The Happy Prince
Music By Bernard Herrmann

Bernard Herrmann’s music to “The Happy Prince” was written in the days following the attack on Pearl Harbor (score dated Dec 18, 1941). Based upon the short story by Oscar Wilde and steeped in his thematic material of self-sacrifice and its inevitable results of death and destruction, the material of this Melodram foreshadows the sadness and loss that all must have known was coming. The elegiac character of the music aptly captures the story of a swallow that stops for a rest on the statue whose teardrops he mistakes for rain. Befriending the Prince, whose happiness was only realized in his previous life of luxury, the swallow becomes the statue’s “messenger” assisting him in his altruistic self destruction by delivering pieces of the statue to a series of people in need.

Herrmann’s later elegy “For the Fallen” (1945) written in memory of those lost during the war (and whose title may be a reference to Laurence Binyon’s 1914 WWI poem “For the Fallen”) bears resemblance to "The Happy Prince" with its 6/8 oboe melody echoed in the decidedly more serious tone of the later work’s main statement. While these two works may be thought of as bookends to WWII, it is “For the Fallen” and his score to Norman Corwin’s “On a Note of Triumph” that contain Herrmann’s most direct musical commentary about WWII.

The first broadcast of "The Happy Prince" near Christmas 1941 featured Herrmann’s score in its original form conducted in a beautifully detailed manner underscoring each part of the fairy tale with subtle and delicate characterization. Narrated by Orson Welles on his Mercury Theater radio show which ran during the period corresponding roughly with the filming of Welles’ “The Magnificent Ambersons” also scored by Herrmann. The series final broadcast announced Welles ill-fated trip to South America on behalf of the Office of Inter-American Affairs.

The rebroadcast of The Happy Prince on the Philco Radio Hall of Fame in December of 1944 added Bing Crosby as the voice of the Prince and Lurene Tutle as the Swallow (still with Welles narration) but strangely did not use the original score by Bernard Herrmann. However, this situation was overshadowed by the successful 1946 release of a 78 rpm album (and later as an LP reissue) featuring the Bing Crosby/Orson Welles adaptation this time with Herrmann’s score. Recorded August 21, 1945 and conducted by Victor Young this version of Herrmann’s score has been adapted (presumably by Young) to the length of the story with the addition of several repeated sections (there are no changes to the music itself). These changes allow for a faster tempo (though still very slow) than Herrmann used in the original version. It is this recorded version that most people of the era are familiar.

Conductor Kevin Scott (who is also a wonderful composer) gave the concert premiere of "The Happy Prince" (1941 version) on May 2, 1981 at the Mannes College of Music in New York with the Mannes Chamber Orchestra.

In this New Discovery Recording we present the two versions of Herrmann’s score, first his original Herrmann version and second the Victor Young adapted version.