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Princess Ida, or Castle Adamant, is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Savoy Theatre on January 5, 1884, for a run of 246 performances. By Savoy Opera standards, it was not considered a success (a particularly hot summer in London did not help ticket sales), and it was not revived in London until 1919. This was the eighth operatic collaboration of fourteen between Gilbert and Sullivan.

Contents 1 Background 2 Roles 3 Synopsis 3.1 Act I 3.2 Act II 3.3 Act III 4 Musical numbers 4.1 Act I 4.2 Act II 4.3 Act III 5 Versions of the text 6 Productions 7 Historical casting 8 References 9 External links

Princess Ida is based on Tennyson's poem The Princess: A Medley. Gilbert had written a blank verse farce based on the same material in 1870, called The Princess. Gilbert reused a good deal of the dialogue from his earlier play in the libretto. Princess Ida is the only Gilbert and Sullivan work with dialogue entirely in blank verse. It is also the only one of their works in three acts.

The opera satirizes feminism, women's education, and Darwinian evolution, all of which were controversial topics in conservative Victorian England. Like Patience and Iolanthe, Ida concerns the war between the sexes. In Patience, the aesthetic-crazed women are contrasted with vain military men; in Iolanthe, the vague and flighty fairies (women) are pitted against the ineffective, dim-witted peers (men); and in Ida, overly serious students and professors at a women's university (women) defy a marriage-by-force ultimatum by a militaristic king and his testosterone-laden court (men).

Sullivan's score is majestic, and a sequence of songs in Act II, sometimes known as the "string of pearls", is particularly well loved. Although Gilbert's libretto contains some very funny lines, the iambic pentameter and three act structure tend to make it more difficult to stage effectively than some of the other Savoy Operas. In addition, modern audiences sometimes find the libretto's dated portrayal of sex roles, and the awkward resolution of the opera, unsatisfying.

• King Hildebrand (bass-baritone)
• Hilarion, King Hildebrand's Son (tenor)
• Cyril, Hilarion's Friend (tenor)
• Florian, Hilarion's Friend (lyric baritone)
• King Gama (comic baritone)
• Arac, King Gama's Son (bass-baritone)
• Guron, King Gama's Son (bass-baritone)
• Scynthius, King Gama's Son (bass)
• Princess Ida, King Gama's Daughter (soprano)
• Lady Blanche, Professor of Abstract Science (contralto)
• Lady Psyche, Professor of Humanities (soprano)
• Melissa, Lady Blanche's Daughter (mezzo-soprano)
• Sacharissa, Girl Graduate (soprano)
• Chloe, Girl Graduate (speaking role/chorus)
• Ada, Girl Graduate (speaking role/chorus)
• Chorus of Soldiers, Courtiers, "Girl Graduates", "Daughters of the Plough", etc.

In a pavilion at King Hildebrand's palace, courtiers wait expectantly for the arrival of Princess Ida, who was betrothed in infancy to Prince Hilarion. Hildebrand's son, Prince Hilarion – who is in love with Ida, although he has not seen her since he was two years old – wonders how she may have changed over the ensuing twenty years.

Ida's father, King Gama, and her brothers Arac, Guron and Scynthius, arrive at Hildebrand's palace without her. King Gama explains that Princess Ida has foresworn men and founded a women's university at Castle Adamant, one of his many country houses. King Hildebrand tells Hilarion to go to Castle Adamant to claim Ida, and that if she refuses him, Hildebrand will storm the castle. But Hilarion will not use force to gain the princess's love. He says that nature has "armed" him and his friends Cyril and Florian to win this "war" using "expressive glances" and romance as his "armoury" to win Princess Ida. Meanwhile, King Gama and his sons are to remain at Hildebrand's palace as hostages.

At Castle Adamant, Princess Ida's pupils are taught that "Man, sprung from an Ape, is Ape at heart." Lady Psyche warns that "Man will swear, and Man will storm," while Lady Blanche doles out the Princess's list of punishments. The Princess delivers a stern lecture, stating that women's brains are larger than men's, and predicting that "Woman, in her turn, shall conquer Man," but that once conquered, Woman will treat Man better than he has treated her. Lady Blanche resents the Princess and predicts that one day she will replace her as head of the university.

