The Serenade
Encyclopedia
The Serenade is an operetta
with music and lyrics by Victor Herbert
, and book by Harry B. Smith
. Produced by a troupe called "The Bostonians", it premiered on Broadway
on March 16, 1897 at the Knickerbocker Theatre
and ran initially for 79 performances. It remained very popular into the new century, running almost continuously for the next seven years.
Herbert's second Broadway
success (after The Wizard of the Nile
), The Serenade is a romantic comedy about a song that sweeps the Spanish countryside. It has a complicated plot involving a girl, her near-sighted guardian who is trying to woo her, and a suitor who steals the girl away from the guardian. The Serenade helped spark the career of Alice Nielsen
, a young soprano from Nashvile. She went on to form her own theatre company and continued to star in other Herbert operettas.
It was revived on March 4, 1930 at Jolson's 59th Street Theatre, where it ran for 15 performances.
Romero (the President of the Royal Madrid Brigandage Association) and his group of bandits lie in wait to ambush travelers, including Alvarado and Dolores, the ward of the Duke of Santa Cruz. The Duke, who plans to wed his ward, has come to his castle to avoid the leading baritone
of the Madrid Opera who has wooed and won the heart of his Dolores by singing her a serenade. The Duke is unaware that Alvarado is the singer. Yvonne, Colombo (her father, a former primo tenor
) and Gomez (a tailor) appear, each looking for Alvarado for different reasons. Gomez asks Colombo to teach him the serenade so that he can win Dolores. But the singing attracts the Duke, who sends Colombo to the castle tower upon hearing his boasts of causing women to fall in love by his singing. Alvarado hears the Duke's plan to hide Dolores from the baritone in a convent and decides to hide himself in the monastery next door to be close to her. Yvonne overhears his plan and determines to spoil it. The bandits storm the castle, Alvarado arrives, and a battle ensues. Colombo, from his tower, dons a Mephistopheles costume and scares the bandits away by making them believe the castle is haunted.
Act II — The garden of the Monastery of St. Benedict, adjoining the Convent School of St. Ursula
In the gardens of the monastery and convent, Yvonne, dressed as a boy, seeks employment so she may spy on Alvarado. Alvarado and Dolores arrive with the Duke, who asks the mother superior to accept Dolores for a few days of instruction. The Duke leaves with Alvarado, who secretly plans to tip their carriage into a ditch and return for Dolores. Yvonne, still searching for Alvarado, is overheard by Dolores, and develops a plan to get out of her employment by swapping clothes and places with Dolores. Gomez arrives seeking help, having enraged a traveler in an overturned carriage (the Duke) by singing the serenade. Romero, disguised as "Brother Januario", agrees to hide Gomez by dressing him as a nun. As thanks, Gomez gives Romero the music to the serenade, and Romero teaches it to the monks. Yvonne, dressed as Dolores, is discovered flirting with Alvarado and is sent to the convent for admonishment by the mother superior. Alvarado mistakes Dolores for the gardener's boy, but she explains the situation and the two plan their escape. The Duke is enraged upon hearing the monks practicing the serenade. Romero confesses to being Alvarado so he will not be recognized as a bandit. Yvonne continues to pretend to be Dolores so that she can leave with the Duke. Alvarado takes advantage of the mistaken identities to steal away with Dolores.
Act III -- The same as Act I
Alvarado and Dolores, captured by the bandits and unable to afford the ransom, offer themselves as recruits. Yvonne (still dressed as Dolores) and Gomez arrive with the Duke, who goes to check on "Alvarado" (Columbo) in the tower. Gomez sings the serenade to woo "Dolores", attracting the attention of the Duke who, after discovering his mistake, vows that he has had enough of such adventures and returns to deal with "Alvarado". Yvonne reveals that she is not Dolores and enlists the aid of Gomez to save her father from the Duke. But the Duke returns and discovers the deception. The bandits capture the Duke and demand his life. Dolores offers to spare him if he agrees, as magistrate, to marry her to Alvarado. Yvonne realizes the hopelessness of gaining Alvarado and pairs off with Lopez, Romero's secretary. The Duke acquiesces on the condition that he will never hear them sing the serenade again. All agree — except for one last time.
Act II
Act III
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
with music and lyrics by Victor Herbert
Victor Herbert
Victor August Herbert was an Irish-born, German-raised American composer, cellist and conductor. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and conductor, he is best known for composing many successful operettas that premiered on Broadway from the 1890s to World War I...
