This represents my second collaboration with Rowland Holt-Wilson, who did the libretto for the earlier Mademoiselle Fifi. This time the story concerns Hypatia, a neo-platonist scholar who lived in Alexandria in the 4th century. Little is known of her except that she was brilliant and highly respected as a philosopher, and that she was murdered most grotesquely by a mob, for reasons unknown. Gibbon gives her a paragraph or two in his "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire". Read it only if you have a strong stomach.

    Rowland's spin on the story is that Cyril, archbishop of Alexandria is responsible, having seen in Hypatia a threat to the growing Christian church. He is painted as a cynical character to whom power is all important, and who recruits a fanatical follower to take the blame for Hypatia's death. If you are a devotee of St. Cyril, you will not like this story.

    At last I have gotten around to digitizing the score, so it is much more readable now. It requires that Hypatia be a strong actor and a powerful mezzo-soprano, a perfect role for Andrea Mellis, Rowland's partner, for whom it was written. Andrea, in fact, has performed Hypatia's four arias in recital. Cyril is a baritone, Ammonius a tenor, and a chorus of monks is present also.

    The style is basically tonal with dissonant elements, but it is also highly eclectic, and at present the score has only piano accompaniment. In keeping with the mocking tone of the story, there are musical segments suggestive of chant, lieder, even ragtime, and sometimes all within the same song! The full play has not yet been performed.