New-York tribune., 1884-01-13
GILBERT AND SULLIVANS NEW OPERA.

There was good deal less of curiosity and specu
| lation this time than last touching the character
| and name of the work which has occupied the at
| tention of Messrs Gilbert and Sullivan since 10
| lanthen was launched This may have been due in
degree to feeling that the two arch fun-makerS
had reached the climax Of their powers, and that
| though they might continue to turn out an opera
every year two. it wOuld be vain to expect the
| freshness Of wit and affluence of melody which
| characterized Pinafore" The Pirates" and Pa
| tience" "Iolanthe" betrayed a decline in both
the text and music by exposing to the crowd good
many of the formulas which the clever Englishmen
employed. Though not failure In the common
it fell much short Of the success of Its prede-
ccssors. Mr. Gilbert unfortunate with his plot;
the object of his satire was not obvious enough,
and he spOilt its effect by mixing together fairies
and noblcmen in manner that was too far-fetched
even for Gilbertian extravaganza.
| The new opera, which produced the other
evening at the Savoy Theatre, London, will have to
| contend at the outset with the drawback OF being
an old piece revamped. 1t is called Princess Ida
OF Castle Adamant" and is little more than Mr.. Gill
berts old comedy, The Princess" done over with
new music "'Tho Princess" said Mr.. Gilbert
when he printed it in q book Of his plays in 1879.
is respectful parody of Mr.. Tennysons exquisite
poeHp In truth it is q burlesQue. rather than
| parody which makes a hOtch-pOtch of the original
! medley, and coarse, though good humored,
! means to satirize the stroug-mided women whom
! the laureate handled with such exquisite skill
The course of the original narrative is followed IN
| way until the final scenes; these the funny Mr.
Gilbert peryerts utterly Readers Of Tennyson need
| not be told of the tenderness of the concluding
! pages of his poem; how the springs of womanly
feeling are opened by the spectacle of the tourney
and how in the exercise Of her functions minis
tering angel The Princes is drawn from her meta
physics into the path of love. All this. however,
was not TO Mr.. Gilberts purpose He gives victory
in the tourney to Prince Mlarion Cyril and Fioridn
The Ir,cess yields and in the tag comes the moral
| of the farce:
HiIdeLrand-MadaIu, you placed your trust IN woman
Woman has failed you uterly..try man
| Give him chance it's only fair. besides
| To try unprOven theOries upon
Experiments the proverb IS, are made
| On humble subjects. Try our gr0'ser clay,
! And mould IL as you VIII!
"The Princess" was brought out in January, 1870,
in the Royal Olympic Theatre, London. Its da-
logue was of course spoken, but it was cnivened
with a number of songs for which music was bOT
rowed from La Pcrichoc" and other comic
operettas 1t contained besides extremely clever
parody of Largo al factotum' from ROssinis
" Barber" In working it over for original music.
Nh Gilbert seems have retained the greater part
of the dialogue unchanged, but has added num-
Der of songs made portions of the dialogue to Jingle,
50 that they might be the better set the music of
ensembles. and amplifed portions of the original
text to give framework to the patter song, and
other inevitable features of the Gilbert and Sullivan
kind of opera There must be an opening chorus.
and So While Ring Hidcbrdpds conrtlers wait for
the coming of King Gama, and look for him with
telescopes and what not tney sing:
Search throughout the panorama
For sign Of royal Cana.
Who to-day should the water
with his fascinating daughter
Ida IS her name
Some misfortune evidently
Has detained them-cOnseGuenty,
Search throughout the panorama
For the daughter OF King Cana,
Prince IilanOn's flame.
The description of hiag GGmG remains unchanged,
but III place OF the amusing description of his baby
bride which Prince Hiari0H gives III the comedy,
and the account oi the welding feast:
Rolls STEPPED in milk, and other softeucd food
Fit for undcveOprd little gums,
And talk OF drink, never shall forget
How mcrrily passed the nursing bottle.
Mr. Gilbert has gwen Mr.. Sullivan these verses
to create a melody for:
Ida was twelvemonth old,
Twenty years ago!
was twice her age I'm told,
Twenty years agol
Husband twice old wife
Argues III for married life.
Bacfu prophecies rife,
twenty years ago!
| Still a tiny prince
Twenty years ago.
Twenty years ago.
! Though si.a's twenty one It's true,
! AIN barely twenty-five
f4ISe Tseo%,S ana Icsrs IConsG apG pGGpAe'S you
The patter song comes in when King Cana intro
duces himself. Here is the third stanza:
I'm sure Tn no ascetc; I'm pleasant as can be;
! rye an irritating chucke, I've a celebrated sneer.
I've entertaining Singer. I've fascinating leer;
! TO eyerybody's prejudice know thing Two;
| ! can ten wonan's age in half minute-and dol
| Yet
/ And can't think why
A last example will show clearly how Mr. Gilbert
has gone to work to change some of bis lines for
| music In "The Princess when Prince Hilarton
resolves to do battle with the encasted ladies' and
win the bride contracted 10 him twenty years be-
fore, he says:
Oh don't mistake u.s. air TO storm
Their eyes and hearts ana net their citadel.
Dance steps shall be our sealing LADDER with
Those croquet n,ailets for our battering rams;
| Our eyes shall be our very dcadiest darts
And bon-bon crackers our artillery
These lines have been changed into the following
! concerted piece:
RiIar. Expressive glances
shall be our lauces
| And pops OF sillery
| Our llgut artillery.
! Ven storm Their bowers
| With scented showers
OF faircst flowers
That can buy.
| CAo On dainty trioet,
Oh, fragrant violet.
| Oh gentle helghO-let,
| (Or little slRh;
| On sweet urDdnity,
Through mere indnity,
To touch their vanity,
| W will relyl
when day is fading,
With serenading
And suOh frivOity,
Well prove our quality.
A sweet prOfusiOn
OF soft illusion
| This bold Intrusion
Shall justify.
oho. Oh, dainty trioiet etc.
| Hiidr. Well charm their senses
| With verbal fences
| With ballads amatOry
| And declamatOry.
| And little needing
4 H.