The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1895-04-04
WRITING AN OPERA.
w. S. GILBERT TELLS HOW HE PRO-
DUCES COMIC LlBRETTO.

Gilbert's Laborious Methods-How He
Gets His Ideas For Popular Plots.
asked W. S. Gilbert what he consid-
cred the chief traits necessary to enable
one to become successful playwright.
"Well," he replied thoughtfully, that
opens up very large subject. They diff
fer vastly. In my own line Ishould sum
them up as follows: In the first place,
the power of catching the public taste;
then thorough knowledge of stagecraft
and a gift for stage management, the
capacity to invent plot, the power to
create characters, an eye for dramatic
situation and scenic effect, and finally
the faculty to write readily dialogue, Tyr
les and musical numbers"
81 believe, Mr.. Gilbert" said, "that
you have little or no ear for music.
Don't you find this interferes with your
rhythmical numbers?"
1T is quite true that have no ear for
music, but I have very sensitive ear
for rhythm; it is precisely the difference
between time and tune. lam very fond
of music, but / don't know discord
when l hear one. On the other hand,
the slightest error in time, which would
probably escape musician, would jar
most gratingly on my ear. Ny fondness
for music chiefly lies in hearing pieces
which are connected in my mind with
associations. I would rather hear an
unknown soprano singing a song knew
than Patti singing one did not know"
"Where do your plots come from, Mr..
GILBERT"
''Plots? Good gracious! where do they
come from? I don't know. A chance
remark in conversation, little acct
dental incident, a trifing object, may
suggest train of thought which devel-
ops into startling plot. Of course l
am talking of original plots. I don't
call adapting a play or translating a
play writing one. Taking my own plots,
for instance, the 'Mikado' was suggested
by japanese sword which hangs in my
study, The Yeomen of the Guard by
even a more unlikely incident. had 20
minutes one day to wait at Uxbridge
station for train, and l saw the adver-
tisement of the Tower Furnishing Com
pany,' representing number of beef
eaters-why, goodness only knows. It
gave me an idea, and I wrote the play
originally as one of modern life in the
Tower Of London. Then it suddenly
occurred to me to throw the time of it
back to that of Queen Elizabeth. Hav-
ing got ones plot, the next step is to fit
in the characters. And the chief point
in doing so is to invent original charac-
tiers.
81 write out the play as a story, just
as carefully as though it were to be pub
lished in that form. l then try to divide
it into acts. think two acts the right
number for comic opera. At least my
experimental that is 80 years old
teaches me so. Sometimes, of course,
the original story does not fall readily
into two acts, and so requires modiica-
ton. Well, put it by for fortnight
or more, and then rewrite the whole
thing without referring to the first copy.
I find that I have omitted some good
things that were in the first edition and
have introduced some other good things
that were not in it. 1 compare the two,
put them both aside and write it out
again. Sometimes l do this dozen
times; indeed the general public has no
idea of the trouble it takes to produce a
play that seems to run so smoothly and
so naturally.
Zone must work up to a good curtain.
Ibelieve very strongly in this, although I
never take up any controversies, but SIM
ply go my own way on my own lines.
The last impression is always the strong
est, and the audience will often pardon a
feeble, wearisome act for one dramatic
climax at its conclusion. 1 can generally
judge now what will have good effect.
Sometimes, but very rarely, it is spoiled
by the interpreters. They always do
their best. but occasionally they fail to
realize my intention. The fact is that
for comic opera many artists, especially
tenors and sopranos, are necessarily en-
gagged who are singers rather than actors,
and it is not to be expected that care
fully written comedy dialogue will re-
ceive full justice at their hands.
"Well, to go on with the writing Of
the play, next sketch out quite roughly
the dialogue and then fill in the musical
numbers as feel inclined. do not at
tempt to write them in order, but just
as the humor takes me-one here, one
there, sad one when feel depressed, a
bright one when I am in happy mood.
When at last all those of the first act are
done, it is sent to the composer to be set
to music, with a copy of the rough
sketch Of the dialogue to show him how
the different songs hang together. l
generally like reading it over to the COM
poser, so as to give him my idea of the
rhythm, which, as a matter of course, he
varies at his pleasure.
"There must be perfect good fellow
| ship between the writer and composer,
as there is much give and take to be
managed. Meters have to be changed
| by the writer, or tunes altered by the
composer, to fit in with some idea, some
intention, of the other partner. For in
stance, the writer may have put theme
| in one meter, and the composer has q
tune in his head which will just suit the
| theme, but will not fit the scansion, and
so the lyrics must be altered. Each must
| try to make the others part as easy as
possible. There must be no jealousy, no
| bad feeling between the two. They must
be on the best Of terms, otherwise there
will be no success. Cor. st. James
Gazette.
l. Chinese Scandal Merchants.
| In China there is a profession for ladies,
strange because openly and handsomely re-
munerated in the current coin of the realm