''The Mountaineers'' is an English "romantic

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 three acts with a libretto by Guy Eden and

Reginald Somerville Reginald Somerville (1867 – 8 July 1948) was an English composer and actor. He is known for writing many drawing-room ballads such as "God Sends the Night", "Yestereve", "Zaida: A Song of the Desert" and "The Lark and the Nightingale", a ...

(1867–1948), lyrics by Eden and music by Somerville. The story concerns Clarice, who challenges her two suitors to retrieve an edelweiss for her from the highest peak. The opera opened 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 29 September 1909, under the management of

C. H. Workman Charles Herbert Workman (5 May 1872 – 1 May 1923) was a singer and actor best known as a successor to George Grossmith in the comic baritone roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operas. He was variously credited as Charles H. Workman, C. Herbert Wo ...

, and ran for a total of 61 performances, after some additions were made by

Arthur Wimperis Arthur is a common male given name of Brythonic origin. Its popularity derives from it being the name of the legendary hero King Arthur. The etymology is disputed. It may derive from the Celtic ''Artos'' meaning “Bear”. Another theory, more ...

. It starred Workman,

Elsie Spain Elsie Spain (1879 – 28 May 1970), born Elsie Rickets, was an English opera singer and actress, best known for her performances in soprano roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company from 1908 to 1910 and in operettas and Edw ...

, Claude Flemming, Jessie Rose and A. Laurence Legge. There was a provincial tour with many of the same cast, under the management of Harry P. Towers in the autumn of 1910.''

Penny Illustrated Paper The ''Penny Illustrated Paper'' was a cheap ( 1d.) illustrated London weekly newspaper that ran from 1861 to 1913. Premises Illustrated weekly newspapers had been pioneered by the ''Illustrated London News'' (published from 1842, costing fivepe ...

'', 23 April 1910, p. 530; Issue 2552 The second version of the opera was broadcast by the BBC on 24 March and 26 June 1924.

Background and productions

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 ...

died in 1901 leaving the management of 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 ...

and the

in the hands of his widow,

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, ...

. After a successful repertory season at the Savoy ending in March 1909, the now-frail Helen leased the theatre to actor Charles H. Workman, who had been a long-time principal performer with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Encouraged by the success of the Gilbert and Sullivan seasons, Workman decided to produce his own season of light opera.A. K. "A New Opera at the Savoy", ''

The Manchester Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 30 September 1909, p. 14 He continued the run of ''

The Yeomen of the Guard ''The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid'', is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888 and ran for 423 performances. This was the eleventh ...

'' until the end of March and then closed the theatre until he had a new work ready. Somerville is credited with the conception of ''The Mountaineers''. He was travelling in a train through the

Rhine Valley ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , source ...

when the idea came to him: "I had been glancing idly at a guide book, but the opening lines of a quaint legendary tale relating to some little village in the mountains suddenly held my interest, and when I had read it through I realised that here was the ideal story for an opera. Only the climax would have to be altered, for the story ended on a tragic note." Somerville showed ''The Mountaineers'' to Workman, who was at once interested. He assembled several financial backers and formed the Comic Opera Syndicate. The press referred to the work as a

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 ...

''The Mountaineers'' opened on 29 September 1909 at the

, to a very enthusiastic audience. Critical response was mixed, however, with most critics finding the piece light, pleasant and entertaining, in an old-fashioned way."The Mountaineers"
in ''

The Musical Times ''The Musical Times'' is an academic journal of classical music edited and produced in the United Kingdom and currently the oldest such journal still being published in the country. It was originally created by Joseph Mainzer in 1842 as ''Mainze ...

'', Novello, 1909, p. 724 ''

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 ...