Hilarion, Cyril and Florian sneak into Castle Adamant. They scoff at the idea of a woman's college. Finding some discarded academic robes, the three men disguise themselves as young maidens wishing to join the university, and are welcomed by Princess Ida. Florian realises that their disguises won't fool his sister, Lady Psyche, and they take her into their confidence. Lady Psyche warns them that they will face death if the Princess discovers who they are. Melissa, Lady Blanche's daughter, has overheard them, and falls in love with Florian at first sight. Melissa, with Lady Psyche and the three men, celebrates joyously the discovery that men are not the monsters that Princess Ida had claimed.

Lady Blanche, who has not fallen for the men's disguises, confronts Melissa. Though indignant at first, she is persuaded to keep the men's secret when her daughter points out that if Hilarion is able to woo Princess Ida, Blanche will become head of the university.

During lunch, Cyril gets tipsy and inadvertently gives away his friends' identity. In the ensuing confusion, Princess Ida falls into a stream, and Hilarion rescues her. Ida condemns Hilarion and his friends to death. King Hildebrand and his soldiers arrive, with Arac, Guron and Scynthius in chains. He reminds her that she is bound by the infant marriage to marry Hilarion and gives her until the following afternoon to comply. The defiant Ida replies that, although Hilarion saved her life and is fair, strong, and tall, she would rather die than be his bride.

Ida's students prepare to meet Hildebrand's soldiers in battle, but the terrified girls admit that they are afraid of fighting. Princess Ida is disgusted with their lack of courage, and vows that if necessary she will fight Hildebrand's army alone. Her father, King Gama, arrives with a message that Hildebrand prefers not to go to war with women. He suggests instead that Hilarion and his friends fight King Gama's sons, with Ida's hand to be decided by the outcome. Ida is insulted to be "a stake for fighting men," but realises that she has no alternative.

Hilarion, Cyril, and Florian are still in their women's robes. King Gama and his sons ridicule them. In preparation for battle, Gama's sons shed their heavy armour, saying that it is too uncomfortable to be effective. The fight ensues, with Hilarion, Cyril and Florian defeating Gama's sons.

Ida yields to Hilarion, and bitterly asks Lady Blanche if she can resign her post with dignity. The delighted Blanche, who will succeed her as head of the university, assures her that she can. Ida laments the failure of her "cherished scheme," but King Hildebrand points out the fatal flaw:

If you enlist all women in your cause,

And make them all abjure tyrannic Man,

The obvious question then arises, "How

Is this Posterity to be provided?"

Princess Ida admits, "I never thought of that!" Hilarion makes an emotional appeal, urging her to give Man one chance, while Cyril observes that if she grows tired of the Prince, Ida can return to Castle Adamant. Lady Psyche says that she, too, will return if Cyril does not behave, but Melissa swears that she will not return under any circumstances.

Finally, Ida admits that she has been wrong, and declares that indeed she loves Hilarion. The curtain falls "With joy abiding."

• Overture (includes "We are warriors three" and "Minerva! oh, hear me")

• 1. "Search throughout the panorama" (Florian and Chorus)
• 2. "Now hearken to my strict command" (Hildebrand and Chorus)
• 3. "Today we meet" (Hilarion)
• 4. "From the distant panorama" (Chorus)
• 5. "We are warriors three" (Arac, Guron, Scynthius, and Chorus)
• 6. "If you give me your attention" (Gama)
• 7. Finale Act I (Gama, Hildebrand, Cyril, Hilarion, Florian, and Chorus of Girls and Men)
  • "P'raps if you Address the Lady"
  • "Expressive glances"
  • "For a month to dwell in a dungeon cell"

