University , ~~ou~ces the r~tu=n 0= a radio prog=~~ dedicated to student per::o=-:::tances in ,::he a=ts . '!'he program ·,lil:'

be aired on WGGL , a public service F~ station broadcasting at

100 , 000 watts from studios at ~ech throughout the surrounding

area .

Last year , the program. (known as "The Other Side of Tech"

featured the Jazz Lab Band, Varsity Singers, and other Tech groups ,

as wel l as a Northern Michigan University group , The Fantastics . )

Thi s year , the plan is to expand the hor~zons of the program to in-

clude performances by artists from other campuses across the nation .

The pr ogr am is being pr esented on behalf of Mu Beta Psi but

performances by a l l students are wel comed . I f you have or can

arr ange suitable recordings , please contact Ed at 813 Shelden Avenue,

Houghton , Michi gan 49931 .

HONORARY aROT~?_:;OCD?

Duane Eve~s (~l?ha)

interar;t upon 'Wi'.om to beste .. 1 hono:-ary brot.h~ !"r.coci . This act.ion oo:.i

Jirovides recognition for tho:! f>.onore6 and l:'nh t.r.a frauarr.ity to

success of others; a li~tle ~~Mge goes a long way, and there's

reason to believe that i.J'r...at;e is OUr ',19,akest x.}IbI. s'POt 'tlith regard

to our expansion efforts6 a.."'Id , on sotte campuses, the attr.?ction of

ne'W brothers.

The rr.atter of National P.onCrrary 3rothers \o/ill probably arise at

the next Natiol"..al Convent.ion, so ... e rr.ay as 'Well begin cons·idering ti'.e

is,ue JlO'W in the fo!"Um of the CIEF. Here are two situat.ions to cor-sider.

Epsilon has had only pleasant eXI~riences in its honorary incuctio~

of Pablo Casals. Hr. Casals has sr..o'Wn genuine interest in the Psi

and t~s been very gracious in offering appreciation andservice.

Alpha, hO~Jever , lolas confronted by the other side of the coin last

winter : over a beer at Alpha IS favorite tavern, conductor Andre Frevin

said he had no idea what groups he tad been drafted into, that he ha~ed

strangers confronting hL~ with sUPFosad fraternal rela~ior~hips. ~;

felt that "Honorarj Brother n Has the ant.it.hesis of ~rotharhood.

itnd so ',,'e have t· ... o cPIX'site reaction~ from t,.~o notable Irusicians .

Our decision may be a ha!~ one.

EDITORIAL

J im Luc as

There are many ~lorth~",hi1e project ) ;; nc pur pOS2S tOo/c. r d i'/h ich t he brot h2rs

of i1u Beta Psi might be exhorted , ~'Jt 7~ '.'I are so ir.n~di 3. te and vi tal t o : he

interest of the fraternity as t l;e i ss ue of expan sion, The quest ion :s r. ot one

of expans i on for its o\'ln sake; ntper. t h,: quest ion \'I e mu st f ace square1y i s

t his - just how effective can ',!e expect to be if i'le remain a "natior.al " frat-

ernity of only four chapters, three of \'/hich are located on the Atlantic sea-

board? Indeed , ho.-l long rr.ay we continue to bear the tag lof IInat;onal ll in good

faith when our influence is so limited?

This is not to suggest that f-lu Beta Psi engage in a contest of sheer proli-

ficacy with Phi Mu Alpha. Indeed, one of the major "selling pOints" of !'!u

Beta Psi may be t he fact t ha t Psi offers to many student musicians a meaning-

ful alternative to the more professionally orien ted Sinfonians. We are present.ly

face d \,Ii:h the probl em of breaking out of an extremely vicious circle: we are

not well known nationally, therefore we need to start new chapters; however,

','Ie are hindered in starting new chapters because we are not wel l known na ti onall y .

That is "Catch - 22" in its purest sense. There is, however , a 'flay out .

