''Brummell'' is a 1931

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...

in three acts and five scenes by

Reynaldo Hahn Reynaldo Hahn (; 9 August 1874 – 28 January 1947) was a Venezuelan-born French composer, conductor, music critic, and singer. He is best known for his songs – ''mélodies'' – of which he wrote more than 100. Hahn was born in Caracas b ...

to a

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

Rip Rest in peace (RIP), a phrase from the Latin (), is sometimes used in traditional Christian services and prayers, such as in the Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, and Methodist denominations, to wish the soul of a decedent eternal rest and peace. ...

and Robert Dieudonné. Its protagonist is the English

dandy A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance. A dandy could be a self-made man who strove to imitate an aristocratic lifestyle desp ...

Beau Brummell George Bryan "Beau" Brummell (7 June 1778 – 30 March 1840) was an important figure in Regency England and, for many years, the arbiter of men's fashion. At one time, he was a close friend of the Prince Regent, the future King George IV, but ...

(1778-1840), although the storyline is entirely fictional."Brummell"
''Encyclopédie multimedia de la comédie musicale en France'' website , accessed 25 June 2018

Roles

Synopsis

;Act I: Scene 1 "The dandies"; Scene 2 "The king of fashion" Beau Brummel meets with Jim, who is taking part in a

boxing match Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing boxing glove, protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a ...

. Brummell shares Jim's lowly origins; they were friends as children when Brummell's aunt was a

dairy A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...

-woman near

Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...

, and when Brummell himself was in love with the

washerwoman A washerwoman or laundress is a woman who takes in laundry. Both terms are now old-fashioned; equivalent work nowadays is done by a laundry worker in large commercial premises, or a laundrette (laundromat) attendant. Description As evidence ...

's daughter Peggy. Peggy has since become Brummell's laundress, without the latter being aware of her identity; however Jim recognizes her and Brummell is moved at the re-introduction. As Brummell has lost a lot of money at the

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

, Peggy suggests he retreats to the

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

countryside. ;Act II: Scene 1 "At Lady Eversharp's"; Scene 2 "To the country!" Lady Eversharp wonders where Brummel can have got to. By chance, a group of dandies are on a

fox hunt Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds" (or "master of hou ...

at the village where Brummell is hiding, initially mistaking a

scarecrow A scarecrow is a decoy or mannequin, often in the shape of a human. Humanoid scarecrows are usually dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.Lesley B ...

on which Brummell's cast-off fineries have been clad for the man himself. Jim tells them that Brummell is living there in retirement, and as Brummell's word in fashion is law, the dandies reappear dressed as peasants. although they still do not recognize Brummell in his disguise. ;Act III The dandies are now dressed as Trianon-style

shepherd A shepherd or sheepherder is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. ''Shepherd'' derives from Old English ''sceaphierde (''sceap'' 'sheep' + ''hierde'' 'herder'). ''Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations, i ...

s. The Prince of Wales rebukes Brummell for having deserted high society in favour of a laundress who will not even consent to be his mistress. Brummell wagers that he can conquer her by mid-day. He loses: but when he is about to confess, Peggy offers to say that she has become his lover, to save his reputation. Touched, Brummell declines and gives his blessing for her to marry her true love.''Programme''
for ''Brummell'' (1931), ''Encyclopédie multimedia de la comédie musicale en France'' website , accessed 27 June 2018

Recordings and broadcast

A number of

78 rpm A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog signal, analog sound Recording medium, storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove ...

recordings were made in 1931 of numbers from the opera, sung by those who premiered them. Some of these recordings were conducted by the composer. Complete performances were broadcast on French radio in 1946 (when the cast included

Gérard Souzay Gérard Souzay (8 December 1918 – 17 August 2004) was a French baritone, regarded as one of the very finest interpreters of mélodie (French art song) in the generation after Charles Panzéra and Pierre Bernac. Background and education He wa ...

), in 1950 and 1952, and in 1962 with Aime Doniat, Albert Voli, Gaston Rey, and the Orchestre Radio-Symphonique de Lille, conducted by

Marcel Cariven Marcel Auguste Antoine Cariven, (18 April 1894, Toulouse – 5 November 1979, Crosne near Paris)dandies A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance. A dandy could be a self-made man who strove to imitate an aristocratic lifestyle desp ...

by Rip, from the original programme of ''Brummell''" mode="nolines" widths="300" heights="240" align="center"> File:Robert Dieudonné by Rip 01.jpg, Robert Dieudonné File:Rip self-portrait.jpg, Rip (self-portrait)

References

External links

Sound clip
of

Sim Viva Sim Viva (12 January 1903 – 10 August 1982) was a Belgian soprano singer and actress prominent in operetta and film in the 1920s and 1930s. She made several recordings on the Ultraphone, Pathé, and Odeon labels. . Life and career Sim Viva ...

and Louis Arnoult singing the duet "Je vous aimais sans le savoir" from ''Brummell'' (on Gallica) {{Portal bar, Opera Operas 1931 operas French-language operettas Operas based on real people Operas set in England Operas set in the 18th century