The Pirates of Penzance Vocal Score
By W. S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan
4/5
()
About this ebook
W. S. Gilbert
W. S. Gilbert (1836-1911) was an English librettist, dramatist, and poet. Born in London, Gilbert was raised by William, a surgeon and novelist, and Anne Mary, an apothecary’s daughter. As a child he lived with his parents in Italy and France before finally returning to London in 1847. Gilbert graduated from Kind’s College London in 1856 before joining the Civil Service and briefly working as a barrister. In 1861, he began publishing poems, stories, and theatre reviews in Fun, The Cornhill Magazine, and Temple Bar. His first play was Uncle Baby, which ran to moderate acclaim for seven weeks in 1863. He soon became one of London’s most popular writers of opera burlesques, but turned away from the form in 1869 to focus on prose comedies. In 1871, he began working with composer Arthur Sullivan, whose music provided the perfect melody to some of the most popular comic operas of all time, including H. M. S. Pinafore (1878), The Pirates of Penzance (1879), and The Mikado (1885). At London’s Savoy Theatre and around the world, The D’Oyly Carte Opera Company would perform Gilbert and Sullivan’s works for the next century. Gilbert, the author of more than 75 plays and countless more poems, stories, and articles, influenced such writers as Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw, as well as laid the foundation for the success of American musical theatre on Broadway and beyond.
Read more from W. S. Gilbert
The Pirates of Penzance: or The Slave of Duty Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTrial By Jury: "Where is the Plaintiff?" Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5H.M.S. Pinafore: or, The Lass That Loved A Sailor Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Mikado: or The Town of Titipu Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Plays Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Grand Duke: or The Stuatory Duel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mikado Vocal Score Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Iolanthe: or The Peer and the Peri Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRuddigore: or The Witch's Curse Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Yeomen of the Guard: or The Merryman and His Maid Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFifty "Bab" Ballads: Much Sound and Little Sense Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPatience; Or, Bunthorne's Bride Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Collected Works of W. S. Gilbert: The Complete Works PergamonMedia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUtopia Limited: or The Flowers of Progress Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPrincess Ida: or Castle Adamant Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Gondoliers, or the King of Barataria Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMore Bab Ballads Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsH.M.S. Pinafore Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThespis: or The Gods Grown Old Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Bab Ballads, with Which Are Included Songs of a Savoyard Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Story of the Mikado Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Bab Ballads Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Pirates of Penzance Vocal Score
Related ebooks
The Mikado Vocal Score Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Vocal Score of Iolanthe - Or, The Peer and The Peri Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSomething Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway Revolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Four by Sondheim Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Rachmaninoff's Complete Songs: A Companion with Texts and Translations Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDivas and Scholars: Performing Italian Opera Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Short History of Opera Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Oklahoma!: The Making of an American Musical Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Sing for Your Supper: The Broadway Musical in the 1930s Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Yeomen of the Guard: or The Merryman and His Maid Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Marriage of Figaro Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFamous Italian Opera Arias: A Dual-Language Book Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Don Giovanni Vocal Score Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Italian Opera Arias: Soprano and Piano Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCosi fan Tutte in Full Score Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Enraged Accompanist's Guide to the Perfect Audition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Merry Widow Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGerman Requiem in Full Score Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mass in B Minor in Full Score Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAudition Songs for Men Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOffenbach's Songs from the Great Operettas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVocal Score of the Gondoliers - Or, the Barataria Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsItalian Opera Arias: Tenor and Piano Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRusalka: A Performance Guide with Translations and Pronunciation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Das Lied von der Erde in Full Score Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Il trovatore: Critical Edition Study Score Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Italian Opera Arias: Baritone and Piano Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNone But the Lonely Heart and Other Songs for High Voice Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Grand Duke: or The Stuatory Duel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Verdi and His Operas Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Music For You
