''Merrie England'' 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 by

Edward German Sir Edward German (17 February 1862 – 11 November 1936) was an English musician and composer of Welsh descent, best remembered for his extensive output of incidental music for the stage and as a successor to Arthur Sullivan in the field of En ...

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 ...

Basil Hood Basil Willett Charles Hood (5 April 1864 – 7 August 1917) was a British dramatist and lyricist, perhaps best known for writing the libretti of half a dozen Savoy Operas and for his English adaptations of operettas, including ''The Merry Wi ...

. The patriotic story concerns love and rivalries at the court of

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

, when a love letter sent by

Sir Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebellion ...

to one of Queen Elizabeth's ladies-in-waiting, Bessie Throckmorton, ends up in the hands of the Queen. Well-known songs from the opera include "O Peaceful England", "The Yeomen of England" and "Dan Cupid hath a Garden". The piece played 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 in 1902–1903. It has been revived many times, both professionally and by amateur operatic groups. There have been complete recordings of the score and several issues of recorded excerpts.

Background and original production

Basil Hood's libretto makes heavy use of wordplay for comic (and dramatic) effect. For example, the

homophones A homophone () is a word that is pronounced the same (to varying extent) as another word but differs in meaning. A ''homophone'' may also differ in spelling. The two words may be spelled the same, for example ''rose'' (flower) and ''rose'' (p ...

'fore' and 'four' are used in a scene in the second act where it is explained that a dragon has "four legs, two of which are hind legs and two of which are fore legs" (compare this with the famous 'orphan'/'often' exchange in Act one of ''

The Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 ...

'', by

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 ...

). The poem in Act One giving the A to Z of ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'' is an example of Hood's writing, summarising the plot of ''Romeo and Juliet'' through use of the alphabet. The plot, a rustic, romanticised Tudor story, has been criticised for containing too many unimportant characters and for historical inaccuracy. It concerns love and rivalries at the court of

, who is portrayed as jealous of

's affection for her lady-in-waiting, Bessie Throckmorton. This relationship is revealed to the Queen by the

Earl of Essex Earl of Essex is a title in the Peerage of England which was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title has been recreated eight times from its original inception, beginning with a new first Earl upon each new cre ...

, who transmits a love letter written by Raleigh to Bessie, which the Queen initially assumes was meant for herself. Ultimately, however, the Queen chooses Essex as her lover and forgives Bessie. The music is an example of the style of English light opera made famous in the 1870s and 1880s by Gilbert and Sullivan. It features a prominent chorus and a range of principal numbers including

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

patter song The patter song is characterised by a moderately fast to very fast tempo with a rapid succession of rhythmic patterns in which each syllable of text corresponds to one note. It is a staple of comic opera, especially Gilbert and Sullivan, but it ...

duet A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a harmony, as the performers take turns performing a solo ...

s and

quintet A quintet is a group containing five members. It is commonly associated with musical groups, such as a string quintet, or a group of five singers, but can be applied to any situation where five similar or related objects are considered a single ...

s. German had gained a lot of practical knowledge about style and orchestration from completing

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 ...

's score for ''

The Emerald Isle ''The Emerald Isle''; ''or, The Caves of Carrig-Cleena'', is a two-act comic opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and Edward German, and a libretto by Basil Hood. The plot concerns the efforts of an Irish patriot to resist the oppressive "re-edu ...

'', and he put this into practice in ''Merrie England'', which was his own first large-scale work for the stage. German's score, evoking the colourful Tudor period, combines pomp and ceremony with ballads and romantic arias. It includes the well known song for the Queen "O Peaceful England" and "The Yeomen of England", which became a favourite and was performed at

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

's Jubilee celebrations in 2002. The opera opened at the

in London on 2 April 1902, under the management of

William Greet William Greet (1851 – 25 April 1914) was a British theatre manager from the end of the 19th century and into the 20th century. Originally a business manager for other theatre licensees in the 1880s, he branched out as an independent manager ...

, and ran for 120 performances, closing on 30 July 1902. The piece then toured while the Kitty Loftus Company played at the Savoy. The production reopened at the Savoy on 24 November 1902 for 56 additional performances, ending on 17 January 1903. It starred Henry Lytton,

Louie Pounds Louisa Emma Amelia "Louie" Pounds (12 February 1872 – 6 September 1970) was an English singer and actress, known for her performances in musical comedies and in mezzo-soprano roles with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Originally intended for ...

Rosina Brandram Rosina Brandram (2 July 1845 – 28 February 1907) was an English opera singer and actress primarily known for creating many of the contralto roles in the Savoy operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Brandram joined the D'Oyly Carte compa ...

Robert Evett Robert Evett (16 October 1874 – 15 January 1949) was an English singer, actor, theatre manager and producer. He was best known as a leading man in Edwardian musical comedies and later managed the George Edwardes theatrical empire. In 1892, at ...

