Courtice Pounds

{{Short description|British singer and actor (1862–1927)}} {{Use British English|date=August 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}} right|thumb|Courtice Pounds '''Charles Courtice Pounds''' (30 May 1861<ref name=KGPyne>Gänzl, Kurt. [https://kurtofgerolstein.blogspot.com.au/2018/05/pounds-of-pyes-or-mea-culpa-no2.html "Pounds of Pyes, or mea culpa No. 2"], Kurt Gänzl's blog, 4 May 2018. Note that his [https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=zN%2BfLk5Ekf%2B8I6OmEucaeQ&scan=1 birth registration] is in central London in the third quarter of 1861</ref> – 21 December 1927), better known by the stage name '''Courtice Pounds''', was an English singer and actor known for his performances in the tenor roles of the Savoy Operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company and his later roles in Shakespeare plays and Edwardian musical comedies.

As a young member of D'Oyly Carte, Pounds played tenor leads in the Gilbert and Sullivan operas in New York and on tour in Britain and continental Europe from 1881 to 1887. After being promoted to principal tenor at the Savoy Theatre, he created the principal tenor roles in ''The Yeomen of the Guard'' (1888), ''The Gondoliers'' (1889), ''The Nautch Girl'' (1891) and ''Haddon Hall'' (1892), and played other principal roles.

After leaving D'Oyly Carte in 1895, Pounds became a prominent performer during the transition of musical theatre from comic opera to musical comedy, creating roles in the West End in both genres from the late 1890s to the 1920s. The operettas and musical comedies in which he starred included ''La poupée'', ''The Duchess of Dantzic'', ''The Belle of Mayfair'', ''Princess Caprice'', and the long-running hits ''Chu Chin Chow'' and ''Lilac Time''. He also played in variety and was well received in comedy roles in Shakespeare plays during the same period.

==Life and career==

===Early years=== [[File:Poundsrud.jpg|right|thumb|As Richard in ''Ruddygore'' (New York, 1887)]] Pounds was born in Pimlico, London,<ref name=times>Obituary, ''The Times'', 22 December 1927, p. 17</ref> the only son and eldest child of five, of Charles Pounds (1833–1903), a builder,<ref name=who>[http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U201764, "Pounds, Charles Courtice"]. ''Who Was Who'', A & C Black, 1920–2008; online edition, Oxford University Press, December 2007, accessed 2 August 2010{{subscription required}}</ref> and his wife Mary Ann Jane, ''née'' Curtice (1833–1877), a well-known singer. After his mother died, his father remarried and had four more sons.<ref name=mg/><ref name=LambODNB>Lamb, Andrew. [https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-62735 "Pounds, Charles Curtice (Courtice) (1861–1927), singer and actor"], ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', 14 November 2019, accessed 9 June 2020</ref> He was educated at St. Mark's College, Chelsea.<ref name=who/> Pounds was a choirboy at St. Saviour's church, Pimlico, and also sang at St. Stephen's church, Kensington, and the Italian Church, Hatton Garden.<ref name=who/> When his voice broke, he went to work for his father, but continued to study music.<ref name=mg>Obituary, ''The Manchester Guardian'', 22 December 1927, p. 5</ref> He studied at the Royal Academy of Music and returned to St. Stephen's as tenor soloist. He sang in variety<ref name=times/> at the Royal Aquarium theatre for six months while working as a builder.<ref name=LambODNB/>

===D'Oyly Carte years=== Pounds joined the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in 1881 in the chorus of the original production of Gilbert and Sullivan's ''Patience'', understudying the company's principal tenor, Durward Lely, for whom he went on in November 1881 at the new Savoy Theatre. The theatrical newspaper ''The Era'', and ''The Morning Post'' both singled him out as "a young tenor of high promise."<ref>"Theatrical Gossip", ''The Era'', 12 November 1881, p. 8; and "Theatrical Intelligence", ''The Morning Post'', 14 November 1881, p. 6</ref> He soon played the role of Mr. Wranglebury in the curtain raiser ''Mock Turtles''.<ref>Walters, Michael and George Low. [http://diamond.boisestate.edu/gas/companions/mock_turtles/index.html "Mock Turtles".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100618142354/http://diamond.boisestate.edu/gas/companions/mock_turtles/index.html |date=18 June 2010 }} ''The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive'', accessed 1 August 2010</ref> Arthur Sullivan recognised Pounds's talent and persuaded him to remain with D'Oyly Carte rather than join Christy's Minstrels, from whom he had received an offer.<ref name=mg/> At the end of 1882, Pounds began touring in ''Iolanthe'' in the leading tenor role of Earl Tolloller.<ref>Rollins and Witts, p. 48</ref> In 1884, he toured as Prince Hilarion in the first provincial production of ''Princess Ida'',<ref>Rollins and Witts, p. 53</ref>

