From page 6 of The Pall Mall Gazette, for May 3, 1899, of a “farewell address” in verse that Gilbert wrote for the actress Lydia Thompson. Sent to Savoynet by Arthur, the Reference Librarian. Good folks to know, librarians...
MISS LYDIA THOMPSON’S FAREWELL.
The following address, written by Mr. W.S. Gilbert, was spoken by Miss Lydia Thompson at the conclusion of the proceedings yesterday: --
The other day, when sitting all alone,
Thinking of pleasant times long past and gone,
“Why, bless my precious heart and soul,” said I,
“I’ve left the stage, and haven’t said “Good bye!””
That sounds ungrateful—-but, to be quite plain,
I hoped I might be coming back again,
And would not speak the word one can’t recall,
Till “Good-bye” meant “Good-bye” for good and all.
“Good-bye”—-an easy word for you to say—-
“Sorry you’re going, but you’ve had your day.
Next please!”—-And the obedient profession
Supplies new-comers in prolonged succession—
A thousand fair ones for your smiles contesting
(A hundred acting and nine hundred “resting”);
But when I say “Good-bye” in faltering tone
To you--the truest friends I’ve ever known--
The friends whose warmth expressed in gladdening chime
Supplied the sunshine of my summer-time--
The case is somewhat different. You see,
I’m losing you—-you’re only losing me!
But this won’t do at all—-I’m off the scent,
My line’s light comedy, not sentiment.
My future tense seems cheeriness to lack,
And so, I won’t look forward—-I’ll look back.
What changes have I seem since that dim age,
When little Goldenhair tripped on the stage!
The Drama, struggling then in lodgings shady,
Has made her fortune and is quite the lady,
With endless hosts of highly cultured friends.
Think how she dresses now, and what she spends
On vast dramatic shrines—-in sumptuous salaries—-
In real Venetian-leathered pits and galleries—-
In plays that run a year to houses packed,
And cost, to stage, a thousand pounds an act!
Stage-management—-that has advanced a bit
Since poor Tom Robertson invented it—-
Tom Robertson, whose histrionic chickens
We sneer at now—-but then we sneer at Dickens!
Knighthoods for actors of pronounced ability
Earls, countesses, engaged to play “utility”;
Ibsen—-a zest for jaded appetite;
No fees-—half-guinea stalls—-electric light
Matinées twice a week, and, sad to say,
Matinée hats—-I see one here to-day;
Stock-companies completely out of date,
Burlesque quite dead—-(it never risked that fate
When Talfourd, Planché, Brough, and Byron made it,
And Rogers, Clarke, and Marie Wilton played it—-
Then, strangest chance, of playhouses vast crops!
Playhouses plentiful as grocers’ shops!
Ten in twelve months! Well, I don’t want to prate,
But if new theatres crop up at that rate,
Where will you find your pieces, if you please,
And where your actors and your actresses!
Ten months will build a playhouse, per contractor—-
It takes at least ten years to build an actor,
And, as our best authorities insist,
Ten times ten years to build a dramatist!
Well, if too long I’ve babbled of my youth,
I’m rather loath to go, and that’s the truth.
Still we must part-—it’s idle to delay it:
I’ve come to say “Good-bye!”—-so let me say it.
The link that binds me to you must be broken—-
Come now, come then, the last word must be spoken!
In no light mood the farewell phrases fall—-
God bless you! God bless me! God bless us all!
Showing posts with label savoynet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label savoynet. Show all posts
17 November 2008
16 September 2008
Band Camp for Operetta Geeks
"...the all-time nerdiest thing I've ever been involved in, and I say that as a person who has been involved with public radio and marching band." Sarah Vowell, The Partly Cloudy Patriot
I don't know which of my geeky hobbies would win for all-time nerdiest thing I've ever been involved in, but I suspect that the hot money is on either the historical re-enactment, the D&D, or the G&S Sing-Outs.
Or, as I put it in an e-mail to David:
Before I go any further, of course, I must mention that my D&D, G&S, and Re-enactment friends are among the finest, kindest, loveliest people I know. Smart and creative, too. And I do not make fun of them while standing superiorly apart. I am deep in their midst where I am happy and at home. But let's face it, any hobby you have to explain to people...
