Victorian Music and Culture: A Reflection

This semester has been a wonderful exploration of the music and culture of Victorian England.  Although we still have several weeks to go, I felt as if a reflection was in order for this, my final blog.  As one can tell immediately from viewing my blog in this class, my primary focus during this era are the works of Gilbert and Sullivan.  As a specialist in this field, it has been wonderful to really explore a variety of areas both directly and indirectly connected to these works.  The other subjects covered, such as the music hall, the opera house box, various gender concerns, other composers of the time; these all help me contextualize my work with the Savoy Operas, and I hope open my eyes to the full environment in which these works were created. 

I have enjoyed sharing my G&S expertise with my classmates, and look forward to next week’s discussions of Princess Ida. I have had a little experience with the show, having twice performed it for fun with a group called The Sunday Afternoon Gilbert and Sullivan Society, singing Cyril both times.  I was a finalist in the fall 2007 auditions for NYGASP’s production of Princess Ida, one of four tenors seriously considered for the role of Cyril, out of 35 who auditioned.  Finally, there was a ‘pot-luck’ Princess Ida one night at the Festival Club in Buxton last summer.  They had a Cyril, but were lacking a Hilarion.  I spent 1 hour learning as much of the role as I could, and sight-read the show.  It was a crash-course in the other principal tenor, but then again, very few of the Savoy Operas give you the chance to have two lead tenor parts.

Princess Ida has a lot to say, and can cause varying degrees of controversy.  In an earlier conversation with one of my classmates, there was a degree of anger expressed at the way in which Princess Ida is presented in the Youtube clips posted for our class.  However, when I explained my own take on the topics of controversy, my classmate said that that was nothing like what they got out of the videos.  It will be an interesting discussion next week, and I hope to add to the debate by presenting the thoughts of Dr. Carolyn Williams, whose new book, Gilbert and Sullivan: Gender, Genre and Parody I just received directly from the author.  I will be reading the chapter on Princess Ida this weekend.

This kind of lively debate / discussion is what has made this class so interesting and enjoyable throughout the semester.  It will be be a shame to see it all go in a few weeks.

Gilbert and Sullivan Parody

  An interesting, and sometimes frightening, thing can occur when music moves from the realm of copyright into the public domain.  In the case of the music to the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, there has been plenty of both.  There have been parodies ranging from Forbidden Broadway’s original season (‘Poor Warbling Star’, ‘I am a Kevin Kline’, etc.) to a version of ‘Baby Got Back’ sung in the ‘style’ of G&S with video footage from the Pabst Pirates of Penzance movie staring Kevin Kline.  The latter is found here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkJdEFf_Qg4

Gilbert and Sullivan tunes have been used for advertising purposes from nearly the moment they became public domain.  One example I know is an advertisement for Brillo pads to the tune of “Willow tit-willow” from The Mikado.  Another is for Blue Bonnet margarine, to the tune of “I’m called little buttercup” from H.M.S. Pinafore.

Then there have been very witty parodies that have been used for sending messages, or educational purposes.  A few are linked below:

Here, Pinky and the Brain sing about the importance of knowing your history to the tune of “When I was a lad” from H.M.S. Pinafore. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPlTB0eJbQQ

In this video, the elements of the periodic table are identified by Tom Lehrer, to the tune of “I am the very model of a modern major-general” from The Pirates of Penzance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGM-wSKFBpo

Finally, one of the most recent uses of that same song comes from a video about President Barrack Obama.  In this video, the lyrics are brilliantly set to send the political message of Obama’s success in office thus far.  A professionally edited video, the cast is impressive.  Not only does Ron Butler look fairly like Obama, but he has a clear voice that effectively presents the words intelligibly and musically.  One of the most impressive aspects of this video, in my opinion, is the incorporation of a chorus of office employees that wrap up each verse and add a layer of fun and amusement that most other parodies of this song miss.  If only more parodies of the music to the Savoy Operas were this well presented...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGM-wSKFBpo

Topsy Turvy: The other characters portrayed

In class on Thursday we began the landmark G&S film Topsy Turvy.  This work is well known in the G&S realm, and on the whole, I believe, rather well-liked  Early reviews from Savoyards truly in the know praise the accuracy of the work in its entirety, seeming willing to put aside the relatively minor anachronisms in favor of this very real portrayal of these people at this point in their famed careers.  The G&S Archives has several reviews of the work, the most telling by SavoyNet notable Peter Parker.  In his review, he emphasizes that the highlight performance in a movie filled with good performances was that of Jim Broadbent as W.S. Gilbert.  It is true that Broadbent stands out, and his very true-to-life portrayal of the famed librettist is a delight to watch.