First, we must , for reasons of immediate practicality, recog~ize the fact

that, at present, \'Ie are a predominatly regiona1 9 East '~ rn organization (consid-

ering Zeta Chapter as our western boundary). In ordering pri oriti es for a pro-

gram of expans ion, it is advi sabl e to build our strength first in our present

"area of influence." Once this is accomplished, expansion into other regions

\'Ii 11 be much eas i er.

The means of accomp lishing this first phase of an expansion program consti -

tutes the crux of this proposal. The prbposal is Si mp ly this: t hat each chap -

ter of Mu Beta Ps i take, as a chapter project, the estab li shment of one ne'o'l

chapter. This would put t he whole effor t on a one-to-one basis between t he

schools involved. would tend to genera te a reOfe i ntens i ve effo rt, and, if

successfu1 9 I'lould double the present size of ;·lu Bet 3 PSi , estab lish Psi

firmly as a strong, v;al ·le musical or :;:an;za ti o:1 , =.nd encourage expans ion

efforts in schoo ls outside our i mr;edi ate are a .

l\ general I!plan of attack " f or ~ac:' chapter might iun sometning like this:

First, letters of inquiry wou ld :e sent out to likely prospects. It ~·Iculrj

be advi sable to concentrate on schools I·lith some traditional ties with your

0\'10, or on schools with which brothe rs of you r chapter have per sonal ties

or connecti ons. Once you have f ound a likely "targe t," the in t ensi ve effort

beg i ns. By all means, conti nue t he me t hods present ly used , i.e. correspon -

dence and visits by brothers to the target school. Do not s t op there, hC't!ever.

reCiprocate: Invite interested students to spend a weekend on your campus

as guests of your chapter. Bring them to a Psi party or ge t-together 9 and

l et Psi sell itself. If you're fortunate enough to host the band of your

target schoo l for a football (or basketball) ga~e. there are all kinds of

opportuniti es : a Psi sponsored drop-in, party, reception, etc . , for the

visiting gr oup . Re~mber - the brotherhood of Mu Beta Psi , its activities,

and the enthusiasm of its brothers are the best selling points we have, and

t hese are best displayed on your QI.'1 n campus to your guest prospects. tlo

matter how enthus i astic a de l ega t i on you might send to yo ur target school, t he

impression cannot compa re \'lith that created by bringing a group of prospects

to your campus to observe Psi in its Q\'1n element. Once they get back to

their o\'1n campus and start telling their friends \'1ha t they Saltl, you may as

\'Ie ll s t art the paperuork !

There1s the proposa l - a one-ta- one, chapter- by -chapter, intensive cam-

paign for expansion. The means of i mplementation are limi ted on ly by your

own i magi nation and detenninati on . Are t '/e up to it?

ZSTA CHAFTER

Eockey ani football 3:e ~opul ~r 5?O~~ 5 ( 3th~le tic wise

t hat 1s) ~ t Michi~an Tech . ~~j 35 w!:h ~7~ ryth\~g e lse on

campus ~p.ta chapt'?:r lends i::;: se rvic es. '~he ·~at :"i -::hap::e r

has ~ s k~n ch3r ~e of se~lln~ the p~0~P 3 =S a t the ~~ mes . In

addition to this the ch9p~~r ng3 p~rttcl pat~d ac tively 1~

such functio~s a s Homeco~~ln~ , CoffQe houses , ~nd li ttl e

theater productlo~s .

PartiCipat ion in the concert -l ecture sories i s one

of the T!I3.jor act ivities for the Zeta chapter . T:;o s uch

fe a tures ~'!ere Your Father's Hustache presented on October

27th . a nd ~~oody He r man ;:>resented on November 6th . The

efforts for these concerts by Z ·~ ta included setting up the

sta e- e, colledtin>( tickets , ::I.od runnln.~ the li ghts .

