Spontaneous PINAFORE |
At 2:00 on Sunday, January 18, NEGASS and ECTG (The Emmanuel College Theatre Guild) will co-host a Spontaneous production of PINAFORE. The ECTG Spontaneous productions are similar to our LMLO (Last-Minute Light Opera) meetings: there are no rehearsals - just a lot of spontaneous fun! The major difference is that e-mail has already gone out to Emmanuel College students and others, announcing the meeting -- so many of the plum roles may have been snapped up by bright, energetic Young Persons who will be lots of fun to watch and hear as they discover the joys already so dear to Us all.
Whether you want to seize a first-rate opportunity for a lead role, sing with the chorus, offer your services as pianist, or just listen, send e-mail to <Aestival@aol.com>, or leave a voice-mail message at (617) 732-1659, before the end of December. In your audition message, give some idea of your voice type and the sort of things you've done in the past -- although We gather that the casting (to be handled by Rebecca Consentino of ECTG) will not take much beyond Celerity into account.
In case you don't remember the roles:
Past Spontaneous productions have boasted an ad hoc orchestra; We aren't planning for one this time, but instrumentalists with their own music are welcome to come and play along (and practice up for the Sudbury production in March!)
HOW TO GET THERE: EMMANUEL COLLEGE (400 THE FENWAY): The following is excerpted from a Web page called "How to get to Emmanuel College," at <http://www.emmanuel.edu/directions.html>:
From Route 93 and other points north: Take Route 93 South or Route 95 South towards Boston. After the merge of Routes 93 and 95 in Boston, take a right onto the down ramp to Storrow Drive West and proceed through tunnel. Stay in the middle lane (follow "CARS ONLY" signs). Get in the left lane after the Copley Square exit. Take Kenmore Square, Fenway 1S exit (on left). At fork in exit, bear left and follow Fenway 1S. Stay in right lane on exit ramp; bear right towards Boylston Street, Outbound, Riverway 1. At first traffic light, take left onto Park Drive. Follow Park Drive, staying in left lane, until lights at Exxon Station. Proceed through lights; at next set of lights bear sharp left onto the Fenway. Stay in second lane from right. Proceed through intersection at Brookline Avenue and turn right into Emmanuel College.
From Massachusetts Turnpike: Take Exit 18, Allston, Cambridge (left exit). Stay in right lane after toll. Bear right towards Guest Quarters Suite Hotel, getting in far right lane. At traffic light, take right toward Downtown Boston, Storrow Drive. Follow Storrow Drive to Fenway 1S exit. Stay in right lane on exit ramp; bear right towards Boylston Street, Outbound, Riverway 1. Continue as above
From Harvard Square, Cambridge, Route 2, Memorial Drive: Follow Route 2 East/Memorial Drive until you pass the Polaroid Corporation. Immediately afterwards, take the 2 East, Brookline/Kenmore Square exit. Off the exit, bear right at the traffic light, and go over the Boston University Bridge. At traffic lights, cross trolley tracks and bear left onto 2-20 East, Kenmore Square. Follow the sign for 2 East and go through two sets of lights. Bear right onto Mountfort Street, which becomes Park Drive. Follow Park Drive (1 North, Storrow Drive) as it becomes Fenway. Proceed through lights at intersection with Brookline Avenue and turn right into Emmanuel College.
Via MBTA Rapid Transit: Option 1: Take the MBTA's Green Line -- "Riverside" Branch/D Train -- to Fenway stop. The campus is a short walk across Park Drive.
Option 2: Take the MBTA's Green Line -- Huntington Branch/E Train -- to Museum stop. The campus is a short walk up The Fenway, just beyond the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and Simmons College.
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NOVEMBER 21 MEETING: "Definitive" TRIAL at Holy Cross: The world premiere of Broude Brothers Limited's new Critical Edition piano-vocal score of TRIAL was performed by the Holy Cross Chamber Singers November 21, at the College of That Name in Worcester. Well-balanced, well-voiced and very well drilled and conducted by Bruce Miller, the two-dozen-odd gave a competent vocal rendition of TRIAL as the second half of an evening choral recital.
The costumed principals, arrayed in line before the arc of the concert-garbed chorus, did just a bit of acting to punctuate their parts, most notably Robert Hume as Edwin and Rochelle Bard as Angelina. Their singing, as was that of all concerned, was very good or better.