What might be a bit confusing to my classmates are some of the other characters portrayed in the movie.  As man undoubtedly know (and which is of course obvious from what we've seen), Richard D'Oyly Carte was the impresario of the Savoy.  It was at his urging that Gilbert and Sullivan first worked together, and he was a strong point in keeping the team working throughout their long joint career.

The characters that particularly interested me were the performers who were shown.  Of course, the lead comic man, George Grossmith, was a very important figure in the realm of the Savoy Operas.  Making his debut with G&S as John Wellington Wells in The Sorcerer, Grossmith was from that point on the primary patter man for the company.  The original patter man, for both Thespis and Trial by Jury, was Fred Sullivan, Sir Arthur's brother.  Unfortunately, Fred died before The Sorcerer came into being.

In the upcoming conclusion, you will get to see more of the performers.  I encourage anyone who has any interest to look at Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte on the G&S Archives to get a better idea of who these people were, historically, before seeing them all at work in the premiere of Mikado.  I believe this film is a wonderful portrayal.

Women in the Hall

The two readings for Tuesday were very interesting.  A major connection between the two of them were women working in the Music Hall.  However, two very different approaches were discussed taken by women who performed.  In the first reading, performing women were discussed via their portrayal in fictional writing.  The focus was on actresses and the various ways they were portrayed.  Acting was not considered the most 'appropriate' profession, but there were some views that women were doing an honest work to support themselves or their families.  It was seen by some as a viable option for work-class women, who really only had the option of shop work if they wanted to be out of the house.

The second chapter we ready focused on a very different way for women to make a living in the Hall.  The naked tableaux vivants were a phenomenon that caused much controversy.  The trick into making these nude portrayals acceptable in the public was the concept of comparing the women to statues.  By becoming stationary recreations of noted works of art, there was a decrease of the perceived vulgarity of the naked female form.  While there was certainly no way to completely avoid accusations of vulgarity on the stage, there was nonetheless an acceptance by enough to consider this a legitimate entertainment at the Hall.

The tableaux vivants saw life again, in controversy, in the 1930s and 40s at the Windmill, under the sponsorship of Laura Henderson (made popular to today's population in the 2005 film Mrs. Henderson Presents).  The 'Windmill Girls' presented tableaux vivants in the nude under a legal loophole that basically said 'if it moves, its rude'.  As long as the girls stayed still, there was no legal course that could be taken against them for vulgarity.

I wonder if the rise of the tableaux as a separate art form is connected to the popularity of the final tableaux in works of theater.  It was considered a powerful theatrical device, to reinforce the final image seen by the audience by re-showing the pose after a brief drop of the curtain.  I was in a production once that used this technique, and as the final pose was rather tragic, it proved to be quite effective.  I could easily see this inspiring a whole 'performance' of tableaux images.

Exploitation Journalism

Thursday's class brought up an interesting idea, especially with the discussion of music hall critic Henry Mayhew.  Mayhew, also a co-founder of Punch magazine, focused much of his writing on the 'penny gaff' crowds at the music hall.  This was the entertainment for the working-class people (named 'panny gaff' because the original price was, in fact, a penny).  One particular quote given in our class reading focused on a group of gaff audience members waiting in line outside the hall.  The majority of these were allegedly kids, ranging in age from 8 - 20, and it was apparently a sexually charged group.  Mayhew reports an inappropriate comfort level shown among both the boys and girls with sexual behavior, and particularly describes dancing of an unacceptable nature among them.

