Aye, Aye, Lucian!

A fantasy for baritone solo, male voice chorus and piano, 1960, duration: 70', based on the Vera Historia of Lucian of Samosata.

This work will be typeset in due course.

PDF of the manuscript score

In a letter to his parents dated 25th August 1959, Peter explained: … “Paddy Hadley has asked me to write a work for the chorus of Gonville & Caius College. I am preparing a libretto for myself based on an amusing adventure story by the Greek writer Lucian, 125 A.D. A very successful collaboration, I must confess, – as there is no disagreement as to any single thing.” With an increased work-load at Caius, he confesses in his Christmas letter that he is only a third of the way into the libretto. By 14th February, he was getting worried about how behind he was getting with a work due to be performed in May Week. Yet by March 10th, he was looking forward to finishing Lucian, half of which was with the duplicators.

It was Peter’s classical education that had led him to the Vera Historia of Lucian of Samosata, a city on what would now be the Syrian-Turkish border, who has been described as the first novelist of Western civilisation. His True Story is an imaginative and fantastical account of space travel and of whales large enough to devour ships. Peter took a number of episodes from the book and initially laid out the tale into four parts:

Part 1: The Behest and the Caressed

Lucian and his friends are advised by the doctor to take a holiday. They sail away in a ship but, losing their bearings, arrive at an unknown island where tragedy befalls them in a curious vineyard.

Part II: The Arrest

A whirlwind carries the ship up into the sky to the Moon where Lucian and his crew are arrested. They assist King Endymion in a battle against the people of the sun and afterwards learn of the unusual organisation of lunar society.

Part III: The Oppressed

On regaining the terrestrial sea, the ship, with all aboard, is swallowed by an enormous whale. Two survivors from a previous shipwreck are found living in the monster and are rescued when the company eventually manage to get their ship out again.

Part IV: The Blest and the Rest

A beautiful island turns out to be the abode of the Blessed Dead. Rhadamanthus, the Eternal Judge, permits the party (in spite of being alive), to make a brief stay provided that they keep the peace. Unfortunately, one of them attempts to elope by boat with Helen of Troy, and the Damned, incarcerated on a neighbouring island, stage a mutiny at the sight of her. The living Greeks, deemed to have broken the peace are ordered to leave. They sail home refreshed. Their doctor, in the meantime, has died of overwork.

However, by the time the libretto and the music had begun to take shape, the work had evolved into five main sections with a number of sub-sections:

  • No.1
    • The Outset
    • Bad Weather
  • No.2                      
    • An Inscription
    • An Unusual Vineyard
    • A Misadventure
  • No.3 A                  
    • A Storm
  • No.3 B                   
    • The King of the Moon
  • No.3 C                  
    • The Battle
    • Lunar gratitude
  • No.3 D
    • Lunar Society
    • Lunar Children
    • Lunar Love
  • No.4 A                  
    • Departure
    • The Whale
    • A melancholy Supper
    • Exploration
    • Inhabitants
    • The Old Man’s Story
    • Oppression
    • Rescue
    • Aftermath
  • No.4 B                   
    • Escape
    • The Old Man’s Farewell
  • No.5                      
    • Paradise scented
    • Paradise sighted
    • Arrest
    • The Court of the Dead
    • A fruitless visit
    • An elopement
    • News of a rebellion
    • The Heroes’ Alarm
    • A Sea Battle
    • A revival of Arts
    • The Culprit’s apology
    • Orders to depart
    • Good advice
    • Departure
    • Homecoming

The large number of characters involved in all these scenes gave scope for two main solo parts and a number of smaller roles, as well as a male and a mixed chorus. Peter had been expecting to conduct the performance, but, on this occasion, he found it easier to play the piano and allow the Organ Scholar, Martin Neary, to conduct. As he commented in a letter to his parents: “I hope it won’t have turned his head to have been on the podium.” As always, there are some marvellous tunes and some delightfully witty lines and verses as these two examples show:

Socrates was chopping some logic
when he had to answer the call.
But it shocked his scruples
To leave his pupils
Without refuting them all.

Aeneas was being pious
and Virgil was at his side.
They were checking the details,
Virgil retails;
But they left them unverified.