The Dove of Peace is a comic opera in three acts by Walter Damrosch and Wallace Irwin which opened at the Broadway Theatre, New York, on 4 November 1912.

Dramatis Personæ

MIDI Files

ACT I   -   Verandah of Hotel Spendmore, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

• No. 1 - The Hen Chorus - "Empty hours of summer chatter, pitter patter, pitter patter, fascinating conversations wrecking neighbor's reputations! ..."
• No. 2 - Dirge - Sir Hannibal and Men - "We bright children of Minerva, bound by fate to servant-hood, take our books and learn to rightly serve a Patron deftly..."
• No. 3 - Ensemble - "Mark his bright and flashing eye, oh mark his thrilling beauty, held in check for ever by his manly sense of duty! ..."
• No. 4 - Song - Hildegarde and Women - "Eve came to Adam's Paradise when Love was pure as dew, and she said 'I think the world is nice, it's all so bright...'"
• No. 5 - Song - Donnybrook and Women - "Ha, ha, ha, ha!  When I was a lad in Kilkenny, sing Larry-down-derry-down-doo, there was none could conthrol me..."
• No. 6 - Duet - Willie and Hildegarde - "Maiden, wilt thou walk with me? .. Love, where wouldst thou go? .. All through Cupid's tanglewood! .. Heart of mine, no, no!"
• No. 7 - Duet - Arabella and Sir Hannibal - "'Twixt Briton and Yank there's an attitude frank of friendship o'er-stretching the seas, a brotherly bond and a memory..."
• No. 8 - Song - Willie and Men - "Yo-ha! Yo-hey! Yo-hee! Yo-ho!  You show some surprise at our change of disguise, which you think shows remarkable nerve..."
• No. 9 - Song - Hildegarde and Women - "Yo-ha! Yo-hey! Yo-hee! Yo-ho!  You seem at a loss when you see the red cross revealed by this sudden imprudence..."
• No. 10 - Finale Act I - "O thank you kindly, my pretty dear!  I'll take you along as my volunteer! ... I'll follow this crowd to the ends of the earth, and ev'ry day..."
• No. 11 - Second Finale - "I'll follow the folds of the stars and stripes in the faith of the land of glory, while the rattle-ti-boom of the volleying doom echoes forth..."

ACT II  -  Scene 1  -  Ramparts of Guam, overlooking tropical sea.

• No. 12 - Song - Juanita - "Was ever maid of Spain more desolate than I?  Here destined to remain beneath a savage sky, where ne'er a ship goes by..."
• No. 13a - Ensemble - "It's painful to the Yankee soul to spout a bit or shout a bit, but here's hooray for U.S.A., the land of grit and granite!  We're from Missouri..."
• No. 13b - Madrigal - "Upon a castle-girded land, all in the middle ages, when heroes fought for lady's hand, but would not work for wages, for wages..."

ACT II  -  Scene 2  -  The Temple of Peace.

• No. 14 - Mock Battle - "The battle began quite early in the morning when the foemen stood as pale as they could be; and then without the very slightest warning..."
• No. 15 - Duet - Hildgarde and Willie, and Finale Act II - "Prince of my dreams, how pale thou are!  Say not that thou are slain!  See how I press thee to my heart..."

ACT III  -  Scene 1  -  Another part of the island of Guam.

• No. 16 - Recit. and Air - Sir Hannibal and Chorus - "There's nothing sweeter than the peaceful life with scarce an episode to shake us;  we're all so happy..."
• No. 17 - Song - Donnybrook and Chorus - "Oh! the World of Peace should be bright and gay, with my hiralo, tirolo-loo.  You must dance in the regular rustic way..."
• No. 18 - Song - Jones and Men's Chorus - "Ten thousand years before the flood, when man was full of savage blood, his wife was meek, and if she'd speak..."
• No. 19 - Dance-Pantomime - The Cave-Man and the Cave-Woman - "For they were not worn in the primitive morn ... of prehistoric man!"
• No. 20 - Quartet - Hildegarde, Juanita, Willie and Jones - "Rose of the south, sombre of eye, red is thy mouth, splendid thy sigh! ... Say it again!  You please me..."
• No. 21 - Ensemble - Hildegarde, Juanita, Willie, Jones and Chorus - "Woman, how dare you!  Vizen, how can you!  Creature, away from my captain, he's mine! ..."
• No. 22 - Song - Donnybrook and Women - "Ochone!  Ochone!  Far, oh far is the Mango Island;  far, oh far is the tropical sea;  palms aslant and the hills a-smile..."
• No. 23 - March of the Militant Suffragettes

ACT III  -  Scene 2  -  The United States Senate Chamber.

• No. 24 - Song - Vice-President and Senators - "Since the dove with snowy wings .. settled on her peaceful nest .. all the disagreeable things .. of modern life..."
• No. 25 - Song - Hildegarde & Women - "At last has downtrod woman taken wing from out the craven race of pullets; no more she eats assorted sick'ning sweets..."
• No. 25a - Ensemble - Girls and Senators - "Oh! don't! Resist we won't!  Oh! don't! Resist we won't!  See, we bow and kneel to you!  Warriors should be chivalrous."
• No. 26 - Ensemble - "Prisoners, stand up!  And you, my sweetheart:  It is my most unpleasant duty to sentence you as traitors! ... Have courage!  Do your duty!"
• No. 27 - Ensemble - "Look! Look!  Behold yon flying thing with planes and wheel empirical!  It comes on magic wing, a miracle, miracle! ..."
• No. 28 - Song - Donnybrook and Women - "When I left you studying botany on that lonesome cannibal isle, then I cursed the deep monotony of a peaceful state..."
• Nos. 29 & 30 - Ensemble and Choral - "Three magic rings in the air I'll make, and bid the world from its trance awake;  Vanish, Dove, to some distant sphere! ..."

External Link

Vocal Score at the Internet Archive

American Musical Theatre

Page modified 20 November 2016