111-649: The Chocolate Soldier (German: Der tapfere Soldat [The courageous soldier] or Der Praliné-Soldat ) is an operetta composed in 1908 by Oscar Straus based on George Bernard Shaw 's 1894 play, Arms and the Man . The German language libretto is by Rudolf Bernauer and Leopold Jacobson [ de ] . It premiered on 14 November 1908 at the Theater an der Wien . English-language versions were successful on Broadway and in London, beginning in 1909. The first film adaptation
222-577: A khorugv ("banner" or "squadron") of 300 men to serve on the Ottoman-Russian border. The squadron consisted of Christians from Hungary , Serbia , Moldavia , and Wallachia . In 1711, prior to the Pruth campaign , 6 regiments (4 khorugv's each) of hussars were formed, mainly from Wallachia. Two other khorugv , for guerilla warfare, were formed, one Polish and one Serbian, to battle the Ottomans. In 1723, Peter
333-633: A Transylvanian-Hungarian prince, was elected King of Poland in 1576, he reorganised the Polish–Lithuanian Hussars of his Royal Guard along Hungarian lines, making them a heavy formation, equipped with a long lance as their main weapon. Under his reign, the hussars replaced medieval-style lancers in the Polish–Lithuanian army, and they formed the bulk of the Polish cavalry . By the 1590s, most Polish–Lithuanian hussar units had been reformed along
444-463: A Viennese couple, Maria and Karl Lang. To test her loyalty, Karl masquerades as a Russian guardsman and tries to seduce Maria. Complications ensue. The film includes the following non-Straus selections: A 1955 television film adaptation also starred Stevens, with Eddie Albert . Nadina's aria, "My hero", has been performed by various singers. It was used in the 1950 film Two Weeks with Love , sung by Jane Powell . In 1955, actress Vivian Vance sang
555-557: A brace of pistols, although these were often unavailable. A famous military commander in Bonaparte's army who began his military career as a hussar was Marshal Ney , who, after being employed as a clerk in an iron works, joined the 5th Hussars in 1787. He rose through the ranks of the hussars in the wars of Belgium and the Rhineland (1794–1798), fighting against the forces of Austria and Prussia before receiving his marshal's baton in 1804, after
666-434: A challenge to a duel from Alexius to Bumerli. Bumerli accepts without hesitation, much to Nadina's consternation. Alexius is also terrified – he would never have challenged his rival if he had not been sure he was too much of a coward to accept. It seems Alexius is coming round to the idea he would be happier with Mascha anyway. Any doubts among the family that Bumerli would not make a good husband for Nadina are dispelled by
777-580: A different audience. Operetta became a recognizable form in the mid-19th century in France, and its popularity led to the development of many national styles of operetta. Distinctive styles emerged across countries including Austria-Hungary, Germany, England, Spain, the Philippines, Mexico, Cuba, and the United States. Through the transfer of operetta among different countries, cultural cosmopolitanism emerged in
888-547: A distinctive hussar uniform. Hussars throughout Europe followed a different line of development than the Polish hussars. During the early decades of the 17th century, hussars in Hungary ceased to wear metal body armour; and, by 1640, most were light cavalry. It was hussars of this "light" pattern, rather than the Polish heavy hussar, that were later to be copied across Europe. These light hussars were ideal for reconnaissance and raiding sources of fodder and provisions in advance of
999-406: A further five regiments, largely from Polish deserters. Three more regiments were raised for Prussian service in 1744 and another in 1758. While the hussars were increasingly drawn from Prussian and other German cavalrymen, they continued to wear the traditional Hungarian uniform, richly decorated with braid and gold trim. Possibly due to a daring and impudent surprise raid on his capital, Berlin, by
1110-423: A long history and that Mozart was one of the first people to use the word operetta, disparagingly, describing operettas as "certain dramatic abortions, those miniature compositions in which one finds only cold songs and couplets from vaudeville". The definition of operetta has changed over the centuries and ranges depending on each country's history with the genre. It is often used to refer to pieces that resemble
1221-551: A prominent role as cavalry in the Revolutionary Wars (1792–1802) and Napoleonic Wars (1803–15). As light cavalrymen mounted on fast horses, they would be used to fight skirmish battles and for scouting. Most of the great European powers raised hussar regiments . The armies of France, Austria, Prussia, and Russia had included hussar regiments since the mid-18th century. In the case of Britain, four light dragoon regiments were converted to hussars in 1806–1807. The hussars of
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#17330855196761332-408: A reasonable price) by Shaw. Instead, Louis B. Mayer bought the rights to Straus's music, and used the plot from Ferenc Molnár 's play Testőr (also known as Playing With Fire and Where Ignorance is Bliss , and ultimately adapted by Philip Moeller as The Guardsman ) as the plot of a 1941 film, The Chocolate Soldier , starring Nelson Eddy and Risë Stevens . The plot concerns the jealousy of
1443-491: A screenplay co-authored by Shaw, with rights controlled by the film company. As Der tapfere Soldat , it premiered on 14 November 1908 at the Theater an der Wien , under the baton of Robert Stolz with Grete Holm singing Nadina, and Louise Kartousch as Mascha, where it was a considerable success. The first English-language version premiered in New York City, translated by Stanislaus Stange , on 13 September 1909, where it
1554-606: A second one in about 1700. Prussia followed suit in 1721 when Frederick the Great used hussar units extensively during the War of the Austrian Succession . France established a number of hussar regiments from 1692 onward, recruiting originally from Hungary and Germany, then subsequently from German-speaking frontier regions within France itself. The first hussar regiment in the French army
1665-400: A simpler form of music. Many scholars have debated as to which composer should be credited as the inventor of operetta; Jaques Offenbach or Hervé. It is concluded that Hervé completed the groundwork, and Offenbach refined and developed the art form into the concept of operetta as we know it today. Therefore, "Offenbach is considered the father of French operetta – but so is Hervé." Hervé
