“Maritana”Opera by William Vincent Wallace

Overture

Maritana is a grand opera in three acts composed by William Vincent Wallace, with a libretto by Edward Fitzball (1792–1873).

The opera is based on the play Don César de Bazan by Adolphe d'Ennery and Philippe François Pinel Dumanoir (1806–1865), which was also the source material for Jules Massenet's opéra comique Don César de Bazan. This character of Don César de Bazan first appeared in Victor Hugo's Ruy Blas.

Maritana was first produced at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on November 15,1845, conducted by Julius Benedict. It was then produced the following year in Dublin and Philadelphia, then in New York and Vienna in 1848. In 1873, Maritana became the first opera produced by the Carl Rosa Opera Company.

It was revived in Dublin in 1877, and in London at Her Majesty's in 1880, in an Italian version by Mattei. A 1902 production was seen at Covent Garden. It was produced again at the London Lyceum in 1925 and at Saddler's Wells in 1931, remaining popular until the middle of the 20th century.

Synopsis

Maritana is a street singer in Madrid. The King of Spain is taken with her beauty, and his minister, Don José, agrees to help him with his affections. Don José intends to reveal the king's infidelity to further his own favor with the queen. Don Cesar de Bazan is a down-on-his-luck nobleman who is arrested and sentenced to death for duelling during Holy Week. Earlier, Don Cesar had aided a poor boy named Lazarillo.

On the day of Don Cesar's execution, a pardon arrives from the king. It is maliciously intercepted by Don José, however, who offers Don Cesar a soldier's death if he agrees to marry a veiled girl before his execution; Don Cesar agrees.

Don José brings the veiled Maritana to marry Don Cesar before the execution with the intention of making her a nobleman's widow.

During the wedding feast, Lazarillo removes the bullets from all the weapons. The execution is carried out, and Don Cesar de Bazan feigns death.

Don José brings Maritana to see the Marquis and Marchioness de Montefiori. Maritana believes that she has married the king.

Don José brings her to meet the king at their appointed time. Maritana is disappointed to find that he is not the dashing Don Cesar that she had expected. Don Cesar arrives at the villa and demands his bride.

Pretty gitana tell us

Don José brings the old Marchioness to see him. Since Don Cesar has never seen his bride, he believes that this is she, and is so disappointed that he agrees to sign away his rights to her. Just as he is about to do this, he hears Maritana's voice and announces that she was the woman he married. He is promptly arrested. Don Cesar comes before the king, announces that he is Don Cesar de Bazan and learns of his original pardon. While the king steps away for a few moments, Maritana and Don Cesar discover their mutual love. Don Cesar, realizing Don José's treachery, kills him. To show his gratitude, the king makes Don Cesar the governor of Valencia.

William Vincent Wallace Biography

William Wallace was born in Waterford, on March 11, 1812. Wallace's father was from Ballina, Co. Mayo and was, at the time, band-sergeant of the 29th Worcestershire Regiment that was then stationed in the city of Waterford.

His mother, Elizabeth, was a local girl. He had a younger brother named Wellington who was born in Ballina in 1813 and a younger sister named Eliza born in 1814.

William displayed remarkable musical talents from an early age and these were developed under the tuition of Otto Hamilton and John Ringwood, renowned teachers of the time in Waterford.

When only 7 years old he was able to play the clarinet as a member of his father's band and his father allowed him to conduct the band at the age of 12.

Waltz – Act II Scene 2

In 1830 he was appointed organist (at the age of 18) in the Thurles Catholic Cathedral and Professor of Music at the Ursuline Convent in the town.

At the convent he met and fell in love with Isabella Kelly, a boarder from Frascati, Blackrock, Co. Dublin. Isabella was a harpist of promise and is believed to have inspired the well-known tune '''Tis the Harp in the Air'' in the opera Maritana.

Despite the opposition of her sister who was a nun at the convent, William married Isabella the following year, while still under the age of 20.

He became a Catholic and took the name of Vincent as a tribute to his sister-in-law Sister Vincent. In later life he preferred to be known by the name of Vincent.

