The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
| The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Lukas Foss | |
Mark Twain in 1867 | |
| Librettist | Jean Karsavina |
| Language | English |
| Based on | "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" by Mark Twain (1865) |
| Premiere | |
The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County is an English language American comic opera in one act and two scenes. It was composed by Lukas Foss with a libretto by Jean Karsavina, based Mark Twain's 1865 short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County". The opera was commissioned for television by Roger Englander. It was first staged by Indiana University Opera Theatre at Indiana University's East Hall in Bloomington on May 18, 1950.
The short opera—around forty-five minutes running time–quickly gained notice: it was work-shopped fifteen times in its first three years and received at least eighteen productions in the six years after its premiere. It is a popular production for small opera companies and student productions.