So the 4th Great Gilbert & Sullivan Sing-Out was held over the last weekend in August and I got to immerse myself in a full weekend with friends who get most of my references and are not only willing but happy to hang around talking about G&S and bursting into song. We infested the Rockville Civic Center's F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater and sang our hearts out.
Some highlights:
- Seeing Long-Distance Kate. I haven't seen Kate since she moved to Louisville nearly a decade ago. Since last we met she has acquired the love of her life and two daughters. Her sons - who I knew as little boys - are men. Good-looking men. One of them is engaged. Where did the years go?
- Seeing Local Kate. She lives less than five miles from me and yet we never see each other. Kate brought her daughter Ali who was 8 the last time I saw her a few minutes ago. She is now 15. Fast few minutes. I caught up with Kate and Ali and asked about Kate's other daughter, Sammy. "So how is the Fairy Princess?" "Exactly." As a toddler and little girl Sammy was dewily emerged from under a drift of flower petals. It seems that at twelve she hasn't changed. Look close in the pictures her mother carries and you can still see the wings, I swear.
- Seeing Debbie. Again, lives here. So we had to pay a bunch of bucks and commit to spending a beautiful weekend indoors to run into each other, but now we have a lunch date for next week. Completely worth it.
- Memorabilia. I finally bought a copy of the third edition of Harry Benford's G&S Lexicon which lists me in the acknowledgements. Why did Harry include me? I dunno. But he did and I feel all famous and learned about it. I've been meaning to pick up a copy for a while (I have an earlier edition), and now I have one. That fact that I am thanked and Larry isn't is probably the most surreal thing about G&S that I can think of.
- Buttons. We - of course! - sold buttons*** that VLOC folks made. When we were planning the last Sing-Out Denise mentioned that we'd need ideas for buttons. "Hand me a pen." quoth I. And a couple of minutes later I had listed a dozen which had sold handily. This time I e-mailed my suggestions in and ditto. Buttons are how geeks self-identify.
- All that singing. We sang all of them. All thirteen operettas. Sometimes I sang from the back of the house, sometimes from the stage, sometimes from the front of the house. But the absolute best was sitting on the risers during Pirates and just listening to the men. The men's chorus music in Pirates is so lovely, so lyrical, and from where I was I could hear those gorgeous, gorgeous harmonies. And this Baritone-preferring soprano just fell in love with the tenors because they earned it. They were glorious. And I could turn around and tune into each voice as I chose, so I got to hear old and dear friends like Les and Lyle because no matter how glorious the tenors are, a baritone's a baritone.
- And more singing. Sullivan might just as well have written in an alto and soprano line for certain pieces. "Cat like tread" and "The March of the Peers" are two of them. Tantantara! Tzing! Boom!
- The re-writes. Gary had a verse as the Major-General's song, which he has given me permission to post here. He and Local Kate wrote the lyrics together and smartly decided that as Pirates would commence somewhere after 10:00 at night, he would sing this instead of the traditional 3rd verse, not after it. Fabulous!!
When I can be a part of VLOC's Sing-Out here in Maryland,
And yodel thirteen op-er-as, from piracy to Fairyland,
When I can wrap my tongue around the issues in this patter song,
And listen as Kate Huntress-Reeve contributes to the Matter song...
When I have learnt what progress has been made in modern scholarship,
When Blair Eig sings the Roulette song and pockets a ten-dollar chip,
And when the Sing-Out's finished, all the fun and games will melt away...
When I am in my Lexus doing 80 on the Belt-a-way!
(When he is in his Lexus...)
It's often hard to think of rhymes that make the lyrics up to date,
But Kate and I collaborated! Now I fear it's getting late,
And so in making up a verse to (hopefully) amuse you all,
I am the very model of a modern Major-General.
I'm already looking forward to the next one in, I think, 2012. Must start warming up.
*As it turned out, Doug did have to bail, largely because his schedule was OBE. Rather a pity as he missed some damn fine singing** by some damn fine people.
**None of it, alas, by me. I clearly need to sing more as I was sorrily out of voice.
***Or, as I think of them now, "real live Flair."
I don't know which of my geeky hobbies would win for all-time nerdiest thing I've ever been involved in, but I suspect that the hot money is on either the historical re-enactment, the D&D, or the G&S Sing-Outs.
