From Don Magnifico to The Major General:the pitter patter of patter songsAlex Haigh (tenor)

In this light hearted, fast tempo lecture, Alex will explore the history and origins of the Patter songs, in opera and beyond; a journey from 480BC to the present day.He will take us from the Ancient Greeks through to the best known of the lot; Gilbert and Sullivan, with well loved patter numbers from Mozart, Rossini and Donizetti along the way. Testing the excellence of his enunciation, Alex will rattle off the Champagne aria in double time, demonstrating why these timelessly entertaining, tongue-twisting lyrics play an important part in our understanding and enjoyment of comic opera.

When creating this lecture I wanted a way of combining two passions of mine; Opera and Operetta. Whats interesting is that, even today, Operetta is as popular as opera and I believe the reason why is simplicity in the writings of Gilbert and Sullivan or G&S. Their plots are obvious, their language elegant (but english) and their melodies just taxing enough to be a challenge for an amateur but also great fun. Across the world millions of people in the USA, Canada, Australia and England adore these comedies for the above reasons. I want to explore a particular facet of them, possibly their most interesting device; the patter song.Patters history goes back to the 5th Century, and I will weave a merry yarn through from there to the present. In the first half of my lecture I explore the history and the use of Patter in Opera and other art forms. Following a brief break, the second half will lead us into G&S, as well as more evolved forms of the Patter, culminating in the most complicated patter song ever written. For me, the joy of performance has always been audience based. Regardless of the art form, we are on a stage to incite a reaction; whatever it may be, to an audience. Pleasure, pain, suffering, memory or laughter any type of performance is reliant on somebody being aware of it and reacting to it. Patter songs create a hyper-risk rich world of possibility of going wrong, and delight in the way a language can fit together. You juxtapose the thrill of a mistake with the delight in the skill, and you have Patter songs as well as Tenor high Cs or soprano coloratura. Skill is the other thing to consider, how does one learn words in such vast quantities and retain them, and is the skill any different to learning a normal, less veracious piece of song. Hopefully, in 2 hours, we will find out.

I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General,Pirates of Penzance

I am the very model of a modern Major-General,I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral,I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical,From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical;I'm very well acquainted too with matters mathematical,I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical,About binomial theorem I'm teeming with a lot o' news---With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse.

I'm very good at integral and differential calculus,I know the scientific names of beings animalculous;In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,I am the very model of a modern Major-General.

I know our mythic history, King Arthur's and Sir Caradoc's,I answer hard acrostics, I've a pretty taste for paradox,I quote in elegiacs all the crimes of Heliogabalus,In conics I can floor peculiarities parablous.I can tell undoubted Raphaels from Gerard Dows and Zoffanies,I know the croaking chorus from the Frogs of Aristophanes,Then I can hum a fugue of which I've heard the music's din afore,And whistle all the airs from that infernal nonsense Pinafore.

Then I can write a washing bill in Balylonic cuneiform,And tell you every detail of Caractacus's uniform;In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,I am the very model of a modern Major-General.

In fact, when I know what is meant by "mamelon" and "ravelin",When I can tell at sight a chassept rifle from a javelin,When such affairs as sorties and surprises I'm more wary at,And when I know precisely what is meant by "commissariat",When I have learnt what progress has been made in modern gunnery,When I know more of tactics than a novice in a nunnery:In short, when I've a smattering of elemental strategy,You'll say a better Major-General has never sat a gee---

For my military knowledge, though I'm plucky and adventury,Has only been brought down to the beginning of the century;But still in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,I am the very model of a modern Major-General.

