The Outpost (opera)
Encyclopedia
The Outpost is an opera or operetta by composer Hamilton Clarke
with a libretto by A. O'D. Bartholeyns
. The story is an adaptation of the Singspiel
Der vierjährige Posten by Theodor Körner
with music by Franz Schubert
.
The piece was one of Clarke's last compositions following several operettas that he had composed for the German Reeds. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre
from 2 July 1900 to 3 November 1900 as a companion piece to the Gilbert and Sullivan
opera The Pirates of Penzance
, for the second London revival of Pirates, and also played from 10 November 1900 to 7 December 1900 as a companion piece to Patience
, a total of 131 performances. After this, the work was performed on tour from late 1901 through 1902 as a companion piece to Pirates, Patience and Iolanthe
.
Both the score and the libretto appear to be lost, but there survives a copy of a fantasia for flute and piano, based on airs from the piece, and so the vocal score may have been published.
The fashion in the late Victorian era
and Edwardian era was to present long evenings in the theatre, and so producer Richard D'Oyly Carte
preceded his Savoy opera
s with curtain raisers
, like The Outpost. W. J. MacQueen-Pope
commented, concerning such curtain raisers:
Campion played from 30 July to 11 August, while Pinder was substituting as the Pirate King in Pirates. Nell Richardson probably played while Evans was off from 27 August to 8 September. The touring cast was Fred G. Edgar, W. G. Lennox, E. A. White, R. A. Swinhoe, Fred Drawater, Bernard Fisher, Edward L. Bishop and, at times, Frank Robey, Norah Maguire, Florence Beech and Bessel Adams.
It is not known how much, if at all, Bartholeyns altered the original plot. The dramatis personae of both versions are essentially the same, with the addition of a corporal in the English version. The names of the heroine (Kate/Käthchen) and her father (Walter/Walther) are merely Anglicised.
Hamilton Clarke
James Hamilton Siree Clarke , better known as Hamilton Clarke, was an English conductor, composer and organist...
with a libretto by A. O'D. Bartholeyns
Albert O'Donnell Bartholeyns
Albert O'Donnell Bartholeyns , sometimes known as A. O'Donnell Bartholeyns, was an English journalist, hospital administrator, and translator of plays.-Biography:...
. The story is an adaptation of the Singspiel
Singspiel
A Singspiel is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera...
Der vierjährige Posten by Theodor Körner
Theodor Körner (author)
Karl Theodor Körner was a German poet and soldier. After some time in Vienna, where he wrote some light comedies and other works, he became a soldier and joined the German uprising against Napoleon...
with music by Franz Schubert
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
.
The piece was one of Clarke's last compositions following several operettas that he had composed for the German Reeds. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre
Savoy Theatre
The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre located in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre opened on 10 October 1881 and was built by Richard D'Oyly Carte on the site of the old Savoy Palace as a showcase for the popular series of comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan,...
from 2 July 1900 to 3 November 1900 as a companion piece to the Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
opera The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences...
, for the second London revival of Pirates, and also played from 10 November 1900 to 7 December 1900 as a companion piece to Patience
Patience (opera)
Patience; or, Bunthorne's Bride, is a comic opera in two acts with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. First performed at the Opera Comique, London, on 23 April 1881, it moved to the 1,292-seat Savoy Theatre on 10 October 1881, where it was the first theatrical production in the...
, a total of 131 performances. After this, the work was performed on tour from late 1901 through 1902 as a companion piece to Pirates, Patience and Iolanthe
Iolanthe
Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy operas and is the seventh collaboration of the fourteen between Gilbert and Sullivan....
.
Both the score and the libretto appear to be lost, but there survives a copy of a fantasia for flute and piano, based on airs from the piece, and so the vocal score may have been published.
The fashion in the late Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
and Edwardian era was to present long evenings in the theatre, and so producer Richard D'Oyly Carte
Richard D'Oyly Carte
Richard D'Oyly Carte was an English talent agent, theatrical impresario, composer and hotelier during the latter half of the Victorian era...
preceded his Savoy opera
Savoy opera
The Savoy Operas denote a style of comic opera that developed in Victorian England in the late 19th century, with W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan as the original and most successful practitioners. The name is derived from the Savoy Theatre, which impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte built to house...
s with curtain raisers
Curtain raiser (drama)
A curtain raiser is a performance, stage act, show, actor or performer that opens a show for the main attraction. The term is derived from the act of raising the stage curtain...
, like The Outpost. W. J. MacQueen-Pope
W. J. MacQueen-Pope
Walter James MacQueen-Pope was an English theatre historian and publicist. From a theatrical family which could be traced back to contemporaries of Shakespeare, he was in management for the first part of his career, but switched to publicity, in which field he became well-known...
commented, concerning such curtain raisers:
- This was a one-act play, seen only by the early comers. It would play to empty boxes, half-empty upper circle, to a gradually filling stalls and dress circle, but to an attentive, grateful and appreciative pit and gallery. Often these plays were little gems. They deserved much better treatment than they got, but those who saw them delighted in them. ... [They] served to give young actors and actresses a chance to win their spurs ... the stalls and the boxes lost much by missing the curtain-raiser, but to them dinner was more important.
Roles and original cast
- Walter – H. Carlyle Pritchard
- Henry – Charles Childerstone
- Karl – W. H. Leon
- Colonel – Edwin Bryan
- Captain – Powis Pinder/ J. Lewis Campion
- Corporal – Iago Lewis [Lewys]
- Kate – Lulu Evans/Nell Richardson
Campion played from 30 July to 11 August, while Pinder was substituting as the Pirate King in Pirates. Nell Richardson probably played while Evans was off from 27 August to 8 September. The touring cast was Fred G. Edgar, W. G. Lennox, E. A. White, R. A. Swinhoe, Fred Drawater, Bernard Fisher, Edward L. Bishop and, at times, Frank Robey, Norah Maguire, Florence Beech and Bessel Adams.
Plot
Körner's original libretto depicts a young French soldier sent to guard the German border. He hates military life, deserts his post, crosses into Germany, marries a German girl and lives happily as a farmer. Four years later, war breaks out, and the French army crosses the border. The young man is recognised, arrested, and charged with desertion, a capital offence. He decides to claim that he has been at his post the whole time, but the French do not believe this story and put him before a court martial. He is saved by the intervention of the French general who gives him the benefit of the doubt and an honourable discharge from the army, and he returns to living happily as a farmer.It is not known how much, if at all, Bartholeyns altered the original plot. The dramatis personae of both versions are essentially the same, with the addition of a corporal in the English version. The names of the heroine (Kate/Käthchen) and her father (Walter/Walther) are merely Anglicised.
External links
- http://math.boisestate.edu/gas/companions/index.htmlList of Savoy operaSavoy operaThe Savoy Operas denote a style of comic opera that developed in Victorian England in the late 19th century, with W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan as the original and most successful practitioners. The name is derived from the Savoy Theatre, which impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte built to house...
companion pieces] - Article on Savoy curtain raisers