Summary: Friml & Romberg
MUSI 730 - Gerber - Assignment #2
February 26, 2017
- Everett, William A. “Formulating American Operetta in 1924: Friml’s Rose-Marie and Romberg’s The Student Prince.” American Music Research Center Journal 11 (2001): 15- 33.
Two musicals defined American operetta in the 1920s, and you may not have heard of them: Rudolf Friml’s Rose-Marie and Sigmund Romberg’s The Student Prince in Heidelberg. Premiering in 1924, both shows were immensely successful for their time, resulting in hundreds of performances, as well as film adaptations. While not performed as frequently in this current day and age, both operettas contained elements that influenced later musical theatre successes. In Friml’s Canadian-set Rose-Marie, the title character, a woman who is part-Indian, is a singer at a hotel in the Canadian Rockies. She falls in love with Jim Kenyon, a man charged with the death of Black Eagle. Jim goes into hiding, and is parted from his lover, Rose-Marie. However, this crisis is solved when Wanda, Black Eagle’s wife, is revealed as the murderess, clearing Jim’s name. This results in a happy ending for both Jim and Rose. In stark contrast with this tale is the more tragic Student Prince in Heidelberg. Set in Germany, the work tells the story of Prince Karl Franz of Karlsberg, who travels to study in Heidelberg and ends up falling in love with a waitress, Kathie. While the two lovers are unfortunately parted from one another by Karl’s arranged marriage to Princess Margaret, the operetta captures nostalgic and wistful sentiments that resonated with the American public.
Despite possessing distinctly different plot lines, both operettas contain common elements. Each composer incorporated musical devices and genres that were characteristic of Central European operetta, such as waltzes and marches reminiscent of Lehar’s The Merry Widow and Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus. These musical styles later influenced later musical works; the “Drinking Song” contained in The Student Prince in Heidelberg is said to have influenced the song “Gaston” in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. The content in these operettas has also been parodied in later popular culture, such as Mars Attacks! and Monty Python.
Sources
Among the primary sources referenced in this article, musical excerpts from Rose-Marie are included with sheet music covers for Rose-Marie that publicize the operetta. Also included among the primary sources are visual stills from the 1927 motion picture production of The Student Prince in Heidelberg. The author also references other critical examinations of the operettas, as they are discussed in other scholarly journals.
Significance
This article discusses the influence of Central European musical genres on early 20th century American operetta and musical theater, and provides insight as to the impact of Rose-Marie and The Student Prince in Heidelberg on contemporary musical theater.