In 1885 Pounds toured as the Defendant in ''Trial by Jury'',<ref>Rollins and Witts, p. 57</ref> a role he later played in numerous benefit performances in London and elsewhere.<ref>For example, Rutland Barrington's benefit performance at the Savoy Theatre in 1889. See "Theatrical Gossip", ''The Era'', 11 May 1889, p. 10</ref> He also toured in the role of Ralph in ''H.M.S. Pinafore''.<ref name=stone>Stone, David. [https://www.gsarchive.net/whowaswho/P-Q/PoundsCourtice.htm "Courtice Pounds"]. ''Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company'', 27 March 2003, accessed 1 August 2010</ref> Later that year, he travelled to New York to play Nanki-Poo, in D'Oyly Carte's first American production of ''The Mikado''.<ref>"The Drama in America", ''The Era'', 13 February 1886, p. 18</ref> After that, he toured in Germany and Austria as Nanki-Poo.<ref>"The Mikado on the Continent", ''The Era'', 5 June 1886, p. 8</ref> In 1886, he returned to the Savoy to fill in for Lely for two weeks as Nanki-Poo, then rejoined the European touring company in Vienna.<ref name=stone/><ref>"Theatrical Gossip", ''The Era'', 21 August 1886, p. 7</ref>

[[File:Courticeasmarco.jpg|left|thumb|upright|As Marco in ''The Gondoliers'']] In late 1886, Pounds joined the company of John Stetson, the American manager, playing Hilarion and Nanki-Poo in authorised productions in New York. ''The Era'' wrote, "Mr Courtice Pounds sang the part of Hilarion in a very nice voice, acted it in a very nice way, looked nice enough to capture all the girls' hearts and was a very nice young man altogether."<ref>"The Drama in America", ''The Era'', 11 December 1886, p. 14</ref> In 1887 he played Grosvenor in ''Patience'' in Boston.<ref name=stone/> He then returned to England to rehearse Gilbert and Sullivan's new opera, ''Ruddygore'', performing in two matinee performances as Richard Dauntless, before sailing for New York again to play Richard there.<ref>"Theatrical Gossip", ''The Era'', 12 February 1887, p. 8</ref> Pounds stayed in New York to appear in Paul Lacome's ''The Marquis''<ref>"The Drama in America", ''The Era'', 13 August 1887, p. 8. This was an adaptation of Lacome's 1876 hit ''Jeanne, Jeannette et Jeanneton''</ref> and Charles Lecocq's ''Madelon''.<ref>Bordman, Gerald Martin. [https://books.google.com/books?id=YiBaRas9jTwC&pg=PA103 ''American Musical Theatre: A Chronicle''], p. 104, Oxford University Press US, 2001 {{ISBN|0-19-513074-X}}, accessed 1 August 2010</ref>

In May 1888, Pounds returned to London to create the part of Colonel Fairfax in ''The Yeomen of the Guard'' at the Savoy Theatre. His notices were excellent. ''The Times'' called him "a better actor and a better tenor than any of his predecessors."<ref>''The Times'', 4 October 1888, p. 11</ref> ''The Era'' judged him "the most efficient tenor the Savoy has had … a pure tenor voice, artistic and pleasing … clever acting and a good stage appearance."<ref>"The New Savoy Opera", ''The Era'', 6 October 1888, p. 9</ref> ''The Observer'' called him "that ''rara avis'', a tenor able to act."<ref>"At the Play", ''The Observer'', 7 October 1888, p. 2</ref> He created several more lead roles at the Savoy: Marco in ''The Gondoliers'' in 1889;<ref>Rollins and Witts, p. 12</ref> Indru in ''The Nautch Girl'' in 1891;<ref>"The New Savoy Opera", ''The Era'', 4 July 1891, p. 9</ref> the Rev. Henry Sandford in ''The Vicar of Bray'' in 1892;<ref>"The Vicar of Bray", ''The Era'', 30 January 1892, p. 11</ref> and John Manners in ''Haddon Hall'' later that year.<ref>"Haddon Hall," ''The Era'', 1 October 1892, p. 6</ref>

