*Rosecliff Ballroom, Newport, Rhode Island, set up for February 29, 2024, musical program. Photo by Mark Stickney and Historic Music of Newport.*

A musical performance is an opportunity to tell a story. That was the job I set myself for the first half of the program on February 29, 2024, as conductor of the Gilded Age Orchestra of Newport. The opulent Rosecliff Ballroom was our performance location and I wanted repertoire appropriate to the venue. I needed to take into consideration the size and acoustics of the room, as well as the need for improved sightlines for the audience - resulting in a slightly elevated 20’ x 24’ stage. A normal late 19th-century symphony orchestra would not fit on that stage, so repertoire selection had to be constrained.

I decided to start the story with operetta, and W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan’s Overture from H.M.S. Pinafore (1878) had the appropriate excitement to open the show. Gilbert & Sullivan used a smaller theatre-sized orchestra which was perfect for our stage, consisting of 2 Flutes, 1 Oboe, 2 Clarinets, 1 Bassoon, 2 Horn, 2 Trumpet, 2 Trombone, 2 Percussion, and Strings – we used 5 first violins, 5 second violins, 4 violas, 4 cellos, and 2 bass.

Compared to opera, operetta is usually less intense and complex, often includes spoken dialogue, is shorter in length, and is usually light and amusing. Gilbert and Sullivan were innovative in using more realistic acting styles (juxtaposed with some characters blissfully unaware of their absurdity), along with extravagant and realistic sets.

H.M.S. Pinafore opened in London and was so popular it came to the United States only six months later. 1878-79 saw approximately 150 unauthorized versions of H.M.S. Pinafore in America, and because American law offered no copyright protection to foreigners, Gilbert and Sullivan received no royalties despite filing multiple lawsuits.

Although it is nice to begin a program with an overture since the topic was operetta, the second selection had to feature a singer, should be more closely connected to the United States, and relate to the specific concert in some way – I found the perfect piece!

In addition to being artists, Gilbert and Sullivan were also businessmen and hoped to stop further "copyright piracy" by mounting the first production of their next opera in America. In June 1879 their partner went to New York City to rent a theatre and was followed in November by Sullivan who quickly completed the sketches of the new opera he’d started in England. On New Year’s Eve 1879, they premiered The Pirates of Penzance on Broadway and succeeded in keeping for themselves the profits of the first American production and went on to operate profitable U.S. touring companies of both Pirates and Pinafore.

The plot of The Pirates of Penzance revolves around Frederic, who was indentured to work for a band of pirates until his "twenty-first birthday.” Shortly before his birthday Frederic sees a group of beautiful young sisters approaching the pirate’s lair and asks them to help him reform from his pirate ways. The girls all reject him, except Mabel. The two quickly fall in love, however, Frederic soon learns that he was born on the very date of our concert (concert connection made!). Knowing what you know about operetta, what do you suppose that means? Well of course, since he was born on the 29th of February, technically, he has a birthday only once each leap year, meaning that he must serve for another 63 years.

Our second piece featured soprano Sarah Vitale singing Mabel’s song, “Poor wand’ring one!” from The Pirates of Penzance.