Knickerbocker Holiday (1938)
Musical comedy in two acts after Washington Irving's
A History of New York by Diedrich Knickerbocker.
Book and lyrics by Maxwell Anderson.
Synopsis
Song List
Performance Information
Principal Productions
Recordings
Poster from original Broadway production, 1938.
Synopsis
Narrator Washington Irving controls the action, which revolves around two men: Governor Pieter Stuyvesant and nobody Brom Broeck, whose most notable trait is an urge to attack anyone who gives him an order. Both want to marry the same girl, Tina. Brom stays alive by his strength and wits, which are superior to those of anyone else in Nieuw Amsterdam. Even though Brom saves Stuyvesant's life during a battle with the local Indians in the second act, Stuyvesant would still hang him for insubordination, until Irving intervenes. Then Stuyvesant relents and allows Brom to go free and marry Tina. The show's reflections on democracy and American politics, with specific reference to Roosevelt and the New Deal, made it something of a novelty for musical theater of its day.
Song list
Washington Irving Song
Clickety-Clack
Entrance of the Council
Hush Hush
There's Nowhere to Go But Up!
It Never Was You
How Can You Tell an American?
Will You Remember Me?
One Touch of Alchemy
The One Indispensable Man
Young People Think About Love
September Song
All Hail the Political Honeymoon
Ballad of the Robbers
Sitting in Jail
We Are Cut in Twain
To War!
Our Ancient Liberties
May and January
The Scars
Dirge for a Soldier
No, Ve Vouldn't Gonto Do It
Performance Information
Cast: Singing roles -- Washington Irving (baritone), Brom Broeck (baritone), Tina Tienhoven (soprano), Peter Stuyvesant (character baritone), Tenpin (tenor), Tienhoven (baritone), Roosevelt (bass), ensemble of councilors, General Poffenburgh (baritone), citizens of New Amsterdam, soldiers, Indians.
Speaking roles -- Vanderbilt, De Peyster, De Vries, Van Rensselaer, Van Cortlandt, Jr. Schermerhorn.
Orchestra: fl (picc), Reed 1 (cl, alto sax), Reed 2 (cl, bass cl, alto sax), Reed 3 (cl, bass cl, ten. sax, bar. sax, ob); 2 tpt, 2 tbn; organ, piano, guitar, timp & perc; strings.
Duration: full evening, 70 minutes music
Published Editions: piano-vocal score, Chappell Music Co./Hal Leonard
Performance Rights and Rentals: All territories: RH
Authorized Translation: German -- Ute & Volker Canaris
Guide to orchestration, territory abbreviations, and publishers' symbols.
Principal productions
- October 19, 1938, New York, Ethel Barrymore Theater, Josh Logan, dir., Maurice Abravanel, cond.
- May 11, 1971, San Francisco Civic Light Opera, Albert Marre, dir., Jack Lee, cond.
- September 25, 1976, Hamburg, Theater im Kunsthalle, Helmut Baumann, dir., Jens-Peter Ostendorf, cond. (in German)
- February 4, 1988, Münster, Stephan Mettin, dir., Thomas Modos, cond. (in German)
- December 29, 1992, Chicago, Light Opera Works, M. Seth Raines, dir., Peter Lipari, cond.
Recordings
| AEI 1148 CD reissue: AEI CD-007 |
Walter Huston, Ray Middleton, Harry Meehan, Maurice Abravanel, cond. [excerpts, radio broadcast of 1945] |
| Joey LP Joey 7243 |
abridged version of AEI release |