Note: Some of the songs below are not complete. Important excerpts were chosen

Sullivan's music is among the merriest and lightest he ever wrote. It also is quite different in the two acts. Act I takes place in Venice and the music has a decidedly Italian flavor. Act II takes place on the imaginary island kingdom of Barataria which is near Spain and the music reflects this.

SONG--BUON' GIORNO SIGNORINE!

Giuseppe & Marco: Girls: G & M (bowing): Girls: Girls: G & M: Girls: G&M Girls G&M

Buon' giorno, signorine! Gondolieri carissimi! Siamo contadine! Servatori umilissimi! Per chi questi fiori —     Questi fiori bellissimi? Per voi, bei' signori O eccellentissimi! Buon' giorno, cavalieri!* Siamo gondolieri*. Signorina, io t'amo! Contadine siamo! Signorine! Contadine! Cavalieri! Gondolieri! Poveri gondolieri !

Good day, ladies Dear gondoliers! We are peasants Humble servants! For whom are these     flowers, these beautiful flowers? For you, good sirs Most excellent! Good day gentlemen! We are gondoliers. Lady I love you. We are peasants Ladies Peasants! Gentlemen! Gondoliers! Poor gondoliers!

* Most masculine Italian nouns end in "o" in the singular and "i" in the plural. Thus cavaliero, cavalieri and gondoliero, gondolieri (gon-doh-LIEER-ee).

DUET--MARCO and GIUSEPPE: WE'RE CALLED GONDOLIERI

When morning is breaking, Our couches forsaking, To greet their awaking With carols we come. At summer day's nooning, When weary lagooning, Our mandolins tuning, We lazily thrum.

When vespers* are ringing, To hope ever clinging, With songs of our singing A vigil we keep, When daylight is fading, Enwrapt in night's shading, With soft serenading We sing them to sleep.

* Vespers in this case refers to the bells rung in the evening to summon people to church. It does seem as though the two spend all day making music rather than ferrying people around Venice.

SONG--FROM THE SUNNY SPANISH SHORE
DUKE. From the sunny Spanish shore,
             The Duke of Plaza-Tor!--
DUCH. And His Grace's Duchess true--
CAS.    And His Grace's daughter, too--
LUIZ.   And His Grace's private drum
             To Venetia's* shores have come:
ALL.     If ever, ever, ever They get back to Spain,
             They will never, never, never Cross the sea again--
* Venetia is Latin for Venice. Today it refers to the all the land around the city.

SONG--DUKE OF PLAZA-TORO

In enterprise of martial kind, When there was any fighting, He led his regiment from behind-- He found it less exciting. But when away his regiment ran, His place was at the fore, O-- That celebrated, Cultivated, Underrated Nobleman, The Duke of Plaza-Toro!

When, to evade Destruction's hand, To hide they all proceeded, No soldier in that gallant band Hid half as well as he did. He lay concealed throughout the war, And so preserved his gore, O! That unaffected, Undetected, Well-connected Warrior, The Duke of Plaza-Toro!

When told that they would all     shot Unless they left the service, That hero hesitated not, So marvelous his nerve is. He sent his resignation in, The first of all his corps, O! That very knowing, Overflowing, Easygoing Paladin,* The Duke of Plaza-Toro!

* A paladin is meant here to be a brave knight. However, it is used ironically. This is the closest to a patter song in The Gondoliers.

SONG--DON ALHAMBRA

I stole the Prince, and I brought him here, And left him gaily prattling With a highly respectable gondolier, Who promised the Royal babe to rear, And teach him the trade of a timoneer* With his own beloved bratling. Both of the babes were strong and stout, And, considering all things, clever. Of that there is no manner of doubt-- No probable, possible shadow of doubt-- No possible doubt whatever. But owing, I'm much disposed to fear, To his terrible taste for tippling, That highly respectable gondolier Could never declare with a mind sincere Which of the two was his offspring dear, And which the Royal stripling! Which was which he could never make out Despite his best endeavour. Of that there is no manner of doubt-- No probable, possible shadow of doubt-- No possible doubt whatever.

Time sped, and when at the end of a year I sought that infant cherished, That highly respectable gondolier Was lying a corpse on his humble bier-- I dropped a Grand Inquisitor's tear-- That gondolier had perished. A taste for drink, combined with gout, Had doubled him up for ever. Of that there is no manner of doubt-- No probable, possible shadow of doubt-- No possible doubt whatever. The children followed his old career-- (This statement can't be parried) Of a highly respectable gondolier: Well, one of the two (who will soon be here)-- But which of the two is not quite clear-- Is the Royal Prince you married! Search in and out and round about, And you'll discover never A tale so free from every doubt-- All probable, possible shadow of doubt-- All possible doubt whatever!

* Timoneer: the helmsman of a ship. Note the different rhyming patterns in some of the verses.

