"The Student Prince"

The Student Prince is an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly. Operetta is a genre of light Opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter Sigmund Romberg, born Zsigmond Romberg ( July 29, 1887, Nagykanizsa − November 9, 1951 It is based on Wilhelm Meyer-Förster's play Alt Heidelberg. Wilhelm Meyer-Förster aka Samar Gregorow ( 12 June 1862 in Hannover; - 17 March 1934 in Heringsdorf) was The show was the most successful of Romberg's works, running for 608 performances. It opened on December 2, 1924, at Jolson's 59th Street Theatre on Broadway. Events 1409 - The University of Leipzig opens 1755 - The second Eddystone Lighthouse is destroyed by fire Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located Ernst Lubitsch made a famous silent film of the operetta titled The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg and starring Ramon Novarro and Norma Shearer. Ernst Lubitsch ( January 28, 1892 – November 30, 1947) was a German -born Jewish Film director. The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg, also known as The Student Prince and Old Heidelberg, is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Ramón Novarro ( February 2, 1899 - October 30, 1968) was a Mexican Actor who achieved fame as a " Latin lover Edith Norma Shearer (August 10 1900 - June 12 1983 was an Academy Award&ndashwinning Canadian-American actress. The stage work was revived twice on Broadway - once in the 1930s and again the 1940s. The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949 Events and trends The 1940s was a period between the radical 1930s and the conservative 1950s which also leads the period to be

The Student Prince has elements of melodrama but has a definite lack of the swashbuckling common to Romberg's other works. Melodrama refers to theatre in which music is used to increase the spectator's emotional response or to suggest character types Swashbuckler or swasher is a term that developed in the 16th century to describe rough noisy and boastful Swordsmen It is based on a fighting style using a The plot is mostly faithful to its "Alt Heidelberg" source.

The operetta contains some of the most beautiful, yet gruelling, tenor arias in the operetta repertoire. The tenor is the highest male voice within the Modal register, just above the Baritone voice This article is about the musical term "aria" For other meanings or uses of the word see Aria (disambiguation. Mario Lanza made many of the songs famous all over again with his singing on the soundtrack of the 1954 MGM film The Student Prince. WikipediaWikiProject_Opera#Infoboxes --> Mario Lanza ( January 31, 1921 &ndash October 7 1959 Year 1954 ( MCMLIV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1954 Gregorian calendar) This article is about the musical film For other uses see Student Prince The Student Prince was a popular 1954 Cinemascope Composer Nicholas Brodszky and lyricist Paul Francis Webster wrote three new songs for the film. Nicholas Brodzsky ( April 20, 1905 – December 24, 1958) was a composer of popular songs Paul Francis Webster ( December 20, 1907 – March 18, 1984) was an American lyricist who won three Academy Awards Two of these songs — "I'll Walk With God" and "Beloved" — became closely associated with the tenor. Although Lanza's voice was heard in the film, he did not play the Prince on screen. That role went to British actor Edmund Purdom, who mimed to the tenor's recordings. Edmund Anthony Cutlar Purdom (b December 19 1924, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England) is an Italian -based

"Drinking Song," with its rousing chorus of "Drink! Drink! Drink!" was especially popular with theatergoers in 1924, as the United States was in he midst of Prohibition. In the United States, the term Prohibition refers to the period from 1920 to 1933 during which the sale manufacture and transportation of alcohol for consumption

Synopsis

The prince of Karlsberg attempts unsuccessfully to hide his identity at his new school. He soon makes friends and falls in love with his innkeeper's daughter, Kathie. But when Prince Karl's grandfather (the king) dies, he must return to Karlsberg and take up the role of the new king. Ultimately, the new King faces the reality that he must marry royalty, but his true love will always be Kathie.

Recordings

The 1926 London cast recorded selections for English Columbia (EMI). The EMI Group is a British music company comprising the major record company EMI Music – which operates several labels and is based in Kensington in Other highlights recordings were made by Earl Wrightson with Al Goodman's Orchestra (RCA Victor, not on CD), Robert Rounseville (Columbia Records, released on CD by DRG), and Giorgio Tozzi (Columbia, not on CD). Al Goodman ( August 12 1890 in Nikopol, Russia – January 10 1972 in New York City, New York) was RCA Records (originally The Victor Talking Machine Company, then RCA Victor is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. Robert Rounseville (1914-1974 was an American Tenor, who appeared in Opera, Operetta, and Broadway musicals He also appeared Columbia Records is an American Record label founded in 1888 Columbia is the oldest surviving Brand name in pre-recorded sound being the first record company Giorgio Tozzi (born January 8 1923, in Chicago Illinois) was for many years a leading bass with the Metropolitan Opera, and was seen Gordon MacRae recorded the score twice for Capitol Records, in mono as a 10-inch LP in 1953 and again in stereo 10 years later. Albert Gordon MacRae ( March 12, 1921 – January 24, 1986) was an American Actor and Singer, best known for Capitol Records is a major United States -based Record label owned by EMI and located in Hollywood California and New York City as Mario Lanza sang for the 1954 film, but another actor played the role. WikipediaWikiProject_Opera#Infoboxes --> Mario Lanza ( January 31, 1921 &ndash October 7 1959 Lanza made his first recording for RCA Victor in 1954 (this version is on CD), and re-recorded the full show in stereo just prior to his death. RCA Records (originally The Victor Talking Machine Company, then RCA Victor is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The most complete recording is a 2-CD set from That's Entertainment (TER/JAY) that includes much of the underscoring.

Principal Songs

• "Golden Days" (sung in the stage version by Prince Karl and his tutor, Dr. Engel; sung in the 1954 film by the Prince only)

• "Drinking Song" (Drink! Drink! Drink!)

• "In Heidelberg Fair"

• "Deep in My Heart, Dear"

• "Just We Two" (in the stage version this is sung by two secondary characters; in the 1954 film, it is sung by Prince Karl and Kathie)

• "To The Inn We're Marching"

• "Come Boys, Let's All Be Gay Boys"

• "Serenade" (Overhead the Moon is Beaming)

• "Thoughts Will Come Back To Me"

Cultural impact

• "Drink! Drink! Drink!" was used as background music in a recent series of Aquafina commercials. Aquafina is a brand of Bottled water. It was first distributed in Wichita, Kansas in 1994 and was distributed across the United States,

• "Drink! Drink! Drink!" was also used as background music for Minute Maid orange juice TV commercials of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Trivia

In the play Alt Heidelberg, on which the operetta is based, and in the 1927 silent film, the Prince's tutor is named Dr. Juttner. This was changed to Dr. Engel in the stage operetta, but in the 1954 film, the doctor's name was changed back to Juttner.

"Serenade" was arranged as a Euphonium Solo with Concert Band Accompaniment as well as a solo with Piano Accompaniment by David Werden in 2005. The euphonium is a conical-bore, Baritone -voiced Brass instrument.

External links

• Information about the operetta