Coming to the Nashville Opera
H.M.S. Pinafore to Set Sail!
As the Nashville Opera prepares to stage H.M.S. Pinafore (formally titled H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor), the Music City Review is happy to offer a preview of this early gem from the Gilbert and Sullivan canon. Premiered May 25, 1878, Pinafore marks a significant milestone in the creative duos’ collaboration, showcasing their developing style that would come to define English comic opera and the eventual early-American stage.[1] The comedic ethos of H.M.S. Pinafore draws heavily from poet and librettist William S. Gilbert’s (1836–1911) earlier work, namely his “Bab Ballads”—or the collection of whimsical verses he penned under the pseudonym “Bab”—published in the British humor magazine, aptly called Fun, during the latter half of the nineteenth century. These “Bab Ballads” provided a rich repository of characters, situations, and a clever brand of wordplay that Gilbert would later adapt well for the stage.[2] A good example is Pinafore’s “For He is an Englishman.” An excerpt: For he might have been a Roosian, A French, or Turk, or Proosian, Or perhaps Italian But in spite of all temptations To belong to other nations, He remains an Englishman! The lyrics exemplifies Gilbert’s prowess of satirical wit, prioritizing linguistic dexterity overRead More
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