1776-514: A squad of bumbling Bulgarian soldiers, led by Captain Massakroff, arrive in pursuit. Fortunately Bumerli has had time to hide behind the bed curtains, and Nadina assures them that she has not seen the intruder. While the Bulgarian soldiers search the rest of the house, Aurelia, Nadina's mother, and young Mascha come to the bedroom. They are sure something is going on, and when they spot Bumerli's revolver
1887-555: A transatlantic style, and the presence of ragged marching tunes. Berlin operettas also sometimes included aspects of burlesque , revue , farce , or cabaret . Paul Lincke pioneered the Berlin operetta in 1899 with Frau Luna , which includes " Berliner Luft " ("Berlin Air"), which became the unofficial anthem of Berlin. His Lysistrata (1902) includes the song and tune " The Glow-Worm ", which remains quite popular internationally. Much later, in
1998-562: Is Leon Jessel 's extremely popular 1917 Schwarzwaldmädel ( Black Forest Girl ). These bucolic, nostalgic, home-loving operettas were officially preferred over Berlin-style operettas after 1933, when the Nazis came to power and instituted the Reichsmusikkammer (State Music Institute), which deprecated and banned "decadent" music like jazz and similar "foreign" musical forms. In the beginning of twenty-first century, German revival of operetta
2109-531: Is a compromising message on the back of it. She flies into a jealous fury that removes all possible doubt that it is Bumerli she really loves. The guests gather for the wedding ceremony – including Captain Massakroff, who recognises Bumerli as the intruder he saw climb the drainpipe in Act I – in the resulting chaos Mascha produces Nadina's photograph, with its compromising message. Popoff and Alexius are not very bright, but even they start to put two and two together. Alexius
2220-720: Is a very ordinary person, nothing like the ideal hero Nadina has been worshipping. In fact he has escaped the battle taking place nearby by climbing the Popoffs' drainpipe. He is in Serbian uniform, but responds to Nadina's patriotic posturing by revealing that his is actually Swiss, and is serving in the Serbian army as a mercenary . When she threatens to call for help he briefly threatens her with his revolver – but soon puts it down. When she picks it up and threatens him he laughs at her – he uses his ammunition pouch to carry chocolates and has no cartridges to load his weapon. In spite of herself Nadina
2331-469: Is amused and charmed by this "Little Chocolate Soldier". He recounts an incident in battle when a foolish Bulgarian officer lost control of his horse, thus leading an inadvertent cavalry charge against Serb guns that happened to have been supplied with the wrong ammunition and were thus overrun. Nadina is furious to realise that the officer concerned was her Alexius, and orders Bumerli to leave at once – when he starts to leave she calls him back. Just in time, as
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#17330855196762442-657: Is an 18th-century Hungarian dance and music genre. The name is derived from the German word werben that means, in particular, "to enroll in the army"; verbunkos means recruiter. The corresponding music and dance were performed during military recruiting, which was a frequent event during this period, hence the character of the music. The verbunkos was an important component of the Hungarian hussar tradition. Potential recruits were dressed in items of hussar uniform, given wine to drink and invited to dance to this music. The hussars played
2553-433: Is embarrassed to realise that Nadina knows more about the matter than she should. The ladies are embarrassed in their turn when Popoff tells them of a Swiss soldier in the Serbian army that they met after the fighting was over – and who told them a very funny story of escaping from a battle by hiding in a house where he was sheltered by three ladies who all fell in love with him. The plot thickens as Bumerli himself returns to
2664-492: Is furious with Nadina, and she in her turn declares that she no longer loves him. As the act curtain falls the wedding is definitely off. The scene returns to Nadina's bedroom, where she is writing a letter to Bumerli. It is not friendly, as she is still jealous of Mascha. As she finishes the letter, Bumerli himself appears through the window. Nadina gives him his letter, but he does not take it seriously. If she did not love him she would not be so jealous. Massakroff appears, with
2775-580: Is named Regimiento Acorazado de Caballería Pavía nr 4 (Cavalry armored regiment Pavia nr 4) and is garrisoned in Zaragoza (Spain). Sweden had hussars from about 1756 and Denmark introduced this class of cavalry in 1762. Britain converted a number of light dragoon regiments to hussars in the early 19th century. The Dutch Republic took a Bavarian regiment into service in 1745 (Regiment Frangipani). Several new regiments and corps were raised in 1747 and 1748, but eventually these existed only on paper. One regiment,
2886-791: Is set in 1885, near the Dragoman pass. Serbia and Bulgaria are at war , and the wife and daughter of the Bulgarian Colonel Popoff are missing their menfolk – the Colonel himself, and Major Alexius Spiridoff, who is engaged to the daughter, Nadina. Mascha, a young cousin of Nadina who is staying at the Popoff's residence, also hero worships Alexius. Alone in her bedroom, Nadina clutches her sweetheart's photograph and sings of her admiration and love for her "brave hussar " and longs for his return. An intruder (Bumerli) climbs in through her bedroom window. He
2997-656: Is the (now) amusingly-titled "Why Is It Love Makes Us Feel Queer?"; the better-known songs include "My Hero", "Thank the Lord the War Is Over", "Sympathy", "Seek the Spy", "Tiralala", "The Chocolate Soldier", and "Forgive". In English – Lehman Engel and his Orchestra In German – WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln In English – Ohio Light Opera Orchestra Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer wished to make a filmed version of The Chocolate Soldier in 1940, but they were refused permission (or at least permission at
