''His Majesty, or, The Court of Vingolia'' is an English

comic opera Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue. Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a ne ...

in two acts with dialogue by

F. C. Burnand Sir Francis Cowley Burnand (29 November 1836 – 21 April 1917), usually known as F. C. Burnand, was an English comic writer and prolific playwright, best known today as the librettist of Arthur Sullivan's opera ''Cox and Box''. The son of ...

, lyrics by

R. C. Lehmann Rudolph Chambers "R.C." Lehmann (3 January 1856 – 22 January 1929) was an English writer and Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1906 to 1910. As a writer he was best known for three decades in which he was a major c ...

, additional lyrics by

Adrian Ross Arthur Reed Ropes (23 December 1859 – 11 September 1933), better known under the pseudonym Adrian Ross, was a prolific writer of lyrics, contributing songs to more than sixty British musical comedies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries ...

and music by Alexander Mackenzie. The work premiered at the

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy Pala ...

in London on 20 February 1897, running for only 61 performances until 24 April 1897, despite a strong cast including

George Grossmith George Grossmith (9 December 1847 – 1 March 1912) was an English comedian, writer, composer, actor, and singer. His performing career spanned more than four decades. As a writer and composer, he created 18 comic operas, nearly 100 musical ...

Ilka Pálmay Ilka Pálmay (often erroneously written Ilka von Pálmay; 21 September 1859 – 17 February 1945), born Ilona Petráss, was a Hungarian-born singer and actress. Pálmay began her stage career in Hungary by 1880, and by the early 1890s, she wa ...

, Scott Russell,

Fred Billington Fred Billington (1 July 1854 – 2 November 1917) was an English singer and actor, best known for his performances in baritone roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. His career with the company began in 1879 and continued ...

Florence Perry Florence Perry (13 July 1869 – 19 December 1949) was an English opera singer and actress best known for her performances with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Biography Florence Julia Perry was born in London in 1869. Her first professional ...

and

Walter Passmore Walter Henry Passmore (10 May 1867 – 29 August 1946) was an English singer and actor best known as the first successor to George Grossmith in the comic baritone roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Passmo ...

. The

D'Oyly Carte Opera Company The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company is a professional British light opera company that, from the 1870s until 1982, staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere. Th ...

then toured the opera throughout 1897 alongside more familiar

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...

works.

Background

When the

partnership collapsed after the production of ''

The Gondoliers ''The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria'' is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 December 1889 and ran for a very successful 554 performances (at that time the ...

'' in 1889, impresario

Richard D'Oyly Carte Richard D'Oyly Carte (; 3 May 1844 – 3 April 1901) was an English talent agent, theatrical impresario, composer, and hotelier during the latter half of the Victorian era. He built two of London's theatres and a hotel empire, while also establi ...

struggled to find successful new works to present at the

. He was able to bring Gilbert and Sullivan together briefly for two more operas, neither of which was a great success. In fact, after its disappointingly short run, their last piece, ''

The Grand Duke ''The Grand Duke; or, The Statutory Duel'', is the final Savoy Opera written by librettist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan, their fourteenth and last opera together. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 7 March 1896, and ran for 12 ...

'' (1896), was the only outright failure of a Gilbert and Sullivan opera.

Arthur Sullivan Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (13 May 1842 – 22 November 1900) was an English composer. He is best known for 14 comic opera, operatic Gilbert and Sullivan, collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including ''H.M.S. Pinaf ...

had produced two operas for the Savoy in the early 1890s with librettists other than

W. S. Gilbert Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (18 November 1836 – 29 May 1911) was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan, which produced fourteen comic operas. The most f ...

, but neither had proved particularly successful, and pieces by other composers, for example '' Mirette'', had fared worse.

Synopsis

The late father of King Ferdinand intended that Ferdinand marry Lucilla Chloris, the daughter of the king of Osturia, and Chloris has arrived at the Court of Vingolia for the wedding with her ladies. Ferdinand and the Princess have never met and have never seen any portrait of one another. However, Ferdinand has fallen in love with the peasant maid Felice, the adopted daughter of an old woodman, and has wooed her while disguised as a court artist. Meanwhile, Princess Chloris is in love with Prince Max of Baluria. Prince Max devises a plan which, if carried out, will allow the Princess to elope with him, while Felice takes her place. Boodel, the King's former master of the revels, has been listening in on various conversations but only hears the end of each of them. He concludes that there is a plot afoot to assassinate Ferdinand. He becomes especially suspicious of a trunk carried by Felice. Preparations for war begin. But it turns out that Felice and her trunk bear a secret that changes everything: Proof that she is, in fact, Chloris's older sister, and thus the one meant to be engaged to Ferdinand all along.

