Ruddigore, or The Witch's Curse, is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy Operas. It was first performed by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company at the Savoy Theatre in London on 22 January 1887. Comic opera is a subcategory of opera, and denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature. ... Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (May 13, 1842 – November 22, 1900) was an English composer best known for his operatic collaborations with librettist W. S. Gilbert. ... Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (November 18, 1836 – May 29, 1911) was an English dramatist and librettist best known for his operatic collaborations with the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan. ... The Savoy Operas are a series of operettas written by Gilbert and Sullivan. ... The DOyly Carte Opera Company staged performances of Gilbert and Sullivans Savoy operas in the UK, Europe, America, South Africa and elsewhere from the nineteenth century to the twenty first. ... Savoy Theatre London, December 2003 The Savoy Theatre, which opened on 10 October 1881, was built by Richard DOyly Carte (1844 - 1901) on the site of the old Savoy Palace in London as a showcase for the works of Gilbert and Sullivan, which became known as the Savoy Operas... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England and is the most populous city in the European Union. ... January 22 is the 22nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1887 (MDCCCLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar). ...

The first night was not altogether a success. After some changes—including respelling the title (it had been Ruddygore)— it achieved a run of 288 performances. There were further changes and cuts, including a new overture, when Rupert D'Oyly Carte revived Ruddigore after the First World War. Although never a big money-spinner, it remained in the repertoire until the company closed in 1982. A centenary revival at Sadler's Wells in London restored the opera to almost its original first-night state. Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... The London Coliseum, home of the English National Opera The English National Opera (ENO) is Londons second opera company, after the Royal Opera at Covent Garden. ...

In 2000, Oxford University Press published a scholarly edition of the score, edited by Sullivan scholar David Russell Hulme. It includes a substantial introduction that explains many of the changes, with the deleted material included in appendices. Many feel that the changes made by the authors and in 1920 were beneficial, while others continue to experiment with restoring some or all of the cut material in place of the traditional D'Oyly Carte version.

Ruddigore includes elements of comic melodrama. There is a villain who carries off the maiden; the priggishly good-mannered poor-but-virtuous-heroine; the hero in disguise, and his faithful old retainer who dreams of their former glory days; the snake in the grass sailor who claims to be following his heart; the wild, mad girl; the swagger of fire-eating patriotism; ghosts coming to life to enforce a curse; and so forth. But Gilbert, in his customary topsy-turvy fashion, turns the moral absolutes of melodrama upside down: The hero becomes evil, the villain becomes good and the virtous maiden changes fiances at the drop of a hat. The ghosts come back to life, foiling the curse, and all ends happily. For Vibe Tribes album see Melodrama (album) Poster for The Perils of Pauline (1914). ...

Roles

Mortals

• Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd Disguised as Robin Oakapple, a Young Farmer (baritone)
• Richard Dauntless His Foster-Brother - A Man-o'-war's-man (tenor)
• Sir Despard Murgatroyd of Ruddigore, A Wicked Baronet (bass-baritone or baritone)
• Old Adam Goodheart Robin's Faithful Servant (bass)
• Rose Maybud A Village Maiden (soprano)
• Mad Margaret (mezzo-soprano)
• Dame Hannah Rose's Aunt (contralto)
• Zorah Professional Bridesmaid (soprano)
• Ruth Professional Bridesmaid (speaking/chorus)

In music, a baritone (from Greek βαρυτονος deeply, heavily sounding) is a male voice of intermediate pitch, between bass and tenor. ... In music, a tenor is a male singer with a high voice (although not as high as the modern countertenor). ... A bass-baritone is a singing voice that shares certain qualities of both the baritone and the bass. ... In music, a baritone (from Greek βαρυτονος deeply, heavily sounding) is a male voice of intermediate pitch, between bass and tenor. ... A bass (or basso in Italian) is a male singer who sings in the lowest vocal range of the human voice. ... Look up Soprano in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A mezzo-soprano (meaning medium soprano in Italian) is a female singer with a range usually extending from the A below middle C to the F an eleventh above middle C. Mezzo-sopranos generally have a darker (or lower) vocal tone than sopranos, and their vocal range is between that... In music, an alto is a singer with a vocal range somewhere between a tenor and a soprano. ... Look up Soprano in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Ghosts

