King of Cadonia is an English musical play in two acts with a book by Frederick Lonsdale, lyrics by Adrian Ross and Arthur Wimperis and music by Sidney Jones and Frederick Rosse. It opened at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London on 3 September 1908, produced by Frank Curzon, and ran for 333 performances.

Dramatis Personæ

MIDI Files

ACT I -   The Gardens of the Duke of Alasia.

• No. 1 - Opening Chorus - "It's the birthday of Princess Marie, only child of the Duke of Alasia..."
• No. 2 - Song - Laski & Chorus - "A King's a man who has to do whatever his Ministers tell him to..."
• No. 3 - Song - Militza - "The man I really ought to have lov'd is a high-bred hall-marked hero..."
• No. 4 - Barcarolle - Chorus & Marie - "See the sunbeams over the river quiver, weaving a way of gold! ..."
• No. 5 - Song - Marie & Girls - "Oh, the man that I wed must be nice and well-bred, thirty, say, or a day or two older..."
• No. 6 - Quartette - Marie, Duchess, Duke, & Panix - "If I have to be the queen of a king I've never seen..."
• No. 7 - Chorus of Girls, Gardeners, & Guards - "Hark to the blast of the trumpet, hark to the beat of the drum..."
• No. 8 - Song - Alexis - "A king am I in royal state, I do just what I'm told to..."
• No. 9 - Solo - Laski & Chorus of Guards - "Barber, you are shaving now our gracious king..."
• No. 10 - Chorus, Scene and Duet - Laski & General - "It is the time for the King to behold the fair Princess..."
• No. 11 - Duet - Marie & Alexis - "When I build my splendid castle in the air..."
• No. 12 - Song - Duke & Guards - "In these days of deadly danger any monarch has to fear..."
• No. 13 - Concerted Number - Marie, Alexis & Girls - "I have met a man... You have met a man..."
• No. 14 - Finale Act I - "Slave! Knave! Do you dare to brave our power thus, and not to cower? ..."

ACT II -   The Palace of the King of Cadonia.

• No. 15 - Opening Chorus - "We are here, we believe, as the Court to receive His Maj-- no, we'll call him High Highness..."
• No. 16 - Song - Militza & Chorus - "I'm full of a passion for setting the fashion in dinner and dance and dress..."
• No. 17 - Song - Marie - "Like a shallop in an eddy, like a leaf the breezes whirl is the shaken heart unsteady of a girl..."
• No. 18 - Song - Alexis & Chorus - "You may talk of laws and the public cause, and the party cry and call..."
• No. 19 - Song - Militza - "Lots of mistresses I've had, some were good and some were bad..."
• No. 20 - Song - Duke & Chorus - "There are people who think they would like to be King! ..."
• No. 21 - Duet - Marie & Alexis - "Lay down, lay down your golden crown, the girdle of jewels that bound you..."
• No. 22 - Duet - Stephanie & Laski, with Chorus - "If we marry ever as I trust ... You're so very clever that we must..."
• No. 23 - Duet - Militza & Duke - "We've got to adopt a disguise, to effect our escape from the town..."
• No. 24 - Finale

Supplementary Number.

• No. 25 - Duet - Marie & Alexis - "Twixt me and you no throne shall intervene, I'll win and woo the woman, not the Queen..."

Nos. 16, 20 & 23 were composed by Frederick Rosse.

Isabel Jay as Princess Marie	Isabel Jay as Princess Marie	Bertram Wallis as Alexis and Isabel Jay as Princess Marie

External Link

Vocal Score at ISMLP.

King of Cadonia at Wikipedia

King of Cadonia at "The Guide to Light Opera and Operetta"

Page modified 12 October 2016