"Now to the Banquet We Press" is the finale to the
first act of Sir William S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan's
third musical collaboration, The Sorcerer. The
operetta opened November 17, 1877 and ran for 178 performances,
closing on May 24, 1878 with Sir Arthur Sullivan conducting
the first performance.
Sample Page *Arrangement comes printed in a 10"x6" booklet with sturdy paper cover. (shown)
The central characters in the operetta are Alexis (hero), Aline
(heroine), John Wellington Wells (sorcerer) and Dr. Daly (vicar).
Alexis falls in love with Aline and to insure Aline return his
feelings of love, he enlists the aid of sorcerer, John Wellington
Wells. Mr. Wells brews up his "Patent Oxy-Hydrogen Love-at-first-sight
Philtre" and administers it to the entire village during
the breakfast feast of a wedding ("Now to the Banquet We
Press")
The second section ("See, see they drink") is sung
by the trio of Aline, Alexis and Wells. In this arrangement Dr
Daly's (the vicar) brief solo and Alexis and Aline's duet has
been omitted. The potion appears to work as the villagers begin
to feel it's effect ("Oh marvelous illusion").
Now to the Banquet
We Press -- $2.00
Opera chorus by Gilbert & Sullivan, arrangement by
Tyrrell with SSAATTBB voicing.
Sample Page