• Sir Rupert Murgatroyd The First Baronet
• Sir Jasper Murgatroyd The Third Baronet
• Sir Lionel Murgatroyd The Sixth Baronet
• Sir Conrad Murgatroyd The Twelfth Baronet
• Sir Desmond Murgatroyd The Sixteenth Baronet
• Sir Gilbert Murgatroyd The Eighteenth Baronet
• Sir Mervyn Murgatroyd The Twentieth Baronet
• Sir Roderic Murgatroyd The Twenty-first Baronet (bass-baritone – his predecessors are speaking/chorus roles)

• Chorus of Officers, Ancestors, Professional Bridesmaids and Villagers

A bass-baritone is a singing voice that shares certain qualities of both the baritone and the bass. ...

Synopsis

Act I

In the town of Rederring, in Cornwall, a chorus of professional bridesmaids frets that there have been no weddings for the last six months. All of the eligible young men are hopeful of a union with Rose Maybud, the prettiest maiden in the village, yet they are too timid to approach her.

The desperate bridesmaids ask Rose's aunt, Dame Hannah, if she would consider marrying, but she has vowed to remain eternally single. Many years previously, she had been betrothed to "a god-like youth" who turned out to be Sir Roderic Murgatroyd, one of the bad Baronets of Ruddigore. Only on her wedding day had she discovered his true identity.

Dame Hannah tells the bridesmaids about the curse of Ruddigore. Centuries ago, Sir Rupert Murgatroyd, the first Baronet of Ruddigore, had persecuted witches. One of his victims, as she was about to be burnt at the stake, cursed all future Baronets of Ruddigore to commit a crime every day, or perish in inconceivable agonies. Every Baronet of Ruddigore since then has fallen under the curse's influence, and died in agony once he could no longer bring himself continue a life of crime.

After the horrified bridesmaides exit, Dame Hannah greets her niece, Rose, and inquires whether there is any young man in the village whom she could love. Rose, who takes her ideas of Right and Wrong from a book of etiquette, replies that all of the young men she meets are either too rude or too shy. Dame Hannah asks particularly about Robin Oakapple, a virtuous farmer, but Rose replies that he is too frightened to approach her, and the rules of etiquette forbid her from speaking until she is spoken to. Robin enters, claiming to seek advice from Rose about "a friend" who is in love. Rose says that she has such a friend too, but neither of them is able to come to the point.

Richard Dauntless, Robin's foster-brother, arrives after ten years at sea. Robin tells him that he is afraid to declare his love to Rose, and Richard offers to speak to her on his behalf. When Richard sees Rose, he falls in love with her himself, and proposes immediately. After consulting her book of etiquette, Rose accepts. When Robin finds out what has happened, he points out his foster-brother's many flaws. Realizing her mistake, Rose breaks her engagement with Richard, and accepts Robin.

Sir Despard Murgatroyd, the current bad Baronet of Ruddigore, now enters, frightening everyone in his wake. Despard had become Baronet twenty years previously when his elder brother, Ruthven (pronounced "Rivven"), died mysteriously. Richard approaches him, and reveals that Robin Oakapple is in fact Despard's long-lost brother. The elated Despard declares that he is "free at last."

The village gathers to celebrate the nuptials of Rose and Robin. Sir Despard interrupts, revealing that Robin is his elder brother. Rose, horrified at his identity, resolves once again to marry Richard. Despard, now free of the curse, reunites with Mad Margaret, to whom he had once been betrothed. Robin leaves in disgrace to take up his rightful identity as Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd.

Act II

At Ruddigore Castle, Robin tries to come to grips with being a bad Baronet, a task at which he proves to be spectacularly lacking. His loyal retainer, Old Adam, suggests various evil crimes, but Robin prefers minor acts of rudeness that aren't criminal at all. Richard and Rose enter to ask Robin's consent to their marriage, which he gives grudgingly.

