Trial By Jury: "Where is the Plaintiff?"
By W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan
4.5/5
()
About this ebook
The partnership between William Schwenck Gilbert and Arthur Seymour Sullivan and their canon of Savoy Operas is rightly lauded by all lovers of comic opera the world over. Gilbert’s sharp, funny words and Sullivan’s deliciously lively and hummable tunes create a world that is distinctly British in view but has the world as its audience. Both men were exceptionally talented and gifted in their own right and wrote much, often with other partners, that still stands the test of time. However, together as a team they created Light or Comic Operas of a standard that have had no rivals equal to their standard, before or since. That’s quite an achievement. To be recognised by the critics is one thing but their commercial success was incredible. The profits were astronomical, allowing for the building of their own purpose built theatre – The Savoy Theatre. Beginning with the first of their fourteen collaborations, Thespis in 1871 and travelling through many classics including The Sorcerer (1877), H.M.S. Pinafore (1878), The Pirates of Penzance (1879), The Mikado (1885), The Gondoliers (1889) to their finale in 1896 with The Grand Duke, Gilbert & Sullivan created a legacy that is constantly revived and admired in theatres and other media to this very day.
W. S. Gilbert
W. S. Gilbert (1836-1911) was an English librettist, dramatist, and poet. Born in London, Gilbert was raised by William, a surgeon and novelist, and Anne Mary, an apothecary’s daughter. As a child he lived with his parents in Italy and France before finally returning to London in 1847. Gilbert graduated from Kind’s College London in 1856 before joining the Civil Service and briefly working as a barrister. In 1861, he began publishing poems, stories, and theatre reviews in Fun, The Cornhill Magazine, and Temple Bar. His first play was Uncle Baby, which ran to moderate acclaim for seven weeks in 1863. He soon became one of London’s most popular writers of opera burlesques, but turned away from the form in 1869 to focus on prose comedies. In 1871, he began working with composer Arthur Sullivan, whose music provided the perfect melody to some of the most popular comic operas of all time, including H. M. S. Pinafore (1878), The Pirates of Penzance (1879), and The Mikado (1885). At London’s Savoy Theatre and around the world, The D’Oyly Carte Opera Company would perform Gilbert and Sullivan’s works for the next century. Gilbert, the author of more than 75 plays and countless more poems, stories, and articles, influenced such writers as Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw, as well as laid the foundation for the success of American musical theatre on Broadway and beyond.
Read more from W. S. Gilbert
The Pirates of Penzance: or The Slave of Duty Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsH.M.S. Pinafore: or, The Lass That Loved A Sailor Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Mikado Vocal Score Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Iolanthe: or The Peer and the Peri Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Pirates of Penzance Vocal Score Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mikado: or The Town of Titipu Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Plays Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ruddigore: or The Witch's Curse Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Grand Duke: or The Stuatory Duel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Yeomen of the Guard: or The Merryman and His Maid Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUtopia Limited: or The Flowers of Progress Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Gondoliers, or the King of Barataria Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Collected Works of W. S. Gilbert: The Complete Works PergamonMedia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPatience; Or, Bunthorne's Bride Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPrincess Ida: or Castle Adamant Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThespis: or The Gods Grown Old Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThespis Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Bab Ballads Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOriginal Plays [First Series] Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Grand Duke Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBab Ballads and Savoy Songs Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Trial By Jury
Related ebooks
Hans of Iceland: A Play in Three Acts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Songs of Travel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Pocket Guide to Gilbert and Sullivan Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Merchant of Venice Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Study Guide for Susanna Centlivre's "A Bold Stroke for a Wife" Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShakespeare and Music Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMario Lanza: Singing to the Gods Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Captain Dreyfus (One Act Play by Jacob Gordin) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Collected Works of Thucydides: The Complete Works PergamonMedia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHarlem Nights: The Secret History of Australia’s Jazz Age Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Borough Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeverly Sills: America's Own Opera Star Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSing-a-Longs for the Camping Family Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTwo Gentlemen of Verona Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5King Henry IV Part 1, with line numbers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Trial By Jury & Thespis: “When everyone is somebody, then no one’s anybody.” Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Mikado: or The Town of Titipu Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Scorcerer: "Sprites of earth and air…." Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Collected Works of W. S. Gilbert: The Complete Works PergamonMedia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Comedy of Errors Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHello, Zombie! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Comedy of Errors: “We came into the world like brother and brother, And now let's go hand in hand, not one before another.” Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPunch, or the London Charivari, Volume 105, July 8th 1893 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Fairy Tale. In Two Acts: 'From our debate, from our dissention, We are their parents and original'' Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Bab Ballads Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPunch, Or The London Charivari, Volume 102, January 16, 1892 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Mikado Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Bab Ballads Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Road to Glory Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Music For You
Music Theory For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Music Theory For Beginners Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Singing For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Guitar For Dummies Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Learn Guitar A Beginner's Course Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Easyway to Play Piano: A Beginner's Best Piano Primer Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Step By Step Mixing: How to Create Great Mixes Using Only 5 Plug-ins Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Learn Your Fretboard: The Essential Memorization Guide for Guitar (Book + Online Bonus) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Read Music Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Learn Jazz Piano: book 1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Circle of Fifths: Visual Tools for Musicians, #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hal Leonard Pocket Music Theory (Music Instruction): A Comprehensive and Convenient Source for All Musicians Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Piano Chords Book Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Well-Tempered Clavier: Books I and II, Complete Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/588 Piano Classics for Beginners Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Big Keyboard and Piano Chord Book: 500+ Keyboard and Piano Chords in a Unique Visual Format Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Play Ukulele: A Complete Guide for Beginners Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Everything Songwriting Book: All You Need to Create and Market Hit Songs Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Weird Scenes Inside The Canyon: Laurel Canyon, Covert Ops & The Dark Heart Of The Hippie Dream Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Learn to Play the Guitar: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Songwriting: Essential Guide to Lyric Form and Structure: Tools and Techniques for Writing Better Lyrics Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Strange Loop Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Trial By Jury
7 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I love Gilbert and Sullivan and I love this particular light opera, having sung in it as a schoolboy and musically directed it as a student.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I love Gilbert and Sullivan and I love this particular light opera, having sung in it as a schoolboy and musically directed it as a student.