The fifteenth annual ' ~xcursion in Sound ' sponsered

by r-'U 3eta Ps1 -·TgS presented this past fall a nd aga in i t

proved to be a roarin; success . AII the arran~ementSt se t -

up, and oroauct 10n were accomplished by the cbbse

cooperation of the fraternity members-

The pro~r9~~as pr esented to help brid~e the cultural

gap on a basicslly en~in e er1n~ oriented campus . ~~ny

d1frfe~ent t ypes of a cts f illed t he s t aee fro~ guitar to

modern dance .

\>Jith its involveme nt 1n campu s act ivit1 es , Nu Eeta

Fs i hss ga ined a name unll :':e tha t of ~ ny other or:;anization

on campus . Zeta chapter ' s ir.l,olve~ent 15 s~en a l::los t

eve r ytlhere .

DELTA I S SISTER G;(C~;i):G

JL'd Lucas

Delta Chapte r i s unique - ar.d for~ ' .. ,:?:o:! - in :-JJ'I;"g a sister orScn1lation en

the Cl emson campus. Psi i,lu Psi . a 10,,:al hOl1l)rary !7ItJsic SO(ori~y . ':Ias fou ,;cied

; n ilovember. 197J, by i nteres ted ' .. ~:1en ;nus i c i uns and ( ':~ ':> ro t 1erS 0 f 8:::1:3:. It

has since become a Significant :'Jrce in the social and c.:ltural life of Sle:-son

University.

The membersh i p r equirements of Ps i " u Psi are similar to those of C'elta :

prospective pl edges must have completed two semesters i n al';y campus mu.sical

group and must be' enrolled in t~ e third semester in orde r to be eligiJle for

selection.

The stated purpose of Psi nu Ps i is "t o oromate music on the Clemson 'Jni':=r-

sity campus, and to assist the brothers of nu Beta Psi \·dth their projects a;;::

activities. 1I The sisters of Psi :iu Ps i , in addition to ushering at concerts

vlith the br others of Delta, are busy \·lith ma ny \·/orth..,'1;l~ projects of their 0'1;:1 .

The sisters maintain a bulletin board in Dan i e l Hall, the liberal arts building ,

to keep students informed about musical events on campus . In addition, they

prov ide musica l instruments for area school~. assist with mus i c education pro-

grams in t hese schools, and maintain an emergency loan fund for the sisters .

Psi 11u Psi offi cers for 1972-73 are: Louise White. president; Brenda ?ac= .

vi ce-pres; dent; Sandy Charles , secretary ; Sandi Brunson . treasurer; and Pa tti

Roffe, sergeant-at-arms .

DELTA DOINGS

Jim Lucas

Delta Chapter, as usual, has its hands full t~ ;s year \-lith a nurrber of pro-

jects. Hith a merrtJership for fall 52f.1ester includinq 25 brothers and 13 pledges,

De lta is expanding its activities as \-/ell as its size.

Heading the list of ne\'1 proj 2cts for this yea r is an alumni mailing li st for

Delta alumni. Arrangements are being made to begin a wailing list to all Oelta

Chapter alumni, for the purpose of keeping them up-to-date with chapter activities.

Along with a newsletter and any other re l evant material, a copy of the current

CLEF will be included in the mailings.

The major new project is the sale of a Delta -produced record album. This

album, entitled The Clemson Tradition, Vol. ll. is a follow-up to the earlier

Delta production. Included will be marches, the University Alma Mater, and

three different arrangements of the ever-popular Tiger Rag. The record 1'1;11 be

sold at home football games, to students, and to parents, friends. and alum~i

back home by the brothers. We hope eventually to add $1000 or so to the chapter

treasury by means of this project.

After Clemson's Homecombg victory over Virginia. the" brothers of Delta held

the second annual Alumni Drop - In in the Psi Lounge. Folnow;ng up the success

of last yea r's Drop-In , many "old" brothers and their wives or dates met with

the brothers and pledges , meeting each other and renewi ng old acquaintances.

