''The Chieftain'' is a two-act comic opera by

Arthur Sullivan Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (13 May 1842 – 22 November 1900) was an English composer. He is best known for 14 comic opera, operatic Gilbert and Sullivan, collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including ''H.M.S. Pinaf ...

and

F. C. Burnand Sir Francis Cowley Burnand (29 November 1836 – 21 April 1917), usually known as F. C. Burnand, was an English comic writer and prolific playwright, best known today as the librettist of Arthur Sullivan's opera '' Cox and Box''. The son of ...

based on their 1867 opera, '' The Contrabandista''. It consists of substantially the same first act as the 1867 work with a completely new second act. It premiered at the

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy P ...

on December 12, 1894, under the management of Richard D'Oyly Carte, for a run of 97 performances (by Sullivan's standards, a flop). The opening cast included Florence St. John,

Courtice Pounds Charles Courtice Pounds (30 May 1861 Gänzl, Kurt"Pounds of Pyes, or mea culpa No. 2" Kurt Gänzl's blog, 4 May 2018. Note that hibirth registrationis in central London in the third quarter of 1861 – 21 December 1927), better known by the sta ...

Walter Passmore Walter Henry Passmore (10 May 1867 – 29 August 1946) was an English singer and actor best known as the first successor to George Grossmith in the comic baritone roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Passmo ...

, Richard Temple, Scott Russell,

Florence Perry Florence Perry (13 July 1869 – 19 December 1949) was an English opera singer and actress best known for her performances with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Biography Florence Julia Perry was born in London in 1869. Her first professional ...

, Emmie Owen,

R. Scott Fishe Robert Scott Fishe (12 February 1871 – 31 August 1898) was an English operatic baritone and actor best remembered for creating roles in the 1890s with the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company. As a boy, Fishe was a chorister with the Chapel royal#Un ...

and

Rosina Brandram Rosina Brandram (2 July 1845 – 28 February 1907) was an English opera singer and actress primarily known for creating many of the contralto roles in the Savoy operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Brandram joined the D'Oyly Carte compa ...

Background

In 1894, impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte needed a new piece for the

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...

's ''

Utopia Limited ''Utopia, Limited; or, The Flowers of Progress'', is a Savoy opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was the second-to-last of Gilbert and Sullivan's fourteen collaborations, premiering on 7 October 1893 for a ...

'' had closed in June after a comparatively short (by G&S standards) nine-month run.

André Messager André Charles Prosper Messager (; 30 December 1853 – 24 February 1929) was a French composer, organist, pianist and conductor. His compositions include eight ballets and thirty opéra comique, opéras comiques, opérettes and other stage wo ...

's '' Mirette'' was an unsuccessful stop-gap, and Carte had to close the theatre in August. Desperate for a new work, he commissioned Sullivan and Burnand to patch up ''The Contrabandista'', which could be made ready much faster than a new opera. ''Mirette'' was revised and re-opened in October for another two months, and although ''Mirette'' was playing strongly, once ''The Chieftain'' was ready in December, ''Mirette'' was closed, and ''The Chieftain'' was mounted. As Savoy audiences expected an opera conforming to the style that Gilbert and Sullivan had established, the relatively short ''Contrabandista'' needed to be expanded. While the basic structure of the first act was retained, the dialogue was rewritten and several songs were added to bring it up to the usual length. The earlier work's second act was entirely replaced with new material. Although the piece was greeted warmly, as were most

Savoy opera Savoy opera was a style of comic opera that developed in Victorian England in the late 19th century, with W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan as the original and most successful practitioners. The name is derived from the Savoy Theatre, which impr ...

s, audiences did not sustain enthusiasm for the work, and there were numerous revisions, particularly in the first act. The team also rushed an abridged version of the still-popular ''

Cox and Box ''Cox and Box; or, The Long-Lost Brothers'', is a one-act comic opera with a libretto by F. C. Burnand and music by Arthur Sullivan, based on the 1847 farce '' Box and Cox'' by John Maddison Morton. It was Sullivan's first successful comic ope ...

'' into production as a curtain-raiser. Nevertheless, ''The Chieftain'' closed after just three months. The fault lay partly in Burnand's weak and pun-filled libretto, but also was a result of changing audience tastes, as

musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

, such as those produced at the Gaiety Theatre by

George Edwardes George Joseph Edwardes (né Edwards; 8 October 1855 – 4 October 1915) was an English theatre manager and producer of Irish ancestry who brought a new era in musical theatre to the British stage and beyond. Edwardes started out in theatre ma ...

