Title   H.M.S. Pinafore (or The Lass That Loved A Sailor) Composer   Sir Arthur Sullivan (1842 - 1900) Librettist   William S. Gilbert (1836 - 1911) Genre   Light opera. Two acts. First performance   Opéra Comique, London, 25 mei, 1878.. Time of action   19th century (first half). Place of action   A sailing-ship's deck, first by day-light, later by night. Main parts   Josephine, the captain's daughter soprano     Ralph Rackstraw, able seaman tenor     Captain Corcoran, commanding H.M.S. Pinafore baritone     The Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph Porter, K.C.B., First Lord of the Admiralty comic tenor     Mrs. Cripps (Little Buttercup, a Portsmouth bumboat woman) contralto     Dick Deadeye, able seaman bass     Bill Bobstay, boatswain's mate bass     Hebe, Sir Joseph's first cousin contralto Prominence of chorus   Large. Orchestra   2 flutes, 1 oboe, 2 clarinets, 1 bassoon, 2 French horns,                2 trumpets, 2 trombones, kettle-drums, percussion, strings. Special demands   Four-part male choir. Full score and orchestral parts   Available. Level   Not difficult Length   About 2 hours in all. Two acts. Music   Typically Sullivan. Lovely ensembles. By turns lyrical and satirical (e.g. the pattersong, sung by a First Lord of the Admiralty who has never been to sea). The choruses sound fresh as a sea breeze. Story   As in most works by Gilbert & Sullivan the story is about class-difference: A common sailor is in love with his captain's daughter and the captain is in love with a bum-boat woman. In the end the sailor and the captain turn out to be of high and of low birth respectively, so there is nothing to prevent a happy ending for all. Costumes   Sailors, officers, ladies; no dress-changes.