[PW] Any such creature?

[Dennis Lien]

At 01:25 PM 4/2/2007, you wrote:
>Hello Fellow Womb at s!
>     I received this question from a friend and I tried to google but I am
>not sure how to pose the question so I was wondering if anyone can point me
>in the right direction.  The question is:
>
>"I know that there is a list of what I can only refer to as "referenced"
>operatic roles out there some place.  These are names of individuals that
>are referenced in an opera but are never seen and of course, never heard.
>(It's like talking about Mrs. Santa Claus.  Nobody ever sees or hears her.)
>Have you ever seen it?  I think I saw it in reference to someone's fake
>resume'  He listed all of these roles as his great performances to see if
>anyone actually read or knew these things."
>
>If anyone knows the answer to this question I will be very grateful and my
>friend will be quite impressed!
>
>Many thanks!
>Donna Hesson
>dhesson at jhmi.edu


I couldn't imagine that the TEXACO OPERA QUIZ wouldn't have used such a
question at some point or other, and it appears they did on 11 April 1999:

http://listserv.cuny.edu/Scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind9904b&L=opera-l&O=D&P=11259

Only three examples given in the question, however:


What do the following three have in common:
Bianca in _Otello_
Rosaline in _Romeo et Juliette_
Maria in _Simon Boccanegra_


For what it's worth as a start...

Dennis Lien (basso notveryprodundo) / U of Minnesota Libraries // 
d-lien at umn.edu