TOPSEY TURVEYDOM

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18323, 13 August 1921, Page 13

TOPSEY TURVEYDOM

GILBERTIAN SITUATIONS. By Constant Reader. When replying to questions at the close of one of his series of lectures at the Otago University on “Modern Social Movements, Professor Pringle, who rejoices in a keen sense of humour, quoted these familiar lines from “lolanthe.” or at least the gist of them; I often think it’s comical . How Nature always does contrive That every boy and every gal That’s born into the world alive Is either a little Liberal Or els© a lilt!© Censervativel The particular lecture which called forth the quotation dealt with the history of Marxian Socialism, and the juxta-pomtion set me ‘thinking. It did more; it sent mo to the text ot the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, and, besides recalling delightful memories of London in the late seventies and early eighties, it suggested a remarkable parallel between the Topseyturveydom of the civilised world to-day and the Topseyturveydom of the Gilbert and Sullivan idea which took by storm the popular fancy 35 to 50 years ago in the Homeland. Discussing the season of Gilbert and Sullivan Opera which commences this evening, I have heard the opinion expressed that while the present generation of play-goers cannot fail to be charmed with the Sullivan music, they will miss the meaning of the topical allusions of a bygone day which contTi butod so largely to the original phenomenal successes. I am bold enough to dispute that opinion, and for several reasons. Tho first of these is that no playwright, since Shakespeare, has contributed so many characteristic expressions which have passed into the vernacular as has W. S. Gilbert. To his plays has been applied the remark of the man who declared that ho liked “Hamlet” because it contained so many quotations. “Pinafore,” always the most popular among tho operas, is especially prolific in this respect. “What Never? ’ “No, Never!” “What never?” “Hardly ever. .Hardly over swears a big, big D .” “And so do his sisters, and his cousins, and his aunts,” not forgetting tho famous couplet:—

“ I polished up the handle so carefullee That I am the Ruler of the Queen’s Navee. may bo cited as among the more familiar examples. There are also the lines which at one time threatened to take tho place of the National Anthem: —

For he might have been a Roosian, A French, or Turk, or Proosian, Or perhaps Ital —i—an, But in spite of all temptations To belong to other nations, He remains an Englishman. This strikes the keynote of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas. The music and the words are essentially English; they breathe an English air, they illustrate the British spirit; their satire is of the English sort, not bitter, and full of fun. As Jack Point sings in “The Yeomen of the “They don’t blame you—so long as you re funny.” It is, however, when the songs and words of the various operas are examined in the light of to-day that the immortality of W. S. Gilbert’s Topseyturveydom stands revealed. “The Gondoliers,” or “The King of Barataria, was first performed at the Savoy Theatre, London, in December, 1889, more than 30 years ago. The modern Socialistic ideal is surely outlined in the unforgettable duet and chorus:

For everyone who feels inclined Some part we undertake to find Congenial with his peace of mind, And all shall equal be Sing high, sing low, Wherever they go, They all shall equal he The Earl, tho Marquis, and the \Dook, The Groom, tho Butler, and the Cook, The Aristcrat who banks with Coutts, The Aristocrat who cleans tho boots. The Noble Lord l 'who rules the State, The Noble Lord who scrubs the grate, The Lord High Bishop orthodox, The Lord High Vagabond in the stocks— Sing high, sing low. Wherever they go. They all shall equal be The same idea is replete in the quaint patter-song of Guiseppe, one of the twin Kings of Barataria. wherein he describes one day in the life of a monarch, commencing:— Rising early in tho morning, Wo proceed to light our fire; Then our Majesty adorning In its workaday attire, We embark without delay On the duties of the day. Tho patter finishes on a capital note: Oh, philosophers may sing Of tho troubles of a King, But of pleasures there are many and of troubles there are none; And the culminating pleasure That we treasure beyond measure Is the gratifying feeling that our duty has been done. Tho ultimate of the socialistic ideal is amusingly set forth in yet another' l ''song: Now, that’s the kind of King for me— He wished all men as rich as he, So to the top of every tree Promoted everybody. The end is easily foretold, When every blessed thing- you hold Is made of silver or of gold, You long for simple peewter. When you have nothing else to wear But cloth of gold and satins rare, For cloth of gold you cease to care, Up goes the price of shoddy. In short, whoever you may be. To this conclusion you’ll agree. When everyone is somebodee, Then no one’s anybody. “Tho Mikado” was first performed in Loudon in March, 1885, and its instant success was due to the desire of the English people to know something about their Japanese neighbours. It is said that when Sullivan first read tho libretto of tho opera lie remonstrated with Gilbert for not introducing some real Japanese titles. Gilbert at once responded, “Supposing I wanted to introduce the ‘Samurais’ in verse, the obvious rhyme might have seriously offended these good gentlemen who worship their ancestors.” “Ah,” said Sullivan, doubtless remembering Sir Joseph Porter and his objection to strong language, “I see your point.” “The Mikado” is full of point_ to-day; there can bo little difficulty, for instance, in settling the Japanese question on the lines of the chorus: And you'll allow, as I expect, That he was right to so object, And I am right And you arc right, And everything is quite correct. And so we straight let out on bail

A convict from th© county jail, Whose head was next, On some pretext, Condemned to he mown off. Ami made him Headsman, for we said Who's next to he dcoapited Cannot cut off another head Until he’s cut his own off.

Not only Ihe Japanese question, but the Irish difficulty also might find solution in this topseyturvey way. Considerable light is thrown upon "the problem of the flapper in the following -verse; — Schoolgirls we, eighteen and under, From scholastic trammels free. And we wonder—bow we wonder!— What on earth the world can be.

Gilbert, never gets far away from the idea that in genuine fun and merry making is to be found the solvent for the woes of the world. This is the burden of the Mikado’s song:— A more humane Mikado never Did in Japan exist, To nobody second, I’m certainly reckoned A true philanthropist. It is my very humane endeavour To make to some extent Each evil liver A running river Of harmless merriment. My object all sublime 1 shall achieve in time— To let the punishment fit the crime, The punishment fit the crime, And make each prisoner pent Unwillingly represent A source of innocent merriment, Of innocent merriment.

“The Mikado” libretto sparkles with vocal goms, and one of tho best is the duet commencing There is beauty in the bellow of the blast, There is grandeur in tho growing of the gale, There is eloquent outpouring When the lion is a-roaring And the tiger is a-loshing hia talc. Yes, I like to see a tiger From tlvo Congo or the Niger, And especially when lashing of his tail!

‘Tho Yeomen of the Guard, or tho Morryman and His Maid,” the ninth of tho Gilbert and Sullivan series, first produced in October, 1838, ir- perhaps tho most sorious of all the operas, and yet not without its special vein of humour. It is essentially a story of the Tower of London, and y«t with a proseut-day portent, as in the chorus:—

Are foemen in the land? "" --•-f™*-*', le London to be wrecked ? - -5 ■ What are wo to expect? ; V What danger is at hand? Yes, let ns understand What danger is at hand! v >• Among all the operas to be presented during the Dunedin season “lolanthe,” or “The Peer and the Peri,” is likely to make the strongest appeal because it deals with the aristocracy and also with, the, .fairies, two sorts of people much discussed tp-dag. The chorus which greets the entrance of the procession of Peers and Lord Tolloller’s ballad, “Blue Blood,” each carries its own moral:— r loudly let the trumpet bray! TaMantara! Gaily bang the sounding brasses Tzingl