3108-501: Is usually of a light and amusing character. The subject matter may portray "lovers' spats, mistaken identities, sudden reversals of fortune, and glittering parties". It sometimes also includes satirical commentaries. "Operetta" is the Italian diminutive of "opera" and was used originally to describe a shorter, perhaps less ambitious work than an opera. Operetta provides an alternative to operatic performances in an accessible form targeting
3219-555: The 2eme Regiment Chevaux-Legeres Lanciers of the Imperial Guard (The Red Lancers) after 1810; the 3rd was disbanded; the 2nd being incorporated into the French line as the 11eme Regiment. After regaining independence, the new Royal Netherlands Army raised two hussar regiments (nrs. 6 and 8). They were disbanded (nr. 8 in 1830), or converted to lancers (nr. 6 in 1841). In 1867, all remaining cavalry regiments were transferred to hussar regiments. This tradition remains to this day, with
3330-626: The Gounod parody Le petit Faust (1869) and Mam'zelle Nitouche (1883). Jacques Offenbach is most responsible for the development and popularization of operetta—also called opéras bouffes or opérettes —giving it its enormous vogue during the Second Empire and afterwards. In 1849, Offenbach obtained permission to open the Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens, a theatre company that offered programs of two or three satirical one-act sketches. The company
3441-713: The Prussian defeat in 1866 , operetta became the sign of a new age in Austria, marked by modernity and industrialization. The most significant composer of operetta in the German language was the Austrian Johann Strauss II (1825–1899). Strauss was recruited from the dance hall and introduced a distinct Viennese style to the genre. Strauss was highly influenced by the work of Offenbach, so much so that he collaborated with many of Offenbach’s librettists for his most popular works. His operetta, Die Fledermaus (1874), became
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3552-543: The Statenhuzaren ('States' Hussars') remained, but was disbanded in 1752. In 1784, two free companies of hussars were raised, which were taken into service after 1787 and would become two full regiments. These would be united into one regiment in 1795, which would be the 2nd Regiment of the Kingdom of Holland in 1806, with a 3rd Hussars being raised that same year, as well as a Guard Hussars Regiment. The Guard Hussars would become
3663-699: The siege of Magdeburg which was led by Johann Tserclaes as well as the sieges of Heidelberg , Frankenthal , Manheim , Breitenfeld , Lützen , Nördlingen , Wittstock and Breitenfeld . Between 1746 and 1750, four Grenz Hussar (border) regiments were established: the Karlovac, the Varaždin, the Slavonian and the Syrmia Regiments. The Croatian-Slavonian Grenz Hussars took part in the campaigns of 1793–94 against Revolutionary France In 1751, Maria Theresa prescribed
3774-537: The 1750s Serbian and Slovakian Orthodox communities and refugees, plus Poles and Hungarians, provided non-Russian recruits for the expanding hussars who evolved into a semi-regular corps of frontier light horse. In 1759–60, three more Hussar regiments, were raised, the Yellow ( Želtiy ), the Macedonian ( Makedonskiy ) and the Bulgarian ( Bolgarskiy ). During and after Rákóczi's War of Independence , many Hungarians served in
3885-482: The 1860s and 1870s are described as rowdy and loud. Operetta was considered one of the major controversies about Italian music and culture between the 1860s and the 1920s. During that period, strong nationalistic undertones in Italy strived to unify its national identity. Recognizing operetta as a foreign genre, operetta was perceived as an art form that would contaminate Italian opera or illegitimately undermine its primacy on
3996-432: The 1920s and 1930s, Kurt Weill took a more extreme form of the Berlin operetta style and used it in his operas, operettas, and musicals. It is arguable that some of Kurt Weill 's compositions could be considered modernist operetta. The Berlin-style operetta coexisted with more bourgeois, charming, home-loving, and nationalistic German operettas – some of which were called Volksoperetten (folk operettas). A prime example
4107-647: The Emperor Napoleon's coronation. In the British Army , hussar cavalry were introduced at a later date than in other major European armies. Towards the end of the 18th century, British light dragoon regiments began to adopt hussar style accoutrements such as laced jackets, pelisses and sabretaches . In 1805, four light dragoon regiments were permitted to use the "hussar" name, initially in parentheses after their regimental title and adopted full hussar uniforms. British hussars were armed with, in addition to firearms,
4218-404: The French operatic stage since the decline of tragédie lyrique . The origins of French operetta began when comic actors would perform dances and songs to crowds of people at fairs on open-air stages. In the beginning of the 18th century these actors began to perform comic parodies of known operas. These performances formed operetta as a casual genre derived from opéra comique , while returning to
4329-584: The Great formed a Hussar regiment exclusively from Serbian light cavalry serving in the Austrian army. On 14 October 1741, during the regency of Grand Duchess Anna Leopoldovna , four Hussar regiments, a Serbian ( Serbskiy ), a Moldavian ( Moldavskiy ), a Hungarian ( Vengerskiy ) and a Georgian ( Gruzinskiy ) were authorized. After the Russo-Turkish War (1735–39) , these Hussar regiments were converted to regular service, voluntarily enlisted and not conscripted as
4440-525: The Habsburg army. Located in garrisons far away from Hungary, some deserted from the Austrian army and joined that of Prussia . The value of the Hungarian hussars as light cavalry was recognised and, in 1721, two Hussaren Corps were organised in the Prussian Army . Frederick II (later called "The Great") recognised the value of hussars as light cavalry and encouraged their recruitment. In 1741, he established
4551-626: The Habsburg-Ottoman border area. Croatian units were not inevitably referred as "Croats" but it was the most commonly used name. In the Thirty Years' War other designations used were Wallachen, Uskocken, Raitzen, Granitscharen, Insulaner, Wenden, Polen, Türken i Zigeuner . Amongst the Croatian hussars could be found other ethno-political groups, such as Hungarians, Serbs, Albanians, Romanians, Poles, Vlachs and Cossacks. Croatian hussars participated in
