Opera Books
THE OPERA
EDITED BY
ALBERT HILLERY BERGH
VOLUME IV.
1909
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Cellier.
Alfred Cellier was
born in London on December 1, 1844. He was the pupil of Helmore and a
chorister of St. James’ Chapel Royal. In 1862 he became conductor of
concerts and of the Belfast Philharmonic Society. Alfred Cellier was
long associated with Sir Arthur Sullivan in the production of the series
of light operas written by him and Gilbert, and passed considerable time
in America and Australia on business connected with the production of
the operas. Hewas himself a composer of talent, and is best known for
his opera Dorothy, first produced in London at the Gaiety Theatre during
the season of 1886-7.
Others of Alfred Cellier’s compositions are the operas Charity
Begins at Home (1870); The Sultan of Mocha; The Tower of London; Nell
Gwynne; Bella Donna; The Foster-brothers; Dora’s Dream; The Spectre
Knight; After All; In the Sulks (1880); The Carp (1886); Mrs. Jaramie’s
Genie (1888); and also a grand opera, Pandora, which was produced in
Boston in 1881, but was only moderately successful.
Cellier was English-born, but was of French extraction, and his
music, light and ephemeral, but possessed of Gallic charm, betrays his
origin. He died in London in 1891.
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Opera in three acts by
Cellier. Libretto by Stephenson.
Characters: Dorothy Bantam, Squire Bantam’s daughter; Lydia
Hawthorne, her cousin; Priscilla Privett, a widow; Phyllis, Tuppet’s
daughter; Geoffrey Wilder, Bantam’s nephew; Harry Sherwood, Wilder’s
chum; squire Bantam, of Chanticleer Hall; Lurcher, a sheriff’s officer;
Tuppet, the village landlord; Tom Grass, in love with Phyllis; farm
hands, hop-pickers and ballet.
Place, Kent, England. Time, the Eighteenth Century. First produced
at London in 1886.
The scene of a hop-field, with a chorus and dance of hop-pickers,
opens the first act. Presently Dorothy the squire’s daughter, enters,
masquerading in peasant dress. While waiting on the landlord’s guests,
she loses her heart to the owner of a horse that has cast a shoe. Her
cousin, Lydia Hawthorne, likewise disguised, also falls in love, but
with another guest. Each lover receives from his sweetheart a ring, and
swears he will never part with the gift, but at a ball that same evening
they give the rings to ladies of quality, who are in fact Dorothy and
Lydia in their own characters.
The girls upon leaving their lovers assume the parts of burglars
and rob the Squire. In her disguise Dorothy challenges her lover; he
accepts, but acts the coward and explanations ensue. Complications arise
from the mistake of the sheriff’s officer, Lurcher, who has come from
London to collect a bill from Wilder. Finally the two gentlemen are
respectively married to the two girls, and there is a dual wedding at
Chanticleer Hall.
Last updated April 19, 2007