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Edmund Falconer

March 04, 2023

Edmund Falconer (c.1814 – 29 September 1879), born Edmund O'Rourke, was an Irish poet, actor, theatre manager, songwriter and playwright, known for his keen wit and outstanding acting skills.[1][2]

Edmund Falconer
Old Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
Born
Edmund O'Rourke

1814
Dublin, Ireland
Died1879
Russell Square, London
Occupation(s)Actor, poet, theatre manager, songwriter, playwright
Years active1824–1879
SpouseMarried three times

Early life

Edmund O'Rourke was born in Dublin around 1814. He entered the theatrical world as a child, however he did not achieve fame until he was over 40. The first half of his working life was spent playing in repertory theatre in Ireland and the provinces of England. While working as a jobbing actor, he published his first volume of poems – Man's Mission – in 1852.[3]

Midlife success

O'Rourke finally achieved success at the age of 41, when he performed two very diverse roles in Hamlet and the comedy Three Fingered Jack on the same night at the Adelphi Theatre in Liverpool in 1854. He received such rave reviews that he never had to tour the provinces again.

Two years later he changed his stage name to Edmund Falconer and wrote his first successful play, The Cagot or Heart for Heart. It was the start of his second career, that of a London dramatist. Heart for Heart was performed with great success for the first time at the Lyceum Theatre, London, under Charles Dillon's management, on 6 December 1856. The Athenaeum newspaper commented that 'the dialogue is remarkable for noble sentiment, although the verse is not always correct' (13 Dec 1856). His next piece was A Husband for an Hour, produced at the Haymarket Theatre in June 1857.[4]

Writing and theatre management

The year 1858 saw Falconer translate Victor Hugo's Ruy Blas, which was performed at the Princess Theatre in late 1858. During that same year, he began a profitable collaboration with Michael William Balfe by writing the libretto for his much-loved opera The Rose of Castille. He was later to write librettos for several of Balfe's most successful productions, including Satanella, which was produced at Covent Garden on 20 December 1858, and the popular song Killarney, which remained a concert hall favourite well into the 20th century.[5]

Falconer, who was said to have had boundless energy, also turned his attention to theatre managing. It was on 26 August 1858 with F. B. Chatterton that he took over the Lyceum Theatre in London. Falconer was not above using his position to stage his own plays. The first was Extremes, a comedy of manners, which was performed on his opening night of 26 August.

A reporter for The Times reviewed the show and said: "The characters are sharply defined and exactly of a kind to be perfectly intelligible to a large audience." Several more of Falconer's own pieces soon followed, including Francesca in March 1859.

Falconer gave up his management of the Lyceum after just a couple of years, although he resumed the role once more in 1861. Yet more of his own plays soon followed, including Woman, Love Against The World in August 1861 and Peep o' Day in November 1861. It is for Peep o' Day, a stage-version of John Banim’s novels John Doe and The Nowlans, that Falconer is probably best remembered. It contained a scene in which the heroine is saved from live burial and ran until December 1862. Meanwhile, he contributed two comedies to the Haymarket Theatre, too, Family Wills and Does He Love Me?, both starring Amy Sedgwick.

Acting success

It was not until 1860 that Falconer managed to dominate the London stage with his acting skills, rather than his writing. In the first production of Boucicault's The Colleen Bawn he played the part of Danny Mann, the villain of the piece. The melodrama, staged at the Adelphi Theatre in July 1860, proved hugely popular and ran for 231 nights. Indeed, the show has recently enjoyed revived critical attention.

Falconer made £13,000 in profit during his time as manager at the Lyceum, which he used in 1862 to buy a joint lease for the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London, with Frederick Balsir Chatterton. Between 1863 and 1865 he wrote and produced Bonnie Dundee, Nature's above Art, Night and Morning, and Love's Ordeal. He also wrote The O'Flahertys and Galway-go-bragh, a dramatization of Lever's Charles O'Malley, in which he took the part of Mickey Free.

Falconer's attempts, however, to popularise Shakespeare at the theatre proved a dreadful failure. Gambling on the Bard to turn a profit, he directed productions of Macbeth, As You Like It, Henry IV and Romeo and Juliet. Despite hiring good actors, audiences were small and, by February 1866, he had lost his money.[6] Falconer was arrested for failing to pay his mounting debts later that month and, on 26 April 1866, he was declared bankrupt and sent to prison. He remained in custody for several weeks, with his debts thought to total around 7,000 guineas.[7]

Falconer attempted to revive his fortunes by penning a five-act drama, Oonagh, following his release, which was staged at Her Majesty's Theatre, London, in November 1866. It was such a failure, however, that it closed ten days later. By now desperately short of money, he decided to travel to America, where his play Peep o' Day had made him famous.