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4662-603: The Hungarian generals Pal Werner and Ferenc Kőszeghy, who received the highest Prussian military order, the " Pour le Mérite "; General Tivadar Ruesh was awarded the title of baron; Mihály Székely was promoted from the rank of captain to general after less than fifteen years of service. While Hungarian hussars served in the opposing armies of Frederick and Maria Theresa , there were no known instances of fratricidal clashes between them. Verbunkos ( Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈvɛrbuŋkoʃ] ; other spellings are Verbounko, Verbunko, Verbunkas, Werbunkos, Werbunkosch, Verbunkoche)
4773-490: The Kingdom of Hungary Military Frontier , Croatian-Slavonian and the Kingdom of Dalmatia, Croatia and Slavonia. One notable captain and chief officer of hussars was Petar Keglević . In 1578, Charles II took command of the Croatian and Slavonian Military Frontier and prepared written orders and rule of service for infantry (Haramije) and horsemen (hussars), using the Serbo-Croatian language. The oldest written trace of
4884-482: The Ottomans and on various battlefields throughout Western Europe. Early hussars wore armor when they could afford it, as did the later Polish hussars. Hungarian hussars abandoned the use of shields and, at a later date, armor; becoming entirely light cavalry in the first half of the 17th century. Initially the first units of Polish Hussars in the Kingdom of Poland were formed around 1500. The Polish heavy hussars of
4995-413: The Ottomans. His son, Matthias Corvinus , later king of Hungary, is claimed to be the creator of these troops, commonly called Rác (a Hungarian exonym for Serbs). Initially, they fought in small bands, but were reorganised into larger, trained formations during the reign of King Matthias Corvinus. The medieval Hungarian written sources spoke disparagingly and contemptuously of the light cavalry and
5106-732: The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth were far more manoeuvrable than the heavily armoured lancers previously employed. The hussars proved vital to the Polish–Lithuanian victories at the Orsza (1514), the Obertyn (1531) and the Battle of Vienna (1683). Over the course of the 16th century, hussars in Transylvania and Hungary became heavier in character: they had abandoned wooden shields and adopted plate-metal body armour. When Stephen Báthory ,
5217-517: The Prussians. The form of operetta continued to evolve through the First World War . There are some common characteristics among operettas that flourished from the mid-1850s through the early 1900s, beginning with the French opéra-bouffe . They contain spoken dialogue interspersed between musical numbers, and often the principal characters, as well as the chorus, are called upon to dance, although
5328-496: The appearance of strong national schools in both nations. By the 1870s, however, Offenbach's popularity declined. The public showed more interest in romantic operettas that showed the "grace and refinement" of the late Romantic period. This included Messager 's operetta Véronique and Louis Ganne 's Les saltimbanques . The 20th century found French operetta even more out of favor as the international public turned to Anglo-American and Viennese operettas, which continued to develop
5439-615: The army. In battle, they were used in such light cavalry roles as harassing enemy skirmishers , overrunning artillery positions, and pursuing fleeing troops. In many countries, the hussars and bosniaks actually retained their original Asiatic uniforms. In the late 17th and 18th centuries, many Hungarian hussars sought employment in other Central and Western European countries and became the core of similar light cavalry formations created there. Following their example, hussar regiments were introduced into at least twelve European armies by 1800. Bavaria raised its first hussar regiment in 1688 and
5550-589: The art form into the late Romantic era. Offenbach was unabashed about spreading operetta around the continent. In 1861, he staged some of his recent works at the Carltheater in Vienna , which paved the way for Austrian and German composers. Soon, Vienna became the epicenter of operetta productions. It is because of the Viennese operetta, not the French, that the term is used to describe a full-length work. Additionally, after
5661-470: The battles of Byczyna (1588), Kokenhusen (1601), Kircholm (1605), Kłuszyn (1610), Trzciana (1629), Chocim (1673) and Lwów (1675), the Polish–Lithuanian hussars proved to be the decisive factor, often against overwhelming odds. Until the 18th century, they were considered the elite of the Commonwealth's armed forces. Croatian hussar units, often designated simply as "Croats" , were raised from
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#17330855196765772-417: The central message of the play, remain more or less untouched. The main love aria, for instance, is sung by the heroine just before she meets the "other man", and the "brave" soldier turns out to be a worse coward than his unmilitaristic rival. Shaw despised the result, however, calling it "a putrid opéra bouffe in the worst taste of 1860", but grew to regret not accepting payment when, despite his opinion of
5883-705: The colour of their uniform.) The three (later expanded to ten) Roșiori regiments were the regular units, while the Călărași were territorial reserve cavalry who supplied their own horses. These troops played an important role in the Romanian Independence War of 1877 , on the Russo-Turkish front. The Roșiori, as their Romanian name implies, wore red dolmans with black braiding while the Călărași wore dark blue dolmans with red loopings. Both wore fur busbies and white plumes. The Roșiori regiments were distinguished by
5994-574: The development of both the West End in London and Broadway in New York. American audiences were first introduced to operetta through Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore in 1878 . American operetta composers included Victor Herbert , whose works at the beginning of the 20th century were influenced by both Viennese operetta and Gilbert and Sullivan. He was followed by Sigmund Romberg and Rudolph Friml . Nevertheless, American operetta largely gave way, by
6105-481: The different colours of their cloth busby bags (yellow, white, green, light blue, light green, dark blue, light brown, lilac, pink and light grey according to regiment). The Regimentul 1 Roșiori "General de armată Alexandru Averescu" was formed in 1871, while the Regimentul 4 Roșiori "Regina Maria" was created in 1893. After World War I, the differences between the two branches of Romanian cavalry disappeared, although