QUINTET--DUKE, DUCHESS, CASILDA, LUIZ, and GRAND INQUISITOR.

ALL. Try we life-long, we can never Straighten out life's tangled skein, Why should we, in vain endeavour, Guess and guess and guess again? LUIZ. Life's a pudding full of plums, DUCH. Care's a canker that benumbs. ALL. Life's a pudding full of plums, Care's a canker that benumbs. Wherefore waste our elocution On impossible solution? Life's a pleasant institution, Let us take it as it comes!

ALL:.Set aside the dull enigma, We shall guess it all too soon; Failure brings no kind of stigma-- Dance we to another tune! LUIZ. String the lyre and fill the cup, DUCH. Lest on sorrow we should sup. ALL. Hop and skip to Fancy's fiddle, Hands across and down the middle-- Life's perhaps the only riddle That we shrink from giving up!

SONG--TESSA

When a merry maiden marries, Sorrow goes and pleasure tarries; Every sound becomes a song, All is right, and nothing's wrong! From today and ever after Let our tears be tears of laughter. Every sigh that finds a vent Be a sigh of sweet content! When you marry, merry maiden, Then the air with love is laden; Every flower is a rose, Every goose becomes a swan, Every kind of trouble goes Where the last year's snows have gone! *

When a merry maiden marries, Sorrow goes and pleasure tarries; Every sound becomes a song, All is right, and nothing's wrong. Gnawing Care and aching Sorrow, Get ye gone until tomorrow; Jealousies in grim array, Ye are things of yesterday! When you marry, merry maiden, Then the air with joy is laden; All the corners of the earth Ring with music sweetly played, Worry is melodious mirth, Grief is joy in masquerade;

* This refers to the fifteenth century poem by the French poet, François Villon which asks "But where are the snows of yesteryear?"

QUARTET--MARCO, GIUSEPPE, GIANETTA, TESSA

GIA. Then one of us will be a Queen,* And sit on a golden throne, With a crown instead Of a hat on her head, And diamonds all her own! With a beautiful robe of gold and green, I've always understood; I wonder whether She'd wear a feather? I rather think she should! ALL. Oh, 'tis a glorious thing, I ween, To be a regular Royal Queen! No half-and-half affair, I mean, But a right-down regular Royal Queen!** MAR. She'll drive about in a carriage and pair, With the King on her left-hand side, And a milk-white horse, As a matter of course, Whenever she wants to ride! With beautiful silver shoes to wear Upon her dainty feet; With endless stocks Of beautiful frocks And as much as she wants to eat!

TESS. Whenever she condescends to walk, Be sure she'll shine at that, With her haughty stare And her nose in the air, Like a well-born aristocrat! At elegant high society talk She'll bear away the bell, With her "How de do?" And her "How are you?" And "I trust I see you well!" GIU. And noble lords will scrape and bow, And double themselves in two, And open their eyes In blank surprise At whatever she likes to do. And everybody will roundly vow She's fair as flowers in May, And say, "How clever!" At whatsoever She condescends to say! ALL. Oh, 'tis a glorious thing, I ween, To be a regular Royal Queen! No half-and-half affair, I mean, But a right-down regular Royal Queen!

*This shows the shallowness of the two girls who can only think of the glory. It contrasts with the gondoliers who will serve those under them.
** Queen Victoria has often been cited as having said "I am not amused" was very amused by this song. At a command performance she was observed keeping time and seemed to really enjoy it.

SONG--MARCO and GIUSEPPE *

MAR. For every one who feels inclined, Some post we undertake to find Congenial with his frame of mind-- And all shall equal be.** GIU. The Chancellor in his peruke-- The Earl, the Marquis, and the Dook, The Groom, the Butler, and the Cook-- They all shall equal be. MAR. The Aristocrat who banks with Coutts-- The Aristocrat who hunts and shoots-- The Aristocrat who cleans our boots-- They all shall equal be!

GIU. The Noble Lord who rules the State-- The Noble Lord who cleans the plate-- MAR. The Noble Lord who scrubs the grate-- They all shall equal be! GIU. The Lord High Bishop orthodox-- The Lord High Coachman on the box-- MAR. The Lord High Vagabond in the stocks-- They all shall equal be!

* This is not a true duet. To show they are now one person, the two take turns singing a few syllables.
**This echoes Thomas Jefferson's saying "All men are created equal". Does Gilbert interpret this correctly in this case?

SONG-GIANETTA AND TESSA

GIAN: Now, Marco dear, My wishes hear: While you're away It's understood You will be good And not too gay. To every trace Of maiden grace You will be blind, And will not glance By any chance On womankind! If you are wise, You'll shut your eyes Till we arrive, And not address A lady less Than forty-five. You'll please to frown On every gown That you may see;

And, O my pet, You won't forget You've married me! And O my darling, O my pet, Whatever else you may forget, In yonder isle beyond the sea, Do not forget you've married me! TESS: You'll lay your head Upon your bed At set of sun. You will not sing Of anything To any one. You'll sit and mope All day, I hope, And shed a tear Upon the life Your little wife Is passing here.

