Louis Gruenberg Born: 3 Aug. 1884, Brest-Litovsk [now Brest], Byelorussia Died: 10 June 1964, Beverly Hills, CA

(U.S. Opera Home Page)

• The Bride of the Gods, libretto by Busoni, translated by C. H. Meltzer (1913)
• The Dumb Wife, chamber opera libretto after The Man who Married a Dumb Wife by Anatole France after Rabelais (1923)
• Jack and the Beanstalk, libretto by John Erskine, (1931) [children's opera]
• The Emperor Jones, opera in one act; libretto by the composer and Kathleen de Jaffa, after the play by Eugene O'Neill. (comp. 1931;7 Jan 1933, NY Met, 10 or 11 [?] performances, cast inc. Beusner, Windham, Tibbett, c. Serafin, d. Mielziner, p. Sanine; 17 Nov 1933, San Francisco; Chicago, 1946; Rome, 1950) [cast inc. Brutus Jones, bar]
• Queen Helen (1936)
• Green Mansions, radio opera; libretto after the novel by W. H. Hudson (1937)
• Helena's Husband, libretto by P. Moeller (1938)
• Volpone, libretto by the composer after Ben Jonson (1945)
• One Night of Cleopatra, libretto by the composer after T. Gautier (????)
• The Delicate King, libretto by the composer after Alexandre Dumas (1955)
• Antony and Cleopatra, libretto by the composer after Shakespeare (1955)
• Antony and Cleopatra [rev.] (1961)

• Signor Formica (1910)
• The Witch of Brocken (1912)
• Piccadillymädel (1913)
• Roly-boly Eyes (1919) [musical]
• Hallo! Tommy! (c.1925) [as "George Edwards"]
• Lady X. (c. 1927) [as "George Edwards"]

Like many of his contemporaries, Gruenberg spent much of his dramatic energies on operetta and the developing American musical; even his traditional operas are influenced by jazz and Broadway idioms. The Emperor Jones, his best-known opera, was one of the most popular American works of its time, despite its unusual scoring. He also made considerable contributions to film music, winning three Academy awards for his work in Hollywood. Several of his operas remain unperformed, including The Dumb Wife, for which he failed to get permission to use the source material from author Anatole France. The title of Jack and the Beanstalk is given in some sources as Jack in the Beanstalk.

"Oh Lord!... Standin' in the need of prayer" from The Emperor Jones, on Of Gods and Demons. George London; Columbia Symphony Orch., rel. 1997. Compact disc: Sony 62758.

"Oh Lord!... Standin' in the need of prayer" from The Emperor Jones, on Lawrence Tibbett: From Broadway to Hollywood. Tibbett; Met. Opera House Orchestra/Pelletier. Compact disc: Nimbus NI7881.

"Oh Lord!... Standin' in the need of prayer" from The Emperor Jones, on Souvenirs from American Operas. Various artists, 1998. Compact disc: IRCC 818.

"Oh Lord!... Standin' in the need of prayer" from The Emperor Jones, on Four American Baritones of the Past. Various artists 1999. Compact disc: Preiser 89957.