The first half of the program was, I think, meant as prelude to the G&S segment, including Sullivan's "The Long Day Closes," Offenbach's "Neighbors' Chorus" and-- of course-- Bellini's " 'D'un pensiero." I did not catch the link between G&S and Haydn's "Evensong to God," nor the connection with the "Ave Maria" from Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites. As Bruce remarked to the audience, Sullivan never had the opportunity to parody Poulenc. But no matter; the music, however derived, was lovely, as was the singing. As was the customary virtuosity of Eric Schwartz as piano/orchestra.
But what, you may ask, of the "critical" or "definitive" aspect of this heavily-researched TRIAL? Well, in truth, these not-so-scholarly ears heard little significant difference from the standard (non-gagged up) TRIAL we're all accustomed to. Yes, with forewarning, a different note in the opening couple of bars, and easily spotted, the jurymen's "Trial-a-law" morphed into "Tra-la-la" more quickly and distinctly than ever. But absent any prior inspection of the Broude printed material, I could not detect the myriad one-note errata appearing these days on SavoyNet, and as this was a concert version, there was no indication of what the research may have shown as to staging, blocking, business, etc.
In no way is this meant to derogate the Broude project or the work of those who labor in pursuit of historical and artistic knowledge. Scholarship is truly useful and admirable. I sometimes wish I had some myself. -- GAMAREX
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The Palace Peeper (of NYG&SS, not of Utopia!) tells Us that Allon Percus (erstwhile NEGASS favorite) has been travelling & listening to G&S world-wide. He missed a 1995 MIKADO in the St. Etienne (near Lyon, France), and a 1996 GONDOLIERS by the Bucharest Operetta Theatre (in Romanian), but he did catch a concert version of TRIAL in Hong Kong this past July 12 (in English, not Cantonese). And he's been hearing about a 1992 MIKADO in Tours, and another which was apparently prepared for French radio in 1996, although he's not sure it was ever broadcast. For reveiws of these productions, contact Allon at apercus@snipe.lanl.gov.
The latest Peeper also boasts a charming account by Frances Yasprika of her experience in Valerie Masterson's master class during the last International G&S Festival - wish We had room to print it! To borrow newsletters from other societies, which We, as Bray editor, receive regularly (and regularly swear to abstract in Our next issue…), please call Us at (781) 646-9115 or email mlcar@mit.edu. We fell quite guilty hoarding this wealth of G&S fun, never finding room to share it all with NEGASSers! -- mlc
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Al Grand of The Gilbert & Sullivan Yiddish Light Opera Company of Long Island sent this to Savoynet, whence it was gleaned by Janice Dallas: I once came across this memorable line about Sullivan's music in a collection by Henry and Dana Lee Thomas entitled Forty Famous Composers (Halcyon House - 1948, page 276): ...the music of Sullivan was a music written for angels - not in their hours of worship, but in their moments of play."
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~ NEXT BRAY COPY DEADLINE: February 1 ~
Next Bray Stuffing: February 22. Call Us at (617) 253-5810 during the day, at (781) 646-9115 evenings and weekends, or email mlcar@mit.edu at any time, for directions to Our arbored home. -- mlc
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Welcome, Welcome, Welcome We New Members Rebecca Consentino, Sarah Cortes, Susan Lindquist, Denise Provost and Victor Troll. Rebecca is the president of the Emannuel College Theatre Guild, and has just done a lovely job, both vocally and dramatically, as Rose Maybud in MITG&SP's RUDDIGORE. Victor accompanied the Spontaneous MIKADO at Emmanuel in October, for which he was granted a display of fireworks - er - that is - a complimentary membership. But We get even more in return: read the fascinating article in this month's Bray by his wife, Elinor Wright! All We know about Sarah, Susan and Denise is that they live in, respectively, Cambridge, Somerville, and -- Michigan. Tell Us, Tell Us All About It! Hearty Greetings Offer We!
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Ellen Spear wrote, on 11/18/97: I am renewing my membership, appropriately enough, on the anniversary of Gilbert's birth. He's 161 today. Here's to him, and to another year of G&S Community.
Another NEGASSer writes: In the Sept. 1997 issue of The Trumpet Bray, Matt Crawford enquires regarding a recording of THESPIS.
