Little Lalla Rookh: the Grand Christmas Pantomime

The British Library has a copy of John F. McArdle’s adaptation of Moore’s Lalla Rookh as a Victorian era Christmas pantomime. This work was first staged at the  Alexandra Palace Theatre, South Kensington, in December 1883 (and repeated at the Bijou Opera House, Liverpool, 1889).  The  original production team included Mr C. Brew (transformation scene, the Peris’ Papyrus-Grove), Loveday (music), Mis Guinniss (ballet and processional pageantry), Mr Norbury and Mr Bennett (gas and lime-light effects); Messrs. Knott and Co. contributed the illusions, while Mr Finlay led the team which provided the scenery. In McArdle’s pantomime, the stories of Lalla Rookh and Hinda are intermeshed, with the latter becoming the principal lady-in-waiting to the Mogul princess.  As in Moore’s poem, Hinda is beloved by the Gheber Hafed, but he is assigned the role of a pantomime Infernal, along with a new character ‘Khoransabad the Terrible’, who vies with the ‘poet’ Feramors/King of Bucharia for Lalla ‘s hand. Indeed, Lalla’s hand is sought by no fewer than 15 princes and potentates, whose desires are marked in an extended pageant that  allows plenty of opportunity to introduce exotic characters (Amazons, Mandarins, and ‘Ashantee Wives’) accompanying the hopeful suitors (the King of Cashmere, the Chinese Emperor, and King Koffee). Lalla Rookh, already totally smitten with the poet Feramors, swiftly rejects them — including Khoransabad, who attempts to woo her with a song to the tune of “Lovely Sally Brook”. She does, however, accept the suit of the unseen King of Bucharia, on the recommendation of the lovelorn Peri Namoune (here two of Moore’s characters are combined as his Namouna was a sorceress in ‘The Light of the Harem’; his Peri was nameless). Namoune has been denied her place in Heaven for daring to love a mortal (Feramors) and can only gain re-entry by effecting the union of her beloved with Lalla Rookh. Lalla’s father the emperor Aurungzebe gives his grudging approval for the match, then sings solo during the Grand Chorus of Moore’s  “Let Erin Remember”. The other Peris  appear from time to time  en masse to sing choruses and perform ballets. The attendant Ghebers, as infernal characters perform an  ‘Impish Ballet’, while Hafed and Khoransabad provide a “Grand Revenge Duet”. The Incantation which follows will be familiar :  “Double, double, toil and trouble, Fire burn and cauldron bubble” (here described as ‘The Conspirators’ Chorus’). Fadladeen manages to embroil himself in a pitched battle with the impish Ghebers, which Namoune quells by  rais[ing] a burning brand and wav[ing] it over them; all fall down, Hafed kneels overawed. In the end, the deserving men (Feramors and Hafed) get their girls, while the ‘baddie’ Khoransabad has to content himself by singing the ‘New Tip-top topical song’ while riding a donkey. The characteristic final appeal to the audience ran thus:

 

Fad.: With Moore we have made merry; our endeavour

To make the Moore the merrier than ever.

King.: Forgive our follies at this Christmas time,

All’s fair in love and war – and Pantomime.

Nam: Our faults and failings please to overlook.

Lalla: and let no raven crow o’er Lalla Rookh!

 

 