Or, as I put it in an e-mail to David:
Doug is also talking about coming. Largely, I bet, because in our ongoing "you are such a geek" conversations, he thinks that witnessing me singing G&S will count as a critical hit. As if. Anyway, he'll probably come to his senses and bail but if he doesn't, I can introduce you and you can protect each other from the G&S freaks and their show-themed t-shirts.*
Before I go any further, of course, I must mention that my D&D, G&S, and Re-enactment friends are among the finest, kindest, loveliest people I know. Smart and creative, too. And I do not make fun of them while standing superiorly apart. I am deep in their midst where I am happy and at home. But let's face it, any hobby you have to explain to people...
So the 4th Great Gilbert & Sullivan Sing-Out was held over the last weekend in August and I got to immerse myself in a full weekend with friends who get most of my references and are not only willing but happy to hang around talking about G&S and bursting into song. We infested the Rockville Civic Center's F. Scott Fitzgerald Theater and sang our hearts out.
Some highlights:
- Seeing Long-Distance Kate. I haven't seen Kate since she moved to Louisville nearly a decade ago. Since last we met she has acquired the love of her life and two daughters. Her sons - who I knew as little boys - are men. Good-looking men. One of them is engaged. Where did the years go?
- Seeing Local Kate. She lives less than five miles from me and yet we never see each other. Kate brought her daughter Ali who was 8 the last time I saw her a few minutes ago. She is now 15. Fast few minutes. I caught up with Kate and Ali and asked about Kate's other daughter, Sammy. "So how is the Fairy Princess?" "Exactly." As a toddler and little girl Sammy was dewily emerged from under a drift of flower petals. It seems that at twelve she hasn't changed. Look close in the pictures her mother carries and you can still see the wings, I swear.
- Seeing Debbie. Again, lives here. So we had to pay a bunch of bucks and commit to spending a beautiful weekend indoors to run into each other, but now we have a lunch date for next week. Completely worth it.
- Memorabilia. I finally bought a copy of the third edition of Harry Benford's G&S Lexicon which lists me in the acknowledgements. Why did Harry include me? I dunno. But he did and I feel all famous and learned about it. I've been meaning to pick up a copy for a while (I have an earlier edition), and now I have one. That fact that I am thanked and Larry isn't is probably the most surreal thing about G&S that I can think of.
- Buttons. We - of course! - sold buttons*** that VLOC folks made. When we were planning the last Sing-Out Denise mentioned that we'd need ideas for buttons. "Hand me a pen." quoth I. And a couple of minutes later I had listed a dozen which had sold handily. This time I e-mailed my suggestions in and ditto. Buttons are how geeks self-identify.
- All that singing. We sang all of them. All thirteen operettas. Sometimes I sang from the back of the house, sometimes from the stage, sometimes from the front of the house. But the absolute best was sitting on the risers during Pirates and just listening to the men. The men's chorus music in Pirates is so lovely, so lyrical, and from where I was I could hear those gorgeous, gorgeous harmonies. And this Baritone-preferring soprano just fell in love with the tenors because they earned it. They were glorious. And I could turn around and tune into each voice as I chose, so I got to hear old and dear friends like Les and Lyle because no matter how glorious the tenors are, a baritone's a baritone.
- And more singing. Sullivan might just as well have written in an alto and soprano line for certain pieces. "Cat like tread" and "The March of the Peers" are two of them. Tantantara! Tzing! Boom!
- The re-writes. Gary had a verse as the Major-General's song, which he has given me permission to post here. He and Local Kate wrote the lyrics together and smartly decided that as Pirates would commence somewhere after 10:00 at night, he would sing this instead of the traditional 3rd verse, not after it. Fabulous!!
When I can be a part of VLOC's Sing-Out here in Maryland,
And yodel thirteen op-er-as, from piracy to Fairyland,
When I can wrap my tongue around the issues in this patter song,
And listen as Kate Huntress-Reeve contributes to the Matter song...
When I have learnt what progress has been made in modern scholarship,
When Blair Eig sings the Roulette song and pockets a ten-dollar chip,
And when the Sing-Out's finished, all the fun and games will melt away...
When I am in my Lexus doing 80 on the Belt-a-way!
(When he is in his Lexus...)
It's often hard to think of rhymes that make the lyrics up to date,
But Kate and I collaborated! Now I fear it's getting late,
And so in making up a verse to (hopefully) amuse you all,
I am the very model of a modern Major-General.
I'm already looking forward to the next one in, I think, 2012. Must start warming up.