As upon its lordly way This unique procession passes. • Tantantaral Tsing! Boom! Bow, how, y© lower middle classes! Bow, yo tradesmen! Bow ye masses!' : 4?’ Blow the trumpets, bang the brasses! Tantantara! Tzing! Boom! We are peers of highest station, Paragons of legislation, Pillars of the British Nation! Tantantara! Tzing! Boom! Spare us tho bitter pain Of stem denials, Nor with lowborn disdain Augment our trials. Hearts just as pure and fair May beat in Belgrave Square As in tho lowly air Of Seven Dials I Blue blood! Blue blood! Of wha/t avail art thou To serve us now? Though dating from the flood. Blue blood! “The Pirates of Penzance,” or “TTi* Slave of Duty,” which dates back to* 1880, is perhaps the best known of all the operas. The satire on the Army and the police, much enjoyed 40 years ago, has its application still. The Major-general’s patter-aqng retains its power to sting:— ' r I am tho very pattern of a modem msjoi* gineral; "• / I’ve information vegetable, animal, • an# mineral; ' ?<-’• I know tbs Kings of England, and I quote the fights historical From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical; I’m very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical; I understand equations, both the simple and quadratics!; ’ About binomial theorem I’m teeming with a Jot o’ news— With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse. 1 ’ I’m very good at integral and differential calculus ; - , . li. I know the sedentifio names of beings aninmloulous. In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral, I am the very model of a modem znojo#gineral. The popularity of the sergeant’s songeert never wane. It haunts the memory and boars endless repetition, especially the' d» lightful second verse:—., ' . When tho enterprising burglar's not burgling— When the out-throat isn’t occupied ift crime— He loves to bear the little brook ,% gurgling— f f And listen to the merry village chime— When the coster’s finished jumpiiig daTJpyp mother ' i He loves to be a-basking in Ah, take one consideration with another,, ’ The policeman's life is not a happy 'dnauh When constabulary duty’s to bo done, , The policeman’s life is not a happy one. j And so on, past “Pinafore’’ ’'td- jtif glorious finale of “Trial by Jury.” cannot be too strongly insisted upon -tea* throughout the Gilbert and Sullivan ship the music was made to fit the worjiiL. and not the Words the music. The fool' that the music always echoes and ; mterpiA# the genuine humour of the words erplißA the perennial success of the operas. And the Gilbertian humour is singularly fpep from the taint of so much of the vaud#villo and pantomime humour; it never, descends to vulgarity, and it excites infectious laughter without the advenrittote aid of the double-entendre. For all of which reasons I venture to urge as essential to a full and complete enjoyment of the Gilbert and Sullivan season a reading; wap a re-reading, as the case may be,. of the words of the operas, readily available in three of the pocket volumes in the St. Martin’s Library. To enforce this I conclude by quoting in full the unforgettable words of the Judge’s spng in “Trial by Jury,” words which will recall delightful memories to any fortunate enough to -db numbered among the London play-goers. >ef the seventies and eighties:— When I, good 1 friends, was called to .tflß bar I’d an appetite strong and hearty, But I was, as many young barristers An impecunious party. " • I’d a swallow-tail coat of beautiful blue— A brief which I bought of a booby—, A couple of shirts and a collar or two, j And a ring that looked like a ruby. , In Westminster Hall I danced a dance , ‘ Like a semi-efos pandent fury, , ’ ’i | For I thought I should never hit on * chance • Of addressing a British jury— ; i But I soon got tired of third-claes journeys, And dinners of bread and water, So I fell in love with a rich attorney’s Eldefly, ugly daughter. f The rich attorney, ho jumped with joy, • And replied to my fond professions:, “You shall reap the reward of your phifli, my boy,

At the Bailey and Middlesex Sessions. You’ll soon get used to her looks," said hs, “And a very nice girl you’ll find herf She may very well pass for forty-three " . In the dark, with a light behind facfl” The rich attorney was goodT as his word:! The briefs came trooping gaily, .- , And every day my voice was heard!'

At the Sessions in Ancient Bailey. All thieves who could my fees afford r f Relied on my orations, >r d And many a burglar I’ve restored Tc liis friends and his relatione. At length I became ae rich as Gurneys— An inoubue then I thought her, So I threw over that rich attorney’s Elderly, ugly daughter. " ; The rich attorney my character high fTried vainly to disparage— i And now, if you please, I’m ready to tar,; This breach of promise of marriage,