In 1831 after his marriage Wallace resigned from the posts in Thurles and returned to Dublin where he took up residence at No.10 South William Street.

He obtained the post of sub-leader in the Theatre Royal Orchestra, but in September of the same year he was so impressed by the playing of Paganini at the Dublin Music Festival that he resolved to become a violin virtuoso.

With a view to widening his horizons, but partly for health reasons, Wallace left Europe at the age of 23 and did not return for ten years.

During this time he travelled extensively and had a remarkable series of adventures. He arrived first in Australia, (in Hobart, Tasmania) at the end of October 1835, and moved to Sydney in the following January, where he apparently deserted his wife.

Sing pretty maiden

His expressed intention was to become a sheep-farmer, and he did, in fact, help to stock a farm with the proceeds of one of his first concerts, which included a flock of sheep from a wealthy Australian.

This venture, however, was a failure, and he soon abandoned this idea for the more profitable musical life of Sydney. His sister Eliza, who had accompanied them to Australia and was an accomplished soprano, married a popular Australian singer named John Bushelle.

Wallace joined her in a series of concerts. He also tried his hand at running a music shop and a music school, but without success.

After incurring heavy debts in Australia Wallace went to New Zealand where he indulged in whale fishing, and also visited the Dutch East Indies and Madras.

Among his many adventures recorded is that of being captured by a savage Maori tribe and being saved from their stew-pot only by the intervention of the chief's daughter.

He is also reported to have spent a whole year in a camp of cannibals, the only white man there. In India he received high honors from native princes.

Finding his way to South America he travelled in Chile, Peru, the West Indies, Jamaica, Cuba and Mexico.

He was Director of Music at the Italian Theatre in Mexico in 1841-42. Proceeding to the United States he performed as a violinist in New York, where he became one of the founders of the New York Philharmonic Society, and in Philadelphia, Baltimore and New Orleans.

So my courage now regaining

Maritana

Wallace returned to Europe in 1844 and having made a tour of Germany and Holland he settled in London for three years, being then in his mid-thirties.

His London concert debut was at Hanover Square Concert Rooms on May 8, 1845, and there he met Hayward St. Leger, an old friend from the Dublin Theatre Royal.

St. Leger introduced Walllace to Edward Fitzball, the dramatist, who provided him with the libretto of “Maritana”.

After its successful production Wallace gave a concert in the Rotunda, Dublin, on 9th February, 1846 and ‘Maritana’ was produced in Dublin later that year.

He composed ten operas, six of which were published: Maritana (1845); Matilda of Hungary (1847); Lurline (1860); The Amber Witch (1861); Love's Triumph (1862); Desert Flower (1863)

America Again

Visiting Paris, Wallace met Berlioz. He was commissioned to write an opera for the Paris Opera but he had to abandon this plan because of threatened blindness.

On specialist advice he left again in 1848 and spent another three years touring in America. He lost most of his money, however, through unwise investments in piano manufacturing and in tobacco.

During this tour he formed a friendship with Helene Stoepel, a distinguished American pianist that culminated in their marriage in October, 1850.

Health to the Lady, the lovely Bride

Last Years

Subsequent to this marriage Wallace returned to Europe. His eyesight was again failing, but it improved after he had spent some years in Germany and he took up the composition of opera again.

His second most successful opera, Lurline, was produced in 1860 and was followed rapidly by other operatic works.

From 1854 onwards, however, he suffered a series of heart attacks, and his health generally was failing rapidly in the early 1860's. In 1864 he was ordered to take a holiday in the South of France.

On the way, he fell ill with dropsy and was laid up for some time in Passy, Paris. Here he had, as visitors, Rossini, Thalberg and Osborne, later Director of the Royal Academy of Music, London.

He died subsequently in a lonely chateau in the Pyrenees on October 12,1865, at the age of 53. His body was brought to London and buried at Kensal Green cemetery.

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Reference:http://waterfordireland.tripod.com/william_v__wallace.htm AVM 30.01.2012