John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor of the lateRomantic era. Although primarily known for American militarymarches,[1] he also wroteoperettas, which are relatively lesser-known and less performed.[2] They show influences fromGilbert and Sullivan, including short recitatives and chorus finales. According to authorPaul E. Bierley, Sousa's operettas displayed a "high standard of morality".[3]Libretti for most of the operettas were written by various prominent as well as less experienced librettists, except forThe Wolf andThe Bride Elect, which were written by Sousa himself. Several famous stage personalities, includingDeWolf Hopper, starred in the operettas.[4]
Sousa composedKatherine, his first operetta, in 1879, and copyrighted but never published it.[5] His next operetta, produced after becoming the leader of theUnited States Marine Band, wasThe Smugglers, which premiered in 1882.[6] After some financial setbacks, in the mid-1890s, he reached the epitome of his career.[7] His operettaEl Capitan was later described by authorGerald Bordman as "boding well to be the most enduring American comic opera of the nineteenth century".[7]El Capitan portrayed the Spanish administration in Peru and became hugely popular during theSpanish–American War.[8] His other major operettas includedThe Charlatan,Chris and the Wonderful Lamp,The Free Lance, andThe American Maid.[6] Bierley later speculated that, had Sousa not been the leader of the United States Marine Band, "he probably would have chosen a career in theater music".[3]
| Title | Year | Acts | Librettist | Notes | Premiere | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Katherine | 1879 | Three acts | Wilson Vance | Although Sousa never published this operetta, he copyrighted it. The only known performance from this operetta is the overture from a late 1920s Sousa Band concert.[9] The full libretto can be found here on the Internet Archive:https://archive.org/details/katherine-ml50s719k3copy2/mode/2up | — | |
| Florine | 1881 | Unfinished | Mary Andrews Denison | Mary Andrews Denison agreed to be the librettist for this operetta and composed several songs. However, as Denison's husband died while the first act of the operetta was still being written,Florine was never completed. | — | |
| The Smugglers | 1882 | Two acts | Wilson Vance | The Smugglers was Sousa's first operetta to be produced. The libretto is based onArthur Sullivan andF. C. Burnand'sThe Contrabandista. Though it received an overall positive review, it was a financial failure. | Lincoln Hall, Washington, D.C. | |
| Désirée | 1883 | Two acts | Edward M. Taber | Sousa composed this operetta in 1882 and 1883. He based it on an English comedy,Our Wife, byJohn Maddison Morton. | National Theatre, Washington, D.C. | |
| The Queen of Hearts | 1885 | One act, three scenes | Edward M. Taber | The Queen of Hearts had the shortest run of all Sousa operettas, with only three performances in Washington, D.C. The operetta was compared withGilbert and Sullivan'sTrial by Jury. Several of Sousa's later compositions derived their score from the songs of this operetta. | Lafayette Square Opera House, Washington, D.C. | |
| The Wolf | 1888 | Three acts | John Philip Sousa | Sousa derived the operetta from his 1882 operettaThe Smugglers. AuthorPaul E. Bierley calls it a "transitional" operetta. The fully restored libretto can be found here:https://quuxplusone.github.io/Wikisource/Sousa/the-wolf.html | — | |
| The Devil's Deputy | 1893 | Three acts | J. Cheever Goodwin | ComedianFrancis Wilson requested Sousa to compose this operetta. However, after completion of two acts, they were unable to negotiate terms. Sousa demanded $1,500 (equivalent to $52,500 in 2024), but was offered $1,000 (equivalent to $35,000 in 2024).The Devil's Deputy was later completed and produced underEdward Jakobowski; from his own abandoned score, Sousa extracted what became the "Liberty Bell March."[15] | — | |
| El Capitan | 1895 | Three acts | Charles Klein | El Capitan was Sousa's most successful operetta. It was a portrayal of the Spanish administration in Peru. After its premiere, it was performed various times over four years in the United States and Canada. A few of his earlier compositions like "The Legend of the Frogs" and "The Fable of the Frogs" were added to the operetta. | Tremont Theatre, Boston | |
| The Bride Elect | 1897 | Three acts | John Philip Sousa | The operetta is mostly derived from Sousa's previous operettas likeThe Smugglers andThe Wolf. AuthorPaul E. Bierley attributes toThe Bride Elect the "misfortune of falling in the wake of the highly successfulEl Capitan". Sousa's later march of the same title was more successful than the operetta. | Hyperion Theater, New Haven | |
| The Charlatan | 1898 | Three acts | Charles Klein | Sousa composed this operetta forDeWolf Hopper and his opera company. In London,The Charlatan was known asThe Mystical Miss. It is one of Sousa's most famous operettas. | Academy of Music, Montreal | |
| Chris and the Wonderful Lamp | 1899 | Three acts | Glen MacDonough | Although Sousa considered this operetta one of his best works, it was not a commercial success. Sousa converted theAladdin legend into this operetta. Sousa later extracted marches like "The Man Behind the Gun" and "Jack Tar" from it. | Hyperion Theater, New Haven | |
| The Free Lance | 1905 | Two acts | Harry B. Smith | Sousa composed this operetta in collaboration with Harry B. Smith. Although it was overall received positively, it lasted only for seven months. In late 1939, "The Goose Girl's Song", a song from this operetta, was rearranged and published as "Petit Minuet". | Court Square Theater, Springfield | |
| The American Maid (operetta) | 1909 | Three acts | Leonard Liebling | Initially composed asThe Glass Blowers, it was later renamedThe American Maid in 1913. Various critics commented on the length of the production. It was premiered in New York City during the Sousa Band's world tour. | Shubert Theatre, New York City | |
| The Irish Dragoon | 1915 | Three acts | Joseph W. Herbert | The manuscript of this operetta was discovered in 1965 in the basement of Sousa's estate. The libretto was based onCharles Lever's bookCharles O'Malley. | — | |
| The Victory | 1915 | Unfinished[a] | Ella Wheeler Wilcox | The Victory was initially a play by Ella Wheeler Wilcox and Ruth Allen Davis. It was scheduled to be produced in August 1915, but was never premiered. | — |