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 ...

, among other regulars of the Savoy.

Roles

Synopsis

Two versions of the plot exist: Hood's original from 1902 and a revised one by

Dennis Arundell Dennis Drew Arundell OBE (22 July 1898 in Finchley, London – 10 December 1988 in Camden, London

presented at

Sadler's Wells Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue in Clerkenwell, London, England located on Rosebery Avenue next to New River Head. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500-sea ...

in 1960. The opera is set in Windsor Town and makes frequent reference to mythology and folklore (

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...

, King Neptune,

St. George and the Dragon In a legend, Saint Georgea soldier venerated in Christianitydefeats a dragon. The story goes that the dragon originally extorted tribute from villagers. When they ran out of livestock and trinkets for the dragon, they started giving up a human tr ...

and

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

Act One

During the

May Day May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. T ...

festival, the May Queen is crowned with "roses white and roses red ... the flowers of Merrie England". Her two guards are introduced – Long Tom and Big Ben – who are brothers identical in all but one thing. The "little difference between them" is that Big Ben (like the other men in Windsor) loves the May Queen, while Long Tom loves Jill (known as Jill-All-Alone). Jill is accused of being a witch by the jealous May Queen and is shunned by the townsfolk. Bessie Throckmorton, one of Queen Elizabeth's ladies-in-waiting, and

are in love, but they must keep their love a secret as the Queen is also in love with Raleigh. Bessie tells of how she carelessly lost a love letter from Raleigh ("She lost the letter from her love"). She worries that the letter may have fallen into Queen Elizabeth's hands and thus reveal their secret love. The Earl of Essex (Raleigh's rival for the affection of the Queen) is handed the love letter (an

acrostic An acrostic is a poem or other word composition in which the ''first'' letter (or syllable, or word) of each new line (or paragraph, or other recurring feature in the text) spells out a word, message or the alphabet. The term comes from the Fre ...

on the name Bessie) by Jill-All-Alone and plans to use it to dispose of Raleigh. Walter Wilkins, a travelling actor, appears and argues that any play can be vastly improved by the addition of song ("if it's played on a big brass band") and claims that "that's where eand Shakespeare disagree." Queen Elizabeth enters with much ceremony. Long Tom pleads for the Queen's protection of Jill-All-Alone from the townsfolk's persecution. The Queen asks Jill whether she believes she is a witch. Jill replies with the paradox that if she were a witch, she would know more than the townfolk. Therefore, she cannot be a witch, as she would know (as the townsfolk seem to) that she is a witch if she were. She declares that love will pass the Queen by. This insult angers the Queen, who joins with the villagers in condemning Jill as a witch, locking her away in

Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history. The original cast ...

to be burned for witchcraft. Essex hands the Queen Raleigh's love letter, which she initially mistakes to be meant for her. Raleigh gallantly admits that the letter is in fact meant for Bessie Throckmorton. The Queen is so incensed that she banishes Raleigh from Court and imprisons Bessie in Windsor Castle.

Act Two

Jill has managed to escape with Bessie, using a secret passage out of the castle. The Queen asks an apothecary (her jester in disguise) to concoct a poison which she will administer to Bessie. Wilkins works at length on a stage version of the story of

, and the play is performed for the Queen and Essex. Unfortunately, they dislike the play. Eventually the Queen is persuaded to allow Raleigh and Bessie to love each other freely, choosing Essex instead for herself after seeing an apparition of

Herne the Hunter In English folklore, Herne the Hunter is a ghost associated with Windsor Forest and Great Park in the English county of Berkshire. He is said to have antlers growing from his head, ride a horse, torment cattle, and rattle chains. The earliest m ...

, who, according to legend, appears only when a sovereign contemplates a crime. The whole court takes part in a reenactment of

's wedding to

Maid Marian Maid Marian is the heroine of the Robin Hood legend in English folklore, often taken to be his lover. She is not mentioned in the early, medieval versions of the legend, but was the subject of at least two plays by 1600. Her history and circums ...

. Everyone takes roles closely related to their part in the opera; for example, Raleigh becomes Robin to Bessie's Marian.

Musical numbers

* Introduction (Includes "Hey, Jolly Robin", the Rustic Dance, and the Jig)

Act I

*1. "Sing A Down, A Down, A Down" (Chorus with May Queen and Butcher) *2. "We Are Two Proper Men" (Long Tom and Big Ben with Chorus) *3. "Oh! Where The Deer Do Lie" (Jill with Chorus) *4. "I Do Counsel That Your Playtime" (Wilkins with Chorus) *5. "That Every Jack Should Have A Jill" (Raleigh with Chorus) *6. "Love Is Meant To Make Us Glad" (May Queen, Kate, Raleigh, Wilkins, and Long Tom) *7. "She Had A Letter From Her Love" (Bessie) *8. "When True Love Hath Found A Man" (Raleigh and Bessie) *9. "When A Man Is A Lover" (Wilkins, Simkins, and Essex) *10. "Who Were The Yeomen of England, The Yeomen of England" (Essex with Chorus) *11. Entrance of Queen Elizabeth/"God Save Elizabeth" (Chorus) *12. "O Peaceful England" (Elizabeth with Chorus) *13. "King Neptune Sat on His Lonely Throne" (Wilkins with Chorus) *14. Finale (Ensemble)

