• Gian Carlo Menotti. Television opera in one act. 1951.
• Libretto by the composer.
• First performance with NBC, New York, on 24th December 1951.

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CHARACTERS

Amahl, a lame shepherd-boy	treble
Amahl’s mother	soprano
Kaspar, one of the three kings	tenor
Melchior, one of the three kings	baritone
Balthazar, one of the three kings	bass
Page to the kings	baritone

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Amahl and his mother live in poverty. The boy is imaginative and when he tells his mother he has seen a bright star, she thinks this another one of his lies, still more so when he reports the approach of three kings, who seek shelter for the night. As they sleep, Amahl’s mother tries to steal from her guests, seeking money to alleviate their poverty. The page wakes up and seizes her, while Amahl tries to defend her with his crutch. When the kings take leave, Amahl offers them his crutch as a present for the Holy Child that is the object of their journey. At this the boy is miraculously cured and joins the kings on their journey to Bethlehem.

Menotti’s television opera presents events through the eyes of a child, in clear, attractive tonal musical language. The work has proved widely popular with television and theatre audiences.