Resources to use in preparation for attending the Opera
The Pirates of Penzance performed in the Alice Busch Opera Theater, Cooperstown

Welcome—classroom teacher, music teacher, home school teacher, librarian, parent and lifelong learners, I have gathered materials for you to use to prepare for a visit to the Glimmerglass Festival to see The Pirates of Penzance by Sir Arthur Sullivan & W.S. Gilbert.
                                                                                                Rhonda King, Retired Library Media Specialist

Learning Objectives

A.   Learn about Opera

a.    Brief History of Opera (pdf)

b.    The artists who give voice to Opera (pdf)

c.    The artists who work behind the scenes (pdf)

B.   Learn about Sir Arthur Sullivan and Sir William Schwenck Gilbert

Sir Arthur Sullivan Sir William S. Gilbert

a. Watch video(s) for information

i.Arthur Sullivan: Maestro of Operatic Brilliance: Composer & Arranger Biography

ii.A Beginner’s Guide to Gilbert & Sullivan

b. Read for background information

i. Sir Arthur Sullivan

1.Arthur Sullivan, British Composer

2.Arthur Sullivan

3.Sullivan Biography

ii. Sir Willaim S. Gilbert

      1. William Schwenck  Gilbert, British Playwright

      2. W. S. Gilbert

      3. The Life of W.S. Gilbert

iii. Gilbert & Sullivan’s Life Timeline (pdf)

iv. Beginner’s Guide to Comic Opera

v. Understanding Comic Opera: A Journey into Musical Theater

C. Learn about The Pirates of Penzance Written by WS Gilbert & Composed by Arthur Sullivan

a. Read, Listen, and Watch

i.Synopsis of The Pirates of Penzance

        1. One of the most humorous situations in this operetta occurs when Frederic (who was apprenticed to a band of pirates until his 21st “birthday”) is presented with a “paradox” by the Pirate King and Ruth. Frederic was born on February 29th in a leap year and technically his “birthday” occurred only every four years. In the “Paradox Song”, the Pirate King and Ruth convince Frederic that his contract of indenture requires him to be a pirate until he is 84 years old.

ii.Character List (pdf)

iii. Vocabulary for The Pirates of Penzance (pdf)

iv. Vocabulary from The Pirates of Penzance Crossword Puzzle (pdf)

v.Vocabulary from The Pirates of Penzance Crossword Puzzle Answers (pdf)

vi. What is a Patter Song?

  1. The Elements (song)  click on the media player on the right side of the page to hear Tom Leyear sing this song.

  2. Gilbert & Sullivan’s most famous patter song-Major-General’s Song click on the media player on the right side of the page to hear George Baker sing this song.

vii. Talk like a Pirate

  1. How to Talk Like a Pirate

  2. Pirate Words & Phrases (pdf)

  3. Pirate Words Word search (pdf) 

  4. Pirate Words Word search Answers (pdf) 

viii. Lyrics & Music of The Pirates of Penzance

  1. Read lyrics for each song in The Pirates of Penzance 

  2. Listen to the music of each song from The Pirates of Penzance by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Each song is listed on the right of the screen.

    1. ix. Watch The Pirates of Penzance

      1. The Pirates of Penzance—2006 Opera Australia

      2. The Pirates of Penzance (Full Show) presented by the Valley Light Opera, Academy of Music, Northampton, Massachusetts

      3. The Pirates of Penzance (Full movie) with Kevin Kline,  Angela Lansbury, and  Linda Ronstadt

      D. Resources Cited (pdf)

Resources to use in preparation for attending the
Youth Opera Rumplestiltskin and the Unlovable Children
performed in the Alice Busch Opera Theater, Cooperstown

Welcome Students, Parents, Educators, and Life-long Learners!

We are looking forward to the world premiere of the youth opera Rumpelstiltskin and the Unlovable Children by Jens Ebsen and Cecelia Raker.  We've been told that "it is a story about found family, self-love, and finding the freedom to be who you really are."  Based on the title, we know it is somehow related to the classic Grimm Fairy tale, Rumpelstiltskin.  However, we are not expecting a retelling of the story.    We've refreshed our memories of the original fairy tale and learned about the brothers Grimm, 19th century German scholars whose work included collecting folktales. Among the following resources you will see material that would be fun for young children, older students, and curious adults. 

   Rhonda King retired Library Media Specialist, Mary Margaret Kuhn and Kathy Eisele, retired Educators.

Learning Objectives

A.   Learn about the German Fairytale Rumplestiltskin

a.    Introduction:

                i.    Watch video(s) for information

1. Rumpelstiltskin-Fairy Tales-Gigglebox

2. Rumplestiltskin-animated Fairy Tales for Children—full cartoon

3. Rumplestiltskin-animated original fairy Tale by the Brothers Grimm with beautiful illustrations

4. Rumplestiltskin Full Story Fairy Tales

               ii.    Read for information

1. Rumpelstiltskin Fairy Tale (original)

2. Project Gutenberg: The Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales: Rumpelstiltskin

b.    Reflect:

i. Why did the kind man want to help the Queen?

ii. What is the moral of the story?

iii. Rumpelstiltskin Primary Crossword Puzzle pdf

iv. Rumpelstiltskin Word Search pdf

 v. Rumpelstiltskin Crossword with a word bank pdf

vi. Rumpelstiltskin Crossword without word bank pdf

B. Learn about the Brothers Grimm

a.    Introduction:

i. Read for Information

1. Chronology of the life of the Brothers’ Grimm  

2. Brothers Grimm; German Folklorists and Linguists

3. 5 Facts about the Brothers Grimm

4. Wilhelm Grimm

5. Jacob Grimm

6. How the Grimm Brothers Saved the Fairy Tale

7. Brothers Grimm Home Page

b. Watch (Videos) for Information

1.  Grimm Brothers and How They became King of Fairy Tales

2.  10 Facts about the Brothers Grimm

3. Brothers Grimm: The Real Story of Germany’s Storytellers

4. Grimm’s’ Forest: The Nature of Fairy Tales

C.  Learn about opera

a.    Introduction:

                   i. A brief Introduction to Opera

          b.    Reflect:

                  i.    Create a Glossary of Opera Words

                  ii.    Opera Crossword Puzzle

D.  Resources Cited pdf file