Final years

Falconer spent three successful years in America, where he acted on Broadway and continued with his writing, creating three new dramas. One of his greatest fans was Mark Twain, author of Tom Sawyer, as can be witnessed in letters written by Twain.[8] Such was his US success, that publications of his plays went through several editions. He also married an American woman, who was his third wife.

Falconer eventually returned to London in 1871, following the success of another of his plays, A Wife Well Won, which was staged at the Haymarket Theatre, London, in his absence. A successful production of Eileen Oge at the Princess Theatre, London, followed later in 1871, which featured his song Killarney. Falconer retired from the stage and writing soon after. He died at his home at 28 Keppel Street, Russell Square, London, on 29 September 1879 and was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery.

In a report on his death, the Manchester Guardian newspaper revealed that although Falconer "had made what could be called a colossal fortune" out of Peep O' Day, the dramatist "died penniless." Members of his gentlemen's club, the Savage Club, opened a subscription to pay for his funeral and help out his young widow.[9]

Falconer's works

  • 1852: Man’s Mission: A Pilgrimage to Glory’s Goal (poem)[10]
  • 1855-1860: The Power of Love (ballad) Words-Falconer/music by M.W. Balfe.[11]
  • 1856: The Cagot or Heart for Heart (play)[1]
  • 1857: The Rose of Castille (libretto)[12]
  • 1857: Killarney (song) Later recorded by John McCormack in early 20th century.[13][14]
  • 1862: Peep o'Day - otherwise known as Savoureen Deelish (play)[15]
  • 1863: The Bequest of My Boyhood (poem)[16]
  • 1865: O’Ruark’s Bride: The Blood Speck in the Emerald (poem)
  • 1866: Dramatised Lever's Charles O’Malley as Galway Go Bragh (play)[17]
  • 1871: Eileen Oge - or Dark the Hour Before Dawn (melodrama)[18]
  • 1880: The Deserted Village, opera in three acts to music by John William Glover (London: Duncan Davison, 1880).

The International Broadway Database gives the following information for Falconer's performances in America:[19]

  • Heartsease: Original play written by Edmund Falconer - 12 Sep 1870
  • Innisfallen: Original play written by Edmund Falconer- 21 Feb 1870[20]
  • The Firefly: Original play written by Edmund Falconer - 22 Nov 1869 (Mark Twain was a huge fan)[8]
  • Charles O'Malley: Original play written and performed by Falconer - 18 Oct 1869[21]
  • Fire Fly: Original musical written by Edmund Falconer - 10 Aug 1868 – 5 Sep 1868
  • The Rose of Castille: Revival of libretto by Falconer - 28 Jan 1867 – 31 Jan 1867
  • Satanella: Original musical libretto by Edmund Falconer - 23 Feb 1863 - 14 Mar 1863[22]

James Joyce links

The opera The Rose of Castille, for which Falconer wrote the libretto, was very popular for several decades after his death. Indeed, it was a favourite of Leopold Bloom, the hero of James Joyce's Ulysses (1922) In the novel, Bloom thinks quite a lot about the opera, and it features as one of the motifs of the Sirens episode (Chapter 11). Joyce even thinks up a dreadful pun on the title; one of the characters asks which opera has the same name as a train's tracks, and the answer is 'Rows of Cast Steel'. The pun crops up at various points throughout the novel.

Bibliography

  • Irish Literature Companion. The Concise Oxford Companion to Irish Literature. Copyright © 1996, 2000, 2003 by Oxford University Press.