Critics of Mayhew suggest, however, that his calls for the cessation of this crude entertainment are, at best only half the story.  These suggestions state that Mayhew was just as enamored by this culture as offended by it.  What we see with him is a form of exploitation journalism that has maintained popularity to the present day.  Mayhew exposes what he knows will be a controversial situation, and he profits from it.  In class, we compared this to modern 'journalists' such as Jerry Springer or Heraldo.  In these cases, we see a story that's only value is that it will get attention for the wrong reasons, featured in a public venue.  No longer do magazines or newspapers need to feature these stories; we have cable television for that now.  Like Mayhew exposing what high society would consider the utter abasement found among the more socially unrestricted youth of the lower class, these modern exploitation journalists thrust into the public light stories of a highly controversial nature, often focusing on examples of social or moral depravity.  In Mayhew's case, he and all his readers were not at all part of the portion of society getting the focus; they were outsiders making judgments to those whose lives they could never hope to understand.  From their removed soapbox, of course they could find the flaws that, in their minds needed to be eradicated for the 'improvement' of society; in other words, for those of this other culture to conform more to the life of those making the judgments.

The Music Hall - Thoughts on the entertainment

Our readings this week have focused on the British music hall, one of the first distinctly British entertainments that we have come across in our studies this semester.  Entertainment at the music hall included a variety of types of acts, very similar to the American vaudeville that would thrive until the advent of talking motion pictures.  (This is an interesting comparison, as we have identified in class that a current form of entertainment that is comparable to the music hall is, in fact, the cinema.)  These acts included vocal music ranging from classical / operatic arias to more popular music; comic acts including such gimmicks as men dressed as women (and vice versa); dance acts; ventriloquists; trampoline acts; magic acts; and aerial acts, among others.  The study of this for of 'variety entertainment' has lead me to another current analog:  the television talent competition.

Although the venue is drastically different, there is a major similarity to them both:  the vast array of entertainments forms considered appropriate.  However, in typical 21st century mentality, we take something that was once purely for entertainment and thrust it into a competitive atmosphere.  It seems there is very little interest in 'reality' entertainment on television unless people are pitted against one another.  While the entertainment (especially music and theater) world is very competitive, it is a different kind of competition that thrives in the television markets.  And it leads to the question:  how does one compare one type of entertainment with another?  Can a good magician and a good dance team really be placed side-by-side for the determination of which is better?  I believe good is good.

This was not something to be worried with in the Victorian music hall, thankfully.  Here, the entertainment was purer in its intent:  it was simply presented to entertain.  When placed in extensive competition, the true reasons one should perform get overshadowed by the pending rewards for winning (often monetary above all).  Because of this, I fear that much of the more important reasons to entertain are lost today.  A return to the environment of the music hall would be welcomed.

International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival: GETTYSBURG

This summer will see the second International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival in Gettysburg, PA.  9 of the 13 G&S operas will be performed there, by groups from New Jersey, New York, Maine, Pennsylvania, and several British companies.  Also, there will be a Festival Production of Pirates of Penzance and a Festival Youth Production of The Mikado.  These productions comprise the core matinee  and evening Festival events.  Highlights include the productions by Charles Court Opera, a small professional company out of London known for doing creative small-cast versions of shows (I saw them do a wonderful 9-person production of H.M.S. Pinafore in Buxton last year) and the productions from Trent Opera (Iolanthe and The Yeomen of the Guard).  I saw Trent's Iolanthe at Buxton last year, and it was quite good.  Yeomen, being my favorite of the canon, should be a real treat.

Outside of the core productions, there is an entire Fringe Festival that will be going on with smaller performances, presentations, and much more.  Examples of Fringe events include reviews, such as "We Are All Single Gentlemen" by the group Utopia Unlimited out of New York (of which I am a member);  The Pirettes of Penzance, a switch-gendered version of Pirates; or Di Yam Gazlonim, a Yiddish-language version of Pirates of Penzance, performed by The Gilbert and Sullivan Yiddish Light Opera Company of Long Island, New York.

Beyond the Fringe events, this year will see a first:  A scholarly symposium entitled 'Papers, Presentations, & Patter:  A Savoyards' Symposium'.  This symposium, organized by the top G&S Scholar in the U.S., will feature three sessions with presentations from a wide variety of G&S Scholars.  I was honored to have my own presentation chosen to be among these.  It will be an expanded version of the presentation I am preparing for this class, and will feature not only the project I am working on in regards to Yeomen of the Guard, but also my work last semester on Trial by Jury.  It will also be a venue in which I can introduce my intention to work on my performance guides to a wide range of North America's Savoyards.  Hopefully some assistance will be found in that crowd.

I strongly encourage anyone who will be around for part of the Festival to attend.  The events run from Friday, June 24 - Sunday, July 3.  If there is any interest, please let me know and I can help you find more details.