The rediscovery of Comedy of the Dumb Wife (1953) by Polish composer Tadeusz Kassern

One of the basic aims of The Vocal and Acting Faculty of the Academy of Music in Gdask is to prepare students to perform in opera. During the academic year 20052006, the Faculty undertook work on an unusual enterprise, the previously unperformed opera by Kassern (19041957), Comedy of the Dumb Wife, written in 1953. The proposal that this opera be performed was made by the author of this article, who was engaged in research on this neglected Polish emigrant composer. The performance took place on 19 May 2006, and was recorded. The director chose to present the action in the silent movie convention of the 1930s, with plain scenery and characteristic black-and-white costumes, with the pianist playing at the side of the stage. Although the main purpose of the production was didactic, it went much beyond this original aim, helping to erase one of the blank spots in the history of Polish music. This article looks more closely at this forgotten work and analyses salient features of the composer's craft.