Who produced “When Frederic Was a Little Lad” in its classic recorded form?

For the celebrated 1968 D’Oyly Carte/Royal Philharmonic set, the release is under Decca - historically tied to the company founded by Richard D’Oyly Carte.

When did Gilbert and Sullivan first present this song to the public?

At the official New York premiere of The Pirates of Penzance on December 31, 1879.

Words by W. S. Gilbert, music by Arthur Sullivan.

Where else can I hear it outside the theater?

On numerous recordings, including the 1968 Decca set; it also appears in the 1983 film adaptation sung by Angela Lansbury as Ruth.

Who has performed Ruth in notable revivals?

Patricia Routledge sang Ruth in the 1980 Public Theater production filmed for TV, with Angela Lansbury taking Ruth in the 1983 movie.

When Frederic Was a Little Lad Lyrics – Pirates of Penzance, The

When Frederic Was a Little Lad Lyrics

Gilbert and Sullivan

When Frederic was a little lad
He proved so brave and daring,
His father thought he'd 'prentice him
To some career seafaring.
I was, alas! his nurserymaid,
And so it fell to my lot
To take and bind the promising boy
Apprentice to a pilot.

A life not bad for a hardy lad,
Though surely not a high lot,
Though I'm a nurse, you might do worse
Than make your boy a pilot.

I was a stupid nurserymaid,
On breakers always steering,
And I did not catch the word aright,
Through being hard of hearing;
Mistaking my instructions,
Which within my brain did gyrate,
I took and bound this promising boy
Apprentice to a pirate.

A sad mistake it was to make
And doom him to a vile lot.
I bound him to a pirate ? you!
Instead of to a pilot.

I soon found out, beyond all doubt,
The scope of this disaster,
But I hadn't the face to return to my place,
And break it to my master.
A nurserymaid is not afraid
Of what you people call work,
So I made up my mind to go as a kind
Of piratical maid-of-all-work.

And that is how you find me now,
A member of this shy lot,
Which you wouldn't have found, had he been bound
Apprentice to a pilot.
Last Update: August, 25th 2025

Song Overview

When Frederic Was a Little Lad lyrics by Gilbert and Sullivan — Gilbert and Sullivan set the stage - Ruth sings the "When Frederic Was a Little Lad" lyrics in the Act I narrative of The Pirates of Penzance.

“When Frederic Was a Little Lad” arrives early in Act I as Ruth’s brisk confession scene. First performed at the official premiere of The Pirates of Penzance on December 31, 1879 in New York, this is the operetta’s neatest plot hinge - a misheard word that reshapes a life. Ruth explains how “pilot” turned into “pirate,” and the comic engine roars to life. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

Review & Highlights

This tidy comic scena doubles as exposition and character sketch. The lyrics carry a sailor’s lilt, and Ruth’s patter flips effortlessly between pride and mortification. I hear it as an apology wrapped in a recruitment poster - bright, brisk, and a little salty. One-sentence snapshot: a nurse’s mishearing binds a brave child to pirates instead of pilots, and the whole plot pops.

Verse 1

Ruth boasts of the boy’s bravery and the sensible trade he was meant to enter. The melodic writing sits sturdy and stepwise, like a march across a ship’s deck. It’s plain on purpose - to let the story do the sparkle.

Chorus

Each refrain turns the screw: “pilot” is noble, “pirate” is… less so. The joke lands because the syllables share a shape while the fates do not. You can almost see Frederic’s future sliding sideways with each repeated rhyme.

Exchange/Bridge

Her confession blooms into panic and then industry: if she doomed him, she’ll follow him. The tempo feels like a quickening stride - Sullivan nudging the stakes without grandstanding.

Final Build

By the end, Ruth has justified her choices and secured her place among the crew. The scene closes with momentum - plot secured, tone established, promise made.

Scene from When Frederic Was a Little Lad by Gilbert and Sullivan — Scene from "When Frederic Was a Little Lad".

Song Meaning and Annotations

Gilbert and Sullivan performing When Frederic Was a Little Lad — Performance in the music video.

This number tells us what duty means here: a promise kept even when the premise was absurd. Ruth’s confession reframes Frederic’s whole biography in under three minutes, which is very Gilbert - a legalistic tangle dressed as a nursery tale.

A ship’s pilot is a person with particular knowledge of a port of call, who can be brought on board an arriving vessel to help it navigate tight or dangerous passages in the pilot’s area of expertise.

That contrast matters: the honest “pilot” life sits there as the road not taken, sharpening the comic sting of “pirate.”

The humor isn’t gentle; it’s exact. We laugh because the error is small in sound and huge in consequence, classic Savoy logic.

“Breakers” refers to waves breaking over rocks, and therefore something to be avoided, not steered towards. This line is a seafaring way for Ruth to call herself stupid.

Sea-talk turns self-own - and teaches the audience the rules of this world while it’s at it.

Gilbert’s trick is to make miscommunication feel inevitable, not random. The gag rides on phonetics and propriety.

This is an excellent example of Gilbert and Sullivan’s absurdist humor throughout the show: Frederic’s entire childhood is spent with pirates because his nurse misheard her instructions and thought that apprenticing Frederic to pirates was a reasonable thing to do.

That’s the operetta’s thesis in miniature: society’s straight face meets chaos, and both keep the beat.

Musically, Sullivan keeps the pulse sturdy - light march, patter-ready - so the text can do the heavy lifting.

“Breakers” refers to waves breaking over rocks...

With orchestral figures that rock like a skiff, he lets the consonants clack while the winds sketch sea air.

The emotional arc flips from firm to flustered to resigned. Ruth is apologizing, but also auditioning for forgiveness.

The nurse misheard her instructions and thought that apprenticing Frederic to pirates was a reasonable thing to do.

