The Bohemian Girl
Encyclopedia
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. The production ran for 100 nights and enjoyed many revivals worldwide including: New York (25 November 1844), Dublin (1844), Philadelphia (1844) and Vienna (in German, 1846). In 1858 an Italian version under the title of La zingara, was given at Her Majesty's Theatre
in London, starring Marietta Piccolomini
, Marietta Alboni
and Antonio Giuglini
. Since World War II it has been staged by the Arts Theatre, Belfast (1978) and by Opera South
in Haslemere
in England (2008)
The best-known aria from the piece is "I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls" in which Arline describes her vague memories of her childhood. It has been recorded by many artists, most famously by Dame Joan Sutherland, and also by the Norwegian soprano Sissel Kyrkjebø
and Irish singer Enya
.
noble, Thaddeus, in exile in Austria
, joins a band of gypsies. He saves Arline, the infant daughter of Count Arnheim, from being killed by a deer. The count, in gratitude, invites him to a banquet, where Thaddeus refuses to toast a statue of the Austrian Emperor, instead splashing it with wine, and escapes from his enraged host with the help of his gypsy friend Devilshoof, who kidnaps Arline.
Thaddeus to the castle and tries to break in through the same window to kill Arline with a musket and kidnap Thaddeus. Before she can execute her plan, however, Devilshoof tries to wrest the weapon from her hands and she is accidentally killed in the scuffle.
Act 2
Act 3
version was made in Britain in 1922
. Ellen Terry
, much better known as a stage actress, made her last screen appearance as Buda the nursemaid
. Ivor Novello
plays Thaddeus, Gladys Cooper
plays Arline, and C. Aubrey Smith plays Devilshoof.
An early sound short subject
version of the opera was filmed in Britain in 1927, starring Pauline Johnson
as Arline and Herbert Langley
as Thaddeus.
The best known version
is undoubtedly the 1936 full-length Laurel and Hardy
film, described in the opening credits as "A Comedy Version of The Bohemian Girl". The characters played by Laurel and Hardy do not appear in the stage opera, nor does Thaddeus appear in the film.
La gitanilla itself has been filmed three times, but never in English.
and the Boston Pops Orchestra
recorded the opera's overture for RCA Victor in 1958 for an album titled "Boston Tea Party," which was released on LP in stereo and digitally remastered for a later CD reissue.
and Eveline
by James Joyce
which are both parts of Dubliners
. In Clay, the character Maria sings some lines from "I dreamt I dwelt in marble halls." This aria is also quoted in Joyce's novel Finnegan's Wake
.
The opera is mentioned, and the aria is referred to several times, in the novel Dragonwyck
, by Anya Seton
, set in 1844. The song also appears in the movie version of the book.
Willa Cather
has also referenced the work. One of her short stories, entitled The Bohemian Girl
, incorporates quotes from some of the arias (again including "I dreamt I dwelt in marble halls"). The plot of the story also has some substantial parallels to the original.
The aria "I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls" is sung in the film The Age of Innocence
. The aria was also played and sung by the character Clementina Cavendish in the 1998 film "The Governess".
recorded a complete recording of the Bohemian girl with Sutherland and Bonynge's protege, Nova Thomas, singing the title role. It is one of the only complete recordings of the entire opera and still in print via ArkivMusic.
Balfe: The Bohemian Girl, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, RTÉ Philharmonic Choir
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...
composed 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 a libretto 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...
. The plot is loosely based on a Cervantes
Cervantes
-People:*Alfonso J. Cervantes , mayor of St. Louis, Missouri*Francisco Cervantes de Salazar, 16th-century man of letters*Ignacio Cervantes, Cuban composer*Jorge Cervantes, a world-renowned expert on indoor, outdoor, and greenhouse cannabis cultivation...
tale, La Gitanilla.
The opera was first produced in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
at the Drury Lane Theatre
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
on November 27, 1843. The production ran for 100 nights and enjoyed many revivals worldwide including: New York (25 November 1844), Dublin (1844), Philadelphia (1844) and Vienna (in German, 1846). In 1858 an Italian version under the title of La zingara, was given at Her Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre, in Haymarket, City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at the theatre...
in London, starring Marietta Piccolomini
Marietta Piccolomini
Marietta Piccolomini Conflicting dates for both her birth and death are widespread - birthdates include 5 and 15 March 1834; death dates indlude 11 February, and 11, 20 and 23 December 1899. The dates given in this article, are the ones that are given in Grove's Dictionary of Opera and appear most...
