The Sorcerer - an Introduction by Nick Lawrence

This charming piece takes place in the grounds of Sir Marmaduke Pointdextre's country mansion near the village of Ploverleigh, where the scene is one of happiness as his son, Alexis, is to be betrothed that day to Aline, daughter of Lady Sangazure. Gilbert here indulges in a favourite theme of his, the "magic lozenge," by having Alexis (through his desire to have everyone as happily married as he is to be) invite John Wellington Wells, the noted necromancer from No. 70 St. Mary Axe. to the village to bring this about. After all says Alexis "in marriage alone is to be found the panacea for every ill". The potion is prepared with suitable incantations and given to all and sundry in their tea expertly brewed by the vicar. In Act II, the spell has worked but everyone has fallen in love with the first person they have set eyes on, so matters become a little complicated. When Aline and Dr. Daly, the elderly vicar and Alexis' old tutor, fall in love, Alexis asks Mr. Wells to remove the spell but apparently this can only be achieved by the death of either Alexis or Wells. "Which shall it be?"
Ever since the successful run of "Trial by Jury" in 1875 Richard D'Oyly Carte had been promising a two-act opera from Messrs. Gilbert & Sullivan. So it was that the writers' third collaboration "The Sorcerer" was first produced at the Opera Comique, London, on November 17th 1877. The First Night was nearly a disaster. George Bentham (Alexis) had almost lost his voice, Guila Warwick (Constance) had difficulty staying in tune and Alice May (Aline) sang as though she was at Covent Garden, swamping both the auditorium and the music.

The biggest disappointment was the failure of the legendary Mrs. Howard Paul (Lady Sangazure). The much loved entertainer was unable to deliver Gilbert's dialogue and he resorted to cutting all spoken contributions, but she continued to have difficulties until her resignation in favour of her understudy Rosina Brandram. Grossmith (J.W. Wells) was doubled up with nerves and did not "do himself justice". The only real successes were the 33 year old Miss Everard (Mrs. Partlet), the experienced Richard Temple (Sir Marmaduke) and the 24 year old Rutland Barrington (Dr. Daly). Nevertheless the public was pleased with what they saw and heard, and "The Sorcerer" ran for 175 performances.In the layout of the libretto Gilbert followed Victorian tradition. The first quarter of the play introduces the main characters. Each is given a solo in which to express their feelings and ambitions. Then, after the signing of the betrothal and the introduction of an outsider (in this case Wellington Wells, the urban tradesman) the plot unfolds. The first act ends on a note of expectancy tinged with uncertainty. In the second act confusion reigns and each pair of principals have comic scenes until the plot returns and a happy ending is contrived. Gilbert adapted the plot and some of the dialogue from his story "An Elixir of Love". The libretto originally included another character, Ahrimanes (the Zoroastrian personification of evil). He was later expunged and his music with him. Many enthusiasts feel this is a pity and regular attempts are made to recreate the First Night edition.

For those who are familiar with the later operas, "The Sorcerer" displays all the traits of the collaboration's later operetta scores. The gavotte for the elderly baronet and his lady not only highlights the 'old English style' but uses Sullivan's favourite ploy: the combination of two previously heard tunes. Alexis has two ballads written to be suitable for the drawing-room.

The combination of roles heralds the future characters; the tenor and soprano as the young lovers; a mezzo and a baritone as the second pairing; a comic baritone; and an elderly or authoritarian pair (bass and contralto). These types come straight from the commedia dell'arte.Sullivan also showed his talent for parody. 'The Incantation Scene', when the magic brew is prepared, is based on the casting of the devil's bullets in Weber's "Die Freischutz". Once again, the spells are called by number and the chorus sings in 6/8 time; seventh chords are heard while the woodwind lets out ghastly shrieks. As the potion takes effect, Sullivan writes an impressive sonorous ensemble, which is as thrilling as any of the later finales. The great Victorian favourites Handel and Mendlessohn are echoed continuously while Offenbach (the darling of the West End in the 1870s) is frequently parodied.
In 1884 D'Oyly Carte used "The Sorcerer" as a fill in between "Princess Ida" and the unwritten "Mikado". For this, both Gilbert & Sullivan made yet more revisions, the most obvious being the opening to Act II. The time was moved to midnight and Sullivan wrote an atmospheric introduction evoking Bellini's  "La Somnambula". The changes brought about one or two strange quirks in the libretto which Gilbert obviously didn't worry about. Can you spot them ? To those who know the later operas, the melodies might seem over familiar, but in 1877 they were new and excitingly fresh.

© Nick Lawrence 2002