The 1931 D'Oyly Carte Pirates [abridged]

Cast
Major-GeneralGeorge Baker
Pirate KingDarrell Fancourt
SamuelStuart Robertson
FredericDerek Oldham
Sergeant of PoliceSydney Granville
MabelMuriel Dickson
RuthBertha Lewis

D'Oyly Carte Opera Company w/Orchestra
Conductor: Malcolm Sargent

Recorded in London,
April 13 - May 2, 1931

Advertisement
The Gilbert and Sullivan News — June 1931
EMI Music for Pleasure MFP 2143
EMI Music for Pleasure MFP 2143

This was the second of three abridged sets issued by HMV in 1931. The motivation behind this one, as the abridged Yeomen, was probably to capture the voices that were missed when the 1929 Pirates was recorded. The most significant of these were Darrell Fancourt (though he would record the role again), Sydney Granville and Bertha Lewis (although only the paradox trio and her lines in the finales are included). Baker, Robertson and Oldham reprised their roles from the complete set just two years earlier.

In addition, this and the other two abridged sets from 1931 were made just after the rival Columbia label made several similar recordings that, perhaps, were siphoning off business from the established D'Oyly Carte sets.


Sounds on CD VGS 247
Sounds on CD VGS 247 [Cover by Matt Bland]
Issue History
DateLabelFormatNumberComments
1931 HMV 78rpm (10") B3846-51 in Album 126 Manual side couplings
ca. 1940 HMV 78rpm B7006/11 Drop auto side couplings
ca. 1970 EMI Music for Pleasure LP MFP 2143  
1984 Arabesque LP 8129-2L With 1932 Ida
1984? Arabesque Cassette 9129-2L
198-? Arabesque CD Z8129-2 (not verified)
2003 Sounds on CD CD VGS 247 Includes four HMV abridged sets: 1931 Pirates, 1931 Yeomen, 1931 Gondoliers, and 1933 Sorcerer
2003 78s2CD CD GS22 Includes four HMV abridged sets: 1931 Pirates, 1931 Yeomen, 1931 Gondoliers, and 1933 Sorcerer
Recording Details
Side
Nbr
Matrix
Number
SelectionRec.
Date
10B732-2 Pour, oh, pour the pirate sherry13 Apr 31
20B734-1 Oh, is there not one maiden breast14 Apr 31
30B735-5 Oh, sisters, deaf to pity's name2 May 31
40B733-2 Hold, monsters!13 Apr 31
50B731-1 Oh, men of dark and dismal fate13 Apr 31
60B728-2 You may go, for you're at liberty13 Apr 31
70B727-1 Then, Frederic, let your escort13 Apr 31
80B730-1 When you had left our pirate fold13 Apr 31
90B736-4 Stay, Frederic, stay!2 May 31
100B729-2 When a felon's not engaged in his employment13 Apr 31
110B737-2 Hush, hush, not a word!14 Apr 31
120B726-2 To gain a brief advantage you've contrived13 Apr 31
Recording Sessions
Side
Nbr
Matrix
Number
SelectionRec.
Date
120B726-2 To gain a brief advantage you've contrived13 Apr 31
70B727-1 Then, Frederic, let your escort13 Apr 31
60B728-2 You may go, for you're at liberty13 Apr 31
100B729-2 When a felon's not engaged in his employment13 Apr 31
80B730-1 When you had left our pirate fold13 Apr 31
50B731-1 Oh, men of dark and dismal fate13 Apr 31
10B732-2 Pour, oh, pour the pirate sherry13 Apr 31
40B733-2 Hold, monsters!13 Apr 31
20B734-1 Oh, is there not one maiden breast14 Apr 31
 0B735-1
Oh, sisters, deaf to pity's name14 Apr 31
 0B736-1
Stay, Frederic, stay!14 Apr 31
110B737-2 Hush, hush, not a word!14 Apr 31
3
0B735-5
Oh, sisters, deaf to pity's name2 May 31
9
0B736-4
Stay, Frederic, stay!2 May 31

Notes:

  1. The table above shows the published takes in the order recorded. Where a session produced both unpublished and published takes for the same selection, the unpublished matrix numbers are shown in italics. Where none of a selection's takes from a given session were published, the entire row is shown in italics, and the side number is blank. Where it is not possible to make a likely guess about the number of takes recorded at a session, this is indicated with "" Where the published take was achieved without a make-up session being required, the unpublished takes for the same selection are not shown.