• 8. "Towards the empyrean heights" (Lady Psyche, Melissa, Sacharissa, and Chorus of Girls)
• 9. "Mighty maiden with a mission" (Chorus of Girls)
• 10. "Minerva! oh, hear me!" ... "Oh, goddess wise" (Princess)
• 10a."And thus to Empyrean Heights" (Princess and Chorus)
• 11. "Come, mighty Must" (Blanche)¹
• ^{12. "Gently, gently" (Cyril, Hilarion, and Florian)}
• ^{13. "I am a maiden, cold and stately" (Cyril, Hilarion, and Florian)}
• ^{14. "The world is but a broken toy" (Princess, Cyril, Hilarion, and Florian)}
• ^{15. "A lady fair, of lineage high" (Lady Psyche with Cyril, Hilarion, and Florian)2}
• ^{16. "The woman of the wisest wit" (Psyche, Melissa, Cyril, Hilarion, and Florian)}
• ^{17. "Now wouldn't you like to rule the roast" (Melissa and Lady Blanche)3}
• ^{18. "Merrily ring the luncheon bell" (Blanche, Cyril, and Chorus of Girls)}
• ^{19. "Would you know the kind of maid?" (Cyril)}
• ^{20. Finale Act II (Princess, Hildebrand, Melissa, Lady Psyche, Blanche, Cyril, Hilarion, Florian, Arac, Guron, Scynthius, and Chorus of Girls and Men)}
  • ^{"Oh, joy! our chief is saved"}
  • ^{"Whom thou hast chained must wear his chain"}
  • ^{"Walls and fences scaling"}
  • ^{"Some years ago, no doubt you know"}
  • ^{"We may remark, though nothing can dismay us"}
  • ^{"To yield at once to such a foe with shame were rife"}

^{1 Starting in the 1920s, the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company traditionally deleted this song.}

^{2As musical director, Harry Norris was responsible for adding prominent horn parts to the accompaniment to "A Lady Fair". They were expunged by Malcolm Sargent but subsequently restored by Royston Nash in the 1970s. These are customarily referred to as the ‘Norris’ horn parts, though they may have been written by Geoffrey Toye.}

^{3 The first line of this song is often erroneously sung as "Now wouldn't you like to rule the roost" instead of "roast" (rhymes with "clear the coast" in the next couplet). This typographical error appeared in early vocal scores and still appears in a current Chappell vocal score edition, although some scores have corrected it.}

• ^{21. "Death to the invader" (Melissa and Chorus of Girls)}
• ^{22. "Whene'er I spoke" (King Gama with Chorus of Girls)3}
• ^{23. "I built upon a rock" (Princess)}
• ^{24. "When anger spreads his wing" (Chorus of Girls and Soldiers)}
• ^{25. "This helmet, I suppose" (Arac with Guron, Scynthius, and Chorus)}
• ^{26. Chorus during the fight, "This is our duty plain" (Chorus)}
• ^{27. "With joy abiding" [Reprise of "Expressive glances"] (Ensemble)}

^{3 In the original production, No. 22 followed No. 23. The present order first appeared in vocal scores published after the first London revival in 1919.}

^{Princess Ida was not revived in London during the authors' lifetimes, and there were no substantive changes to the text after the premiere. The one alteration was purely cosmetic: the first act had originally been called a "Prologue." It was re-designated Act I, with a consequent renumbering of the remaining acts.}

^{At around the time of the first London revival, in 1919, there were changes to the running order of Act III. As written originally, the sequence of Act III is as follows:}

1. ^{"Death to the invader"}
3. ^{Princess Ida then addresses the girls and then dismisses them}
4. ^{"I built upon a rock" (Princess)}
5. ^{The girls re-enter, shortly followed by King Gama}
6. ^{"When e'er I spoke sarcastic joke" (King Gama, Ladies' Chorus)}
7. ^{Dialogue in which the Princess agrees to let her brothers fight for her}
8. ^{"When anger spreads his wing" (Double chorus)}
9. ^{Dialogue preceding the fight}
10. ^{"This helmet, I suppose" (Arac, Guron, Scynthius, Chorus)}
11. ^{"This is our duty plain" (Chorus during the fight)}
12. ^{Dialogue and finale}

^{As re-ordered in the 1920s, the running order is as follows:}

1. ^{"Death to the invader"}
3. ^{Princess Ida addresses the girls and then dismisses them}
4. ^{The girls re-enter, shortly followed by King Gama}
5. ^{"When e'er I spoke sarcastic joke" (King Gama, Ladies' Chorus)}
6. ^{Dialogue in which the Princess agrees to let her brothers fight for her}
7. ^{"I built upon a rock" (Princess)}
8. ^{"When anger spreads his wing" (Double chorus)}
9. ^{"This helmet, I suppose" (Arac, Guron, Scynthius, Chorus)}
10. ^{Dialogue preceding the fight}
11. ^{"This is our duty plain" (Chorus during the fight)}
12. ^{Dialogue and finale}