References

  1. ^ a b "Edmund Falconer: Information from". Answers.com. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
  2. ^ The Concise Oxford Companion to Irish Literature. Copyright © 1996, 2000, 2003 by Oxford University Press
  3. ^ "Edmund Falconer". Ricorso. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
  4. ^ Victorian Sensation by Michael Diamond, published by Anthem Press
  5. ^ "The British Theatre Guide: Victorian Sensation - book review". Britishtheatreguide.info. 23 April 2003. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
  6. ^ Shakespeare, William (1998). Henry IV - Google Books. ISBN 9780192834218. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
  7. ^ The Times, Friday, 4 May 1866; pg. 11; Issue 25489; col E
  8. ^ a b "Letter from Mark Twain". Twainquotes.com. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
  9. ^ The Bury and Norwich Post, and Suffolk Herald (Bury Saint Edmunds, England), Tuesday, 7 October 1879; pg. 2; Issue 5076
  10. ^ Halkett, Samuel; Laing, John (January 1999). A Dictionary of the Anonymous and ... - Google Books. ISBN 9780543910608. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
  11. ^ Balfe, M. W. (Michael William), 1808-1870. "Digital Collections - Music - Balfe, M. W. (Michael William), 1808-1870. The power of love". Nla.gov.au. Retrieved 29 September 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ Upton, George P. (15 July 2011). The Standard Operas - Google Books. ISBN 9781603033671. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
  13. ^ Balfe, M. W. (Michael William), 1808-1870. "Digital Collections - Music - Balfe, M. W. (Michael William), 1808-1870". Nla.gov.au. Retrieved 29 September 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ "John McCormack: Alphabetical Listing". Mccormacksociety.co.uk. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
  15. ^ Sherson, Erroll (1925). London's lost theatres of the ... - Google Books. ISBN 9780405089695. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
  16. ^ Memories: The bequest of my boyhood ... Tinsley Bros. 1863. p. 1. Retrieved 29 September 2010 – via Internet Archive. edmund falconer.
  17. ^ "Pettingell Collection- Atkyns". Library.kent.ac.uk. 31 March 2006. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
  18. ^ "THE WEEK AT THE THEATERS; ROMANTIC IRISH DEAMA BRAVELY HOLDS ITS OWN. Chauncey Olcott as the Tuneful Hero of "The Irish Artist" at the Four- teenth Street Theater -- Mr. Mans- field's Engagement -- An Awakening of Interest in Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Young Pretender. Who Is the Hero of Tow New Stage Pieces". The New York Times. 7 October 1894. Retrieved 1 May 2010.
  19. ^ "www.ibdb.com".
  20. ^ Frank Weaver (3 December 2005). "Bochum Germany | Concert | More Music from James Joyce". James-joyce-music.com. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
  21. ^ "The Cambridge history of Irish literature". Assets.cambridge.org. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
  22. ^ "Michael William Balfe". Operone.de. Retrieved 29 September 2010.

External links

 
Wikisource has original works by or about:
Edmund Falconer
  • The Bequest of My Boyhood
  • New York Times article on Falconer from 19th century
  • Drury Lane page

