Well, my work on Babes In Toyland is finished for the day. I'm revising the critical notes so they now look like this:
2. Never Mind, Bo-Peep
Sources: Fa, Otto Langey autograph score, 13 pages, Witmark paper Orchestra Score No. 30 "The Crest, enclosed inside bifolium of the same paper titled "(Act I) 2 Tom Tom and Mother Goose Children," in Langey's hand, LOC-VH.
Fmu, copy of Fa by unknown copyist A with vocal parts and lyrics, 24 pages, Witmark paper Orchestra Score No. 30 "The Crest," enclosed inside bifolium of the same paper titled the same as Fa, in the copyist's hand with the title "Never Mind Bo-Peep" written above the title in conductor Max Hirschfeld's hand, LOC-VH.
Fmg, Charles Gisling copy, 13 pages, 13 pages. G. Schirmer orchestra score paper, no number, 24-line paper, 21 staves and 3 percussion lines, upright, 10.5" x 13.5," enclosed inside bifolium of the same paper titled Act 1 Never Mind Bo-Peep by Victor Herbert" in Gisling's hand, with the following information crossed out "No 3 Tom Tom and Mother Goose Children" and "Never Mind Bo-Peep No 2" penciled at the top of the title page, LOC-VH.
Im 1 and Im2, manuscript Witmark Music Library orchestra parts, LOC-TW, TWML.
Ve03, Songs and Excerpts from Babes In Toyland, M. Witmark & Sons, Inc., 1903.
VeS, Vocal score, Babes In Toyland, M. Witmark & Sons, n.d.
Fmu was used by the show's conductor, Max Hirschfeld, who has written in pencil on the first page of the score Tom-Tom's dialogue cue for the music. On the last page he's made a note about Mabel Barrison's dialogue cue for the next bit of incidental music, Alan's Entrance. The assignment of No. 3 on Fmg would confirm its use as a Spielland score: the deleted "With Downcast Eye" was reinserted between the new opening chorus and "Never Mind, Bo-Peep."
The lyric for this number exists as set by Herbert in MacDonough's copyright libretto (Tt1) with the exception of this section which was rewritten:
Baa! Baa! Baa!
It was the black shee (sic) that led them away!
Led them away by the tales that he told,
Baa! Baa! Baa!
For this the black sheep shall certainly pay
When he is back with the flock in the fold!
The published song sheet (Ves03), and all further publications, lost the rhyme through what appears to be one of several typing errors from MacDonough's typist:
Led them away by the tales that he told
Far from their meadow and far from their home
Fmu is the only source for the correct rhyme, and it has been corrected in this edition. The undated Witmark vocal score published after 1929 (VeS) contains an unauthorized tempo marking of "Faster" at the dance section which can be found in no other source. According to TtS, the dance was performed by Bo-Peep and Tom-Tom.
Oy!