Yes, there was a recording by the Fulham Light Opera Co. which was released by Rare Recorded Editions SRRE 132/3 14A Seymore Street, London W.1 (old address-- still okay?). Conductor Roderick Spencer, Producer Max Miradin. This production used Sullivan's music from "less familiar operas" and "a small amount" of unpublished music." Of course, "Little Maid of Arcadee" and "Climbing over rocky mountain" are used.
Is this still available? I don't know. It's been quite a while.
Basingstoke -- CONNIE THOMPSON
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G&S Lexicon/P.G. Wodehouse news. Our favorite G&S definition-monger writes: First, a general apology for misleading Ron Orenstein on my e-mail address. The correct version is harben@engin.umich.edu. I'd appreciate any suggestions your readers may care to make regarding the third edition of my lexicographic opus. [That's The Gilbert & Sullivan Lexicon, Sarah Jennings Press, MI, which Harry is revising - mlc]
Second, regarding Wodehouse, my impression is that he quotes G&S far more that three or four times… Incidentally, someone told me several years ago that David Mackie was collecting G&S quotes from the Wodehouse books. David is the piano accompanist for Geoff Shovelton's traveling troupe, among other things. -- HARRY BENFORD
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http://math.idbsu.edu/gas/html/sullivan2.html |
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Aiaiah Aiaiah! We are sorry to inform the NEGASS
community of the passing of a beloved member of our society.
Carol Burdine died unexpectedly on December 3 at the age
of 38, following a cerebral hemorrhage. Her parents Nancy and
Bill, instrumentalists and orchestra leaders for many local
G&S groups, request that their friends consider a gift to
their favorite music organization in honor of Carol's memory,
and consider giving the gift of life to others by pledging to
become organ donors.
A memorial service is scheduled for January 10, 1998, at 2 PM at the First Parish Church in Lexington, MA. The church is on Harrington St., which borders Lexington's historic Battle Green in the center of town. And this year's LMLO production will be dedicated to Carol's memory. |
We were delighted to receive this article from a new member, the wife of the accompanist for the Spontaneous MIKADO: In response to the note on Aristophanes in Dean Edmunds' letter, I send the following:
That's the original "croaking chorus!"
I also offer the enclosed paper which I presented to the Classical Association of New England in 1996. It may read a little differently for those more versed in G&S than in Classics! -- Nell Wright (Mrs. Victor Troll)
BEYOND THE CROAKING CHORUS: Gilbert's Classical Sources. The play opens with a chorus of stars. The plot: an Athenian dramatic troupe on holiday on Mt. Olympus takes over the gods' jobs while they descend to earth to look around; the mortals aren't competent (the one playing Jove is a coward and, "whenever he's called on to lighten or thunder the thought of it keeps him awake for a week") and chaos ensues.
Then there's sparkling, punning dialogue and lyric monody - is this a lost Old Comedy, of Cratinus, perhaps? Or maybe it is from Epicharmus because he preferred mythological characters. Could it even be by Aristophanes? The second act contains a series of messengers from Attica, each pilloried and sent off in a way reminiscent of the poet, prophet and priest in the Acharnians or Strepsiades' clients in Clouds.
However, since ambrosia is rhymed with symposia, the meters are 4/4 and 6/8 and the mortals sport names like Stupidas, Tipseon and Preposteros, this must be a later work.
The author, in fact, is W. S. Gilbert and the opera is THESPIS (1871), the first of his collaborations with Arthur Sullivan. Although Gilbert never overtly chose Classical settings or characters again ('tho the next opera, TRIAL, is an expanded version of a scene in Clouds), the subsequent twelve operettas abound in Classical references.
Gilbert was recognized as the "mid-Victorian Aristophanes" as early as 1927 by Edith Hamilton [W. S. Gilbert: A Mid-Victorian Aristophanes, Theater Arts Monthly XI (Oct. 1927)] because his plays so clearly parallel the Greek Old Comedies with their political and social commentary, their puns and general style of humor. It has not been widely observed, however, that Plautus' Roman versions of Greek New Comedy are Gilbert's source for plots and characters.
My discussion requires two qualifications. First the ancient playwrights influenced Molière, Shakespeare and others whose works Gilbert knew. For instance, Menander's ill-tempered Dyskolos (which Gilbert couldn't have read before writing the operas; it was discovered too late) reappears as Plautus' greedy Charmides, Molière's Misanthrope and Gilbert's own King Gama. Therefore it seems pointless to try to separate exactly where Gilbert became familiar with individual characters or twists of plot. Mine is rather a process of finding common threads, of comparison. From a theatrical point of view, all it might produce is a sense of the continuity from Clouds and Lysistrata to Oklahoma, Guys and Dolls and Anything Goes.
