''Robin Hood'' is a comic opera by

Reginald De Koven Henry Louis Reginald De Koven (April 3, 1859January 16, 1920) was an American music critic and prolific composer, particularly of comic operas. Biography De Koven was born in Middletown, Connecticut, and moved to Europe in 1870, where he receive ...

(music), Harry B. Smith (lyrics) and

Clement Scott Clement William Scott (6 October 1841 – 25 June 1904) was an influential English theatre critic for ''The Daily Telegraph'' and other journals, and a playwright, lyricist, translator and travel writer, in the final decades of the 19th century ...

(lyrics of "

Oh Promise Me Oh Promise Me is a song with music by Reginald De Koven and lyrics by Clement Scott. The song was written in 1887 and first published in 1889 by G. Schirmer, Inc. as an art song. De Koven may have based the melody partly on a song composed by St ...

"). The story is based on the

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 ...

legend, during the reign of

King Richard I Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199) was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Aquitaine and Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, and Count of Poitiers, Anjou, Maine, and Nantes, and was overl ...

(1189-1199 AD). The opera was composed in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

during the winter of 1888-1889. The opera was first performed at the Chicago Opera House on 9 June 1890. It was produced by the

Boston Ideal Opera Company The Boston Ideal Opera Company, later The Bostonians, was a comic opera acting company based in Boston from 1878 through 1905.Bordman, Gerald & Thomas S. HischakThe Oxford Companion to American Theatre p. 87 (3d ed 2004) History Effie Hinckley O ...

, also known as the Bostonians. The opera opened in New York at the

Standard Theatre Standard Theatre or Standard Theater may refer to: ;in Australia *Royal Standard Theatre, in Sydney, known as "Standard Theatre", since demolished ;in Canada; * Standard Theatre (Toronto, Ontario) ;in the United States *Standard Theatre, early n ...

on September 22, 1891 and was produced in London at the

Prince of Wales Theatre The Prince of Wales Theatre is a West End theatre in Coventry Street, near Leicester Square in London. It was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937, and extensively refurbished in 2004 by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, its current owner. The theatre ...

in 1891 with a new title, ''Maid Marian''. It was revived at the

Knickerbocker Theater Knickerbocker Theatre may refer to: * Knickerbocker Theatre (Broadway), demolished in 1930 * Knickerbocker Theatre (Washington, D.C.) The Knickerbocker Theatre was a movie theater located at 18th Street and Columbia Road in the Adams Morgan neig ...

on Broadway on April 30, 1900. Other Broadway revivals were in 1902 at the Academy of Music, in 1912 at

New Amsterdam Theatre The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theater on 214 West 42nd Street, at the southern end of Times Square, in the Theater District of Manhattan in New York City. One of the oldest surviving Broadway venues, the New Amsterdam was built from ...

with

Walter Hyde Walter Hyde (6 February 1875 – 11 November 1951) was a British tenor, actor and teacher of voice whose career spanned genres from musical theatre to grand opera. In 1901 he sang Borrachio in the premiere of Stanford's ''Much Ado About Noth ...

in the title role, in 1918 at the Park Theatre, in 1929 at the Casino Theatre and Jolson's 59th Street Theatre, in 1932 at Erlanger's Theatre, and in 1944 at the

Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...

. In 2004

Ohio Light Opera The Ohio Light Opera is a professional opera company based in Wooster, Ohio that performs the light opera repertory, including Gilbert and Sullivan, American, British and continental operettas, and other musical theatre works, especially of the late ...

produced the opera based on a new

critical edition Textual criticism is a branch of textual scholarship, philology, and of literary criticism that is concerned with the identification of textual variants, or different versions, of either manuscripts or of printed books. Such texts may range in da ...

of the opera that it commissioned from

Quade Winter Edward Quade Winter (April 8, 1951 – October 8, 2019) was an American composer, musical restorer and translator, specializing in the light operas of Victor Herbert. He began his career as a performer, singing opera for over two decades. Early ye ...

, based on the composer's original manuscripts in the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

. A complete CD recording was issued by

Albany Records Albany Records is a record label that concentrates on unconventional contemporary classical music by American composers and musicians. It was established by Peter Kermani in 1987 and is based in Albany, New York. See also * List of record la ...

Synopsis

All three acts consist of alternating

recitative Recitative (, also known by its Italian name "''recitativo''" ()) is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms and delivery of ordinary speech. Recitative does not repea ...

and melodic singing.

