Opera on the GO! The Pirates of Penzance L I S T E N I N G G U I D E

I N T R O D U C T I O N

This 35-minute abridged version of T h e P i r a t e s o f P e n z a n c e is a reduction suitable for young audiences. The following listening guide is based solely on this reduction version which sometimes involved assigning music and libretto lines to characters different from the original Gilbert and Sullivan version.

The story of P i r a t e s is filled with satire making fun of the “upper class.” British society during the Victorian period of empire building and colonialism was based on a strict class system which put rich families of “nobility” (the lords) at the top of that system.

Gilbert and Sullivan observed these practices by powerful people to control all the other people around them and decided to use satire as a means of commenting on British society. This is similar to what our present-day late- night comedians do to comment on American politics.

This listening guide will focus on both words and music to show how Gilbert and Sullivan used their art form to bring attention to the public about the foibles of those who were literally “lording” over them. Some of the tools they use to express their satirical view are:

• Forced rhyming - creates an overall silly atmosphere to the setting and to the characters • Made up words - Gilbert makes up words, changing nouns to adverbs for example – parson to "parsonified" and matrimony to "matrimonified." • Melodrama – exaggerated way of saying things • To express melodrama the instrumental accompaniment uses: o Staccato – short notes o Strong accents on longer notes that follow the short notes o Short musical phrases o Repetition echoing an octave higher or lower o Dynamics o Grand pauses

This guide will use the following format:

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE STORY | HOW THE WORDS EXPRESS IT | HOW THE MUSIC EXPRESSES IT

1 WHAT IS HAPPENING HOW THE MUSIC HOW THE WORDS EXPRESS IT IN THE STORY EXPRESSES IT

Overture Short staccato notes and strong accents Octave transpositions that echo short musical phrases Repetition

#1. Pour, Oh Pour the Pirate Forced rhyming: Music is in 6/8 meter common Sherry Pirate glass/bumper pass in sea chanties and British folk Seashore in Cornwall, the Pirate prentice/keen his scent is songs about seamen. southern coast of England. The From indenture freed/pirate now Accompaniment is grand with Pirate King makes a toast to the indeed full chords. pirate life and announces that it Frederic’s ventures/his indentures is Frederic’s 21st birthday that And alone he’s free to fly/with marks his freedom from his unusual revelry (pronounce revelry indenture. to rhyme with free to fly)

#2. When Frederic Was A Little And as it fell to my lot/apprentice Meter changes to 2/4 Lad to a pilot In piano short notes are Ruth, Frederic’s nurse and Within my brain did followed by accented longer guardian, tells the story of how girate/apprentice to a pirate notes. they ended up with the pirates. (again change pronunciation to create the rhyme)

#3. O, Better Far to Live and Pirate King’s philosophy is that it is The meter returns to 6/8. Die better to live honestly as a pirate Accompaniment uses a “bouncy” The Pirate King tells us how than to live in a cheating world style in contrast to the more proud he is to be a pirate. Ruth where the well-to-do are the real serious accusation by the Pirate and Frederic join in. pirates. King against the well-to-do.

#7. Oh, Is There Not One The words here could be In contrast to the harsh words, Maiden Here controversial for today’s listeners Frederic’s music is a waltz in ¾ Frederic dreams of falling in love. because “bad complexion” is used meter while the piano is playing He is so desperate that he claims as the example for being “homely." eighth notes like a fast heartbeat. not to care what she looks like. Mabel enters with a huge Mabel enters and claims that she musical flourish called a cadenza is the ugly one who will accept that shows she is very self- him but she is actually very assured even if she pretends to beautiful. think she is ugly. 2 WHAT IS HAPPENING HOW THE MUSIC HOW THE WORDS EXPRESS IT IN THE STORY EXPRESSES IT

#8. Poor Wandering One Use of “thou” and “thy” to show Music is lyrical and seductive with Mabel offers her “poor love." her submission to Frederic even tempo changes and markings though she is actually in complete such as “rallentando” – meaning control since he has fallen madly in to gradually slow a phrase for love upon first sight. expressive purposes. She gets carried away at the end with an even longer cadenza that builds higher and higher with each musical phrase.

#11a. Here’s a First-Rate Rhyming of every two short Fast tempo – 2 beats per Opportunity phrases. measure Frederic and Mabel agree they Use made up words: Block chords are good for each other. Parsonified – parson is a pastor Music on the Go makes this a Matrimonified – matrimony is short duet for Frederic and synonym for marriage. Mabel. Originally it was a male chorus commenting on the action.

#12. Hold, Monsters! Exaggerated language Another Opera on the Go edit, They are interrupted by Mabel’s this music was originally sung by father, the Major General. Mabel and the whole cast. The Melodrama is expressed in the piano with tremolos. Singers use fermatas (holds) and are free to be as dramatic as they wish.

#13. I Am the Very Model of a Patter Song: Words are Very fast tempo, block chords Modern Major-General pronounced with every syllable with all eighth notes in vocal getting its own note. lines, 8 measure phrases in 1st Example: ve-ge-ta-ble. verse, sung in one breath with an exaggerated pause before the next verse. Pauses occur throughout while the Major-General searches for the next rhyme. 3 WHAT IS HAPPENING HOW THE MUSIC HOW THE WORDS EXPRESS IT IN THE STORY EXPRESSES IT

#18. Now for the Pirate’s Lair! Frederic feels guilty about his Extended recitative (sung This is preceded by spoken Pirate life and vows to do his speech). Exaggerated dialogue as Frederic begs the “duty” and eliminate the Pirates, enthusiasm at the beginning. Major-General to let him marry including Ruth. Frederic vows to Listen to the piano in rising Mabel and swears that he is no terminate them. But when he punctuation at the end of each longer a pirate. The Major- confronts the Pirate King and of Frederic’s declarations. Then General only grants permission if Ruth, they beg his forgiveness. a sudden plunge into a minor Frederic will defeat and destroy Frederic repeats that they are key as he feels his guilt. Listen the “dread” Pirates of Penzance! “doomed to extermination." They for trills punctuating their beg to tell their side of the story phrases. The music, in B flat and Frederic says “say on!” minor, is grandiose again using lots of octaves, fast “heartbeat” eighth notes, and block chords punctuating the phrases.