'' declared that "it forms one of those instances of respectable mediocrity which are more difficult to describe than many far less meritorious works. This does not mean that it is dull, or 'not worth going to see.' On the contrary, it provides a very pleasant, pretty, amusing entertainment. ... A good story, well told; but told without wit, without distinction." ''

'' found both the story and music "simple and charming" but felt that the subject was not "strong enough to occupy a whole evening" and did not think that Workman's part in the piece was convincing. ''

'' called Somerville's music "graceful, melodious and, like the libretto, always refined"; it praised the comedy of Workman and the singing of Spain, Flemming, Legge and Rose. The authors quickly reacted to the critique, hiring

, the lyricist of '' The Arcadians'', to brighten up the piece. Five new songs were added, as well as a duelling scene between Pierre and Gustave in the second act, and additional comic dialogue. The show contained songs that satirised the

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...

David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for leading the United Kingdom during t ...

, which did not deter Lloyd George from attending a performance in November 1909. On the evening of the performance, the theatre was picketed by

suffragettes A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in particular to members ...

demonstrating against the government in general and Lloyd George in particular. The performance was interrupted by demonstrations in the theatre by suffragettes in the audience who had been organised by the

Women's Social and Political Union The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) was a women-only political movement and leading militant organisation campaigning for women's suffrage in the United Kingdom from 1903 to 1918. Known from 1906 as the suffragettes, its membership and ...

; the demonstrators were expelled forcibly. When one woman claimed property that had been left behind during the expulsion, Workman complained to

Christabel Pankhurst Dame Christabel Harriette Pankhurst, (; 22 September 1880 – 13 February 1958) was a British suffragette born in Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bord ...

, the leader of the Women's Social and Political Union, about the damage her members had caused. ''The Mountaineers'' closed on 27 November after 61 performances, making way for ''

Fallen Fairies ''Fallen Fairies''; ''or, The Wicked World'', is a two-act comic opera, with a libretto by W. S. Gilbert and music by Edward German. The story is an operatic adaptation of Gilbert's 1873 blank-verse fairy comedy, '' The Wicked World''. In Fairy ...

'', which needed to be rehearsed on the stage of the Savoy for an opening before Christmas. ''

'', by

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 ...

and

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 ...

was unsuccessful despite the cachet of

as librettist. After this disappointment, Workman decided to follow the prevailing tastes of the London public by presenting an

Edwardian musical comedy Edwardian musical comedy was a form of British musical theatre that extended beyond the reign of King Edward VII in both directions, beginning in the early 1890s, when the Gilbert and Sullivan operas' dominance had ended, until the rise of the A ...

for his third production, ''

Two Merry Monarchs ''Two Merry Monarchs'' is an Edwardian musical comedy in two acts with a book by Arthur Anderson and George Levy, lyrics by Anderson and Hartley Carrick, and music by Orlando Morgan. It opened at the Savoy Theatre in London on 10 March 1910, und ...

'', but this also failed to catch on. ''The Mountaineers'' toured in the British provinces with many of the same cast, under management of Harry P. Towers (with

Marie Dainton Marie Dainton (8 June c. 1881 – 1 February 1938) was an actress of the Victorian and Edwardian eras who appeared regularly in both music halls and in dramatic theatre. Early career Dainton was born in Russia, apparently in 1881, but other so ...

as Clarice), in the autumn of 1910. A production of a Spanish translation of the opera was presented in Barcelona in early 1910."Dramatis Personae", ''The Observer'', 16 January 1910, p. 5 The second version of the opera was broadcast by the BBC on 24 March and 26 June 1924, produced and conducted by L. Stanton Jefferies."Wireless Programme – Monday, March 24th: London"
''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...

'', 21 March 1924, p. 491 an
"Wireless Programme – Thursday (June 26th): Bournemouth"
''Radio Times'', 20 June 1924, p. 536

Synopsis

Act I – An Alpine frontier village It is Market Day, and the villagers go about their daily business. Today is the twentieth birthday of Clarice, the daughter of the comical Pierre, who is head of the

Douane ''Douane'' or ''Douanes ''may refer to: *Customs, an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods into and out of a country *Custom house, traditionally a building housing the offices f ...

