Désirée
Encyclopedia
Désirée is a operetta
in two acts with music by John Phillip Sousa and libretto
by Edward M. Taber. The libretto was later revised and updated by Jerrold Fisher and William Martin.
, it premiered on May 1, 1884 at The National Theater
, Washington D.C. It was one of the first American operettas and was billed as "America's First Comic Opera
", although it was based on an English comedy set in France. It also marked the comic opera debut of DeWolf Hopper
, who sang the role of Pomaret.
The Count de Courville arrives, dismisses Marie, and then asks Désirée for her hand in marriage. The Count’s father, however, disapproves of his son’s marriage to a commoner and threatens by letter to imprison Pomaret if he permits the marriage to take place. The Count’s superior officer and friend, the heroic Marquis de Lavarre, decides to offer a solution. The Marquis proposes marriage to Désirée on the condition that the wedding takes place within the hour. At the prospect of becoming the father of a Marchioness, Pomaret promptly gives his consent.
Unbeknown to the Count, however, the Marquis has recently been convicted of killing a rival in a duel and has been sentenced to death. Cardinal Richelieu has condescended to permit the Marquis to die in battle against thirty-thousand Spaniards instead of facing ignominious death on the gallows. The Marquis secretly plans that as soon as the wedding vows are completed he will leave for his final battle, having first ennobled Désirée and then making the new Marchioness a widow, freeing her to marry the Count – thus fulfilling his promise to solve his friend’s dilemma.
However, the jealous Count is infuriated upon learning of the marriage plan and challenges the Marquis to a duel. In his outrange, the Count does not allow the Marquis the chance to explain. The Marquis has him arrested for his own good. The Marquis and Désirée are married; but at the wedding reception the Marquis seems uninterested, and Désirée, very much slighted, is furious. She sends her father to the Cardinal to request an annulment of her marriage. Meanwhile, the Count escapes and returns to confront the Marquis. The Marquis reveals the full details of his plan to the Count, and to convince him his intentions are honorable, the Marquis sends his Sergeant with an immediate challenge to the Spanish General.
Surprising news arrives from the Cardinal; the rival whom the Marquis had killed was found to be a traitor, and the Marquis is thereupon not only pardoned but a hero. Alas, the Marquis has already obliged himself to conduct a one-man battle against the thirty-thousand Spaniards. With only his trusted sword in hand, the honorable Marquis departs, but not before he declares his love to Desiree. The Marquis is not killed in the battle, and the tale of his unexpected victory is rousingly told by the Musketeers and Drummer-boys.
The victorious Marquis returns and is reunited with Désirée, but Pomaret arrives with the Cardinal's approval of Désirée's request for an annulment. The Count neatly resolves this final glitch by tearing up the annulment paper and announcing that he is marrying Marie – now eligible to be his wife since she is now the cousin of a Marquis. Pomaret also finds his match, the matron schoolmistress, Laurie, who it is rumored, has saved ten-thousand francs. All ends happily.
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:...
in two acts with music by John Phillip Sousa and libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Edward M. Taber. The libretto was later revised and updated by Jerrold Fisher and William Martin.
Performance history
Based on the English comedy Our Wife by John Maddison MortonJohn Maddison Morton
John Maddison Morton was an English playwright who specialized in one-act farces. His most famous farce was Box and Cox . He also wrote comic dramas, pantomimes and other theatrical pieces.-Biography:...
, it premiered on May 1, 1884 at The National Theater
National Theatre (Washington, D.C.)
The National Theatre is located in Washington, D.C., and is a venue for a variety of live stage productions with seating for 1,676.Despite its name, it is not a governmentally funded national theatre, but operated by a private, non-profit organization....
, Washington D.C. It was one of the first American operettas and was billed as "America's First 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...
", although it was based on an English comedy set in France. It also marked the comic opera debut of DeWolf Hopper
DeWolf Hopper
William DeWolf Hopper was an American actor, singer, comedian, and theatrical producer. Although a star of the musical stage, he was best-known for performing the popular baseball poem Casey at the Bat. -Biography:...
, who sang the role of Pomaret.