#19. When You Had Left Our Paradox – when two conflicting Piano accompaniment uses all Pirate Fold ideas about something are both previous “tools”: staccato, The Pirate King explains the leap true at the same time. This word accents, octaves, patter, pauses, year paradox that although is repeated over and over again. repetition. Frederic, Ruth, and Frederic is in his 21st year, he has Also, instead of text, the the Pirate King all participate in only had 5 birthdays and it’s the characters sing “ha, ha, ha” and the laughing chorus. birthdays that must add up to 21. “ho, ho, ho." Recitative again with long Frederic reveals that the Major- Pirate King interrupts to explain passages on one note ending General lied to the pirates about using terms like “Astronomer with the last word rising to the being an orphan. Royal” and “ill-natured fairy." next note of the scale. This Original word, paradox, and technique is often used to laughing chorus return. create comic anticipation in a melodramatic way. Music returns to opening paradox and laughing chorus.

#20. Away, Away! My Heart’s on Ruth and the Pirate King are off Rhythm is a 9/8 jig – a dance Fire! to avenge the Major-General’s form from Scotland and This is preceded by spoken deception. Frederic is off to beg Ireland and very popular in dialogue where Frederic realizes his Mabel to wait for him. the Victorian Era. duty now is to his pirate comrades and the Major-General had lied about being an orphan. 4 WHAT IS HAPPENING HOW THE MUSIC HOW THE WORDS EXPRESS IT IN THE STORY EXPRESSES IT

#21. All Is Prepared Frederic won’t be eligible until Listen for the melodramatic 1940. Mabel calls that “Horrible! tremolo in the piano as Mabel Catastrophe appalling!” reacts to the news.

#22. Stay, Frederic, Stay! Mabel begs: “stay, Frederic, The music is full of chromatic This scene ends with Frederic stay!” and Frederic responds changes in the piano and vocal and Mabel swearing to be with: “nay, Mabel, nay”. The lines giving an exaggerated faithful for all the 65 years they comedy is found in his ridiculous sense of melodrama. will need to wait before their sense of duty. The silliness is This duet is very sweet with a wedding. broken when Mabel begins “Ah, simple but beautiful melody leave me not” and continues after all of the previous silliness. with “A joyous roundelay, he The final music is full of loves thee, he is here.” Frederic repetition as they sing about answers with “A weary their love. roundelay, he loves thee, he is gone.”

#25. A Rollicking Band of More forced rhyming for This long finale returns to Pirates We! example Major-General: Mabel’s “poor wandering one” The Pirates break into the “you’ve contrived/be long-lived”. music and then everyone bursts Major-General’s house to get He demands that the Pirates into a sort of laughing chorus revenge for his deception. yield in the name of Queen with Ruth and Mabel soaring Ruth reveals that the Pirates are Victoria and they immediately above the others with “ah, ah, all just noble men who have do. ah” and all ends happily. gone wrong but are actually all loyal subjects of Queen Victoria. They all forgive each other and Frederic and Mabel are free to marry.

5 G L O S S A R Y

Contrived planned with skill, managed

Declaration serious announcement

indenture a sealed document/agreement that binds a servant to a master Matrimony the state of being married

Melodrama a sensational dramatic piece with crude appeals to emotions and usually has a happy ending

Paradox a statement contrary to accepted opinion

Parson a clergyman (minister, preacher, pastor)

Satire use of ridicule, sarcasm and irony for the purpose of exposing or discouraging vice or folly

Thee, thou, thy old words for you and your - used in speaking to royalty and in the King James Bible

Victorian Period/Era 1837-1901 | also of (person/author), living in or characteristic of, the reign of Queen Victoria of England

M U S I C A L T E R M S

an extended passage for solo instrument or voice, usually at the end of a piece and sometimes Cadenza improvised

Chord a group of notes sounded together

Dynamics volume of sound - loudness and softness of sound

Eighth notes usually fast-moving musical note that divides up a musical pulse

Fermata a musical symbol indicating a note or rest should be held for an indeterminate length of time

Measure in written music, groups of beats that are marked off together like a ruler

Meter in music - the grouping of rhythmic beats together - ex. In two's or three's or any combination of those

Minor less than - in music a minor interval (space between notes) is a half-step smaller than a major interval; a minor scale uses the minor interval between the 1st and 3rd notes of the scale - this gives a more haunting, mysterious, or sad emotional feeling.

6 M U S I C A L T E R M S C O N T ' D

a note having half or twice the frequency of vibration of the original note and lying eight Octave diatonic notes above or below the original note

Patter Song rapid, comic speech introduced into a song

Rallentando a musical passage performed with gradually decreasing speed

Recitative sung speech - sometimes with simple accompaniment and sometimes with full dramatic accompaniment

Roundelay a short, simple song with a refrain (verse) and often using "fa la la la" as a chorus

Transposition change something - in music to change range or key

Tremolo tremble - in music a rapid change of notes to create a trembling effect

Listening Guide Developed by: Diane McCullough, M.M. 7