*As it turned out, Doug did have to bail, largely because his schedule was OBE. Rather a pity as he missed some damn fine singing** by some damn fine people.
**None of it, alas, by me. I clearly need to sing more as I was sorrily out of voice.
***Or, as I think of them now, "real live Flair."
02 June 2008
Like a swim in vinegar
Arthur, the Reference Librarian on Savoynet, found some letters by W.S. Gilbert published in UK periodicals. He gave us a sneak peak of two of as he transcribes them for the Archive. The second one was good, but the first one really captures that cranky old guy side Gilbert's personality that makes him one of my heroes. Somewhere up in heaven, Gilbert, John Adams, and Harry Truman have having a lovely time being acerbic with each other. One day I hope to join them, merely as a delighted auditor.
Gilbert’s letter to The Graphic, April 2, 1870, p. 427
RHYME
To the Editor of The Graphic
SIR, -- I accept Mr. Burnand’s challenge to find a rhyme to “silver,” if he will allow me the license that he himself takes in finding a rhyme to “month.”
If Mr. Burnand is in earnest when he suggests “runn’th” as a legitimate rhyme to “month,” and really believes that when he is at a loss for a rhyme he is at liberty to dispense with any letter that may stand between himself and the fulfilment of his wishes, he will perhaps admit that I am liberty to say—
I have averred—indeed, I will ’ver—
That I have found a rhyme to “silver.”
But allowing, for the sake of argument, that Mr. Burnand is at liberty to rob “runneth” of its only e whenever it pleases him to do so, the fact remains that the u in “runn’th” is, in strictness, no rhyme to the o in “month.” To a careless ear there is, no doubt, a strong analogy between the two sounds, and in ordinary versification they might pass muster as fairly good rhyme; but in seriously discussing a question of nicety in rhyme, we are bound to look at it from a purist’s point of view, and form this point of view “runn’th” is no rhyme to “month.”
I still adhere to “millionth” as the best rhyme to “month,” and I have the authority of the greatest poets in the English language for treating it as a tri-syllable, if I feel disposed to do so. The termination “ion” in such words as “million,” “contagion,” “rapscallion,” “morion,” “pillion,” “vermilion,” has been used indifferently as one or two syllables by every poet in the English language from Chaucer to Tennyson:
Bring forth the parties of suspicion.
Rom. and Jul., Act v. Sc. 3.
--Woe, woe, woe to such communion.
BYRON’s Heaven and Earth, Part i. Sc. 2.
Here are some analogous cases:
And bear the work of Heaven with patience.
Rom. and Jul., Act v. Sc. 3.
And let mischance be slave to patience.
Rom. and Jul., Act v. Sc. 3.
I will do so; but look you, Cassius.
Jul. Caes., Act i. Sc. 2.
Would not Mr. Burnand consider himself justified in writing,
Put a pillion
This little filly on?
Inventors often give arbitrary and wholly irrational names to their inventions, in order to bring them more immediately into notice. Now these ingenious gentlemen would take rank as public benefactors if, in selecting these arbitrary names, they would be so good as to enrich the English language with rhymes to words that are at present rhymeless, or nearly rhymeless. If the inventor of the Rantoone had called it a “Ronth” (explaining in his specification that the o was to have the exact value of the o in “month”), this controversy would have been avoided, and the instrument, whatever it is, extensively advertised, for, as the only unimpeachable rhyme to “month” (except my “millionth”) it would be perpetually lugged into doggerel. I myself am engaged in perfecting an ingenious apparatus for the purpose of extracting sunbeams from the cucumber of commerce (cucumis communis of Linnaeus), and when it is completed I shall call it a “Chilver.” Perhaps my unconditional acceptance of Mr. Burnand’s challenge to find a disyllabic rhyme to “silver,” without the aid of a context, had better stand over until this instrument is completed.
Yours faithfully,
W.S. GILBERT
Junior Carlton Club, March 27
*Burnand = Most likely F.C. Burnand, humorist and editor of Punch.
Gilbert’s letter to The Graphic, April 2, 1870, p. 427
RHYME
To the Editor of The Graphic
SIR, -- I accept Mr. Burnand’s challenge to find a rhyme to “silver,” if he will allow me the license that he himself takes in finding a rhyme to “month.”