6216-511: The end of World War I, to musicals , such as the Princess Theatre musicals, and revues , followed by the musicals of Rodgers and Hart , Cole Porter , Irving Berlin and others. Another notable operetta in English is Candide by Leonard Bernstein . It was advertised as a “comic operetta.” Candide’s score in some ways was typical for its announced genre with some waltzes, but Bernstein added
6327-527: The enemy's flanks and rear. A hussar regiment under the command of Colonel Sigismund Dabasi-Halász helped win the Battle of Hohenfriedberg at Striegau on May 4, 1745, by attacking the Austrian combat formation on its flank and capturing all of its artillery. The effectiveness of the hussars in Frederick's army can be judged by the number of promotions and decorations awarded to their officers. Recipients included
6438-613: The format in England with their long-running collaboration during the Victorian era . With W. S. Gilbert writing the libretti and Sullivan composing the music, the pair produced 14 comic operas, which were later called Savoy Operas . Most were enormously popular in Britain, the U.S., and elsewhere. Gilbert, Sullivan, and their producer Richard D'Oyly Carte themselves call their joint works comic operas to distinguish this family-friendly fare from
6549-405: The genre name had become misleading: Georges Bizet 's Carmen (1875) is an example of an opéra comique with a tragic plot. The definition of "comique" meant something closer to "humanistic", meant to portray "real life" in a more realistic way, representing tragedy and comedy next to each other, as Shakespeare had done centuries earlier. With this new connotation, opéra comique had dominated
6660-585: The genre renewed vitality. Studying at the Prague Conservatory Lehár began as a theatre violinist and then took off as a composer in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. During this 1905, Lehár's Die lustige Witwe ( The Merry Widow ) paved a pathway for composers such as Fall , Oscar Straus , and Kálmán to continue the tradition of Operetta. Lehár was also one of the first composers who began to incorporate into film. [2] The Viennese tradition
6771-453: The highly regarded 1796-pattern light-cavalry sabre . There were several Russian regiments of hussars by the time of Napoleonic Wars and extensive use was made of them. Although the Romanian cavalry were not formally designated as hussars, their pre-1915 uniforms, as described below, were of the classic hussar type. These regiments were created in the second part of the 19th century, under
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#17330855196766882-509: The hussars in general, and during battles the texts praised only the virtues, endurance, courage, training and achievements of the knights. No wonder, since during the Middle Ages the Hungarian noble origin soldiers served exclusively as heavy armoured cavalry. The first hussar regiments comprised the light cavalry of the Black Army of Hungary . Under Corvinus's command, the hussars took part in
6993-566: The hussars of Hungarian general András Hadik , Frederick also recognised the national characteristics of his Hungarian recruits and, in 1759, issued a royal order which warned the Prussian officers never to offend the self-esteem of his hussars with insults and abuse. At the same time, he exempted the hussars from the usual disciplinary measures of the Prussian Army , such as physical punishments including cudgeling . Frederick used his hussars for reconnaissance duties and for surprise attacks against
7104-559: The indicated strength. By 1741, the foreign hussars in Russian service had disbanded and reliance for light cavalry functions was again placed on the indigenous Cossack irregulars. In that year new hussar regiments were raised, now drawn from Orthodox Christian communities along the Turkish frontier. The newly raised Russian hussar units had increased to 12 regiments by the Seven Years' War . During
7215-415: The last surviving hussar regiment ( Boreel's , 103rd and 104th reconnaissance squadrons) carrying on the tradition of all Dutch cavalry predecessors. Russia relied on its native cossacks along with kalmyks and other nomads to provide irregular light cavalry until the mid-18th century. In 1707, Apostol Kigetsch, a Wallachian nobleman serving Russian Emperor Peter the Great , was given the task to form
7326-448: The late 17th and 18th centuries. By the 19th century, hussars were wearing jackets decorated with braid plus shako or busby fur hats and had developed a romanticized image of being dashing and adventurous. Several modern armies retain the designation of hussars for armored (tank) units . In addition, a number of mounted units survive which wear historical hussar uniforms on parade or while providing ceremonial escorts . Historically,
7437-413: The most performed operetta in the world, and remains his most popular stage work. In all, Strauss wrote 16 operettas and one opera, most with great success when first premiered. Strauss's satire was often generic, unlike Offenbach who commented on real-life matters. Strauss's operettas, waltzes, polkas, and marches often have a strongly Viennese style, and his popularity causes many to think of him as
7548-402: The music is largely derived from 19th-century operatic styles, with an emphasis on singable melodies. Operetta in the twentieth century is more complex and reached its pinnacle in Austria and Germany. Operetta is a precursor of the modern musical theatre or the "musical". In the early decades of the 20th century, operetta continued to exist alongside the newer musicals, with each influencing
7659-520: The national composer of Austria. The Theater an der Wien never failed to draw huge crowds when his stage works were first performed. After many of the numbers the audience would call noisily for encores. Franz von Suppé , also known as Francesco Ezechiele Ermenegildo, Cavaliere Suppé-Demelli, was born in 1819 and his fame rivals that of Offenbach. Suppé was a leading composer and conductor in Vienna and most known for his operetta Leichte Kavallerie (1866), Fatinitza (1876), and Boccaccio (1879). Suppé