. Clarice is courted by two men: Conrad, a rich man from the city, and Fritz, a rugged mountaineer. The

diligence Diligence—carefulness and persistent effort or work—is one of the seven heavenly virtues. It is indicative of a work ethic, the belief that work is good in itself. In students Bernard et al. suggest that diligence in students is define ...

arrives with the passengers, and Pierre informs his guests that his men must search their luggage for contraband. He meets Miss Spinifiex, a travelling English spinster, and discovers that she is quite wealthy. He invites her to make a stay with him in the hopes that he might acquire her diamonds. Clarice is unable to decide which of her suitors she prefers, so she reminds them of a local legend. The village coquette Annette says: "no right-minded girl in our village will listen to a man's suit until he has shewn his pluck by bringing her a sprig of

Edelweiss EDELWEISS (Expérience pour DEtecter Les WIMPs En Site Souterrain) is a dark matter search experiment located at the Modane Underground Laboratory in France. The experiment uses cryogenic detectors, measuring both the phonon and ionization signals ...

from the highest peak yonder." Conrad and Fritz agree to go at once and seek out the flower, but Pierre begs them not to go, for a snowstorm is coming. Act II – The interior of Pierre's chalet It is evening, and Pierre's guests dance a

mazurka The mazurka (Polish: ''mazur'' Polish ball dance, one of the five Polish national dances and ''mazurek'' Polish folk dance') is a Polish musical form based on stylised folk dances in triple meter, usually at a lively tempo, with character de ...

. Pierre introduces Miss Spinifex to them, but when she meets Gustave, one of his subordinates, he becomes quite jealous. Annette has a slight romantic interest in Gustave, and she is equally jealous, so to exact revenge, Annette and Pierre agree to flirt with one another. Fritz has disguised himself as an

organ grinder A street organ (french: orgue de rue or ''orgue de barbarie''; german: Straßenorgel) played by an organ grinder is a French-German automatic mechanical pneumatic organ designed to be mobile enough to play its music in the street. The two most com ...

, seeking shelter from the blizzard, and when he meets Clarice, he offers to read her fortune. Her fortune is that she loves two men, but prefers the mountaineer. She declines to confirm his reading. Pierre catches Fritz and orders him to go to the mountain at once, find Conrad and bring him back alive for Clarice's sake. A new guest, Sergeant Frederico, arrives at the chalet. There is a rumour of immediate war with a neighbouring power, and he is hastening to the front. The reserves will shortly be called up. Pierre and Annette's plan has worked perfectly, and their respective love interests return to them. Clarice admits that she loves Fritz and wishes he would return. She falls asleep before the fireplace and has a vision of a spot high in the mountains with a shrine, before which a red light burns. Conrad lies insensible in the snow. He is discovered by Fritz, who reluctantly rescues Conrad. The dream ended, Clarice wakes to hear that Conrad is safe and sound, tucked up in bed. Fritz has brought him back alive, and Clarice begs Fritz's forgiveness. Act III – The village Several weeks later, it is the wedding day of Clarice and Fritz. Annette and Gustave agree to get married before he grows to love her again. She has received a letter from Sergeant Frederico, who will come today to announce the names of those called to the front. Pierre gives a paper edelweiss to Miss Spinifex, inventing a grand story of how he retrieved the flower for her. She agrees to marry him at once. The Sergeant and the soldiers appear, and they are met by Conrad. It is revealed that only one man in the village has been summoned for active duty: Fritz. Conrad tries to bribe the Sergeant into forgetting Fritz. The wedding party appears, returning from the wedding, and the Sergeant delivers the unhappy news. Fritz bids farewell to Clarice and his friends, but Conrad steps forward and offers to be Fritz' substitute in the marching line. Clarice shows her gratitude and a gun is handed to Conrad as he prepares to march away to war.

Roles and original cast

*Pierre, ''a Custom House official'' (

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 ...

) –

*Fritz, ''a mountaineer'' (

) – Claude Flemming *Conrad, ''a rich man from the city'' (

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 ...

) – A. Laurence Legge *Gustave, ''a Custom House official'' – Reginald Lawrence *Louis, ''a Custom House employee'' – A. Welton Fordham *Francois, ''a Custom House employee'' (baritone) – Sydney Ashcroft *Sgt. Frederico ( bass) – Frank Perfitt *A Priest – A. Everett *A Citizen – D. Fergusson *Clarice, ''daughter of Pierre'' (

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 ...