Extract from the Nightmare song, Iolanthe

Love unrequited, robs me of me restLove, hopeless love, my ardent soul encumbersLove, nightmare like, lies heavy on me chestAnd weaves itself into my midnight slumbersWhen you're lying awake with a dismal headacheAnd repose is taboo'd by anxietyI conceive you may use any languageYou choose to indulge in, without improprietyFor your brain is on fire, the bed-clothes conspireOf usual slumber to plunder youFirst your counter pane goes and uncovers your toesAnd your sheet slips demurely from under youThen the blanketing tickles, you feel like mixedPickles, so terribly sharp is the prickingAnd you're hot and you're cross and you tumble andToss 'til there's nothing 'twixt you and the tickingThen the bed clothes all creep to the ground in a heapAnd you pick 'em all up in a tangleNext your pillow resigns and politely declinesTo remain at its usual angle

Extract from Monteverdis Orfeo

Largo al Factotum, from Il Barbiere di SivigliaLasciate i monthLasciate i fontiNinfe vezzo's lieteE in questi prati Ai balli usatiVago il bel pi rendete Leave the mountainsLeave the fountainsLonely and joyful nymphsAnd in these meadowsTo the traditional dancesLet your fair feet rejoice Largo al factotum della citta.Presto a bottega che l'alba e gia.Ah, che bel vivere, che bel piacere per un barbiere di qualita!Ah, bravo Figaro!Bravo, bravissimo!Fortunatissimo per verita!Pronto a far tutto,la notte e il giornosempre d'intorno in giro sta.Miglior cuccagna per un barbiere,vita piu nobile, no, non si da.Rasori e pettinilancette e forbici,al mio comandotutto qui sta.V'e la risorsa,poi, de mestiereimo;a te fortuna non manchera.Make way for the handyman of the city.Hurrying to his shop now that it is already dawn.Ah, what a fine life, what a fine pleasureFor a barber of quality! Of quality!Ah, well done Figaro!Well done, very good!Very fortunate indeed!Ready to do everything,Night and dayHe is always on the moveA more plentiful fate for a barber,A more noble life, no, it cannot be had.Razors and combsLancets and scissors,At my commandEverything is here.There are the tools of the trade

With the ladies... with the gentlemen...Everyone asks for me, everyone wants me,Ladies, children, elders, young girls;Here is the wig... The beard is ready...Here is the blood...The ticket is ready...Here is the wig, the beard is ready,The ticket is ready, hey!Figaro! Figaro! Figaro!, etc.Alas, what a fury!Alas, what a crowd!One at a time, please!Hey, Figaro! I am here.Figaro here, Figaro there,Figaro up, Figaro down,Quicker and quicker I am like lightning:I am the handyman of the city.Ah, well done Figaro! Well done, very good;You will never lack for luck!

Extract from Si Pu from PagliacciMay I? I mayLadies! Gentlemen!Excuse me if I alone introduce myselfI am the Prologue:

Since yet in the sceneThe author uses ancient masks;In part he wants to bring back the old customs,And send me back to you.

Si pu?... Si pu?... poi salutando Signore! Signori!... Scusatemi se da sol me presento. Io sono il Prologo:

Poich in iscena ancor le antiche maschere mette l'autore, in parte ei vuol riprendere le vecchie usanze, e a voi di nuovo inviami.

colla donnetta... col cavaliere...Tutti mi chiedono, tutti mi vogliono,donne, ragazzi, vecchi, fanciulle:Qua la parruca... Presto la barba...Qua la sanguigna...Presto il biglietto...Qua la parruca, presto la barba,Presto il biglietto, ehi!Figaro! Figaro! Figaro!, ecc.Ahime, che furia!Ahime, che folla!Uno alla volta, per carita!Figaro! Son qua.Ehi, Figaro! Son qua.Figaro qua, Figaro la,Figaro su, Figaro giu,Pronto prontissimo son come il fumine:sono il factotum della citta.Ah, bravo Figaro! Bravo, braviss

Fin chhan dal vino from Don GiovanniSo that their heads may be warmed by wine,go and prepare a wonderful party.If on the way you meet some young lady,try also to bring her along.

Let the dancing be spontaneous.They can do the minuet,the gavotteor the waltz,just as you like.And I in the meantimebehind the sceneswill be flirtingwith this one and that one.

