The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan

THE 14 GILBERT AND SULLIVAN PLAYS

By William S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan


William S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan collaborated on 14 operas in the period from 1871 to 1896.




CONTENTS


THE GONDOLIERS

ACT I

ACT II


THE GRAND DUKE

ACT I.

ACT II.


H.M.S. PINAFORE

ACT I

ACT II


IOLANTHE

ACT I

ACT II


THE MIKADO

ACT I.

ACT II.


THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE

ACT I

ACT II


PRINCESS IDA

ACT I.

ACT II

ACT III


RUDDIGORE

ACT I

ACT II


THE SORCERER

ACT I.

ACT II


THESPIS

ACT I

ACT II


TRIAL BY JURY


UTOPIA LIMITED

ACT I.

ACT II


THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD

ACT I

ACT II


PATIENCE

ACT I

ACT II






THE GONDOLIERS
  OR

  THE KING OF BARATARIA

  Libretto by William S. Gilbert

  Music by Arthur S. Sullivan

  DRAMATIS PERSONAE

  THE DUKE OF PLAZA-TORO (a Grandee of Spain)
  LUIZ (his attendant)
  DON ALHAMBRA DEL BOLERO (the Grand Inquisitioner)

  Venetian Gondoliers
       MARCO PALMIERI
       GIUSEPPE PALMIERI
       ANTONIO
       FRANCESCO
       GIORGIO
       ANNIBALE

  THE DUCHESS OF PLAZA-TORO
  CASILDA (her Daughter)

  Contadine
       GIANETTA
       TESSA
       FIAMETTA
       VITTORIA
       GIULIA

  INEZ (the King's Foster-mother)

  Chorus of Gondoliers and Contadine, Men-at-Arms, Heralds and
  Pages

                                ACT I
                        The Piazzetta, Venice

                               ACT II
                 Pavilion in the Palace of Barataria

  (An interval of three months is supposed to elapse between Acts I
  and II)

                                DATE
                                1750





ACT I
  Scene.— the Piazzetta, Venice.  The Ducal Palace on the right.

  Fiametta, Giulia, Vittoria, and other Contadine discovered, each
  tying a bouquet of roses.

                        CHORUS OF CONTADINE.

                 List and learn, ye dainty roses,
                      Roses white and roses red,
                 Why we bind you into posies
                      Ere your morning bloom has fled.
                 By a law of maiden's making,
                 Accents of a heart that's aching,
                 Even though that heart be breaking,
                      Should by maiden be unsaid:
                 Though they love with love exceeding,
                 They must seem to be unheeding—
                 Go ye then and do their pleading,
                      Roses white and roses red!

                              FIAMETTA.

                 Two there are for whom in duty,
                      Every maid in Venice sighs—
                 Two so peerless in their beauty
                      That they shame the summer skies.
                 We have hearts for them, in plenty,
                      They have hearts, but all too few,
                 We, alas, are four-and-twenty!
                      They, alas, are only two!
                 We, alas!

  CHORUS.                                 Alas!

  FIA.           Are four-and-twenty,
                 They, alas!

  CHORUS.                                 Alas!

  FIA.           Are only two.

  CHORUS.        They, alas, are only two, alas!
                 Now ye know, ye dainty roses,
                 Roses white and roses red,
                 Why we bind you into posies,
                      Ere your morning bloom has fled,
                      Roses white and roses red!

  (During this chorus Antonio, Francesco, Giorgio, and other
  Gondoliers have entered unobserved by the Girls—at first two,
  then two more, then four, then half a dozen, then the remainder
  of the Chorus.)

                                SOLI.

  FRANC.    Good morrow, pretty maids; for whom prepare ye
            These floral tributes extraordinary?

  FIA.      For Marco and Giuseppe Palmieri,
            The pink and flower of all the Gondolieri.

  GIU.      They're coming here, as we have heard but lately,
            To choose two brides from us who sit sedately.

  ANT.      Do all you maidens love them?

  ALL.                                    Passionately!

  ANT.      These gondoliers are to be envied greatly!

  GIOR.     But what of us, who one and all adore you?
            Have pity on our passion, we implore you!

  FIA.      These gentlemen must make their choice before you;

  VIT.      In the meantime we tacitly ignore you.

  GIU.      When they have chosen two that leaves you plenty—
            Two dozen we, and ye are four-and-twenty.

  FIA. and VIT.  Till then, enjoy your dolce far niente.

  ANT.      With pleasure, nobody contradicente!

                      SONG—ANTONIO and CHORUS.

                 For the merriest fellows are we, tra la,
                 That ply on the emerald sea, tra la;
                      With loving and laughing,
                      And quipping and quaffing,
                 We're happy as happy can be, tra la—
                      With loving and laughing, etc.

                 With sorrow we've nothing to do, tra la,
                 And care is a thing to pooh-pooh, tra la;
                      And Jealousy yellow,
                      Unfortunate fellow,
                 We drown in the shimmering blue, tra la—
                      And Jealousy yellow, etc.