(E.B. Marks). A Betrothal is as much a piece of musical theater as it is an extended art song for two singing actors with accompaniment. Ms. J.H. Joslyn and Mr. Kermit Wasserman, two horticulturalists, meet by chance at a flower show. Through the course of their charming encounter they discover that their prize irises may be the perfect mates for each other. The music underscores Joslyn's and Wasserman's encounter, highlights their disparate personalities, and characterizes how two very different people move from an uneasy chance meeting to an easy alliance.