Act 1

In the market square in

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

, England, villagers are singing and dancing about the first day of May ("Mayday") and "Tis the Morning of the Fair". Friar Tuck, an overweight comic character, sings "As an Honest Auctioneer" about selling goods including a suit of clothes. The milkmaids sing the "Milkmaid's Song" about how wonderful their life is, followed by Allan-a-Dale who sings about real milkmaids being overworked. Robin Hood and his archers arrive and the chorus sings "Come the Bowmen in Lincoln Green" (the color of their costumes) about their ideal life in the woods and are welcomed to an archery contest. Allan-a-Dale gets into an argument (in song) with Robin about love and kissing. Friar Tuck joins the argument, and one of the milkmaids, Maid Marian, sings "I Came As a Cavalier". Robin Hood and Maid Marian sing a duet "Though It Was Within This Hour We Met". The Sheriff of Nottingham appears and announces his plan to arrange a marriage of his nephew Guy of Gisborne to the beautiful Maid Marian. The Sheriff sings a boastful song "I am the Sheriff of Nottingham" that labels him as the villain. Sir Guy and the Sheriff sing a duet about how Sir Guy should ask Marian to marry him. Maid Marian sings about another boyfriend named Colin while the Sheriff instructs Sir Guy to sing to Marian "Sweetheart, my own sweetheart. Lift up thy bonny eyes". Robin Hood and the bowmen return and sing about all the prizes they won in the archery contest. Because Robin is to receive his inheritance today, they go to the Sheriff's residence, knock on the door, and demand that the Sheriff declare Robin Hood's title of Earl, title to his land, and cash. The Sheriff comes to the door and refuses all demands. He declares "No Earl are you, you vain, presumptuous youth" and produces forged documents proving that Sir Guy is the Earl. Little John sings to Robin "Come to Sherwood, join our jolly crew." Robin and his friends exit singing "Away to the woods".

Act 2

In Sherwood Forest, Robin Hood and his friends have gathered. Songs include "O Cheerily Sounds the Hunter's Horn", "The Tailor and the Crow", "Brown October Ale", the "Tinker's Song", "O See the Lambkins Play" (a drinking song), and "Ho then for Jollity" (drinking song). Marian sings the "Forest Song" dreaming of Robin. Robin sings a serenade "A Troubadour Sang to His Love". Allan-a-Dale plans revenge for losing Marian to Robin. The Sheriff, who was pursuing Robin's followers as outlaws, is himself captured by them and they sing "Put him in the stocks. He is captive, our enemy, we win the game." Dame Durden sings to the Sheriff: "Faithless one, you're in a gruesome plight." But Sir Guy arrives with soldiers and overpowers Robin's men. Sir Guy and the Sheriff sing "We're brave as lions, for we're two to one." and "Sing hey for the gallows tree". Robin sings "You have no power to take my life. Marian must be my wife. It is the king's command." The Sheriff replies "The King's command is for the Earl of Huntington. The Earl of Huntington is Guy, and Guy will bridegroom be." All return to Nottingham.

Act 3

In the courtyard of the Sheriff's castle, Will Scarlet the blacksmith sings the "Armourer's Song". Annabel sings about the coming wedding of Marian to Guy, and Allan-a-Dale sings the "Legend of the Chimes" in expectation of Robin's funeral. Robin and Marian sing a sad song pledging their love for each other. The Sheriff and Friar Tuck sing a duet about the "pains and pangs" of life. Robin and his men are in the courtyard of the castle where Robin finds King Richard the First who arrived home from the Crusades. Robin receives a pardon from King Richard and the return of his land. The Sheriff and Sir Guy sing about "A pardon from the King... Yes you are free". :''Notes'': "

" was not part of the original opera, but was written in 1887 by De Koven to lyrics written by English poet Clement Scott and published as a separate

art song An art song is a Western vocal music composition, usually written for one voice with piano accompaniment, and usually in the classical art music tradition. By extension, the term "art song" is used to refer to the collective genre of such songs ...

in 1889. The piece is used in Act 3, sung at the wedding of Robin Hood and Maid Marian, but in the 1891 version it was sung in Act 2 between "Brown October Ale" and the "Tinkers' Song".''Three Centuries of American Music'' vol. 5, page 327 footnote: "sung between Nos. 10 and 11 of this score"

Characters

* Robert of Huntington (Robin Hood) (tenor) * The Sheriff of Nottingham (baritone) * Sir Guy of Gisborne, a ward of the sheriff (tenor) * Little John, outlaw (baritone) * Will Scarlet, outlaw, blacksmith and armorer (bass) * Friar Tuck, outlaw clergyman (bass) * Allan-A-Dale, outlaw (contralto) * Lady Marian Fitzwalter (Maid Marian) (soprano) * Dame Durden, a widow (mezzo-soprano) * Annabel, Durden's daughter (soprano) * the chorus

Notes

References

* ''Three Centuries of American Music'', Martha Furman Schleifer (editor), G.K. Hall & Co. 1990, Vol, 5, pages xxvii, 106-330. * ''Music and Romance'', Hazel Gertrude Kinscella, pages 385-386

External links

''Robin Hood'' Broadway productions
at the IBDB database
Piano-vocal score
at Archive.org

{{Authority control English-language operettas Robin Hood music Operas set in England 1890 operas Operas