Book preview
Trial By Jury - W. S. Gilbert
Trial By Jury by Gilbert & Sullivan
Libretto by W. S. Gilbert
Music by Arthur Sullivan
The partnership between William Schwenck Gilbert and Arthur Seymour Sullivan and their canon of Savoy Operas is rightly lauded by all lovers of comic opera the world over.
Gilbert’s sharp, funny words and Sullivan’s deliciously lively and hummable tunes create a world that is distinctly British in view but has the world as its audience.
Both men were exceptionally talented and gifted in their own right and wrote much, often with other partners, that still stands the test of time. However, together as a team they created Light or Comic Operas of a standard that have had no rivals equal to their standard, before or since. That’s quite an achievement.
To be recognised by the critics is one thing but their commercial success was incredible. The profits were astronomical, allowing for the building of their own purpose built theatre – The Savoy Theatre.
Beginning with the first of their fourteen collaborations, Thespis in 1871 and travelling through many classics including The Sorcerer (1877), H.M.S. Pinafore (1878), The Pirates of Penzance (1879), The Mikado (1885), The Gondoliers (1889) to their finale in 1896 with The Grand Duke, Gilbert & Sullivan created a legacy that is constantly revived and admired in theatres and other media to this very day.
Index of Contents
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
SCENE
MUSICAL NUMBERS
TRIAL BY JURY
GILBERT & SULLIVAN – A SHORT BIOGRAPHY
GILBERT & SULLIVAN – A CONCISE BIBLIOGRAPHY
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
THE LEARNED JUDGE
THE PLAINTIFF
THE DEFENDANT
COUNSEL FOR THE PLAINTIFF
USHER
FOREMAN OF THE JURY
ASSOCIATE
FIRST BRIDESMAID
On March 25th 1875 Trial by Jury opened at the Royalty Theatre, and was an immediate hit and played until the Royalty closed on 12th June for the summer. It was again on the bill when the theatre reopened on 11th October 1875. The conclusion of the season on 18th December 1875 marked the official end of Trial by Jury's opening run and its 131 performances.
But clearly Trial by Jury was an audience favourite and from 13th January until 5th May 1876, Trial by Jury was on the bill at the Opéra Comique on the Strand for a run of 96 performances and again from 3rd March to 26th May 1877 at the Royal Strand Theatre bringing the total number of performances in its first two years to nearly 300.
SCENE - A Court of Justice, Barristers, Attorney, and Jurymen discovered.
MUSICAL NUMBERS
1. Hark, the hour of ten is sounding (Chorus) and Now, Jurymen, hear my advice
(Usher)
1a. Is this the Court of the Exchequer? (Defendant)
2. When first my old, old love I knew (Defendant and Chorus) and Silence in Court!
(Usher)
3. All hail great Judge! (Chorus and Judge)
4. When I, good friends, was call'd to the Bar (Judge and Chorus)
5. Swear thou the Jury (Counsel, Usher) and Oh will you swear by yonder skies (Usher and Chorus)
6. Where is the Plaintiff? (Counsel, Usher) and Comes the broken flower (Chorus of Bridesmaids and Plaintiff)
7. Oh, never, never, never, since I joined the human race (Judge, Foreman, Chorus)
8. May it please you, my lud! (Counsel for Plaintiff and Chorus)
9. That she is reeling is plain to see! (Judge, Foreman, Plaintiff, Counsel, and Chorus)
10. Oh, gentlemen, listen, I pray (Defendant and Chorus of Bridesmaids)
11. That seems a reasonable proposition (Judge, Counsel, and Chorus)
12. A nice dilemma we have here (Ensemble)
13. I love him, I love him, with fervour unceasing
(Plaintiff, Defendant and Chorus) and The question, gentlemen, is one of liquor
(Judge and Ensemble)
14. Oh, joy unbounded, with wealth surrounded
(Ensemble)
TRIAL BY JURY
CHORUS
Hark, the hour of ten is sounding:
Hearts with anxious fears are bounding,
Hall of Justice, crowds surrounding,
Breathing hope and fear—
For to-day in this arena,
Summoned by a stern subpoena,
Edwin, sued by Angelina,
Shortly will appear.
Enter USHER
SOLO - USHER
Now, Jurymen, hear my advice—
All kinds of vulgar prejudice
I pray you set aside:
With stern, judicial frame of mind
From bias free of every kind,
This trial must be