One of Delta's long-standing activities, ushering at Univers ity Concert Series

events , is in full swing again this year . For the first: concert we had the

brilliant young Israeli violinist Itzhak Perlman, and upcoming concerts feature

Virgil Fox, the Houston Symphony, and the Gregg Smith Singers.

Plans are under \~ay already for De lta's major annual production, the stude nt

mus i cal extravaganza modes tly entitled I "Spri ng Sounds." Spri ng Sounds ; s

likely to feature anything f r om t he r;or:." ':ord Trio to Schoenberg on the flute

to zither vi rtuosi, a ll he l d together (?) by t:'IQ ej"c~es selected for their total

lack of redeer.ling socia l va l ue. All i n 311. it's a ~ot of fun, and flashes of

nonest- to -gosh talent have even been knC\'m to pop up, despite all \'fe can do .

Spring Sounds is eagerly anticipate: by Clemson students , and some\-/hat dreaded

by the pO\'le r s that be, \'/ho often find t hens elves the target of our lovable emcees.

Th i s year , De lta Chapter will host the iiu Blta Psi Nat i ona l Convention do ... m

i n "Hot l anta" . Gerogia. The city itself offer s a tremendous aroount of enter-

ta i nrnent so there shou l d :lot be a dull moment . Convention s ites ar e now being

sough t in and around the city . A ne\'/ "Days Inn" motel and the nati ona lly far.ous

IIRegen cy" are two sites among othe rs nO','1 under consideration. \~e hope that this

year ' s conventio n wil l be as enjoyable and as crOl'ming as l ast year 's in Lexir.g-

ton Vi rginia . ',.Je have no caves to explore and no beer fo r 99¢ a six- pack, but

we do have "Underground" -Atlanta and the I\t l a~ta Pl ayboy Club pl us t he rest of

the city if there is anymore t i me remaining. If we fi nd \'Ie have not hi ng to do ,

',;e can ah'lays ride over to Clemson - and have nothi ng t o do ther e . .

G.t1:::".\T STORIES m i-USIC

U3or5..s Codo'l.nov"

Pr'eface

., -based on Sha!':.espearea.TJ. !:!c-:l.'3!.s, :b-.l9sor:;sky P'lt toget~~:!" thei; -

I

libretto for his caster?iec3 ~d ·thej 0nlY o~ra ha co=plcted

himself" (Rimsky and others "had to posthumo'lSly help hi.!!l. 1 . .nth

~o"'12..'1tc"hina and Rimsq re-orch",strated Bori~ into the fOr::l th~

is !tost famliar today) . !bussorgs:-cy' s opera. is based 0:1 t~e

tragic life of the Russian czar of that name betueen 1598 a.'1d

1605. Reduced from twenty_fo-.lr scene:3 to under half' that ll'.lw~r,

the opera is still possessed of an apic :7e.nde-:Jr. It has "::l3 ·:m

said t;,.at Hou3sorgsky , . .,a8 t:,e o=uy oper!ttic co:nposer ~·lho could

wi t h 1 tB r.a."'1Y cO:!l:plex characters, spectaC'l lar choral SCe:1e3, e.:!d

music that puts across what has been called the "Russia.'"1 !!!Jstique"

i~ no saall te~s, aL~ost defi es th~ li~it3 o~ the operat:c stage .

Mouss orgskyl CO!lposed a f i rst version of" ::?orls bet·.1~3n 1163 and

1370, a..'1d revised it duri.::'lg the next several years. It '.:a:; p"10lished

in 1574 a~ perfomed at t he ?"-~::ll"yi~Sky T:':.~ate~ in St . ~t~:-::;=.l rz

...n. th co!"!::;idcra.ble success . Houssorgskyj ::i en. i ::-: 1381, :":"11 ?.i:lS~:Y-

Korsa.'tov reorchestrated t:,e o~ra to add !lon b::.-i llill:1c~ :: ~ t o:1e

color,

•••

Long before the action b3gi~S in the op~ra , Czar I van t~c ~~rrible

-1ied i n 15134. c...1story tells 'lS that of his two SC:lS O:J.~ ~.>:l3 a

tee:J.ilger1 !,"!alf'-\I1t and the .~t'!1er '..res a small child . 3ori.9 Gor!OU,110V

had been the Czar's closest friend and advis~r, and he ~3 ~ade

Re gent v.ule his sister oarried the half-llit. The your.gar boy,

heving been placed in a monastery, soon died . Boris' feeble-t!l.inded

brother-in-Is..." for \./hom he was acting .. as Regent, died seven years

later \Ii thout having any children. Thus the throne \laS open.

