- The Student Prince
"The Student Prince" is an
operetta with music bySigmund Romberg and book and lyrics byDorothy Donnelly . It is based onWilhelm Meyer-Förster 's play "Alt Heidelberg". The show was the most successful of Romberg's works, running for 608 performances. It opened onDecember 2 ,1924 , atJolson's 59th Street Theatre on Broadway.Ernst Lubitsch made a famoussilent film of the operetta titled "The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg " and starringRamon Novarro andNorma Shearer . The stage work was revived twice on Broadway - once in the 1930s and again the 1940s."The Student Prince" has elements of
melodrama but has a definite lack of theswashbuckling common to Romberg's other works. The plot is mostly faithful to its "Alt Heidelberg" source.The operetta contains some of the most beautiful, yet gruelling,
tenor aria s in the operetta repertoire, notably the Serenade ("Overhead the moon is beaming").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". ComposerNicholas Brodszky and lyricistPaul Francis Webster wrote three new songs for the film. 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 actorEdmund Purdom , who mimed to the tenor's recordings."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.
ynopsis
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.
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"Recordings
There are quite a few recordings of this score, though most date from the 1950s. No original Broadway cast recording was made, but the 1926 London cast did record some selections for
EMI . These 78-RPM records have been transferred to CD on the Pearl Label. Earl Wrightson starred inAl Goodman 's recording forRCA Victor . This has not been released on CD. The last issue was on the budget label Camden in 1958.Decca made an album in 1950 with Lauritz Melchior heading the cast in eight selections. This is on Cd paired with "
The Merry Widow ". A more complete recording starringRobert Rounseville andDorothy Kirsten was made by Columbia Records in 1952. It has been re-released on CD by DRG. Around the same time,Gordon MacRae recorded a 10-inch Lp for Capitol of the score. It was later repackaged on one side of a 12-inch album ("The Merry Widow " is on the reverse) but that album has been out-of-print since the late 1960s.RCA Victor recorded
Mario Lanza in highlights from the score, released when the singer's voice was used in the 1954 film version. Lanza later re-recorded the score in stereo for the same label, but it is the earlier mono recording that is on CD paired with selections from "The Desert Song ".Readers Digest include a selection in their album "A Treasury of Great Operettas", first offered for sale in 1963. This stereo recording is available on CD. Also in 1963, as part of a series of stereo recordings of classic operettas, Capitol had MacRae and Kirsten record a full album of the score. Most of it can be heard on the EMI CD "Music of Sigmund Romberg" along with selections from "The Desert Song" and "
The New Moon ". Around the same time, Columbia made a new stereo recording withGiorgio Tozzi ,Jan Peerce andRoberta Peters . This has not been issued on Cd.The most complete recording is a 2-CD set from That's Entertainment (TER/JAY) that includes much of the underscoring.
Cultural impact
*"Drink! Drink! Drink!" was used as background music in a recent series of
Aquafina commercials.*"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.External links
* [http://musicaltheatreguide.com/composers/romberg/student_prince.htm Information about the operetta]
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