The Jolly Roger
An opera for radio by
David Owen Norris
Persons of the action
| A cowardly Pirate Captain | tenor |
| Steans, an elderly Pirate | the same tenor |
| The Cabin-Boy | soprano |
| Mr. Thomas, rated Able-Bodied | baritone |
| The Master-at-Arms | busy down below |
| The Narrator | tutti |
| Parrot | |
| Chorus of Seagulls, Mermaids & Leviathan | |
| Corps de Ballet of Sharks |
Accompanied by piano
Duration about 50 minutes
Prologue: It is a curious story
Scene 1: The Tavern
Samba: Are we enough, dear boy?
Recitative: The old man there can keep a look-out
Scene 2: The Island
March: Pirates on a Treasure Hunt (with parrot obbligato)
Scene 3: The Remote Bermudas
Hymn: Where the remote Bermudas lie [Marvell]
A Sea Interlude
Scene 4: The Ship
Hornpipe: Anchor’s aweigh
Party-Piece: A-rovin’ [with contributions from Byron]
Party-Piece: The Pirate Joke (duet for one tenor)
Party-Piece: Shenandoah [with contributions from Macbeth]
Scene 5: The Plank
Recitative: Hands in the air!
Aria eroica: Spare my life, I beg.
Trio minacciato: Shiver me timbers
Recitative: Where’s Steans?
Trio in stilo tedesco: Expend your lusts on me
Soliloquy in the form of a Three-Part Invention:
I could prance with glee [with contributions from Feste]
Stage Direction: The boy begins to walk towards his death
Boy, Seagulls, Mermaids & Leviathan: Hold on there, Captain
Waltz-Song on the Plank: Try, try again
Recitative: O Dead-Eye Dick?
Epilogue: Auden. W.H. Auden
Finale: Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest