The Desert Flower
Encyclopedia
The Desert Flower is an opera
in three acts composed by William Vincent Wallace
. The libretto
was an English translation and adaptation by A. Harris and Thomas J. Williams of the libretto by Henri Saint-Georges and Adolphe de Leuven
for Halévy
's Jaguarita l'Indienne
. The Desert Flower premiered on 12 October 1863 in London at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden
in a performance by the Pyne and Harrison English Opera Company with Louisa Pyne
in the title role.
and William Harrison's English Opera Company. The Prince of Wales
was in the audience, and Louisa Pyne herself sang the role of Oanita, with Harrison as Captain Maurice. A contemporary review pronounced the songs "pretty" and the music "pleasing" but noted that "there are no passages which, by their brilliancy and sweetnesss, raise the work to the heights which the composer has achieved in some of his former operas."
The opera was not a particular success with audiences either, and was withdrawn after two weeks. The Desert Flower received its US premiere at New York's Academy of Music
on 12 January 1868 with Caroline Richings as Oanita and William Castle as Captain Maurice. Wallace's opera is all but forgotten now, but the overture
is occasionally played in concerts. Wilhelm Kuhe
composed a Fantasia
for piano based on its score, and in 1867 its main arias and duets were published as parlour songs in The Vocal Gems of William Vincent Wallace's Romantic Opera The Desert Flower.
, the setting is shifted from Dutch Guyana
to a Dutch settlement in North America under siege by Indians
, led by their beautiful queen, Oanita. The settlement is protected by two Dutch officers, the brave Captain Maurice and Major Hector Van Pumpernickle (who provides the comic relief). Matters become complicated when Oanita and Captain Maurice fall in love. This leads Oanita's henchman, Casgan, to challenge Maurice to fight. Casgan is defeated and a settlement is negotiated by the lovers which allows the Indians and settlers to peacefully co-exist.
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...
in three acts composed by William Vincent Wallace
William Vincent Wallace
William Vincent Wallace was an Irish composer and musician.-Early life:Wallace was born at Colbeck Street, Waterford, Ireland. Both parents were Irish, his father, of County Mayo, was a regimental bandmaster....
. The 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...
was an English translation and adaptation by A. Harris and Thomas J. Williams of the libretto by Henri Saint-Georges and Adolphe de Leuven
Adolphe de Leuven
Adolphe de Leuven was a French theatre director and a librettist. Also known as Grenvallet, and Count Adolph Ribbing. He was the son of Adolph Ribbing....
for Halévy
Fromental Halévy
Jacques-François-Fromental-Élie Halévy, usually known as Fromental Halévy , was a French composer. He is known today largely for his opera La Juive.-Early career:...
's Jaguarita l'Indienne
Jaguarita l'Indienne
Jaguarita l'Indienne is a three act opéra comique, to a libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Adolphe de Leuven, with music by Fromental Halévy....
. The Desert Flower premiered on 12 October 1863 in London at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
in a performance by the Pyne and Harrison English Opera Company with Louisa Pyne
Louisa Pyne
Louisa Bodda-Pyne was an English soprano and opera company manager.She was born Louisa Fanny Pyne in 1832, the youngest daughter of the alto George Pyne...
in the title role.
Background and performance history
The Desert Flower marked the last opera completed by Wallace, and its premiere opened the 8th and final season of Louisa PyneLouisa Pyne
Louisa Bodda-Pyne was an English soprano and opera company manager.She was born Louisa Fanny Pyne in 1832, the youngest daughter of the alto George Pyne...
and William Harrison's English Opera Company. The Prince of Wales
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
was in the audience, and Louisa Pyne herself sang the role of Oanita, with Harrison as Captain Maurice. A contemporary review pronounced the songs "pretty" and the music "pleasing" but noted that "there are no passages which, by their brilliancy and sweetnesss, raise the work to the heights which the composer has achieved in some of his former operas."
The opera was not a particular success with audiences either, and was withdrawn after two weeks. The Desert Flower received its US premiere at New York's Academy of Music
Academy of Music (Manhattan)
The Academy of Music was a New York City opera house, located at East 14th Street and Irving Place in Manhattan. The 4,000-seat hall opened on October 2, 1854. The New York Times review declared it to be an acoustical "triumph", but "In every other aspect .....
on 12 January 1868 with Caroline Richings as Oanita and William Castle as Captain Maurice. Wallace's opera is all but forgotten now, but the overture
Overture
Overture in music is the term originally applied to the instrumental introduction to an opera...
is occasionally played in concerts. Wilhelm Kuhe
Wilhelm Kuhe
Wilhelm Kuhe was a German pianist, pianoforte player and teacher, composer and administrator born in the city of Prague , in the first half of the nineteenth-century.-Life:...
composed a Fantasia
Fantasia (music)
The fantasia is a musical composition with its roots in the art of improvisation. Because of this, it seldom approximates the textbook rules of any strict musical form ....
for piano based on its score, and in 1867 its main arias and duets were published as parlour songs in The Vocal Gems of William Vincent Wallace's Romantic Opera The Desert Flower.
Principal roles and premiere cast
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast 12 October 1863 |
|---|---|---|
| Oanita | 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... |
Louisa Pyne |
| Captain Maurice | 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 |
| Major Hector Van Pumpernickle | 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... |
Henry Corri |
| Casgan | bass or bass-baritone Bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three Wagnerian roles: the Dutchman in Der fliegende... |
Willoughby Weiss Willoughby Weiss Willoughby Hunter Weiss was an English oratorio and opera singer and composer. He became one of the most celebrated bass singers of the 19th century, and sang in the premieres of many English works.... |
| Sergeant Peterman | bass | Thomas Aynsley Cook |
| Eva | 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... |
Susan Pyne |
Synopsis
Although based on Halévy's Jaguarita l'IndienneJaguarita l'Indienne
Jaguarita l'Indienne is a three act opéra comique, to a libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Adolphe de Leuven, with music by Fromental Halévy....
, the setting is shifted from Dutch Guyana
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
to a Dutch settlement in North America under siege by Indians
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, led by their beautiful queen, Oanita. The settlement is protected by two Dutch officers, the brave Captain Maurice and Major Hector Van Pumpernickle (who provides the comic relief). Matters become complicated when Oanita and Captain Maurice fall in love. This leads Oanita's henchman, Casgan, to challenge Maurice to fight. Casgan is defeated and a settlement is negotiated by the lovers which allows the Indians and settlers to peacefully co-exist.
Main arias and duets
- 'Through the pathless forests drear'
- 'Swift as dart'
- 'The wood bird's song'
- 'The pangs of unrequited love'
- 'Why did I leave my country dear'
- 'Though born in woods'
- 'Dance ye lithely'
- 'Why throbs this heart'
- 'Ah! Happy hour' (duet)
- 'The desert waste, the rocky steep'
- 'I make thee king'
- 'My loved home I never shall see more'
- 'No joy can e'er the bliss exceed'
Sources
- Brown, T. Allston, A history of the New York stage from the first performance in 1732 to 1901, Dodd, Mead and Co., 1903, Vol. 2, p. 59.
- Flood, W. H. Grattan, William Vincent Wallace: A Memoir, Published at the offices of The Waterford News, 1912.
- The Rose, the Shamrock and the Thistle, a Magazine, "October 12 — Royal English Opera, Covent Garden", Vol. 4, November 1863 April 1864, pp. 223–224.
- Wallace, William Vincent, The Desert Flower: An Opera, in Three Acts, libretto published by the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden and sold in the theatre, 1863.
- Wyndham, Henry Saxe, The annals of Covent Garden theatre from 1732 to 1897, Chatto & Windus, 1906, Vol. 2, p. 243.