, and book by Harry B. Smith
Harry B. Smith
Harry Bache Smith was a writer, lyricist and composer. The most prolific of all American stage writers, he is said to have written over 300 librettos and more than 6000 lyrics. Some of his best-known works were librettos for the composer Victor Herbert...
. Produced by a troupe called "The Bostonians", it premiered on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
on March 16, 1897 at the Knickerbocker Theatre
Knickerbocker Theatre (Broadway)
The Knickerbocker Theatre — previously known as Abbey's Theatre and Henry Abbey's Theatre — was a Broadway theatre located at 1396 Broadway in New York City. It operated from 1893 to 1930...
and ran initially for 79 performances. It remained very popular into the new century, running almost continuously for the next seven years.
Herbert's second Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
success (after The Wizard of the Nile
The Wizard of the Nile
The Wizard of the Nile was a burlesque operetta in three acts, composed by Victor Herbert to a libretto by Harry B. Smith.Herbert's second operetta after Prince Ananias, The Wizard of the Nile was his first real success...
), The Serenade is a romantic comedy about a song that sweeps the Spanish countryside. It has a complicated plot involving a girl, her near-sighted guardian who is trying to woo her, and a suitor who steals the girl away from the guardian. The Serenade helped spark the career of Alice Nielsen
Alice Nielsen
Alice Nielsen was a Broadway performer and operatic soprano who had her own opera company and starred in several Victor Herbert operettas.-Background:...
, a young soprano from Nashvile. She went on to form her own theatre company and continued to star in other Herbert operettas.
It was revived on March 4, 1930 at Jolson's 59th Street Theatre, where it ran for 15 performances.
Characters and original cast
- The Duke of Santa Cruz - Henry Clay Barnabee
- Mother Superior - Josephine Bartlett
- Colombo (tenorTenorThe 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...
) - Harry Brown - Mercedes - Louise Cleary
- Romero - Eugene Cowles
- Fra Anselmo - Harry Dale
- Dolores (contraltoContraltoContralto 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...
) - Jessie Bartlett Davis - Gomez - George B. Frothingham
- Isabella - Leonora Guito
- El Gato - Charles Hawley
- Manuelo - Bertha Lovejoy
- Carlos Alvarado (baritoneBaritoneBaritone 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...
) - William H. MacDonald - The Abbot - James E. Miller
- Yvonne (sopranoSopranoA 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...
) - Alice NielsenAlice NielsenAlice Nielsen was a Broadway performer and operatic soprano who had her own opera company and starred in several Victor Herbert operettas.-Background:... - Lopez (tenorTenorThe 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...
) - William E. Philp - Juana - Marcia Van Dresser
- Fra Timoteo - Adam Warmouth
Synopsis
Act I — The main office of the Royal Madrid Brigandage Association, Ltd., near a haunted castle in the mountainsRomero (the President of the Royal Madrid Brigandage Association) and his group of bandits lie in wait to ambush travelers, including Alvarado and Dolores, the ward of the Duke of Santa Cruz. The Duke, who plans to wed his ward, has come to his castle to avoid the leading 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...
of the Madrid Opera who has wooed and won the heart of his Dolores by singing her a serenade. The Duke is unaware that Alvarado is the singer. Yvonne, Colombo (her father, a former primo 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...
) and Gomez (a tailor) appear, each looking for Alvarado for different reasons. Gomez asks Colombo to teach him the serenade so that he can win Dolores. But the singing attracts the Duke, who sends Colombo to the castle tower upon hearing his boasts of causing women to fall in love by his singing. Alvarado hears the Duke's plan to hide Dolores from the baritone in a convent and decides to hide himself in the monastery next door to be close to her. Yvonne overhears his plan and determines to spoil it. The bandits storm the castle, Alvarado arrives, and a battle ensues. Colombo, from his tower, dons a Mephistopheles costume and scares the bandits away by making them believe the castle is haunted.
