Discussion Post: A Scandal in Bohemia
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sherlock60This week, the canon story we’re looking at is A Scandal in Bohemia and the chosen topic is Opera in the Victorian Era.
A few facts:
𝄞 [In the 19th century] the stars traditionally toured with their own costumes and often had scant regard for either their colleagues or the composers. Rehearsals in the modern sense were unheard of and star singers would rarely rehearse with the rest of the cast. In performance the stars stood centre stage and ignored everyone else - even if that person were another star singing a love duet with them. [Victorian and Albert Museum]
𝄞 In the late 19th century, opera was mainly confined to short seasons at a major London theatre, usually Her Majesty's or the Royal Opera House. [Victorian and Albert Museum]
𝄞 The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden"... The current building is the third theatre on the site following disastrous fires in 1808 and 1856…
The Theatres Act 1843 broke the patent theatres' [that is, the only theatres licensed to perform ‘serious’ drama] monopoly of drama. At that time Her Majesty's Theatre in the Haymarket was the main centre of ballet and opera but after a dispute with the management in 1846, [the] conductor at Her Majesty's transferred his allegiance to Covent Garden, bringing most of the company with him. The auditorium was completely remodelled and the theatre reopened as the Royal Italian Opera on 6 April 1847…
...all operas [were presented] in Italian, even those originally written in French, German or English, until 1892, when Gustav Mahler presented the debut of Wagner's Ring cycle. The word "Italian" was then quietly dropped from the name of the opera house. [Wikipedia]
𝄞 Until the mid 20th century, the Royal Opera House was only used for opera for part of the year and the rest of the time presented plays, pantomimes, revues and even ice shows… English singers of talent… did sing in London, but spent most of their careers abroad… Outside London there were occasional performances by a touring opera, such as the Moody-Manners Company or the Carl Rosa Opera. [Victorian and Albert Museum]
𝄞 Fanny Moody… was born in 1866 when most opera was confined to London and limited seasons. She sang with the Carl Rosa Opera, a touring company, where she met her husband Charles Manners… In 1898, she and her husband formed the Moody-Manners Opera Company… They appeared at Covent Garden, but most of their life was spent touring Britain.
In the late 19th century, the musical capital of England was not London, but Manchester, and then, as now, cities like Leeds, Newcastle and Birmingham all had orchestras and choirs and audiences who had a great understanding of music. [Victorian and Albert Museum]
𝄞 The opera historian Harold Rosenthal wrote of the Moody-Manners company: "With the Carl Rosa company, it was the principal training ground for British artists in the years before World War I.” [Wikipedia]
𝄞 Carl Rosa founded the [Carl Rosa Opera] company in 1873 after several successful years in America as the Parepa-Rosa English Opera Company. The first British performance, Wallace’s Maritana, was given on September 1st 1873 at the Theatre Royal, Manchester. The company is particularly connected with putting on operas in English. Rosa not only gave the first performances in English of such famous continental works as Flying Dutchman, Rienzi, Carmen, Mignon, Lohengrin and Aida, but commissioned a number of English composers to write operas for his company. The company is still in existence today. [Carl Rosa Opera website]
𝄞 A succession of great divas dominated opera from the mid 19th century and no male singer could match their popularity… Divas amassed huge fortunes and flaunted them. [Victorian and Albert Museum]
𝄞 ...female opera singers of the 19th century… succeeded in a male dominated world, and gained respect in a society where they [were] considered second class. They were successful, independent and wealthy, and not always married or reliant on men. However, their position in society was obscure as they had no position in the class system. These women were bestowed great honours by royalty, yet were not always [considered] fit to dwell with ‘high society’. [Louise Riley Soprano]
𝄞 ‘The Great Social Evil. Time:-Midnight. A Sketch not a Hundred Miles from the Haymarket. Bella: “Ah! Fanny! How long have you been GAY!”
[The caption above] is from [a sketch] in Punch magazine, and can be used as an example of how opera singers were considered at the time [1857]. [There is a] poster advertising La Traviata in the background, and the woman is clearly a singer, welcoming in another girl. The term ‘gay’ [was] then… used as another word for prostitute. Were opera singers then considered [as having] the same social standing as prostitutes? Perhaps opera singers were, they were just entertainment in a different form. [Louise Riley Soprano]
𝄞 Selected rules of Victorian etiquette:
A gentleman desiring a lady to accompany him to the opera, theatre, or other place of amusement, must send her a written invitation not later than the day previous to the entertainment.
At the opera it is customary for ladies and gentleman to leave their seats, and promenade in the lobbies or foyer of the house during the intervals between the acts. The gentleman should always invite the lady to do so. Should she decline, he is bound to remain with her.
A gentleman must see to it that the lady accompanying him is provided with a program[me] and a libretto if at the opera.
It is rude to whisper or talk during a performance. It is discourteous to the performers, and annoying to those of the audience around you, who desire to enjoy the entertainment.