, Marietta Alboni
Marietta Alboni
Marietta Alboni was a renowned Italian contralto opera singer. Together with the charismatic Maria Malibran, she was considered the greatest deeper-voiced female singer of the nineteenth century.-Biography:...
and Antonio Giuglini
Antonio Giuglini
Antonio Giuglini was an Italian operatic tenor. During the last eight years of his life, before he developed signs of mental instability, he earned renown as one of the leading stars of the operatic scene in London...
. Since World War II it has been staged by the Arts Theatre, Belfast (1978) and by Opera South
Opera South
Opera South is a name used by several opera companies. Two are in the United States, one in the United Kingdom.*Opera South for OperaSouth, Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia, and OPERA/SOUTH in Jackson, Mississippi*Opera South for the British company...
in Haslemere
Haslemere
Haslemere is a town in Surrey, England, close to the border with both Hampshire and West Sussex. The major road between London and Portsmouth, the A3, lies to the west, and a branch of the River Wey to the south. Haslemere is approximately south-west of Guildford.Haslemere is surrounded by hills,...
in England (2008)
The best-known aria from the piece is "I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls" in which Arline describes her vague memories of her childhood. It has been recorded by many artists, most famously by Dame Joan Sutherland, and also by 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...
and Irish singer 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...
.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 27 November 1843 (Conductor: William Balfe ) |
|---|---|---|
| Arline, daughter of Count Arnheim | 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... |
Elizabeth Rainforth |
| Thaddeus, a Polish fugitive | 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... |
William Harrison |
| Count Arnheim | 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... |
Borrani |
| Queen of the Gypsies | 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... |
Betts |
| Devilshoof, chief of the gypsies | bass | Stretton |
| Florestein, nephew of the Count | tenor | James Hudson |
| Buda, Arline's attendant | soprano | |
| Captain of the Guard | bass | |
| Officer | tenor | |
Act 1
A PolishPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
noble, Thaddeus, in exile in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, joins a band of gypsies. He saves Arline, the infant daughter of Count Arnheim, from being killed by a deer. The count, in gratitude, invites him to a banquet, where Thaddeus refuses to toast a statue of the Austrian Emperor, instead splashing it with wine, and escapes from his enraged host with the help of his gypsy friend Devilshoof, who kidnaps Arline.
Act 2
Twelve years have elapsed. Arline can only vaguely remember her noble upbringing. She and Thaddeus are sweethearts, but the Gypsy Queen is also in love with him. Arnheim's nephew Florestein falls in love with Arline (not recognising her), but the Queen plants a medallion stolen from Florestein on Arline. Florestein recognises the medallion and has her arrested. She is tried before the Count. who recognises the scar left on her arm from the deer attack.Act 3
Arline is at a ball in her father's castle, where she feels nostalgic for her Romany upbringing and for her true love. Thaddeus breaks into the castle through a window and pleads for her hand. He eventually wins the trust of the count whom he insulted twelve years ago, and the Count gives them his blessing. The Gypsy Queen stalksStalking
Stalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted and obsessive attention by an individual or group to another person. Stalking behaviors are related to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person and/or monitoring them via the internet...
Thaddeus to the castle and tries to break in through the same window to kill Arline with a musket and kidnap Thaddeus. Before she can execute her plan, however, Devilshoof tries to wrest the weapon from her hands and she is accidentally killed in the scuffle.
Musical numbers
Act 1- 1. "Up with the Banner, and Down with the Slave"
- 2. "'Tis Sad to Leave Our Fatherland"
- 3. "In the Gypsy's Life"
- 4. "Is No Succour Near at Hand?"
- 5. "Down with the Daring Slave"
- 6. "What Sound Breaks on the Ear?"
- 7. "Follow, Follow"
Act 2
- 8. "Silence, Silence"
- 9. "Wine, Wine!"
- 10. "I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls"
- 11. "The Secret of Her Birth"
- 12. "Happy and Light of Heart Are Those"
- 13. "'Tis Gone, the Past Was All a Dream"
- 14. "Come with the Gipsy Bride"
- 15. "Life Itself Is, at the Best"
- 16. "To the Hall!"