And if so be You think of me, Please tell the moon! I'll read it all In rays that fall On the lagoon: You'll be so kind As tell the wind How you may be, And send me words By little birds To comfort me! And O my darling, O my pet, Whatever else you may forget, In yonder isle beyond the sea, Do not forget you've married me!

SONG--GIUSEPPE with CHORUS.

Rising early in the morning, We proceed to light the fire, Then our Majesty adorning In its workaday attire, We embark without delay On the duties of the day. First, we polish off some batches Of political dispatches, And foreign politicians circumvent; Then, if business isn't heavy, We may hold a Royal levee, Or ratify some Acts of Parliament. ------------ After that we generally Go and dress our private valet-- (It's a rather nervous duty--he's a touchy little man)-- Write some letters literary For our private secretary-- He is shaky in his spelling*, so we help him if we can. Then, in view of cravings inner, We go down and order dinner; Then we polish the Regalia** and the Coronation      Plate- Spend an hour in titivating All our Gentlemen-in-Waiting;*** Or we run on little errands for the Ministers of State.

After luncheon (making merry On a bun and glass of sherry), If we've nothing in particular to do, We may make a Proclamation, ----------- Then we go and stand as sentry At the Palace (private entry), Marching hither, marching thither,      up and down and to and fro, While the warrior on duty Goes in search of beer and beauty (And it generally happens that he hasn't far to go). He relieves us, if he's able, Just in time to lay the table, Then we dine and serve the coffee,      and at half-past twelve or one, With a pleasure that's emphatic, We retire to our attic With the gratifying feeling       that our duty has been done! Oh, philosophers may sing of the troubles of a King, But of pleasures there are many      and of worries there are none; And the culminating pleasure That we treasure beyond measure Is the gratifying feeling that our duty has been done!

* He can't spell, but he is made a secretary. What does this say about their theory of equality?
** The Regalia are the physical symbols of royalty such as the crown, the scepter, etc.
***Gentlemen-in-waiting are classified as gentlemen. It is a post of honor but they do many menial tasks.

CHORUS and DANCE.
Dance a cachucha, fandango, bolero,*
Xeres* we'll drink--Manzanilla, Montero--
Wine, when it runs in abundance, enhances
The reckless delight of that wildest of dances!
To the pretty pitter-pitter-patter,
And the clitter-clitter-clitter-clatter--
Clitter--clitter--clatter,
Pitter--pitter--patter,
Patter, patter, patter, patter, we'll dance.
Old Xeres we'll drink--Manzanilla, Montero*
For wine, when it runs in abundance, enhances
The reckless delight of that wildest of dances!

*Cachucha, Fandango, Bolero: The Bolero is a brisk Spanish dance in 3/4 time with lots of foot-stamping,usually accompanied by castanets, sometimes by the dancers themselves. The Cachucha is a Andalusian dance also in 3/4 time. It was originally sung accompanied by a guitar. The fandango is also Andalusian in 3/8 or 3/4 time. Sullivan copied this one from one which had been popular a few years perviously.
**Xeres (pronounced SHER-eez) is a town in Spain now called Jerez. It gave its name to sherry wine for which it is famous. Manzanilla and Montero are also sherries

SONG--DON ALHAMBRA

There lived a King, as I've been told, In the wonder-working days of old, When hearts were twice as good as gold, And twenty times as mellow. Good-temper triumphed in his face, And in his heart he found a place For all the erring human race And every wretched fellow. When he had Rhenish wine to drink It made him very sad to think That some, at junket or at jink,* Must be content with toddy.** Lord Chancellors were cheap as sprats, And Bishops in their shovel hats Were plentiful as tabby cats-- In point of fact, too many. Ambassadors cropped up like hay, Prime Ministers and such as they Grew like asparagus in May, And Dukes were three a penny. On every side Field-Marshals gleamed, Small beer*** were Lords-Lieutenant deemed, With Admirals the ocean teemed All round his wide dominions.

And Party Leaders you might meet In twos and threes in every street Maintaining, with no little heat, Their various opinions. That King, although no one denies His heart was of abnormal size, Yet he'd have acted otherwise If he had been acuter. The end is easily foretold, When every blessed thing you hold Is made of silver, or of gold, You long for simple pewter. 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 every one is somebodee, Then no one's anybody! MAR. & GIU. Now that's as plain as plain can be, To this conclusion we agree-- ALL. When every one is somebodee, Then no one's anybodee!

