Princess Ida - Versions of The Text

Versions of The Text

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"
2. Princess Ida addresses the girls and then dismisses them
3. "I built upon a rock" (Princess)
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. "When anger spreads his wing" (Double chorus)
8. Dialogue preceding the fight
9. "This helmet, I suppose" (Arac, Guron, Scynthius, Chorus)
10. "This is our duty plain" (Chorus during the fight)
11. Dialogue and finale

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

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