March 04, 2023
edmund, falconer, 1814, september, 1879, born, edmund, rourke, irish, poet, actor, theatre, manager, songwriter, playwright, known, keen, outstanding, acting, skills, theatre, royal, drury, lanebornedmund, rourke1814dublin, irelanddied1879russell, square, lond. Edmund Falconer c 1814 29 September 1879 born Edmund O Rourke was an Irish poet actor theatre manager songwriter and playwright known for his keen wit and outstanding acting skills 1 2 Edmund FalconerOld Theatre Royal Drury LaneBornEdmund O Rourke1814Dublin IrelandDied1879Russell Square LondonOccupation s Actor poet theatre manager songwriter playwrightYears active1824 1879SpouseMarried three times Contents 1 Early life 2 Midlife success 3 Writing and theatre management 4 Acting success 5 Final years 6 Falconer s works 7 James Joyce links 8 Bibliography 9 References 10 External linksEarly life EditEdmund O Rourke was born in Dublin around 1814 He entered the theatrical world as a child however he did not achieve fame until he was over 40 The first half of his working life was spent playing in repertory theatre in Ireland and the provinces of England While working as a jobbing actor he published his first volume of poems Man s Mission in 1852 3 Midlife success EditO Rourke finally achieved success at the age of 41 when he performed two very diverse roles in Hamlet and the comedy Three Fingered Jack on the same night at the Adelphi Theatre in Liverpool in 1854 He received such rave reviews that he never had to tour the provinces again Two years later he changed his stage name to Edmund Falconer and wrote his first successful play The Cagot or Heart for Heart It was the start of his second career that of a London dramatist Heart for Heart was performed with great success for the first time at the Lyceum Theatre London under Charles Dillon s management on 6 December 1856 The Athenaeum newspaper commented that the dialogue is remarkable for noble sentiment although the verse is not always correct 13 Dec 1856 His next piece was A Husband for an Hour produced at the Haymarket Theatre in June 1857 4 Writing and theatre management EditThe year 1858 saw Falconer translate Victor Hugo s Ruy Blas which was performed at the Princess Theatre in late 1858 During that same year he began a profitable collaboration with Michael William Balfe by writing the libretto for his much loved opera The Rose of Castille He was later to write librettos for several of Balfe s most successful productions including Satanella which was produced at Covent Garden on 20 December 1858 and the popular song Killarney which remained a concert hall favourite well into the 20th century 5 Falconer who was said to have had boundless energy also turned his attention to theatre managing It was on 26 August 1858 with F B Chatterton that he took over the Lyceum Theatre in London Falconer was not above using his position to stage his own plays The first was Extremes a comedy of manners which was performed on his opening night of 26 August A reporter for The Times reviewed the show and said The characters are sharply defined and exactly of a kind to be perfectly intelligible to a large audience Several more of Falconer s own pieces soon followed including Francesca in March 1859 Falconer gave up his management of the Lyceum after just a couple of years although he resumed the role once more in 1861 Yet more of his own plays soon followed including Woman Love Against The World in August 1861 and Peep o Day in November 1861 It is for Peep o Day a stage version of John Banim s novels John Doe and The Nowlans that Falconer is probably best remembered It contained a scene in which the heroine is saved from live burial and ran until December 1862 Meanwhile he contributed two comedies to the Haymarket Theatre too Family Wills and Does He Love Me both starring Amy Sedgwick Acting success EditIt was not until 1860 that Falconer managed to dominate the London stage with his acting skills rather than his writing In the first production of Boucicault s The Colleen Bawn he played the part of Danny Mann the villain of the piece The melodrama staged at the Adelphi Theatre in July 1860 proved hugely popular and ran for 231 nights Indeed the show has recently enjoyed revived critical attention Falconer made 13 000 in profit during his time as manager at the Lyceum which he used in 1862 to buy a joint lease for the Theatre Royal Drury Lane London with Frederick Balsir Chatterton Between 1863 and 1865 he wrote and produced Bonnie Dundee Nature s above Art Night and Morning and Love s Ordeal He also wrote The O Flahertys and Galway go bragh a dramatization of Lever s Charles O Malley in which he took the part of Mickey Free Falconer s attempts however to popularise Shakespeare at the theatre proved a dreadful failure Gambling on the Bard to turn a profit he directed productions of Macbeth As You Like It Henry IV and Romeo and Juliet Despite hiring good actors audiences were small and by February 1866 he had lost his money 6 Falconer was arrested for failing to pay his mounting debts later that month and on 26 April 1866 he was declared bankrupt and sent to prison He remained in custody for several weeks with his debts thought to total around 7 000 guineas 7 Falconer attempted to revive his fortunes by penning a five act drama Oonagh following his release which was staged at Her Majesty s Theatre London in November 1866 It was such a failure however that it closed ten days later By now desperately short of money he decided to travel to America where his play Peep o Day had made him famous Final years EditFalconer spent three successful years in America where he acted on Broadway and continued with his writing creating three new dramas One of his greatest fans was Mark Twain author of Tom Sawyer as can be witnessed in letters written by Twain 8 Such was his US success