Lalla Rookh on the Dublin Stage

The first stage work inspired by Lalla Rookh opened at the Theatre Royal, Dublin on 10 June 1818. This was M.J. Sullivan’s adaptation of Moore’s text as Lalla Rookh; or the Cashmerian Minstrel, as set by the popular singer-composer Charles Edward Horn. He was the son of a musician, also named Charles Horn, who had moved to London from Nordhausen in 1780. Horn senior counted amongst his pupils members of the Royal Family as well as the young tenor John Braham. Charles junior, born in 1788, became a versatile musician eventually famed for his tenor voice: his first position, however, was as a double-bass player at Covent Garden theatre; he was then appointed as second violoncello at the Italian opera under Lindley; at the age of 17, he published his first ballad, “The Baron of Mowbray”. The New York Mirror (vol. 12, 1834, pp. 294-95) credits Horn with setting at least a dozen theatrical works performed in London, including Moore’s comic opera, The MP; or, The Bluestocking in 1811. (Horn’s taste in poetry, we are told, was “most refined”.)  In the role of the poet Feramors for his opera Lalla Rookh, Horn would have treated his audience to his “veiled” or “husky” voice, which, combine with his “good manners and gentleman-like address” (New York Mirror), would have conveyed a certain appeal to the part.Theatre_audience_18-19th_century

A theatre audience, 18th or 19th century; hand-coloured etching
Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Museum number: S.384-2009. Source=http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O182414/print-etching-h-beard-print-collection/ Wikimedia Commons.

We get a mixed impression regarding the success of Horn’s Lalla Rookh. Freeman’s Journal of 11 June 1818 proclaimed two or three of the airs “beautiful”, and described the “plaudits … on every side” when Moore was observed in situ on opening night, with a further “three distinct rounds of applause” two nights later, when Moore sat in the manager’s box. The publication of the score is a further marker of expectations for the work; the title-page records its dedication to that most illustrious of society patronesses, Lady Morgan:

“The Overture, Songs, & Duets, / In the Operetta of / LALLA ROOKH, / Performed with unbounded applause / AT THE / Theatre Royal, Dublin. / FOUNDED ON T. MOORE, ESQ.’S celebrated Poem; / The Words by M. J. Sullivan, Esqr. / The Music Composed, and Dedicated to / Lady Morgan, / By Charles Edward Horn. / Dublin, / Printed for the Author, by I. Willis, 7. Westmoreland Street”

Yet there is no firm record of Horn’s opera entering the repertory on a long term basis, and T. Walsh (Opera in Dublin 1798-1820, p. 192) insists it did not “become a favourite”.

While Horn’s opera may not have exerted an enduring appeal, during the nineteenth century every new generation of Dublin theatre-goers had the chance to engage with Moore’s Lalla Rookh as a stage work. Freeman’s Journal for 10 March 1843 contains an advertisement for a

“New Grand Equestrian Spectacle, / in Two Acts, called / LALLA ROOKH: / Or, The AMBASSADOR OF LOVE, AND GHEBER FIRE WORSHIPPERS / In which the entire Stud will appear.”

This work featured Lalla Rookh and her poet-lover Aliris, her father the Mughal emperor Aurungzebe, as well the added characters of Zerapghan, Himlah, and Meenah. We find another kind of poplar stage entertainment in the burlesque Lalla Rookh, Khoreanbad styled as “A Grand Divertissement” and staged on 4 Oct. 1858 at the Queen’s Royal Theatre.

The Gaiety Theatre would seem to have produced the most popular entertainment founded on Moore’s poem. On 22 December 1881 Freeman’s Journal announced

“This Evening … (at 7:30) / The Enormously Successful / The Grand Annual Christmas Pantomime, / LALLA ROOKH. / Bul Bul, the Peri: Hafed, the Gheber: and the / Feast of Roses, / Founded on Thomas Moore’s Oriental Poem. / New and Gorgeous Scenery. Magnificent Costumes. / Powerful and Specially Selected Company. / Kaleidoscopic Ballet. Exquisite Panorama. Gorgeous Marriage Revels. The celebrated Pet Elephant.”

This work was repeated at least nine times before the following notice appeared in Freeman’s Journal for 31 January 1882:

“This evening … SECOND EDITION / Of the enormously successful Pantomime / LALLA ROOKH . New Songs! New Dances! / New Medley of Moore’s Irish Melodies / New Topical Song! / New Dances and Comic Business by / The pet Elephant.”

This revision generated a further eight performances before, some fifty-five years after its source of inspiration was originally published, the Dublin public’s interest in the pantomime waned.

