hi there~

a quickie that i hope someone can id...  there is this opera that i
saw long ago where the plot was really rather simple: it was a parlour
discussion about the comparison of music and lyrics.  one side said
music was more important, the other side that lyrics were more
important.

i shouldnt think that there are more than one opera with such a theme.

(i went as a teen with my father and i remember he fell asleep!  this
was one of the very few that i really enjoyed, even though i am not a
fan.)

thanks much in advance!

Hello.

The opera is "Capriccio" by Richard Strauss.

See this synopsis from Opera Australia:

"A chateau near Paris. Countess Madeleine is courted by the poet
Olivier and the composer Flamand, who compete in the argument: Do
words or does music come first in opera? It is decided that the two
men should compose an opera about the argument - also included in the
debate are Madeleine's brother the Count, his lover the actress
Clairon, and the aggressive theater manager La Roche. As the opera
closes, the Countess wonders whether the question has any answer that
is not trivial."
http://www.opera-australia.org.au/opera/oaweb.nsf/lookups/CAPRICCIO-OPER-?opendocument

search strategy: opera, "music versus words"

I hope this helps.

whoa...  dingding!  right answer!  :D

my search fu is not strong enough.  i did search under "music versus
lyrics" and "opera" and i didnt come up with much (_very_ weak search
fu).  getting rid of quotes didnt help much either.  i LOVE you guys!

banchan