, was supplanting

light opera Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue. Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a ne ...

on the London stage. After ''The Chieftain'' closed, the

D'Oyly Carte Opera Company The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company is a professional British light opera company that, from the 1870s until 1982, staged Gilbert and Sullivan's Savoy operas nearly year-round in the UK and sometimes toured in Europe, North America and elsewhere. Th ...

toured the London suburbs, while Carte leased the Savoy Theatre to the

Carl Rosa Opera Company The Carl Rosa Opera Company was founded in 1873 by Carl Rosa, a German-born musical impresario, and his wife, British operatic soprano Euphrosyne Parepa-Rosa to present opera in English in London and the British provinces. The company premiered ...

. The theatre was dark during the summer of 1895, reopening in November for a revival of ''

The Mikado ''The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations. It opened on 14 March 1885, in London, where it ran at the ...

''. ''The Chieftain'' has not received a high-quality professional modern recording, unlike some of Sullivan's other non-G&S operas, although the piece has received a number of modern amateur performances. For example, it was presented in

Bath, Somerset Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 101,557. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, ...

by the Bath Operatic and Dramatic Society in 1910,Bond, Ian
"St. David's Players Resource Center: ''The Chieftain''"
St. David's Players, accessed 18 September 2017 in New York City by the Stage Society at the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant.Rilander, Laura L. "Thespis' Opportunity Dep't", ''The Palace Peeper'', Vol. XX, No. 3, November 1957, p. 1, The Gilbert & Sullivan Society of New York and in Kingsbury, London, by the Kingsbury Amateur Operatic Society (1972),

Retford Retford (), also known as East Retford, is a market town in the Bassetlaw District in Nottinghamshire, England, and one of the oldest English market towns having been granted its first charter in 1105. It lies on the River Idle and the Chesterf ...

, Nottinghamshire, by Generally G & S (1994),

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival The International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival was founded in 1994 by Ian Smith and his son Neil and is held every summer in England. The two- or three-week Festival of Gilbert and Sullivan opera performances and fringe events attracts thousands ...

Buxton Opera House Buxton Opera House is in The Square, Buxton, Derbyshire, England. It is a 902-seat opera house that hosts the annual Buxton Festival and the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival, among others, as well as pantomime at Christmas, musicals ...

(1995),

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually abbreviated to Hull, is a port city and unitary authority in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Estuary, inland from the North Sea and south- ...

, Yorkshire, by Dagger Lane Operatic Society (1995),

Denmead Denmead is a village in Hampshire near Portsmouth, England. It is part of the City of Winchester district. As of 2005, it had a population of 6,457 and an electorate of 4,987. At the 2011 Census the population had increased to 6,736 Denmead occ ...

, Hampshire, by Denmead Operatic Society (1999), and

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a UK public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is a red brick unive ...

G & S Society (2000).

Roles and original cast

*Sancho the Badger (1st Lieutenant of the Ladrones) (

bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three ...

) – Richard Temple *José the Buck (2nd Lieutenant of the Ladrones) (

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the ...

) – M. R. Morand *Inez de Roxas (Chieftainess of the Ladrones) (

contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typica ...

) –

*Pedro Gomez (consulting lawyer, astrologer, and keeper of the archives of the Ladrones) (

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

) – Scott Russell *Rita (an English lady engaged to Count Vasquez) (

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880& ...

) – Florence St. John *Count Vasquez de Gonzago (A Spanish Noble) (

) –

*Mr. Peter Adolphus Grigg (a British tourist in search of the picturesque) (comic

) –

*Dolly (Mrs. Grigg, Peter A. Grigg's wife) (

) –

*Ferdinand de Roxas (Chieftain of the Ladrones, disguised as Pietro Slivinski, a Polish courier) (

) – Scott Fishe Minor characters: *Blazzo (

) – Bowden Haswell *Escatero –

Powis Pinder Powis Pinder (6 September 1872 – 25 July 1941) was an operatic baritone who created a number of minor roles in the Savoy Operas and played a range of more important parts in Gilbert and Sullivan operas and other works during a two decade lon ...