The members of the nobility and (as some historia'1s claim)

the Russian people themselves, vanted the most qualified ma.."l in t.'lJ.e

cO'.mt17 to be Czar. And this ma.l'l was BOris Godounov. But Boris ,

:faithf'ul. to his old Mend's o.emory, refused, at least at f irst.

Here the libretto differs from history. Like Sba..1respeare ' s

KinS- Ric..1-tt1l'd III before Boris, the libretto's Boris is seen to have

plotted to this ver'7 end: obtaining the crown for himself. Like

Richard, he has created an artificial demand for his coronation

as Czar. Also, lH::e Richa..~ (and this is t':1~ keynote of the whole

opera) he "". suppo.ed to have t,. "rl.ghtl'.ll heir (the little boy

in the monastery) murdered for this p'..lrpOS'3 . But unlike Richard,

Boris ' conscience bothers him, a~d is to bother hi~ th~~~out the

opera, haunting. him until his very death.

The action in the opera begins \lith :brls f refusal to accept

t~re throne, so l et us nO\I go ano~g the ?us:rlan peorle uh(l are

asking a noble to convince Saris he s!lo'-lld :lccept t :"13 cro'.r.1-

2

?10LOro;:, lIlb:--i3 Godounov'

Scene 1

T:1'l~ police a~ or:l~ring :::e::l. to do this, a.~d so does the ole:-1:: of

the S~V9nteen-centur.? ~Js!an e~Jivalent of a Parliar-ent, the Duma.

The people are hesl~t; t~ey a~ not clear about vhat they should

do, and they haV9 to be pro~pted by knouts and the example made for

them. b7 somg passing oon.'I(:s. Nevertheless their efforts are 1n

vain, for as TcheL~ofr, the Clerk of the Duma, hears their

solicited prayer and goes inside to convey their "requests," he

finds that ~e DUst come out and tell the~, at the end of the First

Scene, that Boris '.Iill not accept the Cro'.Itl.

Sce!l.8 2

31l.t Boris ;.rill not remain ol:rlurate forever. He final..ly

acespts, and nO'..t CO:J83 o~e of t~e most gra.Tl.diose scenes in the

operatic re?Ortoire, the COMnatlon Scene.

I!'l t he c.".lrtyard of t~~ Kre!!!lin in lhscov, bet...reen the tHO

:::~ ant cat~sdrals of the Assuoptlon o..nd the Ar~""a!1gels, the

people aM g2.t.~~ re1. Pri.""Ic~ S'::uisky shouts at them from the

porch of t!1~ Cat~~:-al of th9 Assu::ption, urging the people

to acclaic th'3ir !'1ero Bori:>, e.s his lo::'! 8' 3'roces3ion b9g1ns to

:no'le out of t:-te Cat:-tedraL "LD,:e un.to the bright su.."l. in th9

sl(y is the gl.:H'Y 0:: ?us:;ia ' s CIa:- 3oris!" they cry. "Glory!

.;3 the pro~S'3:'':)!''l ~OV~'3 t )'.:a .... -1. t::e C:lt~-aeral of the Archa."t~ls,

"'",,,, 1,0 •• ,

3

sonber a..Tl.d rcn'?ctive mood; his conscience is already at uork on

him. He prays tJ God for h~lp , for he k:1",.JS he is unt-forthy.

