I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls
Encyclopedia
I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls or "The Gipsy Girl's Dream" is a popular aria
from The Bohemian Girl
, an 1843 opera
by Michael William Balfe
, with lyrics by Alfred Bunn
. It is sung in the opera by the character Arline, who is in love with Thaddeus, a Polish nobleman and political exile. It has been performed and recorded by many artists including Enya
. It is said to bring bad luck
if whistled or sung in a theatre.
The song has been satirised repeatedly. Lewis Carroll
's parody was published in Lays of Mystery, Imagination and Humour in 1855:
Very popular in the 19th century, the piece also has many modern incarnations. The song makes a brief appearance in the 1946 film, Dragonwyck. The first line of the song is sung and "scatted," in the number, "Swing," from the 1953 Broadway show, "Wonderful Town." The first line is also sung, (off-screen), by aspiring botanist, Seymour, in the 1960 cult classic film, "The Little Shop of Horrors." More recently, an ambient, ethereal version was recorded by Enya
for her Grammy-winning 1991 album, Shepherd Moons
; her version also appeared on the soundtrack of the Martin Scorsese
film The Age of Innocence
. Celtic Woman
also recorded the piece. . A version by Sinéad O'Connor
was on the soundtrack of the 1997 Irish film The Butcher Boy. The song was also quoted by James Joyce
in his story Clay
from the book Dubliners
.
Cellist Julian Lloyd Webber
has recorded the song on two occasions - with singer Aled Jones
on Jones' album Higher; and with harpist Catrin Finch
on Lloyd Webber's 2006 album Unexpected Songs
.
In 2006 the Norwegian soprano Sissel Kyrkjebø
recorded a version for her album Into Paradise.
With vassals and serfs at my side.
And of all who assembled within those walls
That I was the hope and the pride.
I had riches too great to count, could boast
Of a high ancestral name.
But I also dreamt, which pleased me most
That you lov'd me still the same,
That you lov'd me, you lov'd me still the same,
That you lov'd me, You loved me still the same.
I dreamt that suitors sought my hand.
That knights upon bended knee,
And with vows no maiden's heart could withstand,
They pledg'd their faith to me.
And I dreamt that one of that noble host
Came forth my hand to claim.
But I also dreamt, which charmed me most
That you lov'd me still the same,
That you lov'd me, you lov'd me still the same,
That you lov'd me, you loved me still the same.
Aria
An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...
from The Bohemian Girl
The Bohemian Girl
The Bohemian Girl is an opera composed by Michael William Balfe with a libretto by Alfred Bunn. The plot is loosely based on a Cervantes tale, La Gitanilla.The opera was first produced in London at the Drury Lane Theatre on November 27, 1843...
, an 1843 opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
by Michael William Balfe
Michael William Balfe
Michael William Balfe was an Irish composer, best-remembered for his opera The Bohemian Girl.After a short career as a violinist, Balfe pursued an operatic singing career, while he began to compose. In a career spanning more than 40 years, he composed 38 operas, almost 250 songs and other works...
, with lyrics by Alfred Bunn
Alfred Bunn
Alfred Bunn was an English theatrical manager.He was appointed stage-manager of Drury Lane Theatre, London, in 1823. In 1826 he was managing the Theatre Royal in Birmingham, and in 1833 he undertook the joint management of Drury Lane and Covent Garden, London. In this undertaking he met with...
. It is sung in the opera by the character Arline, who is in love with Thaddeus, a Polish nobleman and political exile. It has been performed and recorded by many artists including Enya
Enya
Enya is an Irish singer, instrumentalist and songwriter. Enya is an approximate transliteration of how Eithne is pronounced in the Donegal dialect of the Irish language, her native tongue.She began her musical career in 1980, when she briefly joined her family band Clannad before leaving to...
. It is said to bring bad luck
Bad Luck
Bad Luck may refer to:* Harmful or negative luck* Bad Luck , a 1960 film directed by Andrzej Munk* "Bad Luck" * "Bad Luck" * Bad Luck, an album by Trophy Scars...
if whistled or sung in a theatre.
