The Sojourner and Mollie Sinclair (1963)

Libretto by the composer (E)

S,M,T,Bar,BBar; chorus
1(=picc).1(=corA).1(=bcl).1-1.1.1.0-timp.perc(1):SD/cyms/glsp/BD/
xyl/TD/tgl/gong-harp-strings(or 1.1.1.1.1)

Mid 18th century, a plantation on the Cape Fear River in colonial North Carolina

Set in the mid-18th century, the opera tells of the divided patriotic loyalty of a Scottish family settling in what would later become North Carolina. A Scottish laird, Dougald MacDougald, retains his privilege and rank in the colonies until a strong-willed Scottish woman, Mollie Sinclair, challenges his views by pointing out that he came to the New World to find fortune and freedom. Outraged by the Stamp Act, Mollie leads a protest march against British oppression; MacDougald takes the opposite position, continuing to raise his Union Jack and pledge allegiance to "good King George III". Finally, Mollie wins Dougald over to the Colonial cause while her son, Lochlan, is winning the hand of MacDougald’s daughter, Jenny.

Dramatic

History, Society