Robin's weak crimes stir his ancestral ghosts from their usual haunt of the castle's portrait gallery. The curse requires them to ensure that their successors are duly committing a crime every day, and to torture them to death if they fail. Robin's uncle, the late Sir Roderic Murgatroyd, orders him to "carry off a lady" that day. After the ghosts give him a sample of the agonies he would face, Robin reluctantly agrees. He tells Adam to go to the village and abduct a lady – any lady.

Despard has atoned for his previous evil acts and has married Mad Margaret. The two of them now live a life of charity. They come to the castle and urge Robin to renounce his life of crime. When Robin asserts that he has done no wrong yet, they remind him that he is morally responsible for all the crimes Despard had done in his stead. Realizing the extent of his guilt, Robin resolves to defy his ancestors.

Meanwhile, Adam has complied with Robin's orders and abducted Dame Hannah. However, she proves adept at defending herself, and Robin cries for his uncle's protection. An angry Sir Roderic once again steps down from his picture frame and dismisses Robin. He and Dame Hannah enjoy a brief reunion.

Robin interrupts them, accompanied by Rose, Richard, and the bridesmaids. He points out that each Ruddigore ancestor in turn has, at some point, declined to perform a daily crime and accepted his fate. However, in doing so, they have all effectively committed suicide – which is itself a crime. Thus, Robin's predecessors should never have died at all.

Now that Robin is free of the curse, Rose once again drops Richard and happily resumes her engagement to him. Roderic and Dame Hannah embrace, while Richard settles for the First Bridesmaid, Zorah.

Note: In the original ending, all of the ghosts came back to life at the end. In the revised ending that is usually performed today, only Sir Roderic comes back to life.

Musical numbers

• Original Overture (includes "I once was as meek", "Oh, why am I moody and sad?", "Welcome, gentry", "The battle's roar is over", and "When a man has been a naughty Baronet")
• Revised Overture (arranged by Geoffrey Toye, 1920; includes "I once was as meek", "When the night wind howls", "I know a youth", "My eyes are fully open", and Hornpipe)

Act I

• 1. "Fair is Rose" (Chorus of Bridesmaids)
• 2. "Sir Rupert Murgatroyd, his leisure" (Hannah and Chorus)
• 3. "If somebody there chanced to be" (Rose)
• 4. "I know a youth" (Rose and Robin)
• 5. "From the briny sea" (Chorus of Bridesmaids)
• 6. "I shipp'd, d'ye see, in a revenue sloop" (Richard and Chorus)
• 6a. Hornpipe
• 7. "My boy, you may take it from me" (Robin and Richard)
• 8. "The battle's roar is over" (Rose and Richard)
• 9. "If well his suit has sped" (Chorus of Bridesmaids)
• 10. "In sailing o'er life's ocean wide" (Rose, Richard, and Robin)
• 11. "Cheerily carols the lark" (Margaret)
• 12. "Welcome, gentry" (Double Chorus)
• 13. "Oh, why am I moody and sad?" (Sir Despard and Chorus)
• 14. "You understand? I think I do" (Richard and Sir Despard)
• 15. "Hail the bride" (Ensemble)

Act II

• 16. "I once was as meek" (Sir Ruthven and Adam)
• 17. "Happily coupled are we" (Rose and Richard)
• 18. "In bygone days" (Rose with Chorus of Bridesmaids)
• 19. "Painted emblems" (Sir Ruthven, Sir Roderic, and Chorus of Ancestors)
• 20. "When the night wind howls" (Sir Roderic and Chorus)
• 21. "He yields" (Chorus)
• 21a. "Away, remorse!" (Robin) ¹
• 22. "I once was a very" (Margaret and Despard)
• 23. "My eyes are fully open" (Margaret, Sir Ruthven, and Despard)
• 24. "Melodrame"
• 25. "There grew a little flower" (Hannah with Sir Roderic)
• 26. "When a man has been a naughty baronet" (Ensemble) ²

¹Two versions of this song exist, but it is usually cut. See "Versions of the text," below.