It is in especially bad taste for lovers to indulge in any affectionate demonstrations at such places. [Welcome to 1876 Victorian England]
𝄞 When attending a performance, which start[ed] about 8:15 or 8:30 p.m., dinner would be eaten early and a lot less formally. The cost of a ticket [would be] also fairly expensive. Refreshments [were] carried around by attendants to the boxes and stalls. It [was] rare for the ladies to eat or drink at the play. Between acts, the men [got] together in a smoking foyer... to have a drink and a smoke while the women [went] from box to box to compliment each other as well as gossip. Around midnight, the opera [was] over and you [were] free to go out to a club or home. [Welcome to 1876 Victorian England]
Some useful resources:
19th-Century Opera On the Victoria and Albert Museum website.
The History of Opera in England On the Victoria and Albert Museum website.
Royal Opera House On Wikipedia.
Moody-Manners Opera Company On Wikipedia.
A Brief History On the Carl Rosa Opera Company website.
Opera Singers in the Victorian Society On the Reframing the Victorians blog. A look at how female opera singers were viewed by Victorian society.
The Theatre and the Opera On Welcome to 1876 Victorian England.
Etiquette at the Theatre, Opera and Concerts On Welcome to 1876 Victorian England.
Victorian English Opera On the Victorian English Opera website. ‘This website is devoted to English opera, i.e. opera with an original English libretto, written during the Victorian Era…’
List of important operas On Wikipedia. The operas are grouped together by time period.
Theatres in Victorian London By Philip V. Allingham and Jacqueline Banerjee on the Victorian Web.
Music in the Era of Queen Victoria By William Weber, Professor of History, California State University, Long Beach on the Victorian Web.
The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive The masters of Victorian light opera.
Victorian and Edwardian Light Operas Midi or Karaoke Versions of Victorian & Edwardian light operas compiled by Colin M. Johnson.
Royal Opera House unveils rare collection of photos featuring Victorian dancers and singing stars of the early 20th century On the Daily Mail website.
Her Majesty's Theatre / Opera House Plus other opera-related excerpts from Victorian sources. On the Dictionary of Victorian London.
Please feel free to discuss this topic in the comments.
Please also feel free to comment about the canon story itself or any related aspects outside this week’s theme. For example, any reactions, thoughts, theories, fic recs, favourite adaptations of the canon story… Or any other contribution you wish to make. And if you have any suggestions for fic prompts springing from this week's story, please feel free to share those in the comments as well.
A few facts:
𝄞 [In the 19th century] the stars traditionally toured with their own costumes and often had scant regard for either their colleagues or the composers. Rehearsals in the modern sense were unheard of and star singers would rarely rehearse with the rest of the cast. In performance the stars stood centre stage and ignored everyone else - even if that person were another star singing a love duet with them. [Victorian and Albert Museum]
𝄞 In the late 19th century, opera was mainly confined to short seasons at a major London theatre, usually Her Majesty's or the Royal Opera House. [Victorian and Albert Museum]
𝄞 The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden"... The current building is the third theatre on the site following disastrous fires in 1808 and 1856…
The Theatres Act 1843 broke the patent theatres' [that is, the only theatres licensed to perform ‘serious’ drama] monopoly of drama. At that time Her Majesty's Theatre in the Haymarket was the main centre of ballet and opera but after a dispute with the management in 1846, [the] conductor at Her Majesty's transferred his allegiance to Covent Garden, bringing most of the company with him. The auditorium was completely remodelled and the theatre reopened as the Royal Italian Opera on 6 April 1847…
...all operas [were presented] in Italian, even those originally written in French, German or English, until 1892, when Gustav Mahler presented the debut of Wagner's Ring cycle. The word "Italian" was then quietly dropped from the name of the opera house. [Wikipedia]
𝄞 Until the mid 20th century, the Royal Opera House was only used for opera for part of the year and the rest of the time presented plays, pantomimes, revues and even ice shows… English singers of talent… did sing in London, but spent most of their careers abroad… Outside London there were occasional performances by a touring opera, such as the Moody-Manners Company or the Carl Rosa Opera. [Victorian and Albert Museum]
𝄞 Fanny Moody… was born in 1866 when most opera was confined to London and limited seasons. She sang with the Carl Rosa Opera, a touring company, where she met her husband Charles Manners… In 1898, she and her husband formed the Moody-Manners Opera Company… They appeared at Covent Garden, but most of their life was spent touring Britain.
