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Film, Video Happy Little Seahorses: Brahms' Unwritten "Melusine" Opera

Transcript: TEXT

About this Item

Title

  • Happy Little Seahorses: Brahms' Unwritten "Melusine" Opera

Summary

  • Laurie McManus of Shenandoah Conservatory discussed an unfamiliar opera libretto that was given to Johannes Brahms for consideration. While Johannes Brahms excelled in many musical arenas, he never managed to compose an opera, despite a lingering interest and encouragement from his friends. The most persistent of those friends was Hermann Levi, a Jewish conductor whose later advocacy for Richard Wagner overshadowed his relationship with Brahms in the 1860s and early 70s. The Library of Congress holds extensive correspondence between Brahms and Levi, including a drafted opera libretto that Levi sent to Brahms in a letter from July 1871. The libretto was a joint effort between Levi and a local mutual friend, Anna Ettlinger, an author and women's rights advocate. The libretto might be called a "hidden gem" of the Library's Brahms collection, given that it has never been transcribed or discussed in any substantial form until now. Presented in association with the American Musicological Society.

Event Date

  • March 26, 2025

Running Time

  • 1 hours 4 minutes 29 seconds

Online Format

  • video
  • image
  • online text

Rights & Access

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Credit Line: Library of Congress

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Happy Little Seahorses: Brahms' Unwritten "Melusine" Opera. 2025. Video. https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-11663/.

APA citation style:

(2025) Happy Little Seahorses: Brahms' Unwritten "Melusine" Opera. [Video] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-11663/.

MLA citation style:

Happy Little Seahorses: Brahms' Unwritten "Melusine" Opera. 2025. Video. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/webcast-11663/>.