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''The Boatswain's Mate'' is an opera in one act (but in two parts) written by British composer and suffragette Ethel Smyth in 1913–14 set to her own libretto, which was based on a story 〔( Jacob, W.W., ''The Boatswain's Mate'' ) story's text online at online-literature.com. Retrieved 25 February 2013〕 of the same name by William Wymark Jacobs.〔Banfield, p. 509〕 It was Smyth's fourth and most unabashedly feminist opera. The piece centers around a humorous battle of the sexes featuring a feisty and resourceful heroine, based loosely on Emmeline Pankhurst, who outwits her scheming suitor. In summary, the opera's score has been described by Stephen Banfield in Sadie's ''Grove Dictionary'' as "interspersed with spoken dialogue in part 1, () is symphonically constructed around folksongs and Smyth's own ''March of the Women''; its pacing and orchestration are adroitly managed."〔 ==Performance history== From December 1913〔Collis (1984), pp. 132–133〕 to May 1914,〔Collis (1984), p. 140〕 Smyth stayed at a hotel in Helwan, Egypt, in order to compose ''The Boatswain's Mate'' free from distractions,〔 although she kept up a continual correspondence with Emmeline Pankhurst.〔Purvis (2002), p. 256〕 The hotel, formerly the palace of Tewfik Pasha, was suggested by her friend Ronald Storrs, who was an official under Lord Kitchener in Cairo.〔St John (1959), p. 163〕 On returning to Europe, Smyth arranged for the opera's premiere to take place at Frankfurt in March 1915, as well as scheduling her earlier opera ''The Wreckers'' for February 1915 in Munich. However, these plans were overtaken by the outbreak of World War I.〔Collis (1984), pp. 141–142〕 The first performance of ''The Boatswain's Mate'' eventually took place at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London on 28 January 1916 under Smyth. Thomas Beecham entrusted the premiere to Eugene Goossens but on the day "()he composer herself elected to conduct the première of her work—much to my annoyance, as I had taken all the preliminary orchestral rehearsals. At the last moment she took over the baton, thinking herself the Heaven-sent conductor she was not."〔Goossens, p. 117〕 The opera uses a number of folk melodies, including "The Keeper" and "Lord Rendal", as well as "Bushes and Briars",〔"The Boatswain's Mate. Opera of a Country Inn." ''The Times'', 29 January 1916. p. 11.〕 which provides the theme for the intermezzo. The overture was based on Smyth's earlier composition, "The March of the Women".〔Dale (1959), p. 301〕 Reviews in ''The Times'' drew a distinction between the ballad opera style of Part 1,〔"The Aldwych Opera. The Boatswain's Mate Reheard." ''The Times'', 29 July 1916. p. 11.〕 with its light-hearted dialogue and songs,〔 and the sung-through style of Part 2,〔 which they found heavy and less appropriate to the libretto.〔 The chorus of agricultural labourers in Part 1 was also praised.〔"The Boatswain's Mate. Performance at the Old Vic." ''The Times'', 31 March 1922. p. 10.〕〔"The Boatswain's Mate. Opening of the Old Vic Opera Season." ''The Times'', 6 October 1922. p. 7.〕 The opera was performed with full orchestra and chorus a number of times at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in the 1920s. Smyth's music subsequently went out of fashion and no productions had been recorded for more than 50 years until a chamber version of the opera was arranged by the Primavera Productions theatre company at the Finborough Theatre in London in June 2007.〔Brown, Geoff (25 June 2007). ("The Boatswain's Mate ). ''The Times''. Retrieved 1 March 2013.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Boatswain's Mate」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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