The Forest of Eoren

Several years ago, I wrote a one act operetta entitled :The Marriage of the Miner's Maiden", and some of my friends joined me to sing it through. I decided one wasn't enough, so soon I began to write another one. I don't know why I decided this. Maybe because it's good to have a project to work on that takes dedication and focus, but a very different kind of energy from that I use in my work. Maybe it was because of the quality I felt the first was: good enough to prove that I can really do this, but with flaws obvious enough that I could see ways to make a second operetta much better than the first. Maybe it's because creating something just feels so good. Maybe it was because I saw how much my friends enjoyed being part of it and wanted to do it all again.

Anyway, I began. From somewhere (I don't know where), I came up with the idea of a group of dryads who fall in love with men walking through their forest, only to discover that these men are in fact lumberjacks, come to cut it down. I came up with a plan, based around a large number of operetta (or more general) tropes: the operetta could turn into a game of spot the cliche (or the much more difficult game of spot the non-cliche).

So, around the beginning of 2011, I started writing. I was happy with the first two songs and very happy with the third (I'm happy with the way concept, melody and lyrical/rhyming structure come together - plus it's a baritone aria, so I can actually sing it myself, especially now that I've moved it down a half step to make it suitable for B flat clarinet - the operetta is scored for piano and clarinet). The fourth, a tenor aria, provided a lot of difficulties, but eventually I made it.

During my writing, Patrick asked how long I thought I'd keep writing operettas. I told him "most likely, until I get a girlfriend". It turned out, producing a show also took enough time to distract me from composing: I produced "The Sorcerer" in fall 2011, and I don't think I wrote a note from the time I began that until it finished. And before Sorcerer closed, I did indeed have a girlfriend.

So fast forward a year and a half or so to Nancy's and my breakup, and suddenly I have more time on my hands again. And, I know that in another few weeks I won't any more, because I'll be applying for jobs. So I decided to pick the show up again and try to finish it before then. After a bit of procrastination, I decided I would get into a steady routine of getting up and to work early, and coming home at a decent hour to compose.

That pattern worked well, and about two months later, I am done! This show, "The Forest of Eoren", is also one act. It has fewer songs (10 instead of 14), but probably more original music because the songs have fewer, longer verses. It also has dialogue, which was missing from MMM.

Once again, I'll be gathering with friends to sing it through (at the end of this month). It should be fun!