The Lord of the Manor was an early full-length piece from the most successful British composer of the day. Henry Bishop may have been a few decades short of his knighthood, but he had already developed the facility, both as a tunesmith and as a manager, that would give him an influential place in British life. He was running musical affairs at Covent Garden, had prepared his own versions of favourite operas by Rossini (The Barber) and Mozart (Figaro), and was still able to find the time to compose his own works, though this did mean recycling much of his earlier music and adapting the efforts of other composers when it seemed appropriate.
In the role of Annette, Miss Paton was advertised as singing several interpolated numbers, including the famously virtuosic 'Lo! Hear the Gentle Lark' and 'The Dashing White Sarjeant'. The main item on the bill was followed by a farce entitled Simpson and Co, or No15 Harley Street.
Cast details from a playbill in the NLS collection.
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