''The Gypsy Prince'' is a

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 ...

with a libretto by

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 ...

and the music written in collaboration between Moore and Michael Kelly.

Background

It was premiered on 24 July 1801 in London at the Theatre Royal,

Haymarket Haymarket may refer to: Places Australia * Haymarket, New South Wales, area of Sydney, Australia Germany * Heumarkt (KVB), transport interchange in Cologne on the site of the Heumarkt (literally: hay market) Russia * Sennaya Square (''Hay Squ ...

, under the directorship of George Colman and with Kelly in the title role. The two men were initially happy to collaborate with each other, but Moore objected to Kelly's making corrections to his work – something that

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

had allowed when Kelly had earlier worked with him. The story is set in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

where a young child is taken by gypsies and grows to become a gypsy leader. After rescuing a man from the Inquisition he is arrested and faces execution only to discover the man trying his case is his long-lost father. The work was not a great success, although the music was more popular. The piece was performed on ten occasions until the end of August 1801 and then withdrawn. After his disappointment with this work Moore chose not to write again for the stage for a decade until the writing of ''

M.P. A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

'' in 1811.Kelly (2008), p. 85. Michael Kelly published the (vocal) score in his own publishing company in the same year.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gypsy Prince, The 1801 operas English-language operas Operas Operas by Thomas Moore