* A jink is a fun outing, also a game of card.
** Toddy is a mixture of whiskey, sugar and water. Apparently it was considered inferior to fine wine.
*** Small beer is beer of very low levels of alcohol, therefore it means inferior.
**** A cheap fabric out of recycled wool.

SONG--DUCHESS

DUET--DUKE AND DUCHESS
This tells how the Duke used the power of his new position to become wealthy. Some things were shady indeed and he showed no qualms about using his wife as a lure.

RECITATIVE--DUKE. To help unhappy commoners,      and add to their enjoyment, Affords a man of noble rank congenial employment; Of our attempts we offer you examples illustrative: The work is light, and, I may add, it's most      remunerative. DUKE. Small titles and orders For Mayors and Recorders I get--and they're highly delighted-- DUCH. They're highly delighted! DUKE. M.P.'s baronetted, Sham Colonels gazetted, And second-rate Aldermen knighted-- DUCH. Yes, Aldermen knighted. DUKE. At charity dinners The best of speech-spinners, I get ten per cent on the takings-- DUCH. One-tenth of the takings. DUCH. I recommend acres Of clumsy dressmakers-- Their fit and their finishing touches-- DUKE. Their finishing touches. DUCH. A sum in addition They pay for permission To say that they make for the Duchess-- DUKE. They make for the Duchess!

DUKE. I sit, by selection, Upon the direction Of several Companies bubble-- DUCH. All Companies bubble! DUKE. As soon as they're floated I'm freely bank-noted-- I'm pretty well paid for my trouble-- DUCH. He's paid for his trouble! DUCH. I write letters blatant On medicines patent-- And use any other you mustn't-- DUKE. Believe me, you mustn't-- DUCH. And vow my complexion Derives its perfection From somebody's soap--which it doesn't-- DUKE. (significantly). It certainly doesn't! BOTH. In short, if you'd kindle The spark of a swindle, Lure simpletons into your clutches-- Yes; into your clutches. Or hoodwink a debtor, You cannot do better DUCH. Than trot out a Duke or a Duchess-- DUKE. A Duke or a Duchess!

I AM A COURTIER GRAVE AND SERIOUS

DUKE. I am a courtier grave and serious Who is about to kiss your hand: Try to combine a pose imperious With a demeanor nobly bland. MAR. and Let us combine a pose imperious GIU. With a demeanor nobly bland. (Marco and Giuseppe try to carry out his instructions.) DUKE. That's, if anything, too unbending-- Too aggressively stiff and grand; (They suddenly modify their attitudes.) Now to the other extreme you're tending-- Don't be so deucedly condescending! DUCH. and Now to the other extreme you're tending-- CAS. Don't be so dreadfully condescending! MAR. and Oh, hard to please some noblemen seem! GIU. At first, if anything, too unbending; Off we go to the other extreme-- Too confoundedly condescending!

DUKE. Now a gavotte perform sedately-- Offer your hand with conscious pride; Take an attitude not too stately, Still sufficiently dignified. MAR. and Now for an attitude not too stately, GIU. Still sufficiently dignified. (They try to carry out his instructions.) DUKE (beating time) Bow impressively ere you glide. (They do so.)Capital both, capital both-- You've caught it nicely! That is the style of thing precisely! DUCH. and Capital both, capital both-- they've caught it nicely! CAS. That is the style of thing precisely! MAR. and Oh, sweet to earn a nobleman's praise! GIU. Capital both, capital both--we've caught it       nicely! Supposing he's right in what he says, This is the style of thing precisely!

SONG--MARCO
Take a pair of sparkling eyes,
Hidden, ever and anon,
In a merciful eclipse--
Do not heed their mild surprise--
Having passed the Rubicon,
Take a pair of rosy lips;
Take a figure trimly planned--
Such as admiration whets--
(Be particular in this);
Take a tender little hand,
Fringed with dainty fingerettes,
Press it--in parenthesis;--
Ah! Take all these, you lucky man--
Take and keep them, if you can!

Take a pretty little cot*--
Quite a miniature affair--
Hung about with trellised vine,
Furnish it upon the spot
With the treasures rich and rare
I've endeavoured to define.
Live to love and love to live--
You will ripen at your ease,
Growing on the sunny side--
Fate has nothing more to give.
You're a dainty man to please
If you are not satisfied.
Ah! Take my counsel, happy man;
Act upon it, if you can!
* Cottage

RECITATIVE--INEZ
The Royal Prince was by the King entrusted
To my fond care, ere I grew old and crusted;
When traitors came to steal his son reputed,
My own small boy I deftly substituted!
The villains fell into the trap completely--
I hid the Prince away--still sleeping sweetly:
I called him "son" with pardonable slyness--
His name, Luiz! Behold his Royal Highness!

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Revised December 2010
Please credit Lyric Opera San Diego when using this material.