If Mr. Burnand is in earnest when he suggests “runn’th” as a legitimate rhyme to “month,” and really believes that when he is at a loss for a rhyme he is at liberty to dispense with any letter that may stand between himself and the fulfilment of his wishes, he will perhaps admit that I am liberty to say—
I have averred—indeed, I will ’ver—
That I have found a rhyme to “silver.”
But allowing, for the sake of argument, that Mr. Burnand is at liberty to rob “runneth” of its only e whenever it pleases him to do so, the fact remains that the u in “runn’th” is, in strictness, no rhyme to the o in “month.” To a careless ear there is, no doubt, a strong analogy between the two sounds, and in ordinary versification they might pass muster as fairly good rhyme; but in seriously discussing a question of nicety in rhyme, we are bound to look at it from a purist’s point of view, and form this point of view “runn’th” is no rhyme to “month.”
I still adhere to “millionth” as the best rhyme to “month,” and I have the authority of the greatest poets in the English language for treating it as a tri-syllable, if I feel disposed to do so. The termination “ion” in such words as “million,” “contagion,” “rapscallion,” “morion,” “pillion,” “vermilion,” has been used indifferently as one or two syllables by every poet in the English language from Chaucer to Tennyson:
Bring forth the parties of suspicion.
Rom. and Jul., Act v. Sc. 3.
--Woe, woe, woe to such communion.
BYRON’s Heaven and Earth, Part i. Sc. 2.
Here are some analogous cases:
And bear the work of Heaven with patience.
Rom. and Jul., Act v. Sc. 3.
And let mischance be slave to patience.
Rom. and Jul., Act v. Sc. 3.
I will do so; but look you, Cassius.
Jul. Caes., Act i. Sc. 2.
Would not Mr. Burnand consider himself justified in writing,
Put a pillion
This little filly on?
Inventors often give arbitrary and wholly irrational names to their inventions, in order to bring them more immediately into notice. Now these ingenious gentlemen would take rank as public benefactors if, in selecting these arbitrary names, they would be so good as to enrich the English language with rhymes to words that are at present rhymeless, or nearly rhymeless. If the inventor of the Rantoone had called it a “Ronth” (explaining in his specification that the o was to have the exact value of the o in “month”), this controversy would have been avoided, and the instrument, whatever it is, extensively advertised, for, as the only unimpeachable rhyme to “month” (except my “millionth”) it would be perpetually lugged into doggerel. I myself am engaged in perfecting an ingenious apparatus for the purpose of extracting sunbeams from the cucumber of commerce (cucumis communis of Linnaeus), and when it is completed I shall call it a “Chilver.” Perhaps my unconditional acceptance of Mr. Burnand’s challenge to find a disyllabic rhyme to “silver,” without the aid of a context, had better stand over until this instrument is completed.
Yours faithfully,
W.S. GILBERT
Junior Carlton Club, March 27
*Burnand = Most likely F.C. Burnand, humorist and editor of Punch.
15 May 2008
Recruiting Post
As sometimes it may happen (or does happen, no "may" about it) a post was sent to Savoynet* attempting to recruit men for someone's local G&S production. As I have pointed out previously in this space, community theater is a great way for men to meet women* and thus I was well pleased with the following correspondence:
John Lanigan-O'Keeffe suggested the following:
John Lanigan-O'Keeffe suggested the following:
Dear Rob,Listen to the Voice of Personal Experience:- "I and several others I could name solved their search for love by joining the men's chorus. I met my first girlfriend in Orpheus in the Underworld, my late wife through Utopia, Ltd and my fiancee in Eugene Onegin. In rehearsals and performance, you see the ladies warts and all, and choose the best. You see who's selfish, who's considerate, who laughs at frustration and who blames the nearest person, who listens and who's a compulsive talker, who has a sense of humour and who is up themself. I observed for several weeks and chose the best to be my onstage partner. Soon she was my life partner. Men, don't give up. Reach for that phone and join St Albans Operatic Society today!"
Put this ad in your local paper or in The Independent lonely hearts and definitely in your programme for every production.
Men! Do you want to meet women?
Join your local operatic society.
There are twice as many girls as guys.
Half the guys are gay.
Half the guys are married.
There are all these women and just you.
Which sparked this post from Clifton Coles:
Ahem!
Men! Do you want to meet men?
Join your local operatic society.
Two-thirds of the guys are gay.
