Edward Fitzball
Encyclopedia
Edward Fitzball was a popular English playwright, who specialised in melodrama
. His real surname was Ball, and he was born at Burwell, Cambridgeshire
.
Fitzball was educated in Newmarket, was apprenticed to a Norwich
printer in 1809. He produced some dramatic pieces at the local theatre, and eventually the marked success of his Innkeeper of Abbeville, or The Osiler and the Robber (1820), together with the friendly acceptance of one of his pieces at the Surrey Theatre
by Thomas John Dibdin
, induced him to settle in London
. During the next twenty-five years, he produced a great number of plays, most of which were successful. He had a special talent for nautical drama. His Floating Beacon (Surrey Theatre, 19 April 1824) ran for 140 nights, and his Pilot (Adelphi, 1825) for 200 nights. He also produced a seminal play on The Flying Dutchman
and wrote the libretto
for Edward Loder
's Raymond and Agnes
. His greatest triumph in melodrama was perhaps Jonathan Bradford, or Murder at the Roadside Inn (Surrey Theatre, 12 June 1833). He was at one time stock dramatist and reader of plays at Covent Garden
, and afterwards at Drury Lane
. He had a considerable reputation as a song-writer and as a librettist in opera. The last years of his life were spent in retirement at Chatham, where he died at the age of 81.
Melodrama
The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
. His real surname was Ball, and he was born at Burwell, Cambridgeshire
Burwell, Cambridgeshire
Burwell is a large fen-edge village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England, about 10 miles north east of Cambridge. It is situated on the south-eastern edge of The Fens, a large area of relatively flat former marshland which lies close to sea level and covers the majority of Cambridgeshire...
.
Fitzball was educated in Newmarket, was apprenticed to a Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
printer in 1809. He produced some dramatic pieces at the local theatre, and eventually the marked success of his Innkeeper of Abbeville, or The Osiler and the Robber (1820), together with the friendly acceptance of one of his pieces at the Surrey Theatre
Surrey Theatre
The Surrey Theatre began life in 1782 as the Royal Circus and Equestrian Philharmonic Academy, one of the many circuses that provided contemporary London entertainment of both horsemanship and drama...
by Thomas John Dibdin
Thomas John Dibdin
Thomas John Dibdin was an English dramatist and song-writer.Dibdin was the son of Charles Dibdin, a song-writer and theatre manager, and of Mrs Davenet, an actress whose real name was Harriet Pitt. He was apprenticed to his maternal uncle, a London upholsterer, and later to William Rawlins,...
, induced him to settle in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. During the next twenty-five years, he produced a great number of plays, most of which were successful. He had a special talent for nautical drama. His Floating Beacon (Surrey Theatre, 19 April 1824) ran for 140 nights, and his Pilot (Adelphi, 1825) for 200 nights. He also produced a seminal play on The Flying Dutchman
The Flying Dutchman
The legend of the Flying Dutchman concerns a ghost ship that can never make port, doomed to sail the oceans forever. It probably originates from 17th-century nautical folklore. The oldest extant version dates to the late 18th century....
and wrote the libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
for Edward Loder
Edward Loder
Edward James Loder was an English composer and conductor. His best remembered work is the 1855 opera Raymond and Agnes.-Biography:...
's Raymond and Agnes
Raymond and Agnes
Raymond and Agnes is an opera in 4 acts by composer Edward Loder. The work's English language libretto by Edward Fitzball is based on Matthew Lewis's classic Gothic novel, The Monk. The opera premiered on 14 April 1855 at the Theatre Royal, Manchester....
. His greatest triumph in melodrama was perhaps Jonathan Bradford, or Murder at the Roadside Inn (Surrey Theatre, 12 June 1833). He was at one time stock dramatist and reader of plays at Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
, and afterwards at Drury Lane
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
. He had a considerable reputation as a song-writer and as a librettist in opera. The last years of his life were spent in retirement at Chatham, where he died at the age of 81.