Autographed score for "JFK: an opera in 31 moments with prologue", 2016

Object number2016.040.0001

Date2016

ClassificationsDocuments

Artist Fort Worth Opera

ObjectScore

Credit LineDavid T. Little and Royce Vavrek Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza

MediumPaper

Dimensions14 × 8 1/2 × 7/8 in. (35.6 × 21.6 × 2.2 cm)

Terms

Collections

DescriptionFull book score for "JFK: an opera in 31 moments with prologue" signed by composer David T. Little, librettist Royce Vavrek, and the Fort Worth Opera cast. Commissioned by the Fort Worth Opera, American Lyric Theater and Opéra de Montréal, JFK takes place in the 12 hours before President Kennedy was assassinated. The modern opera uses dreams, nightmares and visions to take characters to other times and places, to visit people from their past and future, and to explore their innermost struggles. Both John and Jacqueline Kennedy sing in solo and duet, exploring their shared past as well as their heartbreaks and hopes for the future. The opera focuses on the Kennedys, “explor[ing] the subconscious of this complicated couple, examining their physical and emotional pain, their joy and love, and their metamorphosis into American myth.” Little and Vavrek explain, “JFK is a portrayal of the man as we project our hopes, dreams and fears upon him. It explores the sense of profound loss we still feel.”

Curatorial Commentary

Exhibit Label: Born in New Jersey, David Little pursued music from the time he was a student performing musical theatre in high school. In college, his interest shifted toward composing. Growing up in an Irish Catholic family in the northeast, Little was always interested in the Kennedy family and curious about the assassination. He met librettist Royce Vavrek in 2008 and they have collaborated on numerous projects since then, including the operas Dog Days and JFK. (Special exhibit, "Art Reframes History," on view on the Museum's seventh floor from September 9, 2020 through May 9, 2021)

Curatorial Commentary

Exhibit Label: Originally from Grand Prairie, Alberta, Canada, Royce Vavrek did not see a live opera performance until he was 19, although he was interested in opera as an art form from a much earlier age. As a child he was fascinated by a book called The Rough Guide to Opera—an anthology of synopses, great cast recordings and amazing opera singers from the last 150 years. In 2009, his opera Dog Days, a collaboration with David Little, debuted at Carnegie Hall. (Special exhibit, "Art Reframes History," on view on the Museum's seventh floor from September 9, 2020 through May 9, 2021)

Curatorial Commentary

I had the privilege of attending one of the performances of JFK at Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth in April 2016. It was only the fourth opera I had ever seen, and I was not quite sure what to expect. Amazingly, out of a crowd of approximately 2,000 people, I happened to be seated next to Dr. Richard West Sellars, a retired administrator with the National Parks Service who had been instrumental in the development of The Sixth Floor exhibit in the 1980s. Our chance encounter led to an oral history the next month, and I was deeply saddened when Dr. Sellars passed away the following year. Together, we watched the opera unfold and chatted excitedly during Intermission about the surreal dreamscape crafted around the Kennedys' twelve-hour stay in Fort Worth. Overall, JFK was a deeply moving, almost transformative experience for me. Immediately after the opera concluded, I shook hands with Matthew Worth, who portrayed President Kennedy, and praised his remarkable performance. I then encountered librettist Royce Vavrek and composer David T. Little. In the excitement of the moment, I asked David if the Museum could get a copy of the score signed by the full cast. Taken aback by my request, David said that that might prove difficult, but he said that he would try. I am grateful that he made the effort as this signed score remains a wonderful artifact to represent that premiere performance at the Fort Worth Opera and highlight the contributions of so many gifted performers. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator

Curatorial Commentary

"JFK" was written for six vocal parts - soprano, mezzo soprano, tenor, baritone, bass baritone, bass - as well as a chorus. The Texas Boys Choir appeared as a chorus of the fates in the opera's world premiere in Fort Worth; the rest of the chorus appears as mortals, apparitions, and also as a chorus of the fates. The instrumentation parts are written for the flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, contrabassoon, horn in F, trumpet in C, trombone, bass trombone, tuba, timpani, numerous percussion instruments, harp, keyboard, harmonica, and strings. - Jan Masterson, Collections Cataloger