Herb and Jerry

In the mid 1950's I was the Organist and Choirmaster at the Short Hills, NJ Community Congregational Church. I had a paid quartet of soloists who acted as section leaders in the choir. The bass, Bob (I wish I could remember his last name) took me aside after a choir rehearsal one night and asked if I would be interested in working with Jerome Hines on an opera he had written. He was looking for someone to do a small orchestration. Naturally, I jumped at the chance and got in touch with Jerry, as he asked to be called, and set up a meeting at the old Metropolitan Opera House on Broadway and 40th Street.

I went to the stage door, which was on the side street in the back, and gave my name. It was a lot easier to get backstage at the Met in those days than it is now! Jerry came down to the reception desk to greet me and we went upstairs to a studio. There was an upright piano and not much else in the room. This was the 'old' Met, remember.

We sat down on the bench together (quite a bench full; with Jerry at about 6 feet 5 inches and me at six feet three and a half inches) and Jerry produced the score of his opera The Life of Christ. We began on page one and went all the way through with me playing and Jerry singing. My left ear has never been the same since. I had never been that close to a voice that size before. The opera is a pastiche of snippets from Puccini, Verdi, and Wagner, but very pleasant to listen to. I took the score with me and began to arrange it for organ, violin, and harp (I think. This was a long time ago, remember). Kind of an unusual orchestration


The opera was to be produced at the Salvation Army Temple on West 14th Street in Greenwich Village. Jerry was very active in the Salvation Army at that time which was why we were able to use this large auditorium. It had a full stage and wings, a wonderful lighting board, and interested people to take care of all of these things.


Jerry, of course, was to sing the part of Jesus, and with a little work on his Irish nose and an added beard, he bore a remarkable likeness to some of the paintings one sees depicting Christ.

Jerry's wife, Lucia Evangelista, was to sing the part of Mary Magdelene. The rest of the characters were sung by some very fine singers whose names I can't remember. I have a feeling that many of them were in the Met chorus at the time.

A wonderful set was built and the costumes (which may have come from the Met as well) were accurate and fine looking.

We rehearsed for several weeks and were due to open on Good Friday evening. Jerry was also scheduled to sing in Parsifal that afternoon at the Met. In those days, the Met always gave Parsifal on Good Friday afternoon as its last performance of the season.

Part way though the matinée Jerry announced that he was having vocal problems and dropped out. His cover took over to finish the opera. That night, miraculously, he had not only recovered his voice, but sang incredibly well. We wound up being reviewed on the front page of the New York Times with this Good Friday miracle. He looks enough like Jesus to cast a miracle, so maybe that's what happened. I never had the nerve to ask him if he was really out of voice in the Parsifal.

We did weekend performances for several weeks and then Jerry asked me if I would go on tour with him and the production. Between my job in Short Hills, and the fact that I was also the Assistant University Organist and Choirmaster at St. Paul's Chapel. Columbia University, I had to tell him that, regretfully, I couldn't go on tour with him. I lined up a friend of mine, Donna Brunsma, who was also involved at St. Paul's Chapel somehow, to join him on tour.

He continued to present this opera in cities all over the country for many years.

Jerry was a wonderful person and a terrific singer. He continued to sing at the Met, and sing well, for at least forty years after that time.

Coincidentally, it was about this time that the first of my vocal students, Pamela Munson, began singing at the Met. Nothing to do with Jerry, but she continued to sing comprimario roles there for many years. My sixth student to sing there, Jim Maddalena, made his début this season.

I must be getting old, or something?