One-third of the guys are married.
Not all of the married guys are straight.
All of the women are married.
All of the women are gay-friendly.
Some of the women have gay husbands.
Drinks every Friday after rehearsals.
Testimonials: "I met my first husband and the love of my life by joining the men's chorus. I met my second husband and the love of my life building the set for the show. I met my present husband and the love of my life when he was accompanying rehearsals for the show on the piano." "I was third peer on the right, baritone. He was fifth peer on the right, tenor. I made sure he was at my elbow at 'though our heart she's badly bruising' and we've been inseparable ever since."
Men, don't give up! Put that cocktail down, reach for the phone, and call the State-Operated Dramatics Operatics Musics. I'll readily bet it, you'll never regret it!
****
In loving jest,
Uncle C
(perceptively intense and consummately utter)
If enough groups follow these models, we should have no further trouble maintaining the strength.
*Savoynet is the international e-mail discussion list for G&S
04 October 2007
The Pirate Gloria
I know, I know, Pirates are just robbers, rapists, and murders. With boats. I get it. And even though I don't find the Mafia at all entertaining, I still kinda like pirates. Heck, as a G&S geek, I'm required to like Pirates. And to celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day.
And, lo and behold, what should turn up on Savoynet the other day but a link to The Pirate Gloria (thank you, Ian!) The entire thing is great fun to read but I've included just two portions below, the Nicene Creed and the Lord's Prayer. Conveniently the line that I have modified for my own use has been left unchanged, so I can still use it.
The next time that TLPD falls on a Sunday will be in 2010, so I have about two years to convince Janice (our minister) that we should use the The Pirate Gloria (including music by Sullivan!) at the 10:30 service.
The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, the Almighty Admiral,
Maker o’ heaven and ‘arth,
and o’ all things natural and ghostly.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
T’only Son o’ God, says I, eternally begotten ‘o the Admiral,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, nar made, ‘o one Bein’wi’ the Father.
Through him all things t’were made.
Far us and far arr salvation
he opened the hatch o’ heav’n
and dropped into the hold:
by the pow’r ‘o the Holy Ghost
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made a swabbie.
Fer arr sake he was keel-hauled by that the scurvy dog,
Pontius Pilate;
and was sent t’ Davy Jones’ locker.
On the third day he came back in accardance with the book;
he ascended into heaven
and be seated at the right hand ‘o the Admiral.
He will come again in glory t’judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will ha’e no end.
Avast then!
We believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord, the giver ‘oife,
who proceeds from the Admiral and the Cap’n.
With them two, he be worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one dunkin’ far the forgiveness ‘o sins.
We look far the resurrection ‘o the dead,
and the life o’ the world t’come.
So says one, so says us all. Aye aye.
The Lord’s Prayer
As arr Cap’n, Jesus Christ has taught us, we now be prayin’,
Arr Father in heaven, hallow’d be yar Name, yar kingdom come,
yar will be done, on arth as in heaven. Give us today arr daily
ration. Fergive us arr sins as we fergive those scurvy dogs who
sneak up behind us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver
us from evil. Far thine be the kingdom, and the pow’r and the
glory, farever and ever. Aye, aye.
And, lo and behold, what should turn up on Savoynet the other day but a link to The Pirate Gloria (thank you, Ian!) The entire thing is great fun to read but I've included just two portions below, the Nicene Creed and the Lord's Prayer. Conveniently the line that I have modified for my own use has been left unchanged, so I can still use it.
The next time that TLPD falls on a Sunday will be in 2010, so I have about two years to convince Janice (our minister) that we should use the The Pirate Gloria (including music by Sullivan!) at the 10:30 service.
The Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, the Almighty Admiral,
Maker o’ heaven and ‘arth,
and o’ all things natural and ghostly.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
T’only Son o’ God, says I, eternally begotten ‘o the Admiral,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, nar made, ‘o one Bein’wi’ the Father.
Through him all things t’were made.
Far us and far arr salvation
he opened the hatch o’ heav’n
and dropped into the hold:
by the pow’r ‘o the Holy Ghost
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made a swabbie.
Fer arr sake he was keel-hauled by that the scurvy dog,
Pontius Pilate;
and was sent t’ Davy Jones’ locker.
On the third day he came back in accardance with the book;
he ascended into heaven
and be seated at the right hand ‘o the Admiral.