*Pedrillo (a goatherd) – Master Snelson *Juanita (the dancing girl of the Ladrones) (

) – Emmie Owen *Maraquita (

) – Edith Johnston *Anna (a camerista) – Ada Newall *Zitella – Beatrice Perry *Nina – Ethel Wilson

Synopsis

Act I

The action takes place in the mountains of Spain. Inez de Roxas is Queen of a gang of bandits, the Ladrones. Their Captain, Ferdinand de Roxas, has been missing for a year. The Law of the Ladrones holds that the first stranger who comes along will become their Chieftain and Inez's new husband. The Ladrones have abducted Rita, an English lady. Inez orders a shepherd boy to deliver a ransom note, and they hold his elderly father hostage in the meantime. The old shepherd mentions that he has seen a stranger that day. The Ladrones wonder if this could be their new Chieftain. After the Ladrones withdraw, the shepherd reveals that he is Rita's lover, Vasquez, and they sing a jubilant duet. ChieftainScene1

Peter Adolphus Grigg, an English tourist and amateur photographer, enters in search of pretty scenery. Sancho and José inform him that he is the new Captain of the Ladrones. He tries to object, but they tell him he will be shot if he does not comply. The ransom money arrives. Vasquez and Rita are free to go, but they stay for the celebration of Grigg's marriage to Inez. Grigg again objects, as he is already married, but the Ladrones threaten him with death, and he reluctantly joins the festivities.

Act II

The action has transferred to the exterior of an inn where Rita and Vasquez are now staying, in the picturesque village of Dehesas, on the banks of the River Sil. The chorus sings in praise of the gold that they mine from the river. In the intervening time, Vasquez has ransomed Grigg, who is now free to meet up with his wife Dolly, who has come from England to find him. Mr. and Mrs. Grigg arrive, escorted by a Polish courtier, who is actually Ferdinand de Roxas, the ''real'' Chieftain, in disguise. Mrs. Grigg is troubled by her husband's evasive explanations of his adventures in Spain. She is therefore unaware of his bigamy with Inez. Vasquez and Rita help him tell a fictional story of his heroic defeat of the Ladrones. Ferdinand, who also hears Grigg's story, now believes that his wife is dead. The Ladrones enter, dressed as civilians. They are searching for Ferdinand, but run into the Griggs. Dolly befriends Inez, while Grigg is mortified that his wife will discover his duplicity. Realising Grigg's plight, the Ladrones agree to sell him a photograph of his wedding with Inez for £100, so that Dolly will never learn the truth. Ferdinand enters, and the Ladrones recognise him. He tries to escape, but when confronted with pistols, agrees happily to rejoin the band as their Chieftain once again.

List of Numbers

Act I

# "Hush! Not a Step" (Sancho, José, and Chorus) # "Let others seek the peaceful plain" (Inez) #* Alternate 2: "My parents were of great gentility" (Inez) # "Wanted, a Chieftain" (Inez, Sancho, José, Juanita) # "The Law of the Ladrones" (Pedro Gomez and Chorus) # "'Tis very hard to choose" (Inez, Sancho, and José) # Angelus (Blazzo, Chorus) # "Only the night wind sighs alone" (Rita) #* Alternate 7: "A lady peers from a tower" (Rita) # "Hand of fate" (Rita, Inez, Vasquez, Sancho, José and Chorus) # "A guard by night" (Rita & Vasquez) # "From rock to rock" (Grigg) # "Hullo! What's that?" (Grigg, Sancho and José) # Finale Act I: "The Sacred Hat" (Ensemble)

Act II

# "Wake, then, awake" (Vasquez) # "The river! the river" (Maraquita and Chorus) # "Two happy gods" (Rita and Chorus) # "Ah oui!, j'étais" (Rita and Vasquez) # "Bustle! bustle!" (Ferdinand and Chorus) # "'To Spain!' said my husband" (Dolly, with Rita, Vasquez, Grigg and Ferdinand) # "There are cases" (Rita, Vasquez, Grigg, Dolly and Ferdinand) # "La Criada" (Ferdinand) # "There's no one, I'm certain" (Juanita, Inez, Pedro, José and Sancho) # "What is the matter, Peter" (Dolly, Inez and Grigg) # "We quite understand" (Juanita, Inez, Pedro, Grigg, José & Sancho) # Finale Act II: "The Chieftain is found" (Ensemble)

Notes

References

*Eden, David. "The Chieftain: Background and Text" i
''A Centenary Review of Sullivan's Partnership with F.C. Burnand''
Sir Arthur Sullivan Society (1994). *

External links

Vocal score
at the IMSLP

Photo from ''The Chieftain''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chieftain, The Operas by Arthur Sullivan English-language operas English comic operas Operas 1894 operas Operas set in Spain