Roles
| Role | Voice Part | Premiere cast, May 1, 1884 |
|---|---|---|
| Marquis de Lavarre, Colonel of the King's Musketeers | 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... |
|
| Count de Courville, Lieutenant of the Musketeers | high 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... |
|
| Pomaret, a mercer | comic baritone or tenor | DeWolf Hopper DeWolf Hopper William DeWolf Hopper was an American actor, singer, comedian, and theatrical producer. Although a star of the musical stage, he was best-known for performing the popular baseball poem Casey at the Bat. -Biography:... |
| Dumont, Sergeant of the Musketeers & orderly to the Marquis | baritone | |
| Antoine, Corporate of the Musketeers | tenor | |
| Désirée, Pomaret's daughter | 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... |
|
| Marie, Pomaret's niece | 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... |
|
| Laurie, a schoolmistress | 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... |
|
| Gertrude, a schoolgirl & companion of Desiree | mezzo-soprano | |
| Rose, another schoolgirl & companion of Desiree | mezzo-soprano | |
Synopsis
In Amiens, France, during the time of Cardinal Richelieu, Musketeers have gathered in Pomaret’s mercer shop, seeking his beautiful daughter, Désirée. Her cousin, Marie, waits on them and is all but ignored. Their delightful recreation is interrupted by a trumpet call, which summons them to their military duties.The Count de Courville arrives, dismisses Marie, and then asks Désirée for her hand in marriage. The Count’s father, however, disapproves of his son’s marriage to a commoner and threatens by letter to imprison Pomaret if he permits the marriage to take place. The Count’s superior officer and friend, the heroic Marquis de Lavarre, decides to offer a solution. The Marquis proposes marriage to Désirée on the condition that the wedding takes place within the hour. At the prospect of becoming the father of a Marchioness, Pomaret promptly gives his consent.
Unbeknown to the Count, however, the Marquis has recently been convicted of killing a rival in a duel and has been sentenced to death. Cardinal Richelieu has condescended to permit the Marquis to die in battle against thirty-thousand Spaniards instead of facing ignominious death on the gallows. The Marquis secretly plans that as soon as the wedding vows are completed he will leave for his final battle, having first ennobled Désirée and then making the new Marchioness a widow, freeing her to marry the Count – thus fulfilling his promise to solve his friend’s dilemma.
However, the jealous Count is infuriated upon learning of the marriage plan and challenges the Marquis to a duel. In his outrange, the Count does not allow the Marquis the chance to explain. The Marquis has him arrested for his own good. The Marquis and Désirée are married; but at the wedding reception the Marquis seems uninterested, and Désirée, very much slighted, is furious. She sends her father to the Cardinal to request an annulment of her marriage. Meanwhile, the Count escapes and returns to confront the Marquis. The Marquis reveals the full details of his plan to the Count, and to convince him his intentions are honorable, the Marquis sends his Sergeant with an immediate challenge to the Spanish General.
Surprising news arrives from the Cardinal; the rival whom the Marquis had killed was found to be a traitor, and the Marquis is thereupon not only pardoned but a hero. Alas, the Marquis has already obliged himself to conduct a one-man battle against the thirty-thousand Spaniards. With only his trusted sword in hand, the honorable Marquis departs, but not before he declares his love to Desiree. The Marquis is not killed in the battle, and the tale of his unexpected victory is rousingly told by the Musketeers and Drummer-boys.
The victorious Marquis returns and is reunited with Désirée, but Pomaret arrives with the Cardinal's approval of Désirée's request for an annulment. The Count neatly resolves this final glitch by tearing up the annulment paper and announcing that he is marrying Marie – now eligible to be his wife since she is now the cousin of a Marquis. Pomaret also finds his match, the matron schoolmistress, Laurie, who it is rumored, has saved ten-thousand francs. All ends happily.
Notable songs
The opera features many tuneful songs reminiscent of Gilbert and Sullivan as well as Sousa's trademark marches. The true tour de force is the second act aria sung by Count de Courville, "The Sword, The Musket, and the Lance".Sources
- Bierley, Paul E. (2001). John Philip Sousa: American Phenomenon. Alfred Music Publishing. ISBN 0757906125
- Traubner, Richard (August 1998) Recording review: Sousa: Desiree/El Capitan. Opera NewsOpera NewsOpera News is an American classical music magazine. It has been published since 1936 by the Metropolitan Opera Guild, a non-profit organization located at Lincoln Center which was founded to support the Metropolitan Opera of New York City...