Production

Carte assembled a high-quality team for ''His Majesty'', including the well-known dramatist and writer

and the well-respected composer Alexander Mackenzie. Lyrics were supplied by Rudolph Lehmann, though his career gave no hint of a particular talent at writing verse. The piece was expected to draw the public solely on the strength of the return of

after an absence of almost a decade from the Savoy Theatre. Grossmith was well and fondly remembered for his creation there of the comedy roles in the famous series of Gilbert and Sullivan operas, and during his years away, he had become the most popular solo piano entertainer in the country. The Savoy audience was eager to see him perform together on stage with his successor in the

Savoy opera Savoy opera was a style of comic opera that developed in Victorian England in the late 19th century, with W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan as the original and most successful practitioners. The name is derived from the Savoy Theatre, which impr ...

roles,

. Rehearsals began in December 1896, an unusually long rehearsal period for the Savoy, but Mackenzie later recalled that even the company felt that the work was not wanted. London's leading stage director, Charles Harris, was engaged, but he died a few days before the opera premiered, leaving the Cartes to finish his work. Richard D'Oyly Carte took ill, leaving the final arrangements to his wife,

Helen Helen may refer to: People * Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world * Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress * Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places * Helen, ...

. The Savoy's usual choreographer,

John D'Auban Frederick John D'Auban (1842 – 15 April 1922) was an English dancer, choreographer and actor of the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Famous during his lifetime as the ballet-master at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, he is best remembered as the c ...

arranged the dances. The opening night met with instantaneous signs of disapproval. Grossmith received an ovation at his first appearance, but his entrance number met with a cool response from the house. ''The Whitehall Review'' declared that the audience preferred Passmore, and "whenever he appeared on the scene, hearty applause greeted him." Though six encores were taken on the opening night, the piece seemed doomed to failure before its first public representation was complete. Only three principals came forward for their curtain call. Mackenzie was applauded warmly for his music, but when Burnand and Lehmann came forward, there was booing and hissing from all the private boxes and most of the pit.

Critical reaction and aftermath

Although this would be his only

, ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' called Mackenzie's score "appropriate throughout, musicianly, and very often marked by distinction as well as humour," though it called the book dull and "confused". Other newspapers called Mackenzie's score "a comic oratorio", "devoid of memorable tunes" or "peculiarly unattractive, almost entirely devoid of humour, strangely wanting in charm, brightness, fizz and spontaneity"Reviews collected
at The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive and opined that "some of the best lines were appropriated to the most severe music". The press uniformly found fault with the verbose libretto and felt that the music and book were not well suited to each other. They praised Passmore's comic acting but were disappointed by the nervous Grossmith, commenting that he was unsuited to the role of King Ferdinand. Grossmith lasted only four performances before pleading ill-health and returning to retirement. Charles H. Workman, playing Adam, filled in as Ferdinand until

Henry Lytton Sir Henry Lytton (born Henry Alfred Jones; 3 January 1865 – 15 August 1936) was an English actor and singer who was the leading exponent of the starring comic patter-baritone roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operas from 1909 to 1934. He also sta ...

arrived and was ready to play the King. The histrionic Hungarian actress,

, who had been engaged for ''The Grand Duke'' and was still under contract to Carte, played Felice, a role that gave her many opportunities to display her talents as ballad singer, opera soprano and comedian.

, who had been playing smaller roles up to that point, was cast as Chloris. Alterations were made to the opera during Workman's tenure in the title role. Three songs were deleted, and the Act I Finale was shortened.

became ill, and his part was taken by

Jones Hewson John Jones Hewson (2 September 1874 – 27 November 1902), credited as Jones Hewson, was a Welsh singer and actor known for his creation and portrayal of baritone roles with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company from 1894 to 1901. Hewson began in the ...

for the remainder of the run. The opera closed on 24 April 1897 and was sent on tour with two D'Oyly Carte companies until September 1897, during which Mackenzie's autograph score was stolen.Tillett, Selwyn. ''A Study of Two Savoy Operas'', p. 44, the Sir Arthur Sullivan Society, 1996

