G. Schirmer Vocal Score Errata

by Steven Lichtenstein

Key to measure indications:
     A/B/C = Page/System/Measure

VOCAL ERRATA

56/2/1: "Nigger" traditionally replaced with "banjo."

89/3/1: Text is incorrect. For "that," read "yam."

97/4/1: Pooh-Bah's second eighth-note should be F#, not A.

176/1/4: "Blacked like a nigger with..." traditionally replaced with "painted with vigour and..."

PIANO ERRATA

25/2/2: The last eighth-note chord in the right hand is printed a third too low. It should be a Bb-Major chord, D-F-Bb (bottom-to-top).

68/3/2: In the left hand, the bottom notes of the first two eighth-note chords should be F#, not G. It changes to G on the second beat.

77/3/3: Second eighth-note in the left hand should be a B (as in 82/2/5).

94/3/3: The top note of the final right-hand chord should be a G-natural instead of an A.

121/3/2: The last eighth-note group in the bar is printed a third too low. It should be G-B instead of E-G.

140/2/4: The accompaniment fails to indicate a significant harmonic detail in this bar: there is a quarter-note C-natural on the first beat which rises to a C# on the second beat, resolving to D in the following bar. This could be played by the left hand, with the 16th-note chords, as follows:

175/3/3: The Bach fugue quoted by Sullivan is easily inserted into the piano accompaniment. It is played in 2/4 time (against the 6/8 meter of the song), and begins on the second eighth-note of this bar (second of the four eighth-notes in 2/4 time, that is). The notes are:

E (eighth-note), C-D-B-C (four 16th-notes), down to A (eighth-note), up an octave to A (eighth-note), G#-A-F#-G# (four 16th-notes), down to E (eighth-note). It is played in octaves, by bassoon and clarinet. It is included in the Dover piano-vocal score.

185/1/4: There is a bass drum solo on the second dotted-quarter of this measure, which may be pianistically duplicated with a low B in octaves.

185/4/4: There should be a low A# in the left hand, which ties over to the next measure. There are in addition many amusing woodwind lines in this number which are omitted from the piano reduction, and which would be too difficult to list here. A conscientious accompanist will want to study an orchestral score, when possible, or listen to a recording to try and duplicate them. This, of course, applies in a general way to the entire score.

A number of such additional orchestral details can be found in the new piano reduction arranged by Ephraim Smith and available in the piano-vocal score published by Dover Books. I contributed a number of suggestions for this arrangement, many (but not all) of which were used. Here are a few that didn't make it, for the simple reason that I didn't think of them on time:

50/2/3: The triplet figure played by the cornets just before the first "Defer, defer to the Lord High Executioner." It's a nice rhythmic touch, and is easy to add, as follows:

121/3/3: There is a figure in the clarinets and bassoons that is well worth adding at this point:

181/3/3: And here's one more that I like to do but don't really expect anyone else to follow suit with, unless they like a challenge. It's the woodwind line representing the "shriek that shrieked he."

It actually yields nicely to a bit of practice. Even if it comes out a bit sloppy sounding, at least it gives the right effect!

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