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The Worlds of Gilbert and Sullivan

Guillaume Tell (William Tell) is Gioacchino Rossini's opera in 4 acts, composed in 1829 with a libretto by de Jouy and Bis. It is based on the famous legend of William Tell¹ the great Swiss hero, as told by Schiller² in his 1804 play.

The opera opened in Paris in 1829 and soon swept through Europe and the United States. Operas on the same subject were also composed by Gretry (1791), and B A Weber (1795). It is, however, Rossini's opera which has survived the ravages of time. Still as popular as ever today. And the overture is of course a concert classic.

It is easy to imagine the majestic Swiss scenery in the music, with echoes of Alpine Horns from mountain to mountain across verdant valleys, and forrester's yodelling calls from within the woods. One gets the sense of the military actions, the battles, the disastrous cavalry charge, William's personal challenge, and the victorious emergence of the Swiss nation. We hope you can sense these images in our MusicSmiles arrangement of the brief selection from Gioacchino's Guillaume Tell . . .?

Now would you like to hear that famous William Tell Gallop?

1.    Footnote: The tale begins in the 13th Century, when Switzerland was trying to form a federation of the Cantons, and free itself from the yoke of Austrian domination. At the battle of Morgarten in 1315 the Swiss peasants (on foot) defeated the might of the famous Austrian cavalry and started the long trek to nationhood. The legend of William Tell and the apple tells how a hated Austrian bailiff called Gessler challenged William to shoot an apple from his son's head at 150 paces (no mean feat). William Tell chose two arrows, put one in his belt and with the other split the apple in half, winning the wager. Asked why he chose two arrows, he replied that if perchance he had killed his own son, the second arrow was for Gessler.  The stuff of legends n'est-ce pas? Comments welcome from students of Swiss history. Return to Story.

2.    Footnote: Johann Christoph Friederich von Schiller was a German dramatist and lyric poet (1759-1805). He was one of the principal figures of the Sturm and Drang period, and of German romanticism. He was greatly influenced by Shakespeare, and admired by Coleridge. His great legacy of plays included Don Carlos (1787), Wallenstein (1789), Maria Stuart (1800), and Wilhelm Tell (1804). Return to Story.

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