John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era. Although primarily known for American military marches, he also wrote operettas, which are relatively lesser-known and less performed. They show influences from Gilbert and Sullivan, including short recitatives and chorus finales. According to author Paul E. Bierley, Sousa's operettas displayed a "high standard of morality". Libretti for most of the operettas were written by various prominent as well as less experienced librettists, except for The Wolf and The Bride Elect, which were written by Sousa himself. Several famous stage personalities, including DeWolf Hopper, starred in the operettas.
Sousa composed Katherine, his first operetta, in 1879, and copyrighted but never published it. His next operetta, produced after becoming the leader of the United States Marine Band, was The Smugglers, which premiered in 1882. After some financial setbacks, in the mid-1890s, he reached the epitome of his career. His operetta El Capitan was later described by author Gerald Bordman as "boding well to be the most enduring American comic opera of the nineteenth century". El Capitan portrayed the Spanish administration in Peru and became hugely popular during the Spanish–American War. His other major operettas included The Charlatan, Chris and the Wonderful Lamp, The Free Lance, and The American Maid. Bierley later speculated that, had Sousa not been the leader of the United States Marine Band, "he probably would have chosen a career in theater music".
| Year | Acts | Librettist | Notes | Premiere | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1879 | Three acts | Although Sousa never published or completed this operetta, he copyrighted it. The only known performance of this operetta is from a late 1920s Sousa Band concert. | |||||
| 1881 | Mary Andrews Denison agreed to be the librettist for this operetta and composed several songs. However, as Denison's husband died while the first act of the operetta was still being written, Florine was never completed. | ||||||
| 1882 | The Smugglers was Sousa's first operetta to be produced. The libretto is based on Arthur Sullivan and F. C. Burnand's The Contrabandista. Though it received an overall positive review, it was a financial failure. | Lincoln Hall, Washington, D.C. | |||||
| 1883 | Sousa composed this operetta in 1882 and 1883. He based it on an English comedy, Our Wife, by John Maddison Morton. | National Theatre, Washington, D.C. | |||||
| 1885 | The Queen of Hearts had the shortest run of all Sousa operettas, with only three performances in Washington, D.C. The operetta was compared with Gilbert and Sullivan's Trial by Jury. Several of Sousa's later compositions derived their score from the songs of this operetta. | Lafayette Square Opera House, Washington, D.C. | |||||
| 1888 | Sousa derived the operetta from his 1882 operetta The Smugglers. Author Paul E. Bierley calls it a "transitional" operetta. | ||||||
| 1893 | Comedian Francis Wilson requested Sousa to compose this operetta. However, after completion of two acts, they were unable to negotiate terms. Sousa demanded $1,500, but was offered $1,000 . The Devil's Deputy was never completed. | ||||||
| 1895 | El Capitan was Sousa's most successful operetta. It was a portrayal of the Spanish administration in Peru. After its premiere, it was performed various times over four years in the United States and Canada. A few of his earlier compositions like "The Legend of the Frogs" and "The Fable of the Frogs" were added to the operetta. | Tremont Theatre, Boston | |||||
| 1897 | The operetta is mostly derived from Sousa's previous operettas like The Smugglers and The Wolf. Author Paul E. Bierley attributes to The Bride Elect the "misfortune of falling in the wake of the highly successful El Capitan". Sousa's later march of the same title was more successful than the operetta. | Hyperion Theater, New Haven | |||||
| 1898 | Sousa composed this operetta for DeWolf Hopper and his opera company. In London, The Charlatan was known as The Mystical Miss. It is one of Sousa's most famous operettas. | Academy of Music, Montreal | |||||
| 1899 | Although Sousa considered this operetta one of his best works, it was not a commercial success. Sousa converted the Aladdin legend into this operetta. Sousa later extracted marches like "The Man Behind the Gun" and "Jack Tar" from it. | Hyperion Theater, New Haven | |||||
| 1905 | Sousa composed this operetta in collaboration with Harry B. Smith. Although it was overall received positively, it lasted only for seven months. In late 1939, "The Goose Girl's Song", a song from this operetta, was rearranged and published as "Petit Minuet". | Court Square Theater, Springfield | |||||
| 1909 | Initially composed as The Glass Blowers, it was later renamed The American Maid in 1913. Various critics commented on the length of the production. It was premiered in New York City during the Sousa Band's world tour. | Shubert Theatre, New York City | |||||
| 1915 | The manuscript of this operetta was discovered in 1965 in the basement of Sousa's estate. The libretto was based on Charles Lever's book Charles O'Malley. | ||||||
| 1915 | The Victory was initially a play by Ella Wheeler Wilcox and Ruth Allen Davis. It was scheduled to be produced in August 1915, but was never premiered. |