Queenie Pie is a jazz opera written by Duke Ellington. Because it is a modern opera, we can see many similarities and differences between it and the more traditional operas we have studied in class.
One familiar aspect of this opera is the use of voice parts to tell us a little about each character. Ms. Café Au Lait has a much higher and lighter voice, comparable to that of a true soprano in classical music. Her character is one of a higher stature. She is more proper and ladylike, she is fair skinned, and she is tall and thin, making her the more typically attractive of the two leading ladies. Queenie Pie, on the other hand, has a lower alto voice. She is more crass and outspoken, she has darker skin, and she is short and stout and curvy.
Another familiar device is the use of virtuosic cadenzas to showcase the voice of the main character, Queenie Pie. But instead of the more traditional cadenzas used in classical music, Queenie shows off her voice by scatting. For a jazz vocalist singing in a jazz opera, this makes perfect sense.
Queenie Pie also sings in a more melismatic style in Act II when she is trying to seduce the king. This is the type of singing that would be typical of a character of noble stature in a typical opera, and so it makes sense that Queenie Pie would sing in this style here. She is presenting herself in a way that makes her appear to be worthy of nobility.
One interesting difference between Queenie Pie and the more traditional operas we have studied is that not as many of the lines are sung. In fact, it seemed as though almost half of the lines were spoken. Long dance numbers are found in many operas and was typical of French opera. And spoken lines were often included in opera buffa. However, almost half of the lines in Queenie Pie are spoken. Often times a character will have a lengthy dialogue followed by a song to emphasize the main point of the dialogue.
While Queenie Pie is not a traditional opera, it still uses many of the familiar devices we have studied, and these devices help give us insight on the personalities and intentions of the characters.
mus115: opera 