The Disappointment

The Disappointment, or The Force of Credulity is a ballad opera composed by Samuel Adler in two acts with a prologue and epilogue, to a text by an unknown author writing under the pseudonym "Andrew Barton". William Peterson, in 1766, claimed that the opera was written by a "son of Philadelphia College," leading to speculation that the author may have been Francis Hopkinson or Jacob Duché. In his book on American drama, Walter Meserve claims that the author was named Thomas Forrest. Regarded as one of the first American operas, it was to have been performed on April 20, 1762 in Philadelphia but was cancelled at the last moment.

Samuel Adler reconstructed the score for a performance on October 29, 1976 at the Library of Congress in Washington, as part of the Bicentennial celebrations of the United States of America. A critic published a lukewarm review of the performance at the time.

TV-S 34650 The Disappointment (1767) America’s First Ballad Opera by Andrew Barton

Musical Setting by Samuel Adler Research by Jerald Graue and Judith Layng Produced by Donald Hunsberger Directed by Edward Berkeley Musical Direction by Robert Spillman

Original Cast of the Library of Congress Eastman School of Music Production

In April 1767, the Philadelphia public was primed for a theatrical event of uncommon interest. The most illustrious acting company in the colonies, David Douglass’ American Company, was preparing Andrew Barton’s ballad opera, The Disappointment, or, the Force of Credulity, for presentation at the handsome new Southwark Theatre. English plays and comic or sentimental operas had formed the staple repertoire of the company for some years, but Barton’s farce had signal im¬portance because it was the first ballad opera written by an American for American audiences. Moreover, its subject matter was closely linked to the concerns of the Philadelphia citizenry. It cleverly satirized the government of King George, but it also offered lampoons of several individuals living in Philadelphia at that time.

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