The Mountaineers (opera)
Encyclopedia
The Mountaineers is an English "romantic comic opera
Comic opera
Comic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...

" in three acts with a libretto by Australian-born Guy Eden (1864–1954) and Reginald Somerville
Reginald Somerville
Reginald Somerville was an English actor and composer. 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", as well as a handful of operas.-Biography:Somerville received musical training...

 (1867–1948), lyrics by Eden and music by Somerville. It opened at the Savoy Theatre
Savoy Theatre
The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre located in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre opened on 10 October 1881 and was built by Richard D'Oyly Carte on the site of the old Savoy Palace as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan,...

 in London on 29 September 1909, under the management of C. H. Workman, and ran for a total of 61 performances. It starred Workman, Elsie Spain, 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.

Background and production

Richard D'Oyly Carte
Richard D'Oyly Carte
Richard D'Oyly Carte was an English talent agent, theatrical impresario, composer and hotelier during the latter half of the Victorian era...

 died in 1901 leaving the management of the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company was a professional light opera company that staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas. The company performed nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere, from the 1870s until it closed in 1982. It was revived in 1988 and...

 and the Savoy Theatre
Savoy Theatre
The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre located in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre opened on 10 October 1881 and was built by Richard D'Oyly Carte on the site of the old Savoy Palace as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan,...

 in the hands of his widow, 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
Charles H. Workman
Charles H. Workman 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 sometimes credited as C. Herbert Workman or C. H...

, 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. He continued the run of The Yeomen of the Guard
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...

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
Rhine Valley
The Rhine Valley is a glacial alpine valley, formed by the Alpine Rhine , i.e. the section of the Rhine River between the confluence of the Anterior Rhine and Posterior Rhine at Reichenau and its mouth at Lake Constance....

 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
The Savoy Operas denote 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 impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte built to house...

.
The Mountaineers opened on 29 September 1909 at the Savoy Theatre
Savoy Theatre
The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre located in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre opened on 10 October 1881 and was built by Richard D'Oyly Carte on the site of the old Savoy Palace as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan,...

, 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 Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...

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." The Manchester Guardian found the 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. The Musical Times
The Musical Times
The Musical Times is an academic journal of classical music edited and produced in the United Kingdom. It is currently the oldest such journal that is still publishing in the UK, having been published continuously since 1844. It was published as The Musical Times and Singing Class Circular until...

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 Arthur Wimperis
Arthur Wimperis
Arthur Harold Wimperis was an English illustrator, playwright, lyricist and Academy Award-winning screenwriter....

, 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
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...

, David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...

, 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 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
Women's Social and Political Union
The Women's Social and Political Union was the leading militant organisation campaigning for Women's suffrage in the United Kingdom...

. The demonstrators were expelled forcibly from the theatre. When one woman claimed property that had been left behind during the expulsion, Workman complained to Christabel Pankhurst
Christabel Pankhurst
Dame Christabel Harriette Pankhurst, DBE , was a suffragette born in Manchester, England. A co-founder of the Women's Social and Political Union , she directed its militant actions from exile in France from 1912 to 1913. In 1914 she became a fervent supporter of the war against Germany...

, 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
Fallen Fairies; or, The Wicked World, is a two-act comic opera, with a libretto by W. S. Gilbert and music by Edward German. Premiering at London's Savoy Theatre on December 15, 1909, it failed miserably, closing after just 50 performances...

, which needed to be rehearsed on the stage of the Savoy for an opening before Christmas. The Mountaineers later toured in the British provinces with many of the same cast, under management of Harry P. Towers (with Marie Dainton
Marie Dainton
Marie Dainton was an actress of the Victorian and Edwardian eras who appeared regularly in both music halls and in the legitimate theatre.-Early career:...

 as Clarice), in the autumn of 1910. A production of a Spanish translation of the opera was presented in Barcelona in early 1910.

Fallen Fairies
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. Premiering at London's Savoy Theatre on December 15, 1909, it failed miserably, closing after just 50 performances...

, by W. S. Gilbert
W. S. Gilbert
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, of which the most famous include H.M.S...

 and Edward German
Edward German
Sir Edward German 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 English comic opera.As a youth, German played the violin and led the town orchestra, also...

 was unsuccessful despite the cachet of W. S. Gilbert
W. S. Gilbert
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his fourteen comic operas produced in collaboration with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, of which the most famous include H.M.S...

 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
Edwardian musical comedies were British musical theatre shows from the period between the early 1890s, when the Gilbert and Sullivan operas' dominance had ended, until the rise of the American musicals by Jerome Kern, Rodgers and Hart, George Gershwin and Cole Porter following World War I.Between...

 for his third production, Two Merry Monarchs
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, under the management of C. H. Workman, and ran there for 43...

, but this also failed to catch on.

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. Clarice is courted by two men: Conrad, a rich man from the city, and Fritz, a rugged mountaineer. The diligence 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
Edelweiss , Leontopodium alpinum, is a well-known European mountain flower, belonging to the sunflower family.-Names:The common name comes from German edel, meaning "noble", and weiß "white", thus signifying "noble whiteness".The scientific name Leontopodium is a Latin adaptation of Greek...

 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
Mazurka
The mazurka is a Polish folk dance in triple meter, usually at a lively tempo, and with accent on the third or second beat.-History:The folk origins of the mazurek are two other Polish musical forms—the slow machine...

. 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, 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
    Baritone
    Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...

    )- C.H. Workman
  • Fritz, a mountaineer (baritone
    Baritone
    Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...

    ) - Claude Flemming
  • Conrad, a rich man from the city (tenor
    Tenor
    The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...

    ) - 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
    Bass (voice type)
    A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...

    ) - Frank Perfitt
  • A Priest - A. Everett
  • A Citizen - D. Fergusson
  • Clarice, daughter of Pierre (soprano
    Soprano
    A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...

    ) - Elsie Spain
  • Annette, the village coquette (mezzo-soprano
    Mezzo-soprano
    A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...

    ) - Jessie Rose
  • Miss Spinifex, a travelling English spinster (contralto
    Contralto
    Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...

    ) - 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)

External links

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