that publications of his plays went through several editions He also married an American woman who was his third wife Falconer eventually returned to London in 1871 following the success of another of his plays A Wife Well Won which was staged at the Haymarket Theatre London in his absence A successful production of Eileen Oge at the Princess Theatre London followed later in 1871 which featured his song Killarney Falconer retired from the stage and writing soon after He died at his home at 28 Keppel Street Russell Square London on 29 September 1879 and was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery In a report on his death the Manchester Guardian newspaper revealed that although Falconer had made what could be called a colossal fortune out of Peep O Day the dramatist died penniless Members of his gentlemen s club the Savage Club opened a subscription to pay for his funeral and help out his young widow 9 Falconer s works Edit1852 Man s Mission A Pilgrimage to Glory s Goal poem 10 1855 1860 The Power of Love ballad Words Falconer music by M W Balfe 11 1856 The Cagot or Heart for Heart play 1 1857 The Rose of Castille libretto 12 1857 Killarney song Later recorded by John McCormack in early 20th century 13 14 1862 Peep o Day otherwise known as Savoureen Deelish play 15 1863 The Bequest of My Boyhood poem 16 1865 O Ruark s Bride The Blood Speck in the Emerald poem 1866 Dramatised Lever s Charles O Malley as Galway Go Bragh play 17 1871 Eileen Oge or Dark the Hour Before Dawn melodrama 18 1880 The Deserted Village opera in three acts to music by John William Glover London Duncan Davison 1880 The International Broadway Database gives the following information for Falconer s performances in America 19 Heartsease Original play written by Edmund Falconer 12 Sep 1870 Innisfallen Original play written by Edmund Falconer 21 Feb 1870 20 The Firefly Original play written by Edmund Falconer 22 Nov 1869 Mark Twain was a huge fan 8 Charles O Malley Original play written and performed by Falconer 18 Oct 1869 21 Fire Fly Original musical written by Edmund Falconer 10 Aug 1868 5 Sep 1868 The Rose of Castille Revival of libretto by Falconer 28 Jan 1867 31 Jan 1867 Satanella Original musical libretto by Edmund Falconer 23 Feb 1863 14 Mar 1863 22 James Joyce links EditThe opera The Rose of Castille for which Falconer wrote the libretto was very popular for several decades after his death Indeed it was a favourite of Leopold Bloom the hero of James Joyce s Ulysses 1922 In the novel Bloom thinks quite a lot about the opera and it features as one of the motifs of the Sirens episode Chapter 11 Joyce even thinks up a dreadful pun on the title one of the characters asks which opera has the same name as a train s tracks and the answer is Rows of Cast Steel The pun crops up at various points throughout the novel Bibliography EditIrish Literature Companion The Concise Oxford Companion to Irish Literature Copyright c 1996 2000 2003 by Oxford University Press References Edit a b Edmund Falconer Information from Answers com Retrieved 29 September 2010 The Concise Oxford Companion to Irish Literature Copyright c 1996 2000 2003 by Oxford University Press Edmund Falconer Ricorso Retrieved 29 September 2012 Victorian Sensation by Michael Diamond published by Anthem Press The British Theatre Guide Victorian Sensation book review Britishtheatreguide info 23 April 2003 Retrieved 29 September 2010 Shakespeare William 1998 Henry IV Google Books ISBN 9780192834218 Retrieved 29 September 2010 The Times Friday 4 May 1866 pg 11 Issue 25489 col E a b Letter from Mark Twain Twainquotes com Retrieved 29 September 2010 The Bury and Norwich Post and Suffolk Herald Bury Saint Edmunds England Tuesday 7 October 1879 pg 2 Issue 5076 Halkett Samuel Laing John January 1999 A Dictionary of the Anonymous and Google Books ISBN 9780543910608 Retrieved 29 September 2010 Balfe M W Michael William 1808 1870 Digital Collections Music Balfe M W Michael William 1808 1870 The power of love Nla gov au Retrieved 29 September 2010 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Upton George P 15 July 2011 The Standard Operas Google Books ISBN 9781603033671 Retrieved 29 September 2010 Balfe M W Michael William 1808 1870 Digital Collections Music Balfe M W Michael William 1808 1870 Nla gov au Retrieved 29 September 2010 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link John McCormack Alphabetical Listing Mccormacksociety co uk Retrieved 29 September 2010 Sherson Erroll 1925 London s lost theatres of the Google Books ISBN 9780405089695 Retrieved 29 September 2010 Memories The bequest of my boyhood Tinsley Bros 1863 p 1 Retrieved 29 September 2010 via Internet Archive edmund falconer Pettingell Collection Atkyns Library kent ac uk 31 March 2006 Retrieved 29 September 2010 THE WEEK AT THE THEATERS ROMANTIC IRISH DEAMA BRAVELY HOLDS ITS OWN Chauncey Olcott as the Tuneful Hero of The Irish Artist at the Four teenth Street Theater Mr Mans field s Engagement An Awakening of Interest in Bonnie Prince Charlie the Young Pretender Who Is the Hero of Tow New Stage Pieces The New York Times 7 October 1894 Retrieved 1 May 2010 www ibdb com Frank Weaver 3 December 2005 Bochum Germany Concert More Music from James Joyce James joyce music com Retrieved 29 September 2010 The Cambridge history of Irish literature Assets cambridge org Retrieved 29 September 2010 Michael William Balfe Operone de Retrieved 29 September 2010 External links Edit Wikisource has original works by or about Edmund Falconer The Bequest of My Boyhood Details of Falconer s Adelphi days New York Times article on Falconer from 19th century Drury Lane page Adelphi shows Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Edmund Falconer amp oldid 985151119, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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