Basil Hood

Basil Willett Charles Hood (5 April 1864 – 7 August 1917) was a British dramatist and lyricist, perhaps best known for writing the libretti of half a dozen Savoy Operas and for his English adaptations of operettas, including The Merry Widow.

He embarked on a career in the British Army, rising to the rank of captain, while writing theatrical pieces in his spare time. After some modest success, Hood and his collaborator, the composer Walter Slaughter, had a major hit with their long-running show, Gentleman Joe, in 1895. Another long-running success was The French Maid (1896). Hood then resigned from the army to pursue his career as a librettist full-time. With Arthur Sullivan and then Edward German, he wrote several well-received pieces for the Savoy Theatre, including The Rose of Persia (1899), The Emerald Isle (1901), Merrie England (1902) and A Princess of Kensington (1903).

After comic opera went out of fashion, Hood turned to Edwardian musical comedy, writing lyrics for The Belle of Mayfair (1906) and The Girls of Gottenberg (1907), among others. He then found his greatest success with adaptations of continental operettas for the impresario George Edwardes, writing English versions of such works as (1907), The Dollar Princess (1908), A Waltz Dream (1908) and The Count of Luxembourg (1911), among others, sometimes drastically rewriting the book and lyrics. At the outbreak of World War I, he took up a demanding post in the British War Office, which is believed to have contributed to his early death.

Birth and Death Data: Born April 5, 1864 (Croydon), Died August 7, 1917 (London)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1900 - 1947

Roles Represented in DAHR: lyricist

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor [Pre-matrix A-]534 7-in. 11/21/1900 Drinking song Harry Macdonough Male vocal solo lyricist  
Victor [Pre-matrix A-]563 7-in. 12/5/1900 Drinking song J. J. Fisher Male vocal solo lyricist  
Victor C-11456 12-in. 1/12/1912 Gems from The count of Luxembourg Victor Light Opera Company Vocal chorus and soloists, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor C-12557 12-in. 11/1/1912 Say not love is a dream Olive Kline Female vocal solo, with orchestra lyricist  
Victor D7VB-1931 10-in. 10/27/1947 Are you going to dance? Al Goodman Orchestra ; Eileen Farrell ; Charles Fredericks Female-male vocal duet, with instrumental ensemble lyricist  
Victor D7VB-1942 10-in. 10/28/1947 Say not love is a dream Al Goodman Orchestra ; Eileen Farrell ; Charles Fredericks Female-male vocal duet, with instrumental ensemble lyricist  
Columbia 59 7-in. ca. 1901-Sept. 1902 Drinking song Artists vary Male vocal solo, with piano lyricist  
Columbia 59 10-in. ca. 1901 Drinking song Artists vary Male vocal solo, with piano lyricist  
Columbia 198 7-in. ca. 1901 Drinking song Artists vary Male vocal solo, with piano lyricist  
Columbia 198 10-in. ca. 1901 Drinking song Artists vary Male vocal solo, with piano lyricist  
Columbia 38193 10-in. 8/9/1912 Are you going to dance? Charles Harrison ; Beulah Gaylord Young Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  
Columbia 75088 12-in. 9/5/1922 Come to Arcadie Hubert Eisdell ; Dora Labbette Female-male vocal duet, with orchestra lyricist  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Hood, Basil," accessed March 28, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/321735.

Hood, Basil. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved March 28, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/321735.

"Hood, Basil." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 28 March 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/321735

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