The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-10-04
NO. 162.
MELoDIoUS captain COOK"
Completion Of the Opera of Noah Brandt
and Sands Forman.

attention to opera since Stewart
and O'Connell set their mark with
"Bluf King Hail." and each is vying
with the other to produce something
| that will catch more than the local
fancy. For some time Noah Brandt,
one of the most eminent Of San Fran.
cisco's musicians, has been at work on
a romantic, historical opera, which he
hopes will be light enough to please
and yet not so light as to lack character
and dignity, and now the work is out
of the hands Of the publisher and
ready for production.
Supervisor Sands W. Forman,
formerly a prominent newspaper man
and general writer of note, essayed the
llbretto, and selected as his subject the
landing Of Captain Cook on the Ha-
waiian Isles in 1878. This opened up
rare possibilities in the way of unique
ballets and languorous cadences, and
the few to whom the completed work
has been submitted are hearty in their
praise of the way in which the COM
poser and librettist have worked out
their idea When "The Bostonians"
were here last they heard some of the
numbers OF the first &C. and were so
well pleased with them that they in
sisted they should have the first chance
at securing the opera So copies have
been sent to the managers for their
perusal and there is a prospect that
this latest product of Western genius
may soon have the country by the ears.
After an overture containing the
themes Of the entire opera, the first act
opens with the landing of the sailors
from the Resolute and the Discovery.
and their swinging chorus beginning:
Der many league of the trackless sea
Sing no for the wind that's fairl
Sing no, yo no, yo no!
We've sailed along we m ariners free
Sing no for the maidens rare!
Sing no, yo ho, yo hol
Boatswain Marley, the grumbler of
the crew, tries to throw cold water on
the fun, but Cupples, the surgeon, sings
a sad tale of how the crew of the good
ship Retriever died of the fever on his
hands and turns the laugh on Marley
We were homeward bound, with hopeful
hearts,
In the good old ship Retriever;
We left old Malta far behind
When we broke out with the fever.
Be sure our luck was bad enough,
worse late no one could wish us;
Some sailor died at every hour
And went to feed the fishes.
The more dosed the more they did.
Yet worked them off quite handy.
"Ihin m tne BRINE we popped the crew
The officers in brandy.
A neater lad ne'er trod the deck
A prince among his fellows
Than Bates, poor soul, until the day
He went off with "the yelows."
But when they broached his cask at home
What think you was within it1
a mummy, lads, for Mairley'd drank
I'LL not drop was in it,
Then harken, mates, to what saw
In truth, speak you fairly
Drink not to deep OF any cup
Take warning by old Marley
Captain Cook then comes ashore
and at once bursts forth into a bold
and breezy piratical solo:
In me you behold captain bold.
skipper as gallant as e'er sailed awav.
ruler by right who sways by his might,
And woe to the varlet who fails to obey.
My sovereign honor, my flag l uphold
In whatever land perchance may stray.
| But like any skipper do as please
"hen the bark bowls along with a fine
spanking breeze.
| And woe to the lubber who is deaf to nv call
When the winds roar and howl in the m;ds,
| Of squal.
| After another chorus the sailors leave
Cook and Cupples and the natives
come marching down chanting a paan
to Pele. This is wierdly characteristic
and begins
We praise the gods on high
we rend the arching sky;
With songs that Pele's deeds recopn,
| Dread goddess of the fiery mount.
Then there is dlnce and process.
sion, and the natives, with King Kala.
nopouu and his daughter, the Princess
la la, 60 toward the volcano to worsbip
the goddess. Meeting Cook, they fail
down before him as the White God
whose coming their traditions predict.
ed. The King tells of the predictions
of Koko Bola, his soothsayer and
offers to share his throne with Col
and to give him the Princess la Ia to
wife. The other maidens pair witb
the sailors and la la sings a simple,
beautiful melody thought by many to
be the gem Of the opera
A fern leaf grew in forest glade.
Where the sunbeam peeped in its coves,
| way,
"here amrous youth and beauty strayed
And Cupid King held regal sway.
us thoughts were all OF love and life,
50 far removed from toll and strife.
Where all the air was full of love.
The boughs and branches far above
The birds all sang the self.same song
And warbled on the whole day long,
How sweet is love
Now how could this tiny leaf apart
In an atmosphere so fond and warm
Its heart preserve from the lovers darp
Whose the fault il it came to harm5
What wonder, then, it dropped and died