He will come again in glory t’judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will ha’e no end.
Avast then!
We believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord, the giver ‘oife,
who proceeds from the Admiral and the Cap’n.
With them two, he be worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one dunkin’ far the forgiveness ‘o sins.
We look far the resurrection ‘o the dead,
and the life o’ the world t’come.
So says one, so says us all. Aye aye.
The Lord’s Prayer
As arr Cap’n, Jesus Christ has taught us, we now be prayin’,
Arr Father in heaven, hallow’d be yar Name, yar kingdom come,
yar will be done, on arth as in heaven. Give us today arr daily
ration. Fergive us arr sins as we fergive those scurvy dogs who
sneak up behind us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver
us from evil. Far thine be the kingdom, and the pow’r and the
glory, farever and ever. Aye, aye.
05 May 2005
Going once, going twice!
Savoynet has been humming lately with stories about distractions from the audience (mobile phones, loud candies, chatty audience members), but this story from Stuart really caught my eye:
www.bostonoperatic.org.uk
Last year I directed Oklahoma! The auction scene is tricky and we rehearsed and rehearsed it to get the bids and responses exactly right - "Two bits, four bits... Come on, isn't anyone gonna give me five bits....." etc. On the second night someone in the audience joined in and began bidding and outbidding the actors! How the cast kept going, I don't know, but it caused a bit of a flap!Stuart
Whether the audience member had just got completely involved and lost himself, was suffering from confusion and thought he was at a real auction, or was just plain malvolent and hoping to cause chaos, I never did find out!
www.bostonoperatic.org.uk
11 April 2005
Outside of Google, possibly my best research tool
Savoynet is - ostensibly - an unmoderated electronic mailing list dedicated to discussion of W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, the operas they wrote, British culture and musical theater of their time, and related matters. Our listowner, Marc, does his level best to keep "related matters" reasonably narrow, but now again something that is pretty much off-topic, but still pretty darned interesting wanders in. Today it was "glass records."
Savoynetter David posted, in response to a question about glass records:
I learn something new every day, I swear.
Savoynetter David posted, in response to a question about glass records:
In the rec.antiques.radio+phono newsgroup, Jim Mueller said in 1998:
It sounds like [glass records are] "instantaneous" records. There were two kinds (AFAIK, I'm not an expert). The cheap ones had a paper core with lacquer coatings while the good ones had an aluminum core. They were used with home recording equipment to make records that could be played immediately, just like we use cassette tapes now. Audiodisc was one of the brands that made these.
Cutting a record requires a lot more torque than playing one so the turntables for this purpose had an off center drive pin to ensure that the disk didn't slip. This pin fit into one of the extra holes you mention. There's no magic to three holes, one is enough.
Some of the recorders cut in the conventional way, from the outside in. However, some did it the other way, starting at the center. Try both to find the one that works.
Since these were recordable records, they are soft and easily damaged. If you have any thought of preserving them, play them with a modern low tracking force player. Even then, their life will be a lot shorter than conventional records.
You can find these disks with all sorts of stuff on them. I have a pair that seem to be a voice letter someone sent home during WWII.
If you find one with no grooves, that means it hasn't been recorded yet. Also, during WWII, these disks were hard to get so some inventive souls found a way to record on used X-ray film!
I learn something new every day, I swear.
10 March 2005
Blushing slightly
Julie's blog has a post that I can't get to (that's so wrong for so many reasons) that mentions that in the acknowledgements for Harry Benford's 3rd edition of the Gilbert & Sullivan Lexicon my name appears! In a real book! A book of actual value to the G&S community. I haven't seen this acknowledgement - I have the second edition - but I trust Julie completely. I'd also like to borrow her copy so that I can see my name - in print - in a book. A book!!
To be honest, I have no idea why Harry (a lovely man, by the way) would include me in the acknowledgements unless he included all 700-some members of Savoynet, although this is lending some credence to the belief held by many of my friends that I know everyone connected to G&S/theater. Or just flat everyone. Brett believes that I went to high school with roughly 80% of the human population.
And, unlike those poor people named Michael or David or Lisa or Debbie, I can be pretty confident that I'm the only "Leta" that Harry has met. There are a couple dozen people named Leta in the world, but I think (mind you, I say "I think") that I'm the only G&S geek named Leta.