²This is the original finale. See discussion, "Versions of the text," below.

Note: As Ruddigore exists in several versions, the numbering of movements in published vocal scores may differ from the numbering presented above.

Versions of the text

First-night version

There were numerous significant cuts and alterations to Ruddigore after the first night, primarily in the second act. As originally conceived:

• The title was Ruddygore.

• "I once was as meek" (No. 16) had two verses. In the original second verse, Robin's faithful servant says that he has changed his name to Gideon Crawle. Old Adam is then referred to as "Gideon" for the rest of Act II.

• "In bygone days" (No. 18) had two verses.

• "Painted emblems of a race" (No. 19) had two extra passages, including a March of the Ghosts after they descend from their frames. The dialogue between Robin and the ghosts was also longer.

• "Away, remorse!" (No. 21a) was followed by a patter-song, "For thirty-five years I've been sober and wary."

• The dialogue scenes before and after No. 25 were considerably longer. The dialogue between Sir Roderic and Dame Hannah explored the topsy-turvy idea that if they were married, her husband would be a ghost, and she would therefore be a wife and a widow at the same time. In the dialogue after No. 25, all the ghosts were revived at the end.

Settled text of the first run

The first night was not successful. Some members of the public were offended by the idea of bringing ghosts back to life in a comic opera that was presented as family entertainment. The technical mechanism of the portraits also proved complex. Over the coming days, Gilbert and Sullivan made these changes:

• The title was changed to Ruddigore.

• "I once was as meek" (No. 16) was cut down to one verse. Old Adam kept the same name throughout the opera.

• "In bygone days" (No. 18) was cut down to one verse.

• The ghost scene (No. 19) and the dialogue after it were made less elaborate.

• "Away, remorse!" (No. 21a) was followed by a new patter-song, "Henceforth all the crimes"

• The dialogue scenes before and after No. 25 were shortened considerably. The other ghosts were not brought back to life. Somewhat implausibly, this required the chorus of bucks & blades from Act I to be present at the castle at the end of Act II, to provide a four-part chorus for the finale.

• The finale itself was revised slightly, to supply a more robust musical conclusion.

Revisions in the 1920s

Ruddigore was not revived professionally during the authors' lifetimes. When it received its first professional revival in December 1920 in Glasgow – and then in London, in October 1921 – the D'Oyly Carte company made a number of changes. It is impossible precisely to allocate responsibility for the changes, or to say precisely when they occurred. Two recordings from the period, in 1924 and 1931, do not agree on a musical text, which suggests that the changes were not made all at once. In the Oxford University Press edition, editor David Russell Hulme attributes the changes to Geoffrey Toye, Harry Norris, and Malcolm Sargent, but he is unable to say for sure which conductor was responsible for each change, except that Geoffrey Toye undoubtedly composed the new overture.

There were various changes to the orchestration and minor changes to several numbers, including cuts in the Act I finale. The most conspicuous changes that became traditional were as follows:

• Geoffrey Toye, the D'Oyly Carte musical director for the first London revival, supplied a new overture.

• Richard and Rose's Act I duet, "The battle's roar is over" (No. 8), was cut.

• Robin's Act II recitative and patter song, "Away, remorse" (No. 21a), was cut.

• The "Melodrame" (No. 24) was cut.

• The original Act II finale, "When a man has been a naughty baronet," was replaced with a shortened reprise of "Oh, happy the lily" from the Act I finale.

The standard Chappell vocal score was revised in the late 1920s to reflect this new tradition, including the Toye overture, the deletion of Robin's Act II song, the revised finale, and numerous other changes. However, the Melodrame and "The battle's roar is over" continued to be printed. The G. Schirmer vocal score published in America agreed with the revised Chappell score, except it also included Robin's Act II patter song and both versions of the Act II finale.

Until the Oxford University Press edition was published in 2000, the available orchestral parts reflected the standard D'Oyly Carte version established in the 1920s, making it the de facto tradition in most amateur and professional performances.

References

Hulme, David Russell, ed. (2000). Ruddigore. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

External links

• The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive's Ruddigore page