Billee Taylor
Music by Edward Solomon · libretto by Henry Pottinger Stephens · premiered 1880
Billee Taylor, or The Reward of Virtue is "a nautical comedy opera" composed by Edward Solomon, with a libretto by Henry Pottinger Stephens. The satiric, cynical risqué story is based on the nautical poem and song of the same title by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. The plot concerns the maneuvering of three men, Billee, Captain Flapper and Christopher Crab, for the hand of poor but beautiful Phoebe; another woman, Arabella, also wishes to wed Billee. The piece was first produced at the Imperial Theatre in London on 30 October 1880, followed by a Broadway debut at the Standard Theatre on February 19, 1881. The show was a success in both cities and was regularly revived. A version of this adult-themed story was created for children and published in 1881.
Text from the Wikipedia article "Billee Taylor", licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
About the Composer
Edward Solomon (25 July 1855 – 22 January 1895) was an English composer, conductor, orchestrator and pianist. He died at age 39 by which time he had written dozens of works produced for the stage, including several for the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, including The Nautch Girl (1891). Early in his career, he was a frequent collaborator of Henry Pottinger Stephens. He had a bigamous marriage with Lillian Russell in the 1880s.
Text from the Wikipedia article "Edward Solomon", licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Other Operas by Edward Solomon
- Claude Duval (1881)