The song has been satirised repeatedly. Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
's parody was published in Lays of Mystery, Imagination and Humour in 1855:
Very popular in the 19th century, the piece also has many modern incarnations. The song makes a brief appearance in the 1946 film, Dragonwyck. The first line of the song is sung and "scatted," in the number, "Swing," from the 1953 Broadway show, "Wonderful Town." The first line is also sung, (off-screen), by aspiring botanist, Seymour, in the 1960 cult classic film, "The Little Shop of Horrors." More recently, an ambient, ethereal version was recorded by Enya
Enya
Enya is an Irish singer, instrumentalist and songwriter. Enya is an approximate transliteration of how Eithne is pronounced in the Donegal dialect of the Irish language, her native tongue.She began her musical career in 1980, when she briefly joined her family band Clannad before leaving to...
for her Grammy-winning 1991 album, Shepherd Moons
Shepherd Moons
Shepherd Moons is an album by Irish musician Enya, released on November 4, 1991. It won the Grammy Award for "Best New Age Album" of 1993...
; her version also appeared on the soundtrack of the Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
film The Age of Innocence
The Age of Innocence (film)
The Age of Innocence is a 1993 American film adaptation of Edith Wharton's 1920 novel of the same name. The film was released by Columbia Pictures, directed by Martin Scorsese, and stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Winona Ryder....
. Celtic Woman
Celtic Woman
Celtic Woman is an all-female musical ensemble conceived and assembled by Sharon Browne and David Downes, a former musical director of the Irish stage show Riverdance...
also recorded the piece. . A version by Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
was on the soundtrack of the 1997 Irish film The Butcher Boy. The song was also quoted by James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
in his story Clay
Clay (short story)
Clay is a short story by James Joyce published in his 1914 collection Dubliners.-The story:Maria, a spinster with a minor job in a rescue mission for wayward women, is looking forward to a holiday evening at the house of Joe, whom she nursed when he was a boy and of whom she is still very fond...
from the book Dubliners
Dubliners
Dubliners is a collection of 15 short stories by James Joyce, first published in 1914. They were meant to be a naturalistic depiction of Irish middle class life in and around Dublin in the early years of the 20th century....
.
Cellist Julian Lloyd Webber
Julian Lloyd Webber
Julian Lloyd Webber is a British solo cellist who has been described as the "doyen of British cellists".-Early life:Julian Lloyd Webber is the second son of the composer William Lloyd Webber and his wife Jean Johnstone . He is the younger brother of the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber...
has recorded the song on two occasions - with singer Aled Jones
Aled Jones
Aled Jones is a Welsh singer and television/radio personality, broadcaster and television presenter who first came to fame as a treble...
on Jones' album Higher; and with harpist Catrin Finch
Catrin Finch
Catrin Anna Finch is a Welsh harpist born in Llanon, Ceredigion, Wales. She was the Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales from 2000 to 2004 and is Visiting Professor at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and the Royal Academy of Music...
on Lloyd Webber's 2006 album Unexpected Songs
Unexpected Songs
-Track listing":# "Star of the County Down"/"Lady D'Arbanville" by Cat Stevens/Trad. arr. Chowhan# "Oblivion" by Ástor Piazzolla arr. Lenehan# "Marble Halls" by Michael Balfe# "Prelude in E minor" by Frédéric Chopin...
.
In 2006 the Norwegian soprano Sissel Kyrkjebø
Sissel Kyrkjebø
Sissel Kyrkjebø , also simply known as Sissel, is a Norwegian soprano.Sissel is considered one of the world's top crossover sopranos. Sissel's musical style runs the gamut from pop recordings and folk songs, to classical vocals and operatic arias...
recorded a version for her album Into Paradise.
Lyrics
I dreamt I dwelt in marble hallsWith vassals and serfs at my side.
And of all who assembled within those walls
That I was the hope and the pride.
I had riches too great to count, could boast
Of a high ancestral name.
But I also dreamt, which pleased me most
That you lov'd me still the same,
That you lov'd me, you lov'd me still the same,
That you lov'd me, You loved me still the same.
I dreamt that suitors sought my hand.
That knights upon bended knee,
And with vows no maiden's heart could withstand,
They pledg'd their faith to me.
And I dreamt that one of that noble host
Came forth my hand to claim.
But I also dreamt, which charmed me most
That you lov'd me still the same,
That you lov'd me, you lov'd me still the same,
That you lov'd me, you loved me still the same.