In the late 19th century, the musical capital of England was not London, but Manchester, and then, as now, cities like Leeds, Newcastle and Birmingham all had orchestras and choirs and audiences who had a great understanding of music. [Victorian and Albert Museum]
𝄞 The opera historian Harold Rosenthal wrote of the Moody-Manners company: "With the Carl Rosa company, it was the principal training ground for British artists in the years before World War I.” [Wikipedia]
𝄞 Carl Rosa founded the [Carl Rosa Opera] company in 1873 after several successful years in America as the Parepa-Rosa English Opera Company. The first British performance, Wallace’s Maritana, was given on September 1st 1873 at the Theatre Royal, Manchester. The company is particularly connected with putting on operas in English. Rosa not only gave the first performances in English of such famous continental works as Flying Dutchman, Rienzi, Carmen, Mignon, Lohengrin and Aida, but commissioned a number of English composers to write operas for his company. The company is still in existence today. [Carl Rosa Opera website]
𝄞 A succession of great divas dominated opera from the mid 19th century and no male singer could match their popularity… Divas amassed huge fortunes and flaunted them. [Victorian and Albert Museum]
𝄞 ...female opera singers of the 19th century… succeeded in a male dominated world, and gained respect in a society where they [were] considered second class. They were successful, independent and wealthy, and not always married or reliant on men. However, their position in society was obscure as they had no position in the class system. These women were bestowed great honours by royalty, yet were not always [considered] fit to dwell with ‘high society’. [Louise Riley Soprano]
𝄞 ‘The Great Social Evil. Time:-Midnight. A Sketch not a Hundred Miles from the Haymarket. Bella: “Ah! Fanny! How long have you been GAY!”
[The caption above] is from [a sketch] in Punch magazine, and can be used as an example of how opera singers were considered at the time [1857]. [There is a] poster advertising La Traviata in the background, and the woman is clearly a singer, welcoming in another girl. The term ‘gay’ [was] then… used as another word for prostitute. Were opera singers then considered [as having] the same social standing as prostitutes? Perhaps opera singers were, they were just entertainment in a different form. [Louise Riley Soprano]
𝄞 Selected rules of Victorian etiquette:
A gentleman desiring a lady to accompany him to the opera, theatre, or other place of amusement, must send her a written invitation not later than the day previous to the entertainment.
At the opera it is customary for ladies and gentleman to leave their seats, and promenade in the lobbies or foyer of the house during the intervals between the acts. The gentleman should always invite the lady to do so. Should she decline, he is bound to remain with her.
A gentleman must see to it that the lady accompanying him is provided with a program[me] and a libretto if at the opera.
It is rude to whisper or talk during a performance. It is discourteous to the performers, and annoying to those of the audience around you, who desire to enjoy the entertainment.
It is in especially bad taste for lovers to indulge in any affectionate demonstrations at such places. [Welcome to 1876 Victorian England]
𝄞 When attending a performance, which start[ed] about 8:15 or 8:30 p.m., dinner would be eaten early and a lot less formally. The cost of a ticket [would be] also fairly expensive. Refreshments [were] carried around by attendants to the boxes and stalls. It [was] rare for the ladies to eat or drink at the play. Between acts, the men [got] together in a smoking foyer... to have a drink and a smoke while the women [went] from box to box to compliment each other as well as gossip. Around midnight, the opera [was] over and you [were] free to go out to a club or home. [Welcome to 1876 Victorian England]
Some useful resources:
19th-Century Opera On the Victoria and Albert Museum website.
The History of Opera in England On the Victoria and Albert Museum website.
Royal Opera House On Wikipedia.
Moody-Manners Opera Company On Wikipedia.
A Brief History On the Carl Rosa Opera Company website.
Opera Singers in the Victorian Society On the Reframing the Victorians blog. A look at how female opera singers were viewed by Victorian society.
The Theatre and the Opera On Welcome to 1876 Victorian England.
Etiquette at the Theatre, Opera and Concerts On Welcome to 1876 Victorian England.
Victorian English Opera On the Victorian English Opera website. ‘This website is devoted to English opera, i.e. opera with an original English libretto, written during the Victorian Era…’
List of important operas On Wikipedia. The operas are grouped together by time period.
Theatres in Victorian London By Philip V. Allingham and Jacqueline Banerjee on the Victorian Web.
Music in the Era of Queen Victoria By William Weber, Professor of History, California State University, Long Beach on the Victorian Web.
The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive The masters of Victorian light opera.
Victorian and Edwardian Light Operas Midi or Karaoke Versions of Victorian & Edwardian light operas compiled by Colin M. Johnson.
Royal Opera House unveils rare collection of photos featuring Victorian dancers and singing stars of the early 20th century On the Daily Mail website.
Her Majesty's Theatre / Opera House Plus other opera-related excerpts from Victorian sources. On the Dictionary of Victorian London.
Please feel free to discuss this topic in the comments.
Please also feel free to comment about the canon story itself or any related aspects outside this week’s theme. For example, any reactions, thoughts, theories, fic recs, favourite adaptations of the canon story… Or any other contribution you wish to make. And if you have any suggestions for fic prompts springing from this week's story, please feel free to share those in the comments as well.
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