Act II

*15. "The Month o' May Has Come Today" (Chorus with Jill) *16. "In England, Merrie England" (Bessie, Jill, Big Ben, Long Tom) *17. "The Sun in the Heaven Is High" (Simkins, the Tailor, and the Butcher with Chorus) *18. "The Big Brass Band" (Wilkins and Simkins with Chorus) *19. "It Is the Merry Month of May" (Jill and Raleigh) *20. "The Queen o' May Is Crowned Today" (Chorus) *20a. Rustic Dance *21. "Dan Cupid Hath a Garden" (Raleigh) *22. "Two Merry Men a-Drinking" (Ensemble) *22a. Exit of Chorus *23. "O Who Shall Say That Love Is Cruel?" (Bessie) *24. "When Cupid First This Old World Trod" (Essex with Bessie, Jill, and Raleigh) *25. "Perhaps You Don't Imagine" (Wilkins)* *26. Masque of St. George and the Dragon (Egyptian Dance) *27. "Oh! Here's a To-Do to Die To-day" (Chorus with Wilkins as King) *28. Finale (Ensemble) :*Omitted by German during the first run, but printed in the vocal score.

Revivals and recordings

The opera became popular in Britain and was often performed by amateur groups in the decades following its premiere. In

's coronation year (1953), over five hundred amateur societies staged the piece. One production that year was presented as a coronation pageant outdoors at

Luton Hoo Luton Hoo is an English country house and Estate (land), estate near Luton in Bedfordshire and Harpenden in Hertfordshire. Most of the estate lies within the civil parish of Hyde, Bedfordshire. The Old English language, Saxon word wikt:hoo#Etym ...

house, with nearly 1,000 performers. The cast included

Anne Ziegler Anne Ziegler (22 June 1910 – 13 October 2003) was an English singer, known for her light operatic duets with her husband Webster Booth. The pair were known as the "Sweethearts in Song" and were among the most famous and popular British music ...

as Bessie Throckmorton,

Webster Booth Webster Booth (21 January 1902 – 21 June 1984) was an English tenor, best remembered as the duettist partner of Anne Ziegler. He was also one of the finest tenors of his generation and was a distinguished oratorio soloist. He was a chorister ...

as Walter Raleigh, Nancy Evans as Queen Elizabeth and Graham Clifford as Walter Wilkins. ''Merrie England'' was recorded complete with its composer conducting, issued by

HMV Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...

in 1918 on ten double-faced 12-inch 78 rpm records (20 sides). A recording of selections from the piece was made in 1931 on the Columbia label, with

Clarence Raybould Robert Clarence Raybould (28 June 1886 – 27 March 1972) was an English conductor, pianist and composer who conducted works ranging from musical comedy and operetta, Gilbert and Sullivan to the standard classical repertoire. He also cham ...

conducting "Under the Supervision" of the composer. Since then a few more complete recordings have been made, including an HMV set in 1960, and individual songs from ''Merrie England'' have been recorded many times. The piece has fallen into relative obscurity in recent decades, although anniversaries such as that of the

Spanish Armada The Spanish Armada (a.k.a. the Enterprise of England, es, Grande y Felicísima Armada, links=no, lit=Great and Most Fortunate Navy) was a Spanish fleet that sailed from Lisbon in late May 1588, commanded by the Duke of Medina Sidonia, an aris ...

in 1988 and the Queen's silver (1977), golden (2002) and diamond (2012) jubilee years have seen many revivals. Opera South produced a revival in February 2012. Professional revivals in 2012, the year of the Queen's diamond jubilee, included a production by the

Finborough Theatre The Finborough Theatre is a fifty-seat theatre in the West Brompton area of London (part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea) under artistic director Neil McPherson. The theatre presents new British writing, as well as UK and world p ...

in London.Foster, Ian
"Merrie England – Finborough Theatre, London"
ThePublicReviews, 29 May 2012

References

External links

''Merrie England''
at The Edward German Discography

at the Gilbert and Sullivan Archive
Libretto

''Merrie England''
at the IMSLP

Raymond Walker, retrieved on 24 July 2006

* ttp://diamond.boisestate.edu/gas/savoy/merrie_england/me_prog1/index.html Programme from the original productionbr>Photos from a 1911 production
{{DEFAULTSORT:Merrie England (Opera) Operas by Edward German English-language operas English comic operas Operas 1902 operas Operas set in England Operas about Elizabeth I Cultural depictions of Walter Raleigh