[[File:Manners and Dorothy.jpg|right|thumb|Pounds as John Manners, with Lucille Hill in ''Haddon Hall'' (1892)]] Pounds left the D'Oyly Carte company in 1892. He appeared in another West End management, as Vincent in ''Ma mie Rosette'', by Lacome and Ivan Caryll (1892).<ref>"Ma Mie Rosette", ''The Era'', 19 November 1892, p. 6</ref> In mid-1893, Pounds produced his own company touring an "operatic triple bill" in which he played roles in each piece: Harry Croyland in the operetta ''The Lass that Loved a Sailor'', by Bond Andrews to a libretto by Neville Doone; Harry Hamper in the vaudeville ''The Burglar and the Bishop'', by Wellesley Batson to a libretto by J. Jocelyn Coghill; and Charley Dacre in ''Helen of Troy Up to Date; or, The Statue Shop'', by John Crook to a farcical, pantomimic libretto by Wilton Jones. He brought with him on this tour several D'Oyly Carte colleagues, including Pounds's romantic partner, Millicent Pyne.<ref>"An Operatic Triple Bill", ''The Era'', 27 May 1893, p. 11</ref><ref name=KGPyne/> Pounds returned to the West End as Ange Pitout in ''La fille de Madame Angot'' (1893);<ref>"Theatrical and Musical Intelligence", ''The Morning Post'', 10 July 1893, p. 2</ref> Connor Kennedy in Haydn Parry's ''Miami'' (1893);<ref>"The London Theatres", ''The Era'', 21 October 1893, p. 8</ref> and Mark Mainstay in Howard Talbot's ''Wapping Old Stairs'' (1894).<ref>"The London Theatres", ''The Era'', 24 February 1894, p. 9</ref>

Returning to D'Oyly Carte in 1894, Pounds played Picorin in ''Mirette''<ref>"Savoy Theatre", ''The Morning Post'', 4 July 1894, p. 3</ref> and created the role of Count Vasquez de Gonzago in ''The Chieftain'' late in 1894. ''The Morning Post'' described him in this role as "the ''jeune premier par excellence'' of the operatic stage."<ref>"Savoy Theatre", ''The Morning Post'', 13 December 1894, p. 3.</ref> In 1895 he went on tour briefly with D'Oyly Carte as Picorin, Vasquez,<ref>"Liverpool Theatres", ''Liverpool Mercury'', 28 May 1895, p. 6</ref> and the Rev. Henry Sandford<ref>"Amusements in Manchester", ''The Era'', 18 May 1895, p. 18</ref> before leaving D'Oyly Carte again. He then travelled to Australia, appearing in the first half of 1896 with J. C. Williamson's opera company in ''Yeomen'', ''The Gondoliers'',<ref>"Amusements in Australia", ''The Era'', 4 April 1896, p. 18</ref> ''Miss Decima'',<ref>"Amusements in Australia", ''The Era'', 18 April 1896, p. 12</ref> ''The Vicar of Bray'' and ''Ma Mie Rosette''.<ref>"Amusements in Adelaide", ''The Era'', 20 June 1896, p. 22</ref>

===Musicals, operetta and Shakespeare clowns=== In June 1896, Pounds returned to Britain. He toured as Mr. Shepherd in the musical comedy ''Belinda'' during the latter part of that year,<ref>"Amusements in Edinburgh", ''The Era'', 7 November 1896, p. 20</ref> and briefly played in music hall in January 1897, appearing at the Palace Theatre of Varieties.<ref>"To-Night's Entertainments", ''The Pall Mall Gazette'', 8 February 1897, p. 1</ref> He also sang in concert at St. James's Hall with Marie Tempest and Ben Davies.<ref>"Yesterday's Concerts", ''The Standard'', 11 February 1897, p. 2</ref> In February, Pounds returned to the West End, playing Lancelot in Edmond Audran's ''La Poupée'', which ran until September 1898.<ref>"To-Night's Entertainments", ''The Pall Mall Gazette'', 3 September 1898, p. 1</ref> Lancelot, a comic role, marked the beginning of Pounds's transition from juvenile leads to character and comedy parts in both straight and musical theatre.<ref name=ganzl>Gänzl, Kurt. [http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/O009850 "Pounds, Courtice"], ''Grove Music Online'', accessed 2 August 2010 {{subscription required}}</ref> This was succeeded by two more comic operas, both by Justin Clérice: ''The Royal Star'', in which Pounds played Jack Horton,<ref>"Theatrical Gossip", ''The Era'', 10 September 1898, p. 8</ref> and ''The Coquette'', in which he played Michele.<ref>"The Coquette", ''The Era'', 18 February 1899, p. 15</ref>