Lalla Rookh’s 200th at Queen’s University Belfast

The Department of Music at Queen’s University Belfast is running a new module in spring 2017, called ‘A Night at the Opera’. For this module, final-year BMUS students collaborate on a concert for their assessed project. The core text for this year’s cohort of sixteen students is none other than Moore’s ‘Lalla Rookh’ (1817), which inspired numerous songs (for the domestic market), cantatas (for choral societies of the time), and operas (for opera houses in Dublin, Paris, London, Dresden, etc.) from the early romantic period through to the Edwardian era. With two sopranos, a mezzo, one tenor, one bass, two pianists, two violins, and one each playing flute, clarinet, and oboe, we will have to arrange some of the existing music to suit our forces. So some of the students are performing, some are arranging music, and others will be acting as presenters to provide a narrative as well as some visual display to support the selection of music.  One of the students, who has taken sound engineering modules in our BSc, will record the event to add to the ERIN project website. At our planning meeting last week we came  up with a provisional list of repertory, which will be refined further over the next couple of weeks as we begin rehearsals.

Lalla Rookh Bicentennial Concert, 11 May 2017 @ 13:10 Harty Room

Cover, Lalla Rookh: an oriental romance, illustrated by John Tenniel
Cover, Lalla Rookh: an oriental romance, illustrated by John Tenniel

Provisional Programme

Part I. Lalla Rookh and Feramors

Ballet music from Anton Rubinstein’s opera Feramors (Dresden, 1863)

 “Sous le feuillage”  from Félicien David’s comic opera Lalla Roukh (Paris, 1862)

“I’ll sing thee songs of Araby” from Frederic Clay’s cantata Lalla Rookh (Brighton, 1877)

 Part II. The Veiled Prophet

‘Bendermeer’s Stream’ from  Charles Villiers Stanford’s opera The Veiled Prophet of Khorassan (Hanover, 1881).

Part III. Paradise and the Peri

 “Vom Eden’s Thor”, from Robert Schumann’s oratorio, Das Paradies und die Peri (Leipzig, 1843)

“The glorious Angel” (recit.) > “Nymph of a fair but erring race” (aria)

“Sweet said the Angel” (arietta)

“True was the maiden” (recit and arietta), from John Barnett’s cantata, Paradise and the Peri (pub. London, 1870)

“Schumcket die Stufen zu Allahs Thron”, from Schumann, Das Paradies und die Peri

 The Peri Pardon’d, cantata by John Clarke (pub. London, 1818)

Part IV. The Fire Worshippers

 “Her hands were clasped”, a recit.-aria by Thomas Attwood (pub. London, 1818)

“’Twas his own Voice”, recit.-aria by Sir John Stevenson (pub. London, 1817)

“Farewell to thee Araby’s Daughter”, duet for soprano and tenor by Lady Flint, Five Songs from Lalla Rookh  (pub. London, 1818)

 Part V. The Light of the Harem

 ‘Namouna’s Song’ “I know where the winged visions dwell”, from Lady Flint, Five Songs.

“Fly to the Desert”, song by  George Kiallmark (pub. London, 1817)

Image courtesy of Special Collections, McClay Library, Queen’s University Belfast

NB: Future blog posts may be written by some of the students enrolled in ‘A Night at the Opera’.

The Meeting of the Waters: BL and other sources

In relation to project ERIN, the British Library possesses one of the largest, and most significant, collections of sources for Moore’s work (http://explore.bl.uk/). The range of sources includes complete runs of the Irish Melodies Numbers 1-10; complete runs of the National Airs Numbers 1-6 and a large selection of songs, operas and ballets based on Lalla Rookh. Contained in the BL’s collection are five different editions of The Meeting of the Waters.  These include two publications edited by Professor Clare (one dates from 1859 and the other was published in 1868 by Holdernesse), an edition published by Williams in 1859/60, an arrangement for two voices by Frank Romer published by Leader & Cocks in 1860 and an 1872 edition published by George Bell. All of the aforementioned editions were published in London.