^{The Chappell vocal score was re-issued to conform to this revised order.}

^{The other significant change is that, at some point in the 1920s, it became traditional to delete Lady Blanche's Act II song, "Come, mighty must" (although it continued to be printed in the vocal score). The song is included in the 1924 D'Oyly Carte recording, but on none of the three recordings the Company made after that (1932, 1955, 1965).}

^{Princess Ida was not as successful as the Gilbert and Sullivan operas that had preceded it. In the midst of an unusually hot summer of 1884, Richard D'Oyly Carte closed the Savoy Theatre for a month, starting in mid-August. The opera had been running for seven months, a short period by the partnership's past standards. The opera re-opened for just three weeks, starting in mid-September, before giving way to a revival of The Sorcerer (revised) and Trial by Jury. A New York production ran briefly, and there was a second American production in 1887, but the opera was not revived in London during Gilbert's lifetime.}

^{A provincial tour of Princess Ida began in early 1884, and ended by mid-1885. The opera was revived on tour in December 1895, remaining in the touring repertory through 1896. It re-appeared in late 1897 or early 1898, and from then on was never out of the D'Oyly Carte touring repertory through the early years of the twentieth century. The first London revival, however, did not come until December 30, 1919. From then on, it was included in every D'Oyly Carte touring season until the company disbanded at the outbreak of war in 1939.}

^{During World War II, the Company played a smaller repertory. The scenery and costumes for Princess Ida, which were in storage, were destroyed by enemy action over the winter of 1940–41. A new production was mounted at the Savoy Theatre on September 27, 1954. A guest artist, opera singer Victoria Sladen, was engaged to sing the title role for the London season.}

^{After the 1954 revival, Princess Ida was an irregular presence in the D'Oyly Carte repertory. While it never went unperformed more than two or three seasons at a time, it was usually performed only in London and a few other major cities. The demands of the title role were considered unusual by Gilbert and Sullivan standards, and often the Company brought in guest artists to play it. The Company's final performances of the opera were in February–April 1977. The Company's reduced repertory in its final five seasons did not accommodate it.}

^{The following table shows the history of the D'Oyly Carte productions in Gilbert's lifetime:}

Theatre	Opening Date	Closing Date	Perfs.	Details
Savoy Theatre	January 5, 1884	August 15, 1884	246	First run
	September 15, 1884	October 9, 1884
Fifth Avenue Theatre, New York	February 11, 1884	March 22, 1884	48	Authorised American productions
Fifth Avenue Theatre, New York	November 22, 1887		3 wks

^{The following tables show the casts of the principal original productions and D'Oyly Carte Opera Company touring repertory at various times through to the company's 1982 closure:}

Role	Savoy Theatre 1884	Fifth Avenue 1884	Fifth Avenue 1887	D'Oyly Carte 1910 Tour	D'Oyly Carte 1920 Tour
King Hildebrand	Rutland Barrington	Sgr Broccolini	Sgr Broccolini	Fred Billington	Leo Sheffield
Hilarion	Henry Bracy	Wallace Macreery	Courtice Pounds	Henry Herbert	James Hay
Cyril	Durward Lely	W. S. Rising	Phil Branson	Strafford Moss	Derek Oldham
Florian	Charles Ryley	Charles F. Lang	Stuart Harold	Leicester Tunks	Sydney Granville
King Gama	George Grossmith	J. H. Ryley	J. W. Herbert	Henry Lytton	Henry Lytton
Arac	Richard Temple	W. Ainsley Scott	Joseph Fay	Sydney Granville	Frederick Hobbs
Guron	Warwick Gray	James Early	N. S. Burnham	Fred Hewett	Joe Ruff
Scynthius	William Lugg	E. J. Cloney	L. W. Raymond	George Sinclair	George Sinclair
Princess Ida	Leonora Braham	Cora S. Tanner	Geraldine Ulmar	Elsie Spain	Sylvia Cecil
Lady Blanche	Rosina Brandram	Genevieve Reynolds	Alice Carle	Bertha Lewis	Bertha Lewis
Lady Psyche	Kate Chard	Florence Bemister	Helen Lamont	Mabel Graham	Gladys Sinclair
Melissa	Jessie Bond	Hattie Delaro	Agnes Stone	Beatrice Boarer	Nellie Briercliffe
Sacharissa	Sybil Grey	Eva Barrington	Edith Jenesse	Myfanwy Newell	Nancy Ray
Chloe	Miss Heathcote	Eily Coghlan	Miss Branson		Ella Milne
Ada	Miss Twyman	Clara Primrose	Miss McCann	Ethel Gledhill	Nell Raymond