Musical numbers

*Overture ;Act I - Interior of the Palace of Vingolia. View of the Royal Art Galleries. *No. 1 - Introduction, Trio and Chorus - "When Ferdinand came to Vingolia throne" *No. 2 - Chorus - "Hail our King in regal splendour" *No. 3 - Song with Chorus - King - "I was born upon a Sunday" *No. 4 - Song - Felice - "In the forest, in the forest, ah! how joyful are the days" *No. 5 - Duet - Felice and Boodel - "Cross-examination" *No. 6 - Quartet - Gertrude, Adam, Boodel and Felice - "Who goes home?" *No. 7 - Duet - Felice and King - "Why, oh why this cruel mockery?" *No. 8 - Septett - Cosmo, Vincentius, Michael, Duchess, Schnippentrimmer, Clarkstein and King - "He doesn't explain" *No. 9 - Female Chorus - "The mistress we adore is" *No. 9a - Song - Chloris and Chorus - "Delightful, oh delightful, I feel inclined to shout" His-majesty-passmore-billington

*No. 10 - Serenade - Max - "Fair Chloris, let me be thy slave" *No. 11 - Quartett - Felice, Chloris, Max and Boodel - "I shall wear velvet and satin that speckless is" *No. 12 - Coon Song - "In de music-hally pieces when de rumpty tumpty ceases" *No. 13 - Beard Chorus - "By the King's decree, all of us are hirsute" *No. 14 - Finale Act I - "War, the very word inspires us" ;Act II - On the Vingolia Ramparts. Preparations for War. *No. 1 - Introduction and Chorus - "Behold us, a mobilised nation; the banners are flaunting on high" *No. 2 - Song - Felice - "When a gallant soldier loves from his lady love must go" *No. 3 - Nautical Song and Hornpipe - Boodel and Sailors - "Who would not be a sailor" *No. 4 - Duet - Felice and King Ferdinand - "What is this mysterious feeling?" *No. 5 - Trio - Felice, Chloris and King Ferdinand - "Das kleine Fraulein" *No. 6 - Song - Mopolio - "I am a King who must not smile, a fact profoundly vexing" (this song was replaced in the original run with "I'm a model of a melancholy king") *No. 7 - Duet - Boodel and Mopolio - "Noblemen in distress" *No. 8 - Quartet - Felice, Chloris, Max and Ferdinand "Although we are at war" (this song was added during the original run) *No. 9 - Finale Act II - "Ev'ry thought of trouble over, I propose to live in clover"

Roles and opening cast

*Ferdinand the Fifth (King of Vingolia) (

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

) –

(later

) *Count Cosmo (Prime Minister and First Lord of the Admiralty) (

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

) – Scott Russell *Baron Vincentius (Lord High Chamberlain and Commander-in-Chief and Secretary of War) (baritone) –

*Baron Michael (Vice-Chamberlain; of Celtic extraction) (baritone) – Mr. Earldon *Prince Max (of Baluria) (tenor) –

Charles Kenningham Charles Kenningham (18 November 1860 – 24 October 1925) was an English opera singer and actor best remembered for his roles in the 1890s with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. After singing as a boy soprano, Kenningham briefly served in the 5t ...

*Mopolio VII (King of Osturia) ( bass) –

*Boodel (Ex-Master of the Revels to King Ferdinand) (baritone) –

*Herr Schippentrimmer (Court Costumier) (baritone) – Mr. Bryan *Chevalier Klarkstein de Frise (Court Perruquier) (tenor) – H. Charles *Adam (a Woodman) (baritone) – C. Herbert Workman (who also briefly played Ferdinand between Grossmith's departure and Lytton's arrival) *Princess Lucilla Chloris (of Osturia, daughter of Mopolio) (

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

) –

*Felice (adopted daughter of Adam and Gertrude) (soprano) –

*Duchess Gonzara (Mistress of the Royal Wardrobe) (

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

) – Miss Macaulay *Dame Gertrude (Wife of Adam) (

contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typically b ...

) – Bessie Bonsall *Principal Ladies-in-Waiting on Princess Lucilla Chloris: **Helena (mezzo-soprano) – Jessie Rose **Dorothea (soprano) –

Ruth Vincent Ruth Vincent (born Amy Ruth Bunn, 3 December 1873Information and links to introduction, midi files, cast list and reviews of the opera

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:His Majesty Compositions by Alexander Mackenzie English-language operas English comic operas 1897 operas Operas