The collection at the BL also includes earlier editions of the song published by James Power (London), William Power (Dublin) and Addison & Hodson (London); the dates of publication for these editions range from 1820 to 1845. James Power editions of the song are present in the collections at the National Library, Dublin and Special Collections at McClay Library QUB. Also at the National Library is a William Power edition of the song and an arrangement for two voices by W. H. Montgomery which was published by C. Sherard at the Musical Bouquet Office in London circa 1855.

The Meeting of the Waters
The Meeting of the Waters

The existence of these editions and arrangements illustrates Moore’s influence on nineteenth-century composers, arrangers and publishers over the course of a 64 year period (1808-1872) while also highlighting the song’s popularity. The Meeting of the Waters is one of the better known Irish Melodies and appeared in the First Number published in April 1808. The following quote is taken from a footnote included by Moore in an early Power edition.

“The Meeting of the Waters” forms a part of that beautiful scenery which lies between Rathdrum and Arklow, in the county of Wicklow, and these lines were suggested by a visit to this romantic spot, in the summer of the year, 1807.”

The image above was taken from “Moore’s Irish Melodies: Lalla Rookh; National Airs; Legendary Ballads; Songs, &c with a memoir by J.F. Waller, LL.D.” The illustration perfectly depicts the picturesque imagery conjured up by Moore’s descriptive lyrics.

Image Courtesy of Special Collections, McClay Library, Queen’s University Belfast

Researching at the British Library

During the month of July (2016) I spent two weeks researching at the British Library (BL); the St Pancras branch which is located at 96 Euston Road, London. My experience of researching here was extremely positive – it’s a state of the art facility and the library staff are professional, helpful and friendly. Since my reader’s pass expired in 2013 I first needed to visit Reader Registration (on the ground floor) to renew my pass. This is a straightforward process, however expect it to be busy. On arriving at the desk you are asked for the required documentation (see website http://www.bl.uk/). Provided all is in order, you are then directed to one of the PCs to fill in an online form and receive your number in the queue. Once you go through the registration/renewal process the assistant will issue your new card. Coats and bags are not allowed in the Reading Rooms; lockers, which require a £1 coin, are provided on the lower ground floor.

British Library, London
British Library, London

 

I was researching in the Rare Books and Music Reading Room located on the first floor. To order items you must register online via the ‘Explore the British Library’ page. Once you have your reader’s pass you can order in advance of your visit online. You can track the progress of your order by clicking on ‘My Reader Requests ‘and orders take up to 70 minutes to arrive to the reading room. You can order up to 10 items each day, however you will only be issued 6 items at a time. Up to 6 items can also be held over until the next day.  The Rare Books and Music Reading Room is well equipped; despite the large number of desks available to readers it is best to get there early to ensure your seat. The reading room times are listed on the library’s website (http://www.bl.uk/aboutus/quickinfo/loc/stp/opening/index.html). Each desk has a reading lamp, wi-fi is available onsite and there are three cafés, a restaurant and coffee dock onsite. The shop is also worth a visit whether looking for an interesting book or a souvenir!

 

Moore and McDonagh

The Irish peasant to his mistress (Thro’ grief and thro’ danger) is from the Third Number of the Irish Melodies which was first published in the Summer of 1810. An undated manuscript copy of the lyrics to the first verse in the hand of poet, playwright and 1916 signatory Thomas McDonagh is extant at the National Library of Ireland; http://www.nli.ie/. A digitised version of this source is available to view online by following this link; http://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000615205

The lyrics to many of Moore’s Irish Melodies are well known for their political and nationalistic content and themes; subjects which may well have resonated with McDonagh. The lyrics for the complete song are transcribed below.

THE IRISH PEASANT TO HIS MISTRESS

Thro’ grief and thro’ danger thy smile hath cheer’d my way,
Till hope seem’d to bud from each thorn that round me lay;
The darker our fortune, the brighter our pure love burn’d
Till shame into glory, till fear into zeal was turn’d;
Oh! salve as I was, in thy arms my spirit felt free,
And bless’d e’en the sorrows that made me more dear to thee.