(For the p'lrpose of t!"!.e opera , we ~lst aSS'lme , like l"bussorgs!~

and Pushkin, that Bori s or:i-e~d t!"ie murder of little Prince Di1:litri,

uhether h~ did or not ~) !I!¥ soul is sad, n la;::ents Boris . "Strange ,

dark f orebodings and e vil presentiments oppress my spiri t . '1

Atte r reflecting a~..ile, Boris rela...""::es into a more festive moodj

he invites the people to go \-lith him to kneel before t he tombs of

the former Czars, end then, as '..tas the fussian tradition, t he day

belongs ' to the peopl~ : : Boris an..Tl.o"unees that" there Yill be a great

:feast to ~"1!1ich all. are invite'l, f r om the boyars (nobles ) to the

blind beggars , to be his honored guests.

T'ne procession moves 0:1 to\ta.rd the Cathedral of t he Archa.'lgel,

and the grea t bells ring L~to life; the people join in a ma gnificant

folk c..'I-,.orus as they rush tau

~ac~full:r. H9 broCYls that as ,..~ ... !rit~s , :;e is MEvin: th~

:'

Varlc.am rC'!3.!"s ~:it'l la1l":~t~r at ~:1.3 O'.lTI Hit in sin;ing !lis son '2',

ll:'d CT'2.!1ks more '? -:1-'l ~')re a:o '}-~ -:>1'1 q').~st;.ons t .... ~ h-:'):;t ~:J ~ . She

i'!lfor:ns hi:n that he i:; near t'n LiUnania:, ":xJrd:3r , anr: t'1at the

'?Xllic~ arc aft3r SO:ir~ ~11 uho has es~a.?'1~ . Soon J ,"10 ~hQuld ent~r

t~'3 i !"'ll 7\t t..l-te !Jolic~ t"!~!:!1 ~!'~S , 1::eal'"ing a H3.rrant fer th~ arrc::;t

seventeenth cent '..lry, the police offic'3l" ca.'lnot read . 'l'h03:refore

Grigori vol u.nteers to read it for him, and "hen he finds it applie s

to h imself, he cleverly cha.llgca t he descripti on of the fugitiye

to f'i t Varlaam. The d r .mken L'lon.lc p rotests that t her'! is so:!p-

mistake , a:'}d grc.bs the uarra.."1t to read Cor himself.. Of cO'.lrse ,

the descriptio!t is then found to fit Grigori, rut by that tiDe ,

the l attor has made his escape from t he inY_ throueh a HlndoH ..

They are all hard afte r him i nstn..'1tly, but are too late to catch

him, and h'3 goes ove r the bor:hr into Li t!i'l a.'1ia-a..'id reaches safety.

ACT T'.-10; I'Boris Goolo'.ll"!C7"

The setting is the Kreolin , Yhere the Czars have made their

resid~n~e for e.lua:.fs (Pete r t he GMe.t , and St. Petersburg, had

not yet come upon the Hus sia.l'l 3cene) .

The t\olO chi l d ren of Borts , his 30':1 Fe:xlor end his daught~r

Xenia , a re vith their old nurse. Xen1~ is mourning the death of

~l'!!' fia."1ce r, arId the nur se vainly att~r.! pts t o co:nfort her by

singing a fabls abollt e. COilplc of yol.U\~ l overs . Th.is dob,g no

~;'{)oc1 for Xenia , t~~ m!:,se t,HT"I'!!3 her at ~ention to the little boy,

Feodor. She si:155 2. son:;- to "lit!. also-_a bcru.t a gnat uho t!l:~'C~l a

stict ~t a flea , ~~d fatally injur~ h :os31~ in so ~oins.

6

The nurse e.n1 Feor'lo!' pIll,V ~"l~ 5 Hi t~ !;l:lC~ other , clapping

th~iT' ha.~ds in ti;::c . But pr'1:3antly t !1·::! Cza:- :'imp.lf enters, a.>1d

t~e gaues come to an end . Boris is all ~~sine3s ; he turns to the

map of Russia that Feodor has berm st'..1dying, ard it saddens him.

