Old town horse song structure strophes series#

Can anyone comment, or am I hallucinating? Tom Shepard replied: You are right on the money. Gwyn Aubrey wrote: Having heard 'Time was When Love and I were well acquainted', I was somewhat struck by the opening accompaniment bearing a rather strong resemblance to 'Climbing Over Rocky Mountain'. And, priggish or not, as a character exposition, as well as a dramatic aria, ' It Is Not Love,' is right up there with the other tenor parts. Besides Dr Daly's songs, as Bruce mentioned, there is one of the most lyrical of the soprano arias-'Oh, Happy Young Heart'-in the canon. Ted Rice added: I also see a great deal of virtue in Sorcerer's music. There is much to like in Sorcerer, and it certainly points the way to the future - if neither G nor S is yet quite in peak form. My name is JWW is among the finest patter songs. Both of the Vicar's solos are beautifully conceived, both for the gentle satire and for the characterization generally. Some of the ensembles are gems - the Gavotte rivals the one in Gondoliers, and the Incantation is inspired. Sullivan's use of dance music in the Finales of both acts is melodious and fresh. The opening of Act II likewise succeeds on more than one level, and one wonders whether Sullivan's personal experience with morphine (and who knows what else) informed his depiction of a drug hangover in the instrumental prelude. 'Oh, marvellous illusion' is stunning - a wonderful musical depiction of the communal drugging. It's either by Alfred Cellier or Hamilton Clarke - I don't recall at the moment whether it was written during the first run or for the revival, which would determine which of the two it was - but whomever it was, he certainly came up with a charming, lively piece which more than adequately sets up the opera. I agree that the Overture is a good one probably about the best of the ones Sullivan farmed out. And there's some of the best pastiche Handel ASS ever wrote, at least until Princess Ida.īruce Miller wrote: This may surprise some people, but IMHO there are a number of musical elements in Sorcerer which are among Sullivan's finest numbers, as Tom Shepard has already mentioned. Witty, inventive and orchestrated by a master hand. There are lots of other gems, including Sir Marmaduke and Lady Sangazure's Act One duet, the patter song which is brilliant and the Incantation. 'Time was, when love and I were well acquainted', always makes my toes curl - one of the most beautiful arias in the whole canon. It is a show which demands brains, which means that it will be less popular. With the exception of the start of Act II, the music is for the most part thoughtful and restrained. Yet, at the same time, it is also one of the most thoughtful, least raucous of all of the scores. In my opinion, Sorcerer has some of the most tuneful music in the canon. Yet if done right, much of it is simply brilliant. To pull the music off requires a clearer, less elaborate style than much of the later Sullivan. Finally, the music, like the drama is beautiful yet fragile. For example, 'Thou Hast the Power' by Alexis in the second act 'sounds' like a love song, when in fact, it is a very strong denouncement.

Old town horse song structure strophes series#

3.1 General Observations 3.1.1 Simply Brilliant 3.1.2 Sullivan's Finest 3.1.3 A Striking Resemblance 3.2 The Numbers 3.2.1 Sexist assignations 3.2.2 Gilbert Parodies Cavatina 3.2.3 Lady Sangazure's Lost Ballad 3.3 The Runt of the Litter 3.3.1 Worst tenor songs in the canon 3.3.2 The Runtiest of Allĭavid Craven wrote: A superficial review of the show will often result in the (misplaced) view that the show is a series of love duets and trios, when in fact, many of the songs, while of strong emotion, are not of love.