Thy rival was honour’d, while thou wert wrong’d and scorn’d;
Thy crown was of briers, while gold her brows adorn’d;
She woo’d me to temples, while thou lay’st hid in caves;
Her friends were all masters, while thin, alas! were slaves;
Yet, cold in the earth, at thy feet I would rather be,
Than wed what I loved not, or turn one thought from thee.

They slander thee sorely, who say thy vows are frail-
Hadst thou been a false one, thy cheek had look’d less pale!
They say too, so long thou hast worn those ling’ring chains;
That deep in thy heart they have printed their servile stains;
Oh! do not believe them – no chain could that soul subdue;
Where shineth thy spirit, there liberty shineth too!

Image Courtesy of Special Collections, McClay Library, Queen’s University Belfast

The Irish Peasant to His Mistress
The Irish Peasant to His Mistress

Researching at the National Library of Ireland, Dublin

The National Library of Ireland reading rooms are located at two sites; the Main Reading Room is located at the main library site 5 Kildare Street and the Manuscripts’ Reading Room is located at 2-3 Kildare Street. Sources for Moore’s works are available to view at both sites however the majority of Moore sources are available in the Manuscripts’ Reading Room and are Special Access; this means the items are stored offsite, consequently call times and access may be limited. Reader’s tickets can be obtained from the Reader Services Office which is located to the left of the security desk on entering the main site; consult the library’s website for more information about visiting the library (see link below).

I’ve held a National Library reader’s ticket for a number of years now and my current ticket doesn’t expire until 2017, however I did need to visit Reader Services in order to acquire a password for wifi access which is available in both reading rooms. If you have a valid reader’s ticket you can order items online in advance of your visit. If working in the Main Reading Room you can order up to three items at a time and you can choose items to be delivered at any of the 10 available call times; bags and coats must be stored in the lockers located in a small room on the left after the security desk. The variety of call times available to readers working in the Main Reading Room facilitates with planning your research schedule and it’s possible to hold items for up to a week by filling in the forms available at the main desk. Copying and microfilm facilities are available onsite; see the library’s website for further details. The Manuscripts’ Reading Room is smaller than the Main Reading Room, however there is space to seat approximately 30 readers. Storage space is limited, consequently the number of items you wish to order may be restricted. The library is located in the centre of Dublin city so there are plenty of cafés and restaurants to choose from if you are in need of lunch or a coffee break; Café Joly is located on the ground floor at the main site.

http://www.nli.ie/

Moore’s Library

Thomas Moore was made an honorary member of the Royal Irish Academy in 1846 and after his death in 1852 his wife donated approximately 1,200 items from his personal library to the Academy. Moore’s Library, which is stored in the Council Room at Academy House, contains eighteenth- and nineteenth-century texts in English, French and Italian. Its contents include works by Shakespeare and Voltaire, titles on oriental and eastern cultures and traditions, and books about Irish history and politics. Moore was an accomplished scholar and thorough researcher as evidenced by the extensive library he acquired. His researching skills and attention to detail are also evidenced by the presence of numerous footnotes throughout the Irish Melodies, National Airs and printed text for Lalla Rookh. Titles on oriental customs and cultures extant in Moore’s Library no doubt provided the poet-songwriter with the knowledge required to write his epic oriental poem. The following quotation, which provides a definition for the word Lalla, is taken from Bibliothèque orientale: où dictionnaire universel, contenant tout ce qui fait connoître les peuples de l’Orient by Barthélemy d’Herbelot (page 143).

