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''Thomas and Sally'' (also known as ''The Sailor's Return'') is a dramatic pastoral opera in two acts by the composer
Thomas Arne Thomas Augustine Arne (; 12 March 17105 March 1778) was an English composer. He is best known for his patriotic song "Rule, Britannia!" and the song " A-Hunting We Will Go", the latter composed for a 1777 production of ''The Beggar's Opera'', whi ...
with an English
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. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major litu ...
by
Isaac Bickerstaffe Isaac Bickerstaffe or Bickerstaff (26 September 1733 – after 1808) was an Irish playwright and Librettist. Early life Isaac John Bickerstaff was born in Dublin, on 26 September 1733, where his father John Bickerstaff held a government posi ...
. The opera was meant to be performed as an "after piece", which is a short musical work to be performed after a spoken play.


Performance history

The opera was initially scheduled to premiere in October 1760 but was postponed due to the death of King George II. The opera eventually premiered on 28 November 1760 at the
Theatre Royal, Covent Garden The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...
and enjoyed a successful run. ''Thomas and Sally'' is one of only a few works by Arne that was not destroyed in the disastrous fire at Covent Garden in 1808 and has occasionally been revived during the past century.''Thomas and Sally'' (1782) – Thomas Augustine Arne
University of North Texas Libraries
The opera made its
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
debut at the Little Theatre on 4 January 1938 by the Intimate Opera Company with Geoffrey Dunn as Thomas, Winifred Radford as Sally, and Frederick Woodhouse as the Squire. ''Thomas and Sally'' also has the distinction of being one of the first operas recreated for television. The
BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
made a television production of the opera in 1937 with Joan Collier as Sally,
Vivienne Chatterton Vivienne Chatterton (8 June 1896 - 1 January 1974) was a British singer and noted radio actress of the 20th-century. Biography Vivienne Chatterton was born in Paddington, London. Her father was English, her mother French. She was educated at the ...
as Dorcas, Henry Wendon as Thomas, and Dennis Noble as the Squire.


Musical analysis

''Thomas and Sally'' is about fifty minutes in length and is notable in that it is the first English comic opera to be sung throughout. The
orchestration Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", or ...
is also unusual for a lighter opera of this period, as Arne included clarinets in the score which were usually only used in tragic pieces. The nautical themes in the libretto led Arne to compose a sturdy score that includes a boisterous hunting song for the Squire. Sally's songs are written in an
opera buffa ''Opera buffa'' (; "comic opera", plural: ''opere buffe'') is a genre of opera. It was first used as an informal description of Italian comic operas variously classified by their authors as ''commedia in musica'', ''commedia per musica'', ''dramm ...
style.


Roles


Synopsis

;Act 1: Sally is distraught over the impending loss of Thomas who is about to embark on a sea voyage which will separate them for a long time. The lovers tearfully say goodbye to one another. Meanwhile, the squire is infatuated with Sally but has not pursued her because of Thomas. Now that Thomas is gone, the squire decides to try to woo Sally under the encouragement of Dorcas. Sally spurns the squire. Seeing that he has failed, Dorcas tries to help him out by advising Sally to celebrate her youth. Sally, however, remains firm in her devotion to Thomas. ;Act 2: The squire and Dorcas continue to plot together in the attempt to woo Sally. Just as it seems like Sally may give in, Thomas returns to rescue Sally and the two declare that they will marry.


References


External links

* * {{authority control 1760 operas Operas Operas by Thomas Arne Plays by Isaac Bickerstaffe Pastoral operas English-language operas Opera world premieres at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden English comic operas