''The Castle of Andalusia'' is a 1782
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 ...
by
Samuel Arnold Samuel Arnold may refer to:
*Samuel Arnold (composer) (1740–1802), English composer and organist
* Samuel Arnold (Connecticut politician) (1806–1869), U.S. Representative from Connecticut
* Samuel Arnold (conspirator) (1834–1906), co-conspira ...
and a libretto by
John O'Keeffe. It was a heavily rewritten version of the 1781 work ''The Banditti'', which had been a failure.
After its first performance on 2 November 1782, the original run saw the work performed thirty-nine times, and it was revived on several occasions until 1817. It became a popular play for amateur dramatics and was performed by the Kilkenny players, including many of the elite, with the writer
Thomas Moore
Thomas Moore (28 May 1779 – 25 February 1852) was an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist celebrated for his ''Irish Melodies''. Their setting of English-language verse to old Irish tunes marked the transition in popular Irish culture from Irish ...
appearing several times in the role of Spado.
[Kelly (2009), p. 173.]
References
Bibliography
* Fenner, Theodore: ''Opera in London: Views of the Press, 1785-1830'' (Carbondale, Illinois: Southern Illinois University Press, 1994)
* Kelly, Ronan: ''Bard of Erin: The Life of Thomas Moore'' (London: Penguin Books, 2009)
* White, Eric Walter: ''A Register of First Performances of English Operas'' (London: Society for Theatre Research, 1983)
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Castle of Andalusia, The
1782 operas
English comic operas
Operas set in the British Isles
Plays by John O'Keeffe