“Laleh Ce mot, dont les Persans & les Turcs se servant pour signifier une tulipe, est chez eux le symbole d’un Amant passioné, à cause que cette fleur a ordinairement se feuilles rouges, & qu’elle est marquée au fonds d’une noirceur, qui a quelque ressemblance à la marque que laisse l’application ou l’impression d’un bouton de feu. Ainsi, disent-ils, l’Amant à le feu sur le visage, & la blessure dans le coeur. Laleh Deschti & Lalech Gouhi. Tulipe de campagne & de montagne, c’est-á-dire, sauvage & non cultivée. Les Persans appellent ainsi les anémones, que les Arabes nomment Schacaik al Noôman, à cause que ce fut Noôman, Roi d’Arabie, qui les transporta le premier de la campagne dans ses jardins.”

https://www.ria.ie/library

http://https://www.ria.ie/

Image Courtesy of Special Collections, McClay Library, Queen’s University Belfast

Cover, Lalla Rookh: an oriental romance, illustrated by John Tenniel
Cover, Lalla Rookh: an oriental romance, illustrated by John Tenniel

Researching at the RIA Library, Dublin

During the month of June I spent 2 days researching at the Royal Irish Academy Library (RIA), which is located at Academy House, 19 Dawson Street, Dublin 2. With Grafton Street, Trinity College and several busy cafés located close-by, the RIA Library provides a research haven in the heart of Dublin city. The unique reading room, which dates from the early 1850s, seats 10 readers. As suggested in previous posts, it’s best to make contact with a librarian by email in advance of your visit to help ensure you can access all the material you require. A reader’s ticket costs €15 and information about visiting the library is available online (see the link below). Bags and coats are not allowed in the reading room, lockers for storing personal belongings are available and are located downstairs. The library staff are very friendly and helpful and wifi is available onsite.

Academy House, 19 Dawson Street, Dublin 2
Academy House, 19 Dawson Street, Dublin

I examined and catalogued ten music sources of relevance to ERIN; eight nineteenth-century editions of the Irish Melodies and two nineteenth-century editions of the National Airs. These sources were donated to, or purchased by, the library. Several volumes bear the name(s) of former owners and all volumes are beautifully bound and in very good condition.

 

Since its foundation in 1785 The Royal Irish Academy has had many distinguished honorary members including Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein and Thomas Moore. Moore’s association with the Academy dates back to 1846 when he was made an honorary member. A number of tributes to the poet-songwriter are displayed in Academy House including a portrait and bust of the poet, both of which are displayed in the Council Room, located on the right as you enter the building. Also stored in the Council Room are the contents of Moore’s Library; access may be limited so check in advance that you can access material on the day you plan to visit. My next blogpost will provide an overview of Moore’s Library and some of its contents.

 

http://https://www.ria.ie/library

 

http://https://www.ria.ie/

Moore Sources at the BSB

Like the BnF, the BSB does not possess a dedicated ‘Moore Collection’, however the following musical sources are contained in the library’s music collection: a copy of Duffy’s 1859 edition of the Irish Melodies edited by Glover, one copy each of Numbers 1-8 of the Irish Melodies, one copy each of Numbers 1-3 of the National Airs and one copy of each of the following individually published songs from the Irish Melodies and National Airs series; The harp that once thro’ Tara’s halls (First Number Irish Melodies), Has sorrow thy young days shaded (Sixth Number Irish Melodies) and Should those fond hopes (First Number National Airs). The Irish Melodies Numbers 1-7 and all three copies of the National Airs are available to view online via the BSB’s online catalogue; https://www.bsb-muenchen.de/en/.

Just over one third of the sources I examined and catalogued at the BSB were for works from, or inspired by, Moore’s Lalla Rookh. These include songs by Attwood, Clarke, Hawes and Stevenson, a fantasy-overture by William Sterndale Bennett (1816-75) based on Paradise and the Peri and a cantata by John Francis Barnett (1837-1916) also based on Paradise and the Peri. Music for Anton Rubinstein’s opera Feramors is also contained in the library’s music collection.

Image courtesy of Special Collections, McClay Library, Queen’s University Belfast

title page: Paradise and the Peri by John francis Barnett
Title page: Paradise and the Peri by John Francis Barnett