Guitar For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Singing For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Easyway to Play Piano: A Beginner's Best Piano Primer Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Learn Guitar A Beginner's Course Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Big Keyboard and Piano Chord Book: 500+ Keyboard and Piano Chords in a Unique Visual Format Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Learn Your Fretboard: The Essential Memorization Guide for Guitar (Book + Online Bonus) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Step By Step Mixing: How to Create Great Mixes Using Only 5 Plug-ins Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/588 Piano Classics for Beginners Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Music Theory For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Songwriting: Essential Guide to Lyric Form and Structure: Tools and Techniques for Writing Better Lyrics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Circle of Fifths: Visual Tools for Musicians, #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Learn to Play the Guitar: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bass Guitar For Dummies Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hal Leonard Pocket Music Theory (Music Instruction): A Comprehensive and Convenient Source for All Musicians Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Meaning of Mariah Carey Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Piano For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Music Theory For Beginners Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Learn Jazz Piano: book 1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Open Book Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How To Practice Piano Effectively: 50+ Proven And Practical Tips Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Songwriting For Dummies Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Making Rumours: The Inside Story of the Classic Fleetwood Mac Album Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Weird Scenes Inside The Canyon: Laurel Canyon, Covert Ops & The Dark Heart Of The Hippie Dream Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bowie: An Illustrated Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for The Pirates of Penzance Vocal Score
15 ratings1 review
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I've never seen The Pirates of Penzance performed so I tried reading the dialogue (listened via the LibriVox David Wales edition). What a strange experience arriving at it this way since the dialogue is often clever turns of phrase and dependent on the music and acting to achieve its effect. Without any context I followed the story but it meant little. Only after finishing did I watch some scenes performed on YouTube and realized there is much more to it. The music is classic and the performances make it come alive. On the other hand the dialogue is difficult to follow live, so I returned to the script to catch all the cleverness. Early on, with the mistake between "Pirate" and "Pilot", the play informs this is a story about language. However I noticed the modern performances on YouTube have changed the 1879 dialogue and developed their own simplified version, emphasizing story and character, which is helpful to understanding what is happening but the original script is different, weirder, perhaps better.
Book preview
The Pirates of Penzance Vocal Score - W. S. Gilbert
Also available in this series edited by Carl Simpson and Ephraim Hammett Jones:
Gilbert & Sullivan
The Pirates of Penzance in Full Score
(Dover: 0-486-41891-X)
The Mikado Vocal Score
(Dover: 0-486-41163-X
The Mikado in Full Score
(Dover: 0-486-40626-1)
Complete performance material for this work is available from:
Serenissima Music, Inc.
205 S. Charles Street
Edwardsville, IL 62025 USA
(618) 656-5143 phone
e-mail: csimpson@iw.edwpub.com
Copyright
Copyright © 2001 by Serenissima Music Inc. All rights reserved.
Bibliographical Note
Carl Simpson and Ephraim Hammett Jones’ edition of The Pirates of Penzance Vocal Score is a new work, first published by Dover Publications, Inc., in 2001. Newly engraved plates were prepared by the editors.
International Standard Book Number
9780486171470
Manufactured in the United States by Courier Corporation 41893605 www.doverpublications.com
Table of Contents
Title Page
Also by
Copyright Page
PREFACE
DRAMATIS PERSONÆ
ORIGINAL CAST - [December 31st, 1879 – New York]
SYNOPSIS
THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE
Act One
Act Two
PREFACE
The story of The Pirates of Penzance, Gilbert and Sullivan’s fifth collaboration, begins with the public acclaim received by its immediate predecessor. H.M.S. Pinafore was successful beyond either of its creators’ wildest expectations following its first performance in May of 1878. The music was soon heard everywhere – even street musicians were grinding out melodies such as I’m Called Little Buttercup.
Word spread fast, and a production was mounted in Boston a mere six months (to the day) after the world premiere. H.M.S. Pinafore was subsequently performed to packed houses all over the United States. By 1879, there were several productions going on at the same time in New York alone. The American copyright law of the time offered the authors no protection whatsoever from unauthorized or ‘pirate’ productions. Once a vocal score or libretto was in print, anyone was free to perform a given work without having to pay a royalty to the composer or author. American ‘pirate’ producers commissioned orchestrations from the printed vocal score (Sullivan’s own orchestration existed in manuscript only) and often took considerable license with the text and action.
When they realized what was happening in the U.S., Gilbert, Sullivan and producer Richard D‘Oyly Carte decided that the only way they would gain any benefit from Pinafore’s enormous American popularity was to mount a competing ‘authorized’ performance. At about the same time, they determined that New York would be a good venue from which to launch their new work-in-progress, The Pirates of Penzance, in order to obtain at least a modicum of copyright protection in the United States.
Carrying his copy of the libretto, the Pinafore orchestration, and sketches for the new work, Sullivan boarded the Cunard steamship Bothnia on October 25th, 1879 along with Gilbert, the conductor/ musical assistant Alfred Cellier, and Blanche Roosevelt, an American soprano who had been engaged for leading roles in both Pinafore and the new opera. Arriving in New York on November 5th, they had to wait a few days for the arrival of Carte and the rest of the company. With