The Vagabond King 1926 Rudolf Friml

Dr. Pitt-Payne in London UK - 25 Apr 2002

THE VAGABOND KING
Book and Lyrics
by W.H. Post and Brian Hooker
from Justin Huntly McCarthy's romance
If I Were King.
Music by Rudolf Friml

Casino Theatre, Broadway
TwentyFirst September
NineteenTwentyFive
Five Hundred and Eleven Performances
Produced at the Winter Garden Theatre,
London, Nineteenth April
NineteenTwentySeven
Four Hundred and Eighty Performances

Cutthroat and drunkard,
pickpocket and braggart
François Villon is all of these.
But he is also a poet and a Romantic,
and he is adored by the rabble of
Louis XI's Paris, which is ringed
by the armies of the rebellious
Burgundians. Katherine de Vaucelles
has received romantic poems from Villon,
not knowing his identity.
She has rejected the advances of Louis,
and has gone to an inn to discover,
if she can, more about her unknown
admirer. Villon boasts what he would
do if he were king, not knowing
that Louis is also there spying on
Katherine. To revenge himself on
Katherine the King brings Villon
to Court and offers him twentyfour
hours in which to prove himself.
By the following dawn he must have
won the hand of Katherine,
or the hangman's noose will be
round his neck. Huguette,
a harlot who habitually dresses
as a man, and Guy Taberie,
a fat fool, are among those
who join in Villon's subsequent
adventures. Both are to offer
their lives in his place, and
one of them is to die before
Burgundy is routed, and Villon
reprieved on the very steps
of the gallows.

For the Chorus
From verminous rabble to exquisite
courtiers and back again,
this musical is an unrivalled
training ground for principals
of the future, for everyone
on stage must act. The score,
solid and effectively harmonized,
brilliantly mirrors the story's
varying moods and locations.
The work was originally designed
on a spectacularly massive scale
and the script plots every move for
thirtysix girls, twentyfour men
and nine girl dancers in addition
to the fifteen major principals.
The chorus appear as assorted
riffraff of the Paris underworld,
and as members of the King's Court.

Orchestration

This was originally massive,
and the full set of parts can still
be supplied. Through the years
Musical Directors have found
satisfactory ways of trimming
the requirements to suit their
own budget and pit.

In full it consists of Violins,
Desks One, Two, Three and Four,
First and Second Violas,
Cello, Double Bass, Two Flutes,
Oboe, Twp Clarinets, Bassoon,
Two Horns, Two Trumpets,
Third Trumpet, Two Trombones,
Bass Trombone (a special score
can be provided where only one
Trombone is employed), Drums, and Harp

Soft karaoke
Words
treble clef 1
treble clef 2
lyric line
bass
*
The Vagabond King 1926 Rudolf Friml
Piano Selection
Music by Rudolf Friml
Book and Lyrics by W. H. Post and Brian Hooker
staged by Richard Boleslavsky
Musical Numbers by Royal Cutter
Music under Direction of Anton Heindl
copyright 1926 by Henry Waterson, New York
sequence for Piano by Dr. Pitt-Payne in London UK
on Thursday 25 April 2002 at 21.30
in association with Doug Grierson
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© 2002 by James Pitt-Payne for this performance only
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The Vagabond King 1926 Rudolf Friml
copyright 1926 by Henry Waterson Inc., New York
Maestoso (Ballet)
Allegretto
Poco Piu Vivo
Andante Cantabile (Nocturne)
Moderato - Interlude
Only A Rose
Allegretto
Huguette Waltz - Valse Lente
Love For Sale - Agitato
Moderato
Marciale
Song Of The Vagabonds - Marcia
Some Day - Maestoso