No 8 — November 1977 Edited by Michael Walters
CORRESPONDENCE
Sutton Coldfield, 31.7.1977 Dear Michael, The reviews of the amateur productions by yourself and others are, I think, much more constructive and interesting than the newspaper critics ever seem to bother to attempt. I noticed in your Australian friend's letter (issue no. 7), a further reference to the question of whether Eric Campbell and Leicester Tunks were one and the same person. I should think this is most unlikely, as while Leicester Tunks was with the D.C.O.C. until Dec. 1916 (I do not know if he went directly to the USA with the war at its height) Eric Campbell had appeared in a number of Chaplin two–reelers released during 1916...." Yours sincerely, Cyril Rollins.
Littlehampton, Sussex 7 Aug 1977. Dear Michael, ....On the subject of Gräfin Dubarry and Die Dubarry, let me emphasise the point that Gervase Hughes makes. The two are quite different, and the style of Die Dubarry is nothing like that of Millöcker, in construction or orchestration. Taking 'Ich schenk mein Herz' as an obvious example, it will be appreciated that a song with a verse leading up to a syrupy refrain is a 20th century notion of an operetta song. The original song 'Charmant! Charmant!' which (unlike some of the music in Die Dubarry) does come from Gräfin Dubarry – has its emphasis on the first part of the verse with the second part little more than a throwaway tag. Yours, Andrew Lamb
Brunswick, Victoria, AUSTRALIA. 20 June 1977. Dear Michael, .... I was especially interested, among all the Utopia comments and other general stuff, to see a tiny reference to a letter from one Ian Ellis regarding Sousa & Pinafore. In his useful book "Composers of Operetta" Gervase Hughes mentions a production of The Contrabandista in America in 1879 – a fact which I never knew of before, thinking it had never got outside London – and speaks of a "new and up–to– the–minute Americanised libretto," and its appreciative audiences in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachussetts & New Hampshire. Later in his book, the author mentions that Sousa was assigned to the New England production of The Contrabandista, and adds in a footnote: "This was not Sousa's only connection with a Sullivan operetta, for he married, very happily, a charming young lady whom he had first met when she was understudying the soubrette part in one of the many pirated versions of H.M.S. Pinafore. I guess that a musician of the integrity of Sousa would have eventually used Sullivan's own orchestrations when they became available. I think I told you in one of my earlier letters about a production of Pinafore here where the conductor and producer, tired of the impossibly bluepencilled score and parts they had from (I suppose) D'Oyly Carte, managed to get a set from America, each page beautifully copied, and each part signed "John Philip Sousa"! Still on the subject of Pinafore, I see that a full score of it is being offered for sale by Kalmus, the American publisher. Can't vouch for its being Sullivan's own creation especially this particular opera, and issued by an American firm, where goodness knows how much of the 1878–79 Piracy wormed its way into the music and may even be there to some degree. Kalmus is a "pirate firm" anyway – to use a friend of mine's expression – issuing facsimile reprints of early editions of rare old operas with mistakes uncorrected, etc., I recently bought a vocal/piano score of Rossini's Otello, which I have been chasing for years and it had more errors per page than Caryl Brahms' disastrous G & S opus. Have you ever noticed, by the way, that the picture of Gilbert's lake at Grims Dyke is printed upside down on page 254 of Brahms' book? Probably the reflection confused the publisher, but I prefer to think of the upside–downness as a typical topsy–turvy ending to Gilbert, being drowned in an upside–down lake! Perhaps it's a sign of mourning for Gilbert's demise – or for the inadequacy of Caryl Brahms' biography ! ! Ever yours, David Thomas.
[David also sent an obituary notice for somebody called Ralph Rackstraw, from an Australian newspaper.]
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