The 23rd of April brings around St George’s Day once more; England’s patron saint’s day is perhaps not as wild an international celebration as the Irish equivalent, but an annual reminder of the danger of dragons is certainly not to be overlooked.
Therefore, I’ll draw your attention to just that - a dragon! - and not just any dragon, but the Dragon of Wantley. This particular dragon met the same sad end as the dragon that St George encountered, and perhaps the tales share a common ancestor in the mists of dragon-infested ancient times.
Stained-glass lunette window of St George slaying the dragon, St George’s Hall, Liverpool
The Dragon of Wantley, in any case, is central to a Yorkshire tale of a giant dragon that can devour anything - trees, buildings, even harpsichords. Its oversized eating habits come to an end when the somewhat Falstaffian knight Moore, of Moore Hall, dressed in a suit of armour covered in spikes, kicks the dragon in its one vulnerable spot (ahem - its backside). The intriguing and farcical tale is recounted in a comic ballad dating back to 1685 included in Thomas Percy’s 1767 tome “Reliques of Ancient English Poetry”. (Interestingly, it appears alongside a ballad version of St George and the Dragon, and other tempting offerings including The Lady turn'd Serving-Man, The Baffled Knight, and The Wanton Wife of Bath - I must get a copy! Until then, there’s an electronic version available here).
It was, however, 30 years before the publication of Thomas Percy’s collection that perhaps the most notable telling of the Dragon of Wantley was conceived: John Frederick Lampe’s comic or burlesque opera of the same name, with a libretto by Henry Carey. Lampe’s opera was one of the most successful to date in London, receiving 69 performances after its debut at the Haymarket Theatre (from which it transferred to Covent Garden). This was a bigger success than even John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera or anything that Handel had managed up to that point with his company, Opera of the Nobility.
Lampe’s opera was a parody, a satire on Robert Walpole (who was, from 1725, essentially the first Prime Minister of Great Britain) and his taxation policies. Arguably of greater entertainment value today, the opera is also a satire on opera itself, and takes aim at overly-elaborate staging, absurd theatrics, dances, and other operatic conventions of the time. The knight Moore is portrayed as an inept drunkard who only pauses to deal with the dragon in between bouts of drinking and carousing with women (in particular Margery, with whom he is hopelessly in love). The crucial battle with the dragon, in fact, takes place entirely off-stage!
The Dragon of Wantley is rarely performed, but there will be several opportunities to see it in the coming weeks, for Bellot Ensemble are about to embark on a tour of the opera. They’ll be visiting Hove (21st April), Tunbridge Wells (26th April), Winchester (28th April), London / Blackheath (5th May), and Eastbourne (12th May).
However, if you can’t make it to a performance, there’s another chance to devour this work at any time you like. There’s a brilliant recording by the Brook Street Band featuring Mary Bevan, Catherine Carby, Mark Wilde, and John Savournin, conducted by John Andrews - and supported by a Continuo Foundation grant. What’s more, it won the BBC Music Magazine Opera Recording of the Year in 2023, so it’s well worth a listen!
Until the next time: beware dragons, enjoy good music, and raise a glass to St George -
Tim & the Continuo Connect team