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The Pirates of Penzance


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No. 16: RECITATIVE (Major-General & Frederic)
No. 17: CHORUS (With Solos)

"The, Frederic, let your escort lion hearted...
When the foeman bears his steel"

Midi Symbol MIDI File [33 KB, 6' 44"] Karoke Symbol KARAOKE File [109 KB, 6' 24"]

General.
Then, Frederic, let your escort lion-hearted
Be summoned to receive a General’s blessing,
Ere they depart upon their dread adventure.
Frederic.
Dear, sir, they come.

Enter Police, marching in single file. They form in line, facing audience.

Sergeant.
When the foeman bares his steel,
Police.
Tarantara! tarantara!
Sergeant.
We uncomfortable feel,
Police.
Tarantara!
Sergeant.
And we find the wisest thing,
Police.
Tarantara! tarantara!
Sergeant.
Is to slap our chests and sing,
Sergeant & Police.
Tarantara! tarantara!
Sergeant.
For when threatened with emeutes,
Police.
Tarantara! tarantara!
Sergeant.
And your heart is in your boots,
Police.
Tarantara!
Sergeant.
There is nothing brings it round
Like the trumpet’s martial sound,
Like the trumpet’s martial sound
Sergeant & Police.
Tarantara! tarantara!
Sergeant& First Bass. Second Bass.
Tarantara! tarantara!
Tarantara! tarantara!
Tarantara! tarantara!
Tarantara! tarantara!
Tarantara! tarantara!
Tarantara, ra, ra,
Tarantara!		 Ra, ra, ra, ra,
Ra, ra, ra, ra,
Ra, ra, ra, ra,
Ra, ra, ra, ra,
Ra, ra, ra, ra,
Tarantara, ra, ra,
Tarantara!

Click to see full picture
Mabel (Dorothy Court) and
Police Sergeant (Rutland Barrington) 1909
Mabel.
Go, ye heroes, go to glory,
Though you die in combat gory,
Ye shall live in song and story.
Go to immortality!
Go to death, and go to slaughter;
Die, and every Cornish daughter
With her tears your grave shall water.
Go, ye heroes, go and die!
 
Girls.
Go, ye heroes, go and die!
Go, ye heroes, go and die!

Sergeant.
Though to us it’s evident,
Police.
Tarantara! tarantara!
Sergeant.
These attentions are well meant,
Police.
Tarantara!
Sergeant.
Such expressions don’t appear,
Police.
Tarantara! tarantara!
Sergeant.
Calculated men to cheer,
Police.
Tarantara!
Sergeant.

Who are going to meet their fate
In a highly nervous state.
Police.
Tarantara! tarantara! tarantara!
Sergeant.

Still to us it’s evident
These attentions are well meant.
Police.
Tarantara! tarantara! tarantara!

Edith.
Go and do your best endeavour,
And before all links we sever,
We will say farewell for ever.
Go to glory and the grave!
Girls.
Go to glory and the grave!
For your foes are fierce and ruthless,
False, unmerciful, and truthless;
Young and tender, old and toothless,
All in vain their mercy crave.

Click on picture to enlarge
Fisher Morgan as the Sergeant of Police - 1950s
Sergeant.
We observe too great a stress,
On the risks that on us press,
And of reference a lack
To our chance of coming back.
Still, perhaps it would be wise
Not to carp or criticise,
For it’s very evident
These attentions are well meant.
Police.
Yes, it’s very evident
These attentions are well meant,
Evident,
Yes, well meant;
Evident,
Sergeant & Police.
Ah, yes, well meant!

Mabel & Edith.
Girls.
Police.
Go, ye heroes, Go, ye When the
foeman bears his steel, Taranta-
go to glory! heroes, ra! tarantara! We un-
Though ye die in combat Go to comfortable feel. Taranta-
gory, glory! ra! And we
Ye shall live in Ye shall, find the wisest thing, Taranta-
song and story, Ye shall ra! tarantara! Is to
Go to immortali- live in slap our chests and sing Taranta-
ty! Go to story. Go to ra! For when
death and go to death and go to threatened with emutes, Taranta-
slaughter; slaughter; Die, and ra! tarantara! And your
Die, and every Cornish every Cornish heart is in your boots,Taranta-
daughter With her daughter With her ra! There is
tears your grave shall tears your grave shall nothing brings it round, Like the
water, Go, ye water, Go, ye trumpet's martial sound, Like the
heroes, go and heroes, go and trumpet's martial
die! Go ye die! Go ye sound, Tarantara, taranta-
heroes, go to heroes, go to ra, Tarantara, taranta-
immortality, Go ye immortality, Go ye ra, tarantara, taranta-
heroes, go to heroes, go to ra, tarantara, taranta-
immortality! Tho' ye immortality! Tho' ye ra, tarantara, taranta-
die in combat gory, Ye shall die in combat gory, Ye shall ra, ra, ra, ra,
live in song and story; Go to live in song and story; Go to ra, ra, ra, taranta-
immortality! immortality! ra, tarantara, tarantara!

General. Girls. Police.
Away, away!    
    Yes, yes, we go!
These pirates slay!    
    Tarantara!
Then do not stay!    
    Tarantara!
Then why this delay!    
    All right, we go!
    Yes forward
  Yes, forward on the foe, on the foe, Yes, forward on the foe,
Yes, but you don't go!    
  They go, they go! We go, we go!
    Yes forward
  Yes, forward on the foe, on the foe, Yes, forward on the foe,
Yes, but you don't go!    
  At last they go, We go, we go,
  At last they go, at last they go! We go, we go,
  At last they really, really go! We go, we go, we go, we go!

Exeunt Police. MABEL tears herself from FREDERIC and exit, followed by her sisters, consoling her. The MAJOR -GENERAL and others follow. FREDERIC remains alone.

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