7770-435: The one-act compositions by Offenbach in contrast with his full length compositions, ‘opéra-bouffe’. Offenbach invented this art form in response to the French government's oppressive laws surrounding the stagings of works that were larger than one act or contained more than four characters. Operetta became recognized as a musical genre around 1850 in Paris. In 1870, the centre for operetta shifted to Vienna when Paris fell to
7881-423: The operetta with a new English translation by its former artistic director, Philip Kraus , and lyrics by Gregory Opelka. In 2002, there was another production at the Kammeroper in Hamburg under Katja Klose and Hans Thiemann. In 2010, it formed part of the program for the Bard SummerScape festival held in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York . In July and August 2012, it was produced by Ohio Light Opera . The operetta
7992-453: The other. The distinctive traits of operetta are found in the musical theatre works of Jerome Kern , Richard Rodgers and Stephen Sondheim . Operetta was first created in Paris, France in the middle of the 19th century in order to satisfy a need for short, light works in contrast to the full-length entertainment of the increasingly serious opéra comique . By this time, the "comique" part of
8103-454: The outside of such breeches, running up each outer side, was a row of buttons, and sometimes a stripe in a different colour. A shako or fur kolpac ( busby ) was worn as headwear. The colours of the dolman, pelisse and breeches varied greatly by regiment, even within the same army. The French hussar of the Napoleonic period was armed with a brass-hilted sabre , a carbine and sometimes with
8214-536: The period created the tradition of sabrage , the opening of a champagne bottle with a sabre. Moustaches were universally worn by Napoleonic-era hussars; the British hussars were the only moustachioed troops in the British Army—leading to their being taunted as being "foreigners", at times. French hussars also wore cadenettes , braids of hair hanging on either side of the face and held in place by pistol balls, until
8325-412: The pocket of her father's housecoat – it is still there! The Colonel is wearing his favourite coat – there is some slapstick as the ladies try to stop him looking in his pocket by finding him matches and a handkerchief. Eventually each of them retrieves a photograph from the pocket – each assuming it is hers. When Nadina goes to return her photograph to Bumerli she finds that it is Mascha's, and that there
8436-405: The pocket of his jacket – a favourite house coat of the Colonel's. Six months have passed, and the war is over. Outside the Popoff residence the family and servants are welcoming their heroes home. Nadina is delighted to have her Alexius back, but she soon realises that he is far from the hero she imagined, but is boastful and self-centred. When he boasts of the incident of the charge on the guns he
8547-406: The practice was officially proscribed when shorter hair became universal. The uniform of the Napoleonic hussars included the pelisse , a short fur-edged jacket which was often worn slung over one shoulder in the style of a cape and was fastened with a cord. This garment was extensively adorned with braiding (often gold or silver for officers) and several rows of buttons. The dolman or tunic, which
8658-443: The previous century. Operetta as a genre lost favor in the 1930s and gave way to modern musical theatre . Important operetta composers include Johann Strauss , Jacques Offenbach , Franz Lehár , and Francisco Alonso . The term operetta arises in the mid-eighteenth-century Italy and it is first acknowledged as an independent genre in Paris around 1850. Castil-Blaze 's Dictionnaire de la musique moderne claims that this term has
8769-507: The rest of the Russian army. They were on a level between regular and irregular cavalry. Hussars were recruited only from the nation indicated by the regiment's name, i.e., these regiments were national units in Russian service; all troops (including officers) were national, and commands were given in the respective languages. Each regiment was supposed to have a fixed organization of 10 companies, each of about 100 men, but these regiments were recruited from different sources, so they were less than
8880-521: The revelation that he is the son of a wealthy Swiss businessman, and all ends happily. In the original version, after the overture , the music is as follows: Note : The order and placement of the songs in German differs from the English adaptation ( listed below ). The English song titles do not use the phrase "hero of my dreams" (German: "Held meiner Träume"). The operetta was continually reworked during Straus's lifetime. Among those songs that were dropped
8991-548: The risqué French operettas of the 1850s and 1860s. Their works, such as H.M.S. Pinafore , The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado , continue to enjoy regular performances throughout the English-speaking world. While many of these operas seem to be very light-hearted, works such as the Mikado were making political commentaries on the British government and military with one of the main topics being capital punishment which
9102-648: The rule of Alexandru Ioan Cuza , creator of Romania by the unification of Moldavia and Wallachia . Romania diplomatically avoided the word "hussar" due to its connotation at the time with Austria-Hungary , traditional rival of the Romanian principates. Therefore, these cavalry regiments were called " Călărași " in Moldavia, and later the designation " Roșiori " was adopted in Wallachia. (The word "călăraș" means "mounted soldier", and "roșior" means "of red colour" which derived from
9213-413: The same "heavy", Hungarian model. Due to the same resemblance, the Polish heavy hussars came with their own style, the Polish winged hussars or Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth winged husaria . In the Battle of Lubieszów , in 1577, the "Golden Age" of the husaria began. Up to and including the Battle of Vienna in 1683, the Polish–Lithuanian hussars fought countless actions against a variety of enemies. In
9324-507: The scene. He has come to return the clothes he used to escape, and manages to slip them to the ladies without suspicion being aroused. The menfolk are a little puzzled to meet him again, but they invite him to stay for the wedding of Nadina and Alexius. Bumerli manages to get Nadina alone, and confesses that it is his love for her that has drawn him back. He cannot bear to see her married to another, and starts to leave. Heartbroken herself, Nadina asks for her photograph – but Bumerli never looked in