Secondly, it would be advantageous to be able to mention that Gilbert studied Aristophanes and Plautus in school. Unfortunately, the prestigious public school he attended, although once ranked with Eton and Harrow, is now defunct, and his program of studies at King's College, London was most likely never recorded at all.
The evidence for Gilbert's Classical education is therefore circumstantial. We know that Gilbert excelled in composing in Latin and Greek, taking the highest prizes every year in secondary school.
The evidence of the libretti themselves is the best, for they show an intense and wide familiarity with Classical authors. PATIENCE, for instance, has an Apolline flavor, with its two rival poets, gods of love, "Daphnephoric bounds" and "Pandaean pleasures." IOLANTHE is bucolic, since the shepherd Strephon loves a shepherdess, Phyllis, and plays to her songs of Arcadee on pan pipes. Gilbert’s own illustration for "a man who would woo a fair maid" in YEOMEN shows a little man scrutinizing Ovid's Ars Amoris.
Arcane words like Aecyldama, Empyreaen and Cimmerian pop up. One ingenue advises, "If you'd climb the Helicon, you must read Anacreon, Ovid's Metamorphoses, likewise Aristophanes." Another laments that Cytherian posies are rosies. Choruses toss off references to Cupid's touch, Hymen, Chronos, the god of day, the hoi polloi and plebs. Bunthorne claims an ordinary relationship, an "attachment à la Plato," and even Lady Circe's piggy-wigs are mentioned in IDA.
Major General Stanley claims some rare abilities, even for a Classicist, namely, to "quote in elegiacs all the crimes of Heliogabalus," to "write a washing bill in Babylonic cuneiform", and to "tell you every detail of Caractacus's uniform." This is in addition to knowing "the croaking chorus from the Frogs of Aristophanes."
Moving beyond references, Gilbert's more intimate familiarity with Aristophanes is revealed in his choruses and patter songs, usually identified as the most original features of the G&S operettas.
"Patter song" is a loose term, but as a rule, Gilbert's songs are solos, rapid paced, anti-establishment and didactic. Examples are the Major General's song just quoted ("I am the very model of a modern major general"), the Lord Chancellor's "Nightmare song" and Koko's "I have a little list."
In the parabasis of Old Comedy the chorus steps forward to address the audience in a didactic and politically-motivated song. Some include a solo, called a pnigos (choker) because it was supposed to be delivered in one breath by the leader of the chorus. Speed and enunciation are also vital to patter songs, although in RUDDIGORE a singer claims, "This particularly rapid, unintelligible patter isn't generally heard and if it is it doesn't matter."
Koko's famous patter, the "little list of society offenders… who never would be missed;" that is, "all children who are up on dates and floor you with 'em flat" and "apologetic statesmen of a compromising kind," compares neatly to a parabasis because of the listing. For instance, in Frogs the chorus lists types not admitted to their rites: "people who laugh at cheap jokes that should not have been made" or who "hold high office and take bribes."
As a rule, Aristophanes' chorus makes overt criticisms concerning the Athenian political agenda, such as criticizing the disenfranchisement of one-time tyrannical sympathizers or advising on treating with Sparta over Aegina. They also lampoon individuals.
However, if Gilbert critically mentions political events they are well in the past, as in "when Wellington thrashed Bonaparte, as every child can tell, the House of Peers, throughout the war, did nothing in particular, and did it very well." He aims at institutions rather than individuals. Where Aristophanes carelessly ridicules - even tortures in effigy - the general Nicas, the demagogue Cleon and the philosopher Socrates, Koko's little list fingers "tut-tut-tut and what's-his-name and also you-know-who."
The closest Gilbert came to portraying a real person was in Bunthorne, inspired equally by Oscar Wilde, the painter Whistler and the poet Swinburne. Apparently Wilde, who attended the opening night, was not offended (Gilbert's late play Engaged in turn inspired Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest), probably because it was clear that Gilbert satirizes the aesthetic movement rather than any one advocate.
One comic Aristophanic chorus calls its parabasis komodidaskalion (Knights 507), comedy-teaching: issues run from the injustice of young people fleecing the old in the courts to the ease with which