- 17. "That Grief May Call Its Own"
- 18. "Hold! Hold! We Cannot Give the Life We Take"
Act 3
- 18. "You'll Remember Me"
- 19. "Through All the World Thou Wilt Fly, My Love"
- 20. Welcome to the Present"
- 21. "Oh, What Full Delight"
Film versions
A silent movieSilent Movie
Silent Movie is a 1976 satirical comedy film co-written, directed by, and starring Mel Brooks, and released by 20th Century Fox on June 17, 1976...
version was made in Britain in 1922
The Bohemian Girl (1922 film)
The Bohemian Girl is a 1922 British romance film directed by Harley Knoles and starring Gladys Cooper, Ivor Novello and C. Aubrey Smith. It was inspired by the opera The Bohemian Girl by Michael William Balfe and Alfred Bunn which was in turn based on a novel by Cervantes.-Cast:* Gladys Cooper -...
. Ellen Terry
Ellen Terry
Dame Ellen Terry, GBE was an English stage actress who became the leading Shakespearean actress in Britain. Among the members of her famous family is her great nephew, John Gielgud....
, much better known as a stage actress, made her last screen appearance as Buda the nursemaid
Nursemaid
A nursemaid or nursery maid, is mostly a historical term of employment for a female servant in an elite household. In the 21st century, the position is largely defunct, owing to the relatively small number of households who maintain large staffs with the traditional hierarchy.The nursery maid...
. Ivor Novello
Ivor Novello
David Ivor Davies , better known as Ivor Novello, was a Welsh composer, singer and actor who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. Born into a musical family, his first successes were as a songwriter...
plays Thaddeus, Gladys Cooper
Gladys Cooper
Dame Gladys Constance Cooper, DBE was an English actress whose career spanned seven decades on stage, in films and on television....
plays Arline, and C. Aubrey Smith plays Devilshoof.
An early sound short subject
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
version of the opera was filmed in Britain in 1927, starring Pauline Johnson
Pauline Johnson (actress)
Pauline Johnson was a British film actress.-Selected filmography:* One of the Best * The Flying Scotsman * The Wrecker * Would You Believe It! * Maytime in Mayfair...
as Arline and Herbert Langley
Herbert Langley
-Selected filmography:* The Wonderful Story * Flames of Passion * Chu-Chin-Chow * Southern Love * Carmen * Cupid in Clover 1929)* Number Seventeen * Letting in the Sunshine...
as Thaddeus.
The best known version
The Bohemian Girl (1936 film)
The Bohemian Girl is a 1936 feature film version of the opera The Bohemian Girl by Michael William Balfe. It was produced at the Hal Roach Studios, and stars Laurel and Hardy and Thelma Todd in her last role before her death.-Plot:...
is undoubtedly the 1936 full-length Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
film, described in the opening credits as "A Comedy Version of The Bohemian Girl". The characters played by Laurel and Hardy do not appear in the stage opera, nor does Thaddeus appear in the film.
La gitanilla itself has been filmed three times, but never in English.
Overture
Arthur FiedlerArthur Fiedler
Arthur Fiedler was a long-time conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, a symphony orchestra that specializes in popular and light classical music. With a combination of musicianship and showmanship, he made the Boston Pops one of the best-known orchestras in the country...
and the Boston Pops Orchestra
Boston Pops Orchestra
The Boston Pops Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, that specializes in playing light classical and popular music....
recorded the opera's overture for RCA Victor in 1958 for an album titled "Boston Tea Party," which was released on LP in stereo and digitally remastered for a later CD reissue.
Other references
The Bohemian Girl is mentioned in the short stories ClayClay (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...
and Eveline
Eveline
Eveline is a story from Dubliners by James Joyce.-The story :A young woman of about nineteen years of age sits by her window, waiting to leave home. She muses on the aspects of her life that are driving her away, while "in her nostrils was the smell of dusty cretonne". Her mother has died as has...
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...
which are both parts of 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....
. In Clay, the character Maria sings some lines from "I dreamt I dwelt in marble halls." This aria is also quoted in Joyce's novel Finnegan's Wake
Finnegan's Wake
"Finnegan's Wake" is a ballad that arose in the 1850s in the music-hall tradition of comical Irish songs. The song is a staple of the Irish folk-music group, The Dubliners, who have played it on many occasions and included it on several albums, and is especially well known to fans of The Clancy...