9435-419: The schottische, gavotte, and other dances, and also entered the opera house with the aria “Glitter and Be Gay” Operetta was the first imported vocal genre in Italy. Since the 1860s, French and Viennese composers such as Offenbach , Hervé , Suppé , Strauss Jr and Lehár have significantly influenced the operatic tradition of Italy. The widespread popularity of foreign operetta in Italy reached its climax at
9546-403: The secret is out. By the time the soldiers have left the house and Nadina opens her bed curtains Bumerli is asleep, and the lonely women are all very taken with him. They awaken him with their chatter, but he is exhausted and only wants to go back to sleep again. They ransack the house for civilian clothes to enable him to escape – each, unknown to the others, slipping a photograph of herself into
9657-399: The song in the fourth-season episode of I Love Lucy titled "Ethel's Home Town". It was Troy Shondell 's first single in 1958. Operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera . It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the operetta
9768-534: The stage. It was not until the early twentieth century that Italian composers systematically engaged in writing operetta. Informational notes Citations Bibliography Further reading Hussar A hussar was a member of a class of light cavalry , originally from the Kingdom of Hungary during the 15th and 16th centuries. The title and distinctive dress of these horsemen were subsequently widely adopted by light cavalry regiments in European armies during
9879-600: The surname Husar in Croatia is from 1507 in Vinica where Petrus Hwzar (Petar Husar) was mentioned, in a document dated 1598 entitled "Regestum", mention was made of "hussar" at Lobor ("Castrum Lobor cum suis pertinentiis portiones magnificorum dominorum Joannis et Petri Keglyewich…“ Blasius Hwszar , Inq(uilinus)”. A second reference to "hussar" appeared in 1613 from Krapina ("desertum Joannes Huszar de vinea cb – qr j”). Croatian hussars were irregular light horsemen characteristic of
9990-520: The term derives from the cavalry of late medieval Hungary , under Matthias Corvinus , with mainly Serb warriors. Etymologists are divided over the derivation of the word hussar . Several alternative theories are summarised below: The hussars reportedly originated in bands of Serb warriors , crossing into southern Hungary after the Ottoman conquest of Serbia in the late 14th century. Regent-Governor John Hunyadi created mounted units inspired by
10101-494: The titles of Roșiori and Călărași remained. Both types of cavalry served through World War II on the Russian front as mounted and mechanised units. In Argentina , the 'Regimiento de Húsares del Rey' was created in 1806 to defend Buenos Aires from the British 1806–1807 expeditions. After the revolution in 1810, it became the 'Regimiento Húsares de Pueyrredón' after its founder and first colonel, Juan Martín de Pueyrredón . Today, its traditions and historic name and uniform are kept by
10212-720: The turn of the century, in particular with the success of La vedova allegra , which premiered in Milan in 1907. Italian operetta composers tended to stretch the definition of an "operetta" more than other nations in order to fit the beauty of Italian Romantic opera style. An example would be Giacomo Puccini , who developed his work in the realistic verisimo style, and would compose "operettas in three acts". Other notable composers of Italian operetta include Vincenzo Valente , Ruggero Leoncavallo , Pasquale Mario Costa , Pietro Mascagni , Carlo Lombardo , Enrico Toselli , Virgilio Ranzato and Giuseppe Pietri . The audiences of operetta during
10323-803: The unit fought the Battles of Bailén, Tudela, Velez, Talavera and Ocaña and the actions of Baza, Cuellar, Murviedro and Alaquàs. The Húsares de Pavía regiment also was involved in the Ten Years' War in Cuba , the Spanish–American War (1898), the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939), and in the Ifni War (1958). Ifni was a Spanish colony in North Africa that was attacked by irregulars from Morocco. At present, this regiment
10434-635: The war against the Ottoman Empire in 1485 and proved successful against the sipahis (Ottoman cavalry) as well as against the Bohemians and Poles. After the king's death, in 1490, hussars became the standard form of cavalry in Hungary in addition to the heavy cavalry. Their role was limited to irregular warfare, raiding, securing, covering and reconnaissance of main regular forces. According to Antonio Bonfini , this lightly armed cavalry (expeditissimus equitatus)
10545-499: The work, it became an international success. When Shaw heard, in 1921, that Franz Lehár wanted to set his play Pygmalion to music, he sent word to Vienna that Lehár be instructed that he could not touch Pygmalion without infringing Shaw's copyright and that Shaw had "no intention of allowing the history of The Chocolate Soldier to be repeated." Pygmalion was eventually adapted by Lerner and Loewe as My Fair Lady , made possible because they were, at least in theory, adapting
10656-512: Was a contemporary to Strauss and composed over 30 operettas 180 farces, ballets and other stage works. Recently, though most of his works have been fallen into obscurity, many of them have been reprised within films, cartoons, advertisements and so on. Both Strauss and Suppé are considered to be the most notable composers of the Golden Age of Viennese operetta. Following the death of Johann Strauss and his contemporary, Franz von Suppé , Franz Lehár
10767-504: Was a singer, composer, librettist, conductor, and scene painter. In 1842, he wrote the one act opérette , L'Ours et le pacha , based on the popular vaudeville by Eugène Scribe and X. B. Saintine . In 1848, Hervé made his first notable appearance on the Parisian stage, with Don Quichotte et Sancho Pança (after Cervantes ), which can be considered the starting point for the new French musical theatre tradition. Hervé's most famous works are
10878-402: Was also decorated in braid, was worn under it. The hussar's accoutrements included a Hungarian-style saddle covered by a shabraque : a decorated saddlecloth with long, pointed corners surmounted by a sheepskin. On active service, the hussar normally wore reinforced breeches which had leather on the inside of the leg to prevent them from wearing due to the extensive time spent in the saddle. On