) –

*Annette, ''the village coquette'' (

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 ...

) – Jessie Rose *Miss Spinifex, ''a travelling English spinster'' (

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 ...

) – Kate Forster *Village girls: Yvonne, Armandine, Celestine, Noelie and Yvette - Ruby Gray, Mabel Burnege, Gladys Lancaster, Hilda Vining and Josset Legh *Prudence, ''maid to Miss Spinifex'' – Marjorie Dawes *Bridesmaids – Fay Temple, Giovanna Botto *Chorus of villagers, passengers, soldiers and Custom House men

Musical numbers

*Introduction Act I *No. 1. "Hither again on our market day" (Yvonne, Villagers and Custom House Men) *No. 2. "Many happy returns of the day" (Chorus and Clarice) *No. 3. "Was it the sigh of a passing soul?" (Conrad) *No. 4. "Like the summer lightning flashing o'er the plain" (Clarice and Conrad) *No. 5. "Travelling" (Pierre and Custom House Men) *No. 6. "Once again the merry jingle" (Market People, Villagers and Custom House Men) *No. 7. "If you'll tarry in this valley" (Pierre and Miss Spinifex) *No. 8. "Doubting" (Fritz) *No. 9. "It is really most disarming" (Pierre, Clarice, Fritz and Conrad) *No. 10. "The Legend of the Edelweiss" (Clarice) *No. 11. Act 1 Finale: "Fair maiden, at your word" (Ensemble) Act II *Entr'acte *No. 12. Mazurka "Trip we now our dainty measure" (Chorus) *No. 13. "For fury and strife" (Pierre and Annette) *No. 14. "Just let me hold your little hand" (Fritz and Clarice) *No. 15. "An old man sat in the twilight gloom" (Pierre) *No. 16. "What man is this... A well-filled pipe" (Sergeant Frederico and Chorus) *No. 17. "I should like here to state" (Annette) *No. 18. "The hour is fleeting and we must away" (Pierre, Miss Spinifex and Chorus) *No. 19. "Bright were the fairy dreams" (Clarice) *No. 19a. Pantomime Dream Music *No. 20. Act 2 Finale: :"What a hurry, what a flurry" (Chorus, Clarice, Pierre and Fritz) :"Forgiveness grant and pity show" (Clarice and Fritz) :"Hero, we name you man of pluck and daring!" (Chorus) Act III *No. 21. "Happy the couple on whom the sun pours his rays" (Francois, Villagers and Custom House Men) *No. 22. "Although my hair is grey" (Pierre and Chorus) *No. 23. "The ship and the wind" (Annette) *No. 24. "This morning I woke with the dawn" (Pierre and Miss Spinifex) *No. 25. "Is the love dead?" (Conrad) *No. 26. "With beating heart and downcast eyes" (Chorus and Bridesmaids) *No. 27. "We're the humbler sort of men" (Sergeant Frederico and Soldiers) *No. 28. "Now the deed is done" (Chorus) *No. 29. "Now I must leave thee, beloved" (Fritz, Clarice, Annette, Miss Spinifex, Pierre and Chorus) *No. 30. Act 3 Finale: "To arms, to arms! My comrades" (Ensemble) Songs added during the original run: *"When I manage the Exchequer" (Pierre and Chorus) *"On the shelf" (Annette) *"I'm so glad that you decide" (Annette, Miss Spinifex, Gustave, Pierre, Sergeant) *"The breezes sing low 'mid the roses" (Clarice and Chorus) *"All hail the bride!" (Bridal Chorus)

Notes

References

* * * Gänzl, Kurt. ''The British Musical Theatre'' (2 vols.; Macmillan Press, 1986) * *Shepherd, Marc. "Introduction: Historical Context", ''The Grand Duke'' (piano score), New York: Oakapple Press, 2009. Linked a
"The Grand Duke"
''The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive''

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mountaineers, The English-language operas English comic operas Operas 1909 operas Operas by Reginald Somerville