Role	D'Oyly Carte 1930 Tour	D'Oyly Carte 1939 Tour	Savoy Theatre 1954	D'Oyly Carte 1965 Tour	D'Oyly Carte 1975 Tour
King Hildebrand	Joseph Griffin	Sydney Granville	Fisher Morgan	Kenneth Sandford	Kenneth Sandford
Hilarion	Derek Oldham	John Dudley	Thomas Round	Philip Potter	Colin Wright
Cyril	Charles Goulding	John Dean	Leonard Osborn	David Palmer	Ralph Mason
Florian	Leslie Rands	Leslie Rands	Jeffrey Skitch	Alan Styler	Thomas Lawlor
King Gama	Henry Lytton	Martyn Green	Peter Pratt	John Reed	John Reed
Arac	Darrell Fancourt	Darrell Fancourt	Donald Adams	Donald Adams	John Ayldon
Guron	Richard Walker	Richard Walker	John Banks	Anthony Raffell	Michael Rayner
Scynthius	L. Radley Flynn	L. Radley Flynn	Trevor Hills	George Cook	Jon Ellison
Princess Ida	Winifred Lawson	Ann Drummond-Grant	Victoria Sladen	Ann Hood	Valerie Masterson
Lady Blanche	Bertha Lewis	Evelyn Gardiner	Ann Drummond-Grant	Christene Palmer	Lyndsie Holland
Lady Psyche	Sybil Gordon	Margery Abbott	Muriel Harding	Valerie Masterson	Julia Goss
Melissa	Nellie Briercliffe	Marjorie Eyre	Beryl Dixon	Pauline Wales	Pauline Wales
Sacharissa	Nancy Ray	Maysie Dean	Cynthia Morey	Anne Sessions	Anne Egglestone
Chloe	Beatrice Elburn	Ivy Sanders	Margaret Dobson	Jennifer Marks	Marjorie Williams
Ada	Muriel Dickson	Majorie Flinn	Jennifer Toye	Elizabeth Mynett	Rosalind Griffiths

• ^{Baily, Leslie (1952). The Gilbert & Sullivan Book. London: Cassell & Company Ltd.} 

• ^{Gänzl, Kurt (1986). The British Musical Theatre—Volume I, 1865–1914. Oxford: Oxford University Press.} 

• ^{Jacobs, Arthur (1984). Arthur Sullivan – A Victorian Musician. Oxford: Oxford University Press.} 

• ^{Rollins, Cyril; R. John Witts (1962). The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in Gilbert and Sullivan Operas: A Record of Productions, 1875–1961. London: Michael Joseph.  Also, five supplements, privately printed.}

• ^{Princess Ida at The Gilbert & Sullivan Archive}

• ^{Princess Ida at The Gilbert & Sullivan Discography}

• ^{Site containing biographies of the people listed in the historical casting chart}

Gilbert and Sullivan
The Triumvirate: W. S. Gilbert | Arthur Sullivan | Richard D'Oyly Carte
The Gilbert and Sullivan Operas: Thespis • Trial by Jury • The Sorcerer • H.M.S. Pinafore • The Pirates of Penzance • Patience • Iolanthe • Princess Ida The Mikado • Ruddigore • The Yeomen of the Guard • The Gondoliers • Utopia, Limited • The Grand Duke
Other Works and People: Other Works by W. S. Gilbert • Other Operas by Arthur Sullivan • Other Music by Arthur Sullivan People associated with Gilbert and Sullivan • Gilbert and Sullivan performers