About the work
Amahl and the Night Visitors is a one-act opera by Gian Carlo Menotti to his own libretto, composed in 1951 on commission from the NBC television network. It was broadcast live from Studio 8H at Rockefeller Center on December 24, 1951, the first opera written expressly for American television.
Plot
The disabled shepherd boy Amahl lives with his poor mother in Judea when the three Magi, travelling to see a newborn child, stop to rest at their home. In despair, his mother tries to steal some gold meant for the child but is caught; King Melchior lets her keep it, since the child needs no earthly riches. Moved, Amahl offers his homemade crutch and finds he can suddenly walk again.
Cultural significance
About five million viewers watched the live broadcast, then the largest audience ever for a televised opera; it aired annually at Christmas through 1966 and is often called the most frequently performed American opera of the twentieth century.