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This was a one-act play, seen only by the early comers. It would play to empty boxes, half-empty upper circle, to a gradually filling stalls and dress circle, but to an attentive, grateful and appreciative pit and gallery. Often these plays were little gems. They deserved much better treatment than
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On the eve of the daughter's wedding to the Duke, the young accountant, disguised as a servant, slipped into the palace unnoticed. As the lovers escaped with the jewels, the alarm was raised. They ran over a bridge, chased by the
Mandarin, whip in hand. They eventually escaped to the safety of a
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Once there was a wealthy mandarin, who had a beautiful daughter. She had fallen in love with a humble accountant, angering her father. He dismissed the young man and built a high fence around his house to keep the lovers apart. The
Mandarin was planning for his daughter to marry a powerful Duke.
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secluded island, where they lived happily for years. But one day, the Duke learned of their refuge. Hungry for revenge, he sent soldiers, who captured the lovers and put them to death. The Gods, moved by their plight, transformed the lovers into a pair of doves.
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The Legend of the Willow
Pattern was invented by the English over 200 years ago to promote pottery sales of a china willow pattern based on an older china pattern. The story runs as follows (with the frequent references to the figures in the plate design omitted):
75:(94 performances). It and was toured in Britain and America. A copy of the printed libretto is in the British Library, at 11778.f.23(5). (1901). The vocal score was published by Chappells, and a copy is in British Library at F.690.j.(2) .
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they got, but those who saw them delighted in them. ... served to give young actors and actresses a chance to win their spurs ... the stalls and the boxes lost much by missing the curtain-raiser, but to them dinner was more important.
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The Duke arrived by boat to claim his bride, bearing a box of jewels as a gift. The wedding was to take place on the day the blossom fell from the willow tree.
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was condensed when it was revived with the latter opera. The cast was reduced to the following four characters: Ah Mee, Hi Ho, So Hi (
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on 14 November 1901, running for a total of 110 performances until 29 March 1902. It toured thereafter.
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Note: The vocal score credits the music of numbers 2 and 5 to Harold Vicars.
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1. Chorus and Solos: Fee-Fi, Fo-Fum and Wee-Ping – "Comes a merry throng"
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Another site with information about the legend of the willow pattern
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8. Hi-Ho and Ah-Mee with Chorus – "I, like the tender turtle-dove"
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Site links to a transcript of the Legend of the willow pattern
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was to present long evenings in the theatre, and so these
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6. Ah-Mee, Hi-Ho and Ping-Pong – "A thousand years ago"
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A silent film of the legend was made in 1914, called
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301:1a. Exit of Chorus – "Come, O merry throng"
371:(1947), London: Robert Hale and Co., p. 23
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393:Article on Savoy curtain raisers
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