Me! In a book! A real book!!
To be honest, I have no idea why Harry (a lovely man, by the way) would include me in the acknowledgements unless he included all 700-some members of Savoynet, although this is lending some credence to the belief held by many of my friends that I know everyone connected to G&S/theater. Or just flat everyone. Brett believes that I went to high school with roughly 80% of the human population.
And, unlike those poor people named Michael or David or Lisa or Debbie, I can be pretty confident that I'm the only "Leta" that Harry has met. There are a couple dozen people named Leta in the world, but I think (mind you, I say "I think") that I'm the only G&S geek named Leta.
Me! In a book! A real book!!
01 March 2005
I wish I could be there
I got an e-mail from the Buxton list telling me that not only has the lovely and talented Rebecca been cast as Phyllis, but VLOC's own Amy and Deb have snagged roles as Leila and Fleta. Hurray!
For the non-G&S portion of the readership, there is a large Gilbert & Sullivan Festival every year in Buxton, England which lasts about 3 weeks. (The festival, not England. There will always be an England.) Different G&S companies from all over Britain and other places bring productions to the festival and Savoynet, the international mailing list for G&S geeks, brings a show as well. Savoynet's show is cast by having the auditionees submit video tapes to one person in their country, that person dubs them for the directors, the directors watch them and e-mail back and forth (the directors are usually in different countries as they are casting – this year’s director, Diana, lives in Australia), and eventually a cast is selected, the lucky winners are notified by e-mail, they accept by e-mail, the "we were so lucky, we wish we had parts for all of you" and the "thank you for your interest in" folks are notified - also by e-mail.
Everyone arrives in England a week before the show - completely off book for all music and dialogue - and the show is rehearsed and polished over 5 or 6 all-day rehearsals. Sets and costumes are rented locally. There's one performance in front of the most knowledgeable and nit-picky G&S audience in the world, it's adjudicated, and awards are given at the end of the Festival. For those people who thrive on detail and organization and not wasting a lot of time, it's heaven. For those who enjoy a leisurely process and need time and reflection, it’s hell on earth. I’ve seen tapes of some of the Savoynet shows and they stand up quite well.
I’ve never been to Buxton, so I’m completely jealous.
Congrats you guys! Way to go!
For the non-G&S portion of the readership, there is a large Gilbert & Sullivan Festival every year in Buxton, England which lasts about 3 weeks. (The festival, not England. There will always be an England.) Different G&S companies from all over Britain and other places bring productions to the festival and Savoynet, the international mailing list for G&S geeks, brings a show as well. Savoynet's show is cast by having the auditionees submit video tapes to one person in their country, that person dubs them for the directors, the directors watch them and e-mail back and forth (the directors are usually in different countries as they are casting – this year’s director, Diana, lives in Australia), and eventually a cast is selected, the lucky winners are notified by e-mail, they accept by e-mail, the "we were so lucky, we wish we had parts for all of you" and the "thank you for your interest in" folks are notified - also by e-mail.
Everyone arrives in England a week before the show - completely off book for all music and dialogue - and the show is rehearsed and polished over 5 or 6 all-day rehearsals. Sets and costumes are rented locally. There's one performance in front of the most knowledgeable and nit-picky G&S audience in the world, it's adjudicated, and awards are given at the end of the Festival. For those people who thrive on detail and organization and not wasting a lot of time, it's heaven. For those who enjoy a leisurely process and need time and reflection, it’s hell on earth. I’ve seen tapes of some of the Savoynet shows and they stand up quite well.
I’ve never been to Buxton, so I’m completely jealous.
Congrats you guys! Way to go!
13 December 2004
A critic takes a meeting
Andrew is one of the folks I know through Savoynet, the Gilbert and Sullivan e-mail discussion list. He forwarded an article to the list from Sunday's Observer where he got to fight the good fight for G&S. In Andrew's own words:
Good on ya, Andrew!
Precis: this is Anthony Holden's review of the new ENO Pirates --which he saw in my company. This came about as a result of his last G&S review, which was--like all his G&S reviews--especially vitriolic against our heroes. He got a good deal of adverse reaction, from his friends and also from me; so he decided to invite me down to London and try and convince him of the error of his ways. I don't think I succeeded, but he was good company and I think the present review is a) pretty fair-minded to G&S, and b) very flattering to me!
Good on ya, Andrew!
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