.
The opera is mentioned, and the aria is referred to several times, in the novel Dragonwyck
Dragonwyck (novel)
Dragonwyck is a novel, written by the American author Anya Seton which was first published in 1944.It is a fictional story of the life of Miranda Wells and her marriage to Nicholas Van Ryn, set against an historical background of the Patroon system, Anti-Rent Wars, the Astor Place Riots, and...
, by Anya Seton
Anya Seton
Anya Seton was the pen name of Ann Seton, an American author of historical romances.-Biography:...
, set in 1844. The song also appears in the movie version of the book.
Willa Cather
Willa Cather
Willa Seibert Cather was an American author who achieved recognition for her novels of frontier life on the Great Plains, in works such as O Pioneers!, My Ántonia, and The Song of the Lark. In 1923 she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for One of Ours , a novel set during World War I...
has also referenced the work. One of her short stories, entitled The Bohemian Girl
The Bohemian Girl (short story)
The Bohemian Girl is a short story by Willa Cather. It was written when Cather was living in Cherry Valley, New York with Isabelle McClung whilst Alexander's Bridge was being serialised in McClure's. It was first published in McClure's in August 1912.-Plot summary:Nils Ericson gets off the train at...
, incorporates quotes from some of the arias (again including "I dreamt I dwelt in marble halls"). The plot of the story also has some substantial parallels to the original.
The aria "I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls" is sung in the 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....
. The aria was also played and sung by the character Clementina Cavendish in the 1998 film "The Governess".
Recordings
Several recordings exist of "I dream I dwelt in marble halls", perhaps most notably Sutherland's recording on her compilation disc "La Stupdenda". Sutherland's husband Maestro Richard BonyngeRichard Bonynge
Richard Alan Bonynge, AO, CBE is an Australian conductor and pianist.Bonynge was born in Sydney and educated at Sydney Boys High School before studying piano at the Royal College of Music in London. He gave up his music scholarship, continuing his private piano studies, and became a coach for...
recorded a complete recording of the Bohemian girl with Sutherland and Bonynge's protege, Nova Thomas, singing the title role. It is one of the only complete recordings of the entire opera and still in print via ArkivMusic.
Balfe: The Bohemian Girl, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, RTÉ Philharmonic Choir
RTÉ Philharmonic Choir
The RTÉ Philharmonic Choir is an Irish choir, part of Irish broadcaster RTÉ. The current chorus master is Mark Duley. It is part of RTÉ Performing Groups.- RTÉ Philharmonic Choir :...
- Conductor: Richard BonyngeRichard BonyngeRichard Alan Bonynge, AO, CBE is an Australian conductor and pianist.Bonynge was born in Sydney and educated at Sydney Boys High School before studying piano at the Royal College of Music in London. He gave up his music scholarship, continuing his private piano studies, and became a coach for...
- Principal singers: Nova Thomas (Arline), Patrick PowerPatrick Power (tenor)Patrick Power, , is a New Zealand tenor. He has sung nearly all the lyric tenor repertoire in most of the major opera companies and festivals in Europe and North America. He was educated at St Patrick's College, Silverstream.-External links:...
(Thaddeus), Jonathan SummersJonathan SummersJonathan Summers is an Australian operatic baritone. He notably sang the role of Captain Balstrode in the 1980 recording of Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes which won a Grammy award for Best Opera recording.- Early life :...
(Count Arnheim), Bernadette Cullen (Queen of the Gipsies), John del Carlo (Devilshoof), Timothy German (Florestein) - Recording date and location: January 1991, National Concert HallNational Concert HallThe National Concert Hall is a concert hall located on Earlsfort Terrace in Dublin, Ireland, close to St. Stephen's Green, and is the principal national venue for classical music concerts in Ireland....
, Dublin - Label: ArgoArgo Records (UK)Argo Records was a record label founded in 1951 by Harley Usill , and musicologist Cyril Clarke with £500 capital, initially as a company specialising in "British music played by British artists" , but it quickly became a company primarily specialising in spoken-word recordings and other esoteric ...
, 433 324-2 (2 CDs)