Ah, to my listtomorrow morningyou will have to addat least ten names!If on the way you meet some young lady,try also to bring her along.

Ah, to my listtomorrow morningyou will have to addat least ten names!Let the dancing be spontaneous.They can do the minuet,the gavotteor the waltz,just as you like.

Ah, to my listtomorrow morningyou will have to addat least ten names!Fin chhan dal vino calda la testa,una gran festa fa preparar!Se trovi in piazza qualche ragazza,teco ancor quella cerca menar.

Senza alcun ordine la danza sia,chil minuetto, chi la follia,chi lalemanna farai ballar, ecc.Ed io frattanto dallaltro canto,con questa e quella vo amoreggiar!

Ah, la mia lista doman mattinaduna decina devi aumentar!Se trovi in piazza qualche ragazza,teco ancor quella cerca menar.

Ah, la mia lista doman mattinaduna decina devi aumentar!Senza alcun ordine la danza sia,chil minuetto, chi la follia,chi lalemanna farai ballar, ecc.

Ah, la mia lista doman mattinaduna decina devi aumentar!

Ma non per dirvi come pria: Le lacrime che noi versiam son false! Degli spasimi e de' nostri martir non allarmatevi! No! No: L'autore ha cercato invece pingervi uno squarcio di vitaBut not to tell you as before:The tears we cry are false!Of spasms and our martyrsDo not be alarmed!No! No. The author has sought insteadTo depict a glimpse of life.

Alex Haigh started his musical education in Hull University reading Music and Drama. During his three years, He performed and musically directed several shows including Jerry Springer the Opera by Richard Thomas; Last 5 years by Jason Robert Brown; and he composed a musical adaptation of the play Yerma by Garica Lorca.During his education, he has studied with Sarah Leonard, Christopher Wilson and Henry Herford, performing a wide range of repertoire with a focus on English song. He has sung at master classes from Opera North, Robert Tear, Sarah Conolley and Joel Efram in their respective fields and he has also performed as a Jazz singer in The Edinburgh Fringe Festival twice with the Hull University Big Band. In addition, he has performed Jazz with several solo artists including Maureen Braithwaite. His main focus is Operatic repertoire.He graduated from Trinity Laban conservatoire with a Masters (with distinction) in Vocal performance. He was taught by Lynton Atkinson and Helen Yorke, whilst also receiving master classes and lessons from several other performers including Simon Keenlyside and Linda Hirst. During his time at Trinity,Alex has performed as a soloist with the BBC Symphony Chorus at the Royal Albert Hall, worked with ENO as a minor role in a workshop production of Two Boys by Nico Muhly and performed as a soloist in the London Handel Festival 2011, conducted by Adrian Butterfield. He also sings with the Philharmonia chorus, Barbershop-o-Gram and most recently The Quidco Quartet in a ITV advertisement airing in July.Recent performances include Szymanowski's Stabat Mater; Gilbert and Sullivan's 'Pirates of Penzance' (Major-General); Benjamin Brittens Albert Herring; and Daniel-Lesur's 'Le Cantique des Cantiques' in the 31st Prom 2010 (Tenor Solo). He records with BBC Radio regularly, most recently the easter service on Radio 2 (April 2013). Alex also recently completed The 3 month Intensive Opera Performance Course at the Advanced Performers studio at Riverside Studios.As a Tenor, Alex has performed as a soloist scenes from Don Giovanni, Die Zauberflote and Idomeneo. As well as Operatic work, Alex is a member of the vocal acapella group, Apollo5. Formed in 2010, Apollo5 enjoys a busy schedule of touring, concert and education work. Created by the same charity that formed VOCES8, Apollo5 shares the same ethos V8; to inspire people through music. Also is also a member of the Opera Prelude lecuture team, giving lectures and concerts to a large audience of opera fanatics. In his limited spare time, Alex enjoys Golf, SCUBA diving and long walks with his companion cockerpoo, Barney.

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