10989-515: Was an unforeseen theatrical development. Notable German operetta composers include Paul Lincke , Eduard Künneke , Walter Kollo , Jean Gilbert , Leon Jessel , Rudolf Dellinger , Walter Goetze and Ludwig Schmidseder . Offenbach's influence reached England by the 1860s. Arthur Sullivan , of the Gilbert and Sullivan duo, composed Cox and Box (1866) as a direct reaction to Offenbach's Les deux aveugles (1855). Gilbert and Sullivan solidified
11100-552: Was by far the most successful. It became the first repertory operetta and was staged hundreds of times across Europe and beyond. Offenbach's legacy is seen in operettas throughout the late 19th century and beyond by encouraging Strauss the Younger to bring the genre to Austria-Hungary. Offenbach also traveled to the US and England educating musicians on the more than 100 operettas he wrote during his lifetime. This international travel resulted in
11211-578: Was captured by the Spanish Cavalry. The Húsares de Pavía fought in Italy during the Nine Years' War (1692–1695) and the War of Spanish Succession , it was transferred back to Spain. In 1719, the regiment was sent again to Italy until 1746. Then, it served in campaigns against Algerian pirates and in the sieges of Oran and Algiers . During the Spanish War of Independence against Napoleon (1808–1814),
11322-537: Was carried on by Oscar Straus , Carl Zeller , Karl Millöcker , Leo Fall , Richard Heuberger , Edmund Eysler , Ralph Benatzky , Robert Stolz , Leo Ascher , Emmerich Kálmán , Nico Dostal , Fred Raymond , Igo Hofstetter , Paul Abraham and Ivo Tijardović in the 20th century. In the same way that Vienna was the center of Austrian operetta, Berlin was the center of German operetta. Berlin operetta often had its own style, including, especially after World War I , elements of jazz and other syncopated dance rhythms,
11433-638: Was currently playing every evening in Europe in nine languages. In the USA, five companies were presenting it, and "the rush for tickets at the New Amsterdam Theatre" was likened to "the feverish crowding round the doors of a threatened bank". Stan Czech, in his Lehár biography, claims that by 1910 it had been performed "around 18,000 times in ten languages on 154 American, 142 German, and 135 British stages". The international embrace of operetta directly correlated with
11544-653: Was designed to entertain the public". Two other French composers, Robert Planquette and Charles Lecocq , followed Offenbach's model and wrote the operettas Les Cloches de Corneville ( The Bells of Normandy ) and La Fille de Madame Angot ( The Daughter of Madame Angot ). The two operettas were considered a major hit. The political limitations placed on Offenbach and Parisian theatre were gradually lifted, and operetta gained wide popularity. While Offenbach's earliest one-act pieces included Les deux aveugles , Le violoneux and Ba-ta-clan (all 1855) did well, his first full-length operetta, Orphée aux enfers (1858),
11655-481: Was in 1915. The 1941 film of the same name enlists much of Straus's music but is otherwise unrelated, using a plot based on Ferenc Molnár 's play The Guardsman . When Shaw gave Leopold Jacobson the rights to adapt the play, he provided three conditions: none of Shaw's dialogue, nor any of the character's names, could be used; the libretto must be advertised as a parody; and Shaw would accept no monetary compensation. In spite of this, Shaw's original plot, and with it
11766-556: Was not allowed to be part of the regular army, when the order of the battle was formed, but was placed outside it in quite separate groups and used to destroy, burn, kill and instil fear in the civilian population, while they rode ahead of the regular army. The 16th and 17th centuries saw a major change and during the Thirty Years' War they fought as light cavalry and increasingly used firearms , instead of more traditional weapons such as bows and spears . The Habsburg emperors hired Hungarian hussars as mercenaries to serve against
11877-552: Was so successful that it led to the elongation of these sketches into an evening's duration. However, Offenbach's productions were bound by the police prefecture in Paris, which specified the type of performance that would be allowed: "pantomimes with at most five performers, one-act comic musical dialogues for two to three actors, and dance routines with no more than five dancers; choruses were strictly forbidden." These rules defined what came to be defined as operetta: "a small unpretentious operatic work that had no tragic implications and
11988-787: Was still widely used at the time. English operetta continued into the 1890s, with works by composers such as Edward German , Ivan Caryll and Sidney Jones . These quickly evolved into the lighter song-and-dance pieces known as Edwardian musical comedy . Beginning in 1907, with The Merry Widow , many of the Viennese operettas were adapted very successfully for the English stage. To explain this phenomenon, Derek Scott writes, In January 1908, London’s Daily Mail claimed that The Merry Widow had been performed 450 times in Vienna, 400 times in Berlin, 350 times in St Petersburg, 300 times in Copenhagen, and
12099-627: Was the Hussars-Royaux (Royal Hussars), raised from Hungarian deserters in 1692. Spain disbanded its first hussars in 1747 and then raised new units of Húsares in 1795. The Húsares de Pavía were created in 1684 by the Count of Melgar to serve in Spanish possessions in Italy and were named after the Spanish victory over the French army at Pavia, south of Milan, Italy. During the battle, the King of France, Francis I ,
12210-462: Was the heir apparent. Lehar is widely considered the leading operetta composer of the 20th century and his most successful operetta, Die lustige Witwe ( The Merry Widow ), is one of the classic operettas still in repertory. Lehár assisted in leading operetta into the Silver Age of Viennese Operetta. During this time, Viennese Censorship laws were changed in 1919. Lehár is most responsible for giving
12321-626: Was the hit of the Broadway season. It was revived on Broadway in 1910, 1921, 1930, 1931, 1934, and 1947 (with a revised libretto by Guy Bolton . Its London premiere at the Lyric Theatre in 1910, with C. H. Workman as Bumerli, Elsie Spain as Mascha and Roland Cunningham as Alexius, was also a tremendous success, running for 500 performances. The operetta was adapted as a silent film in 1915. In 1987, Light Opera Works in Illinois produced and recorded
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