Here Boris sings a great !!Ionoloeu~ . T'ne "Time of Troubles1! in

Russian history has begun. Things a re going badly, both politically

and e cononcally. As i s th~ case of any head of s tate , houever

deserving or 'lUldessrving, when times are bad, everyone is blaming

the Czar, who still feel s guilty--for he still remembers the

murdered body of the little Czarevitc~ .

A nobleman enters to uhisper to Boris SOlle neus- there are

dangerous intriguss going on at court , bat the Czar peremptorily

dismsses him, turns to his son once more, and is comforted a.'td

1s mede happy by a ridiculO"J.s s tory a'txn:.t Co parrot that the ooy

tells him.

This comfort does not last long, for Prince Shuisky enters.

He too bears ne'lfs- the gro'.ting success of t he pretender, who

is raising en army. Boris deman:is to knOH t-.'heth~r it was really-

l ittle Dimitri Hho t-ras murdered by his orders . Th.e crafty Shuisky

t ells him t hat ~.t U

ACT T:.-I.:lEE; "Dc.rls GodOll.'IlOVu

It is a matt~r of ~ferenc9 that ~~ch of t~c music in t his

: Chu.ro.a as 0'1'3 ' S o .... l1- she coul d nei t h'lr marry the Czar nor

Q.:.cani t':!.e throne ui tho'.l.t coi:t.g so. j!o Honrie!' : arina is t"!rrifid!)

8

Scehe 2

T'ne fountain of the roma.Tltic garden of the castle of Sandomir

is t~e settine for this sc~n~ . The fals e Di~tri a"~its a

mco:: ti'llJ ui t~ his beloved :i!.rinil ; he once thou Ght of giving up

t;e pretensions to the thron~ , and givLttg up his a~bitions , if

it !;lea.nt l!inning her. F.anzoni , the methodical Jesuit priest lJith

his oun ambitions in mind , appears to strengtheno·,these'.:.2fDbittans

of Grigori ' s .. He assures Gri eori that I·atina loves him, despite

certain icy 3:1ubs she has had to e::1dure for his sake,

tatt'3red croud drags in a noblema.Tl , a follo\-1er of the Czar, a..,d

sllb.ject him tn ridicule , Clocking the Czar at t"te same time ~ The

rebellion is picking up tar:!pO, for it is th~ I!li.ddl~ of the 'lanter,

,.rhen t~e times were at their \-Torat .

Enter the village idiot, and as he sings a silly song e group

of children mock him. Ve.rlaam and I-assail, the t~-to ~negede monks,

join the rebellion . But \Jhen two Jesuit priests come in, praying,

the crc)Hd turns on them, led by Varlaam and !·assail. The peasants

drag the rnoJL\s off, intending to h!LTlg them.

10

But nov Grigori enters on a fine horse . Everyone does obeisance

to him; he procises t o eliminate BoriS , aTld they shout their allegiance

and their ,dUingness to follow Grigori . He rides off, as the crows

follo\l him; ,:mly the vill age idiot is left. Sadly he seats himsel f ,

as snm.r begins to fall, and he sings this prophecy: liThe enemy

,ull cOflle--darkness Will descend_ weep, \leep , you hungry fussian

people !n

Scene 2

The council hall of t he Jfsemlin; the year, 1605. The Czar' s

noblemE:~ L are disc:ussing, rather f oolishly, the pr ogress of t.t"e

revolt.. Prince Shuisky enters , and he tells them "'of the agony

he sa~.r t:~ :: Czar suffering a fe", days before, a'1d he describes a

scene in 1-1hich Boris Lr:tagined he saw the !!Iltrdered CzareV1tch.

Th'3 nob:;.es do not believe hira- 'b

blind shepher1 had gone to the cathedral of Ugli ch and prayed there-

a nd received hi s sight . Boris hears t his tale with growing horror .