Act II — The garden of the Monastery of St. Benedict, adjoining the Convent School of St. Ursula
In the gardens of the monastery and convent, Yvonne, dressed as a boy, seeks employment so she may spy on Alvarado. Alvarado and Dolores arrive with the Duke, who asks the mother superior to accept Dolores for a few days of instruction. The Duke leaves with Alvarado, who secretly plans to tip their carriage into a ditch and return for Dolores. Yvonne, still searching for Alvarado, is overheard by Dolores, and develops a plan to get out of her employment by swapping clothes and places with Dolores. Gomez arrives seeking help, having enraged a traveler in an overturned carriage (the Duke) by singing the serenade. Romero, disguised as "Brother Januario", agrees to hide Gomez by dressing him as a nun. As thanks, Gomez gives Romero the music to the serenade, and Romero teaches it to the monks. Yvonne, dressed as Dolores, is discovered flirting with Alvarado and is sent to the convent for admonishment by the mother superior. Alvarado mistakes Dolores for the gardener's boy, but she explains the situation and the two plan their escape. The Duke is enraged upon hearing the monks practicing the serenade. Romero confesses to being Alvarado so he will not be recognized as a bandit. Yvonne continues to pretend to be Dolores so that she can leave with the Duke. Alvarado takes advantage of the mistaken identities to steal away with Dolores.
Act III -- The same as Act I
Alvarado and Dolores, captured by the bandits and unable to afford the ransom, offer themselves as recruits. Yvonne (still dressed as Dolores) and Gomez arrive with the Duke, who goes to check on "Alvarado" (Columbo) in the tower. Gomez sings the serenade to woo "Dolores", attracting the attention of the Duke who, after discovering his mistake, vows that he has had enough of such adventures and returns to deal with "Alvarado". Yvonne reveals that she is not Dolores and enlists the aid of Gomez to save her father from the Duke. But the Duke returns and discovers the deception. The bandits capture the Duke and demand his life. Dolores offers to spare him if he agrees, as magistrate, to marry her to Alvarado. Yvonne realizes the hopelessness of gaining Alvarado and pairs off with Lopez, Romero's secretary. The Duke acquiesces on the condition that he will never hear them sing the serenade again. All agree — except for one last time.
Songs
Act I- No. 1a - Opening Chorus - "In attitudes alert! Hist! Hush! With keen and piercing eyes..."
- No. 1b - Song - Romero and Chorus - "Let spiritless townsmen bend the neck to the yoke of the country's law..."
- No. 2 - Chorus and Song - Alvarado - "Peering left and peering right with very anxious scrutiny..."
- No. 3 - Duke's Entrance and Song - "Hola-ho! ..." and "Although a Duke of high degree whose ancestors are numerous..."
- No. 4 - Duo - Alvarado and Dolores - "When the theatre was brightest with the golden glare..."
- No. 5 - Entrance and Singing Lesson - Yvonne, Colombo and Gomez - "The old Italian Method grand is what we practice..."
- No. 6 - Duet - Lopez and Yvonne - "Gaze on this face, so noble, so serene; look in these eyes how radiant are they..."
- No. 7 - Finale Act I - "'Tis time our work to do. Hist! Hush! Hist! Hush! Our presence they shall rue..."
Act II
- No. 8 - Opening Chorus of Monks and Novices - "In our quiet cloister, monkish brethren dwell, peaceful as an oyster..."
- No. 9 - Song - Yvonne and Monks - "Where are the stars so brightly twinkling as in fair Andalusia? ..."
- No. 10 - Song - Romero and Male Chorus - "When I went my rounds one day, seeking charity, charity, charity..."
- No. 11a - Ensemble - "Who can this be? We'll stay and see, with worldly curiositee! ..."
- No. 11b - Song - Duke and Chorus - "Who was it in Eden encountered the snake? Woman, attractive woman ..."
- No. 12 - The Angelus - Dolores and Chorus - "The Angelus sounds from the convent bells like a dear voice low and tender..."
- No. 13 - Waltz Song - Yvonne - "Cupid once found me a-dreaming, lulled by the soft summer breeze..."
- No. 14 - Monks' Chant - "I love thee, I adore thee, O my heart, life, and soul, all are thine..."
- No. 15 - Scene and Quartet - Alvarado, Dolores, Yvonne and Romero - "I'm sure 'tis she! Just wait! I'll see..."
- No. 16 - Finale Act II - "Dishonor most appalling, and terrible disgrace are threatening the falling of this monastic place..."
Act III
- Entr'acte
- No. 17 - Opening Chorus - "Here merrily bide the bandit tribe when the day's honest work is done..."
- No. 18 - Duet - Dolores, Alvarado and Chorus - "Don José of Sevilla was a gay roué, acting parts, breaking hearts..."
- No. 19 - Romance - Lopez - "I envy the bird within its cage, whose song to her is not denied..."
- No. 20 - Trio - Duke, Yvonne and Gomez - "One afternoon while dozing, my eyes a moment closing..."
- No. 21 - Finale Act III - "Take your choice, my Dolores, marry whom you will! ..."