Her logic is skewed, her loyalty airtight. That contradiction fuels the rest of Act I.

Message

Duty without judgment is dangerous - and funny. The lyrics underline that codes can be followed to foolish ends.

Frederic’s entire childhood is spent with pirates because his nurse misheard her instructions...

It’s a satire of obedience as much as a prologue.

Emotional tone

It starts brisk and chipper, turns confessional, then regains its stiff upper lip.

I was, alas! his nurs’ry maid... Mistaking my instructions...

Contralto warmth lets the apology land without softening the joke.

Historical context

Debuting in 1879 during the height of G&S mania, the scene reflects a Victorian taste for tidy morality punctured by wordplay.

A ship’s pilot is a person with particular knowledge of a port of call...

The “pilot/pirate” confusion riffs on maritime life that audiences knew firsthand. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

Production & instrumentation

Traditionally set for contralto with chorus, the number sits in a speakable range, with winds and low strings adding nautical grit.

Ruth - Contralto (Range is from F3 to F5)

Later revivals preserve the scene’s bones even when orchestration gets punchier. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

About metaphors and symbols

“Pilot vs pirate” is more than a pun; it’s a forked compass. One letter changes vocation, class, and moral weather.

“Breakers” refers to waves breaking over rocks...

Gilbert turns seafaring jargon into a character’s self-portrait in miniature.

Creation history

The song is commonly listed as No. 2 in Act I - Ruth’s solo - in standard musical-number lists, though track numbering varies by recording.

This is an excellent example of Gilbert and Sullivan’s absurdist humor...

Its core function has never changed: give us backstory at clip, and set the comic stakes. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

Key Facts

Shot of When Frederic Was a Little Lad by Gilbert and Sullivan — Picture from "When Frederic Was a Little Lad" video.

Featured: D’Oyly Carte Opera Company - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - conductor Isidore Godfrey - numerous casts across eras. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}
Producer: Historically associated with impresario Richard D’Oyly Carte for company productions; Decca produced the 1968 landmark recording. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}
Composer: Arthur Sullivan; Lyricist: W. S. Gilbert. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}
Release Date: Stage premiere - December 31, 1879 (New York). :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}
Genre: Comic opera - operetta.
Instruments: orchestra with winds, brass, strings, percussion; chorus.
Label: Decca for the classic 1968 D’Oyly Carte/Royal Philharmonic recording. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}
Mood: brisk, confessional, tongue-in-cheek.
Length: often around 7:00 in the 1968 set - Discogs lists 7:02. :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}
Track #: commonly “No. 2” in Act I lists; varies by album sequencing. :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}
Language: English.
Album: The Pirates of Penzance - complete cast recordings across many labels; Decca 1968 remains a touchstone. :contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}
Music style: patter-tinged narrative aria over march-like accompaniment.
Poetic meter: mostly anapestic with mixed feet to fit patter stresses.
© Copyrights: Text and score are public domain; specific sound recordings remain under their labels’ rights. (For 1968 Decca recording, rights by Decca Music Group Limited.) :contentReference[oaicite:12]{index=12}

Questions and Answers

Who produced “When Frederic Was a Little Lad” in its classic recorded form?: For the celebrated 1968 D’Oyly Carte/Royal Philharmonic set, the release is under Decca - historically tied to the company founded by Richard D’Oyly Carte. :contentReference[oaicite:13]{index=13}
When did Gilbert and Sullivan first present this song to the public?: At the official New York premiere of The Pirates of Penzance on December 31, 1879. :contentReference[oaicite:14]{index=14}
Who wrote it?: Words by W. S. Gilbert, music by Arthur Sullivan. :contentReference[oaicite:15]{index=15}
Where else can I hear it outside the theater?: On numerous recordings, including the 1968 Decca set; it also appears in the 1983 film adaptation sung by Angela Lansbury as Ruth. :contentReference[oaicite:16]{index=16}
Who has performed Ruth in notable revivals?: Patricia Routledge sang Ruth in the 1980 Public Theater production filmed for TV, with Angela Lansbury taking Ruth in the 1983 movie. :contentReference[oaicite:17]{index=17}

Awards and Chart Positions

This song is part of the full operetta rather than a standalone single, so it has no chart history. Notably, the 1980 Public Theater/Broadway revival that carried the number to a new generation won multiple Tony Awards, with Kevin Kline honored and Wilford Leach winning for direction, and the production widely cited as a watershed G&S revival. :contentReference[oaicite:18]{index=18}

On screen, the 1983 film version with the principal Broadway cast (Angela Lansbury as Ruth) preserved the number for cinema audiences. :contentReference[oaicite:19]{index=19}

How to Sing When Frederic Was a Little Lad?

Vocal range & type: Written for contralto; practical range frequently F3 to F5 in standard editions. Keep chest-dominant placement for the lower tessitura so the text stays crisp. :contentReference[oaicite:20]{index=20}

Tempo & feel: Marked in many scores at a firm, march-like clip (often noted as Allegro pesante in some arrangements). Maintain a forward swing without rushing patter. :contentReference[oaicite:21]{index=21}

Diction & patter: Consonants drive the joke. Over-articulate “pilot/pirate” to land the phonetic gag. Vowels stay compact to avoid blurring rhyme chains.

Breath strategy: Plan releases around syntactic commas, not bar lines. Take a sip of air before “A sad mistake...” so the apology lands in one thought.

Character notes: Play the contradiction - brisk nanny pride meeting mortified honesty. Aim for amused resolve rather than self-pity; it keeps the comedy dry.

Keys & editions: Keys vary by edition and production; transpositions exist for mezzo and true contralto. Some published arrangements place sections in E-flat major/C minor; confirm with your MD. :contentReference[oaicite:22]{index=22}

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