At its end he cries for air, 2,.,.'1d falls , fa1,ntine, into a chai r .

He rouses himself, he calls for his vestments, knot-ring that it is

the end ann death is near. I-I'?: calls for the Tsarevi teh , Fea.:ior,

t o be brought , and as he com~s rushing in, Boris icily dismisses

the noble s to be alone \lit h his son.

Some of the nobles go t o -tha l1::mastery of t he I·a r aele to bring

the monks , lrnotdng that Boris f death is upon him; afte r t hey have

all departed, Boris sings a last, deeply touching fare'Uel l to his

son; he advises him how to be a good ruler-liDo not trust the

nobles, and ~~tch closel y thei r treacherous dealings ~th Lithuania, "

he tells Feodor, a.l'ld he bags him to cere for his beautiful Sister

lama. lIyou m il be her only defender, our Xenia, our gentl e dove .. 1f

Toen Boris prays heaven to pr otect the roy, and to guide him ..

Boris fol ds his son into his arms and kisses him ; the somber

funeral bell is heard outside ; Boris sadl y takes note of it : liThe

bell ! The passing bell! " he groans .

The chorus of the monks of the r'bnastary of the Hi racle are heard

no~.J' offstaee , singi..'1g a SO!!lb3 r chorus; Boris harmonizes uit h them,

crying lIF\meral tears , holy p riests ! The Czar a'.Jaits you !"

Tns boy :'eodor tries to com.fort his father, telling him that

God vi II defen1. hi!J ; Boris :;':akes hi s head . "No, no, rrry son, my '

hour has cone ! II

'I'h", choT'.ls enters not.J', and their song is a bout the murdered

CZJ.rGVitch ; Boris starts up , shouting in a gony, '''Jill my sin never

b-9 fore! van? 0 CNel deat'1., must y'JU torture o.e SO!" Then, as tbe

11

chor'J.s contimles , the once mighty Czar rises to his full he1g.l-It and

shouts them into si l ence-"I am still tho Czar !" A last spasm

overtakes him, and he relapses , pointing at his son- " Forgi. ve ~e

Death !-th~n'3 is ~rour Czar-forgive J:le , forgh~ m~ !l1 .4s he

uhisp-:!l"s thes~ last \Jords, ~c falls back dead into his chair-or,

as 5o;tte of the filO!"'9 daring basses act it, roll s on the floor .

The boyars cluster around , as the music rises to its sombe r climax,

and t hey ~,t>.isper but t hree words_ IIHe is dead. . II

The I!IUsic of this final scene is as powerful as any 2hussor gsky

ever urote; it conveys the sol emnit y of the hour and the som'be:rn.ess

of death to the point that it has fe~.J, if any, parallels ..

The bell- like ostinati ( remini s cerrt of the si!D.ilar dance employed

by Ihllssorgs!cy in t he Coronation Scene) reflect the se

t'J.e sli!,per;f P:rinc'3 &l'.lisky. Ee \fas als ·) rc::~iv:)d into th~ C:'"!·'.l.rc~ of

?.o'1.'3 !:r.r P-an ~o'1i ..

'\.lis cf)ronatia-:1- 3.n1 ni!!~ days lat~r , hi::; lif3savinz of Shuisk'.r pro'\-ed

!'lis tm(;o:'~le, ff)T t':1n fox;r Prince had hatched a plot to assaS3ine.t'J

Gri.gori , anr'l. Gri~ori met his end a:-:d S:'11.:isky became Czar.

The uTime of Tr0l.1blesu '\.tere not to concluie 'mt il yOU1'lg Hi chael

Romanov he.d been named to t he Rus sian t hr one , had survi\o'Cd several

attempts on his life , a..'1d had csta blishen. the Ro:ta.l1oV dynasty that

received its final solidarity in the aCC9ss~on of Peter t he Grea t

and Cath~rine the Great , and l asted unt il t he deposition of Czar

ITichol as II in 1917.

12