[[File:Blue-moon-group.jpg|left|thumb|Pounds in ''The Blue Moon'' (1905)]] Pounds continued to perform in comic opera and operetta. In 1900 he starred in a revival of ''Dorothy''.<ref>''The Times'', 14 February 1900, p. 4</ref> In 1903 he took the title role in Hervé's opéra bouffe ''Chilpéric'',<ref>''The Times'', 10 March 1903, p. 10</ref> and in 1905 he starred in ''The Blue Moon''. In 1912, he played the title role in Herbert Beerbohm Tree's production of Jacques Offenbach's ''Orpheus in the Underground''.<ref>''The Times'', 11 January 1912, p. 9</ref> In 1916 he appeared as Harry Benn in the premiere of Ethel Smyth's comic opera ''The Boatswain's Mate'', described by ''The Manchester Guardian'' as "something of a triumph for Miss Rosina Buckman and Mr. Courtice Pounds as well as for Dr. Ethel Smyth."<ref>''The Manchester Guardian'', 29 January 1916, p. 8</ref>

In the first quarter of the 20th century, Pounds appeared regularly in London in a range of roles ranging from Shakespeare to variety. He established himself as a popular Shakespearean character actor with Tree's company, as the clown Feste in ''Twelfth Night'' (1901),<ref>''The Times'', 8 October 1901, p. 3</ref> the preposterous Sir Hugh Evans in ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'',<ref name=mg/> and Touchstone in ''As You Like It'' (1907), of which ''The Times'' said he "acts even better than he sings, which is, of course, saying a good deal."<ref>''The Times'', 8 October 1907, p. 6</ref> ''The Manchester Guardian'' wrote of him, "Courtice Pounds had all that Shakespeare asked of his clowns – the gift of song and a robustness of comedy that could change at will to a tender and poignant moment."<ref>''The Manchester Guardian'', 22 December 1927, p. 8</ref>

[[File:Pounds-touchstone.jpg|thumb|right|upright|As Touchstone in ''As You Like It'']] From 1903 onwards, Pounds became especially known for his performances in musical comedies. The first of these was ''The Cherry Girl'' (1903), presented by Seymour Hicks, in which Pounds played Starlight.<ref>''The Times'', 22 December 1903, p. 5</ref> Prominent among his musical comedy roles were Papillon in ''The Duchess of Dantzic'' (1903), which he created in both London (1903) and New York (1905);<ref name=who/> Hugh Meredith in ''The Belle of Mayfair'' (1906), with his sister Louie in the cast;<ref>''The Times'', 12 April 1906, p. 6</ref> the lead in Leo Fall's ''The Merry Farmer'' (''Der fidele Bauer''; 1907) and Jasomir in Fall's ''Princess Caprice'' (1912).<ref name=ganzl/> He appeared in ''The Laughing Husband'', the English version of the operetta ''Der lachende Ehemann'' by Edmund Eysler, in both London (1913) and New York (1914).<ref name=LambODNB/> He was Ali Baba in the long-running ''Chu Chin Chow'' (beginning in 1916, he starred in the role for over 2,000 performances);<ref name=times/> a similar role in ''Cairo'' (1921)<ref name=LambODNB/> and Franz Schubert in ''Lilac Time'' (1922–1924). Of the last, ''The Times'' commented, "Pounds is delightful as the moping composer".<ref>''The Times'', 23 December 1922, p. 6</ref> The musical theatre authority Kurt Gänzl writes that Pounds's performance in these roles proved him "the most complete and versatile singing actor of his age."<ref name=ganzl/> In 1924, his last London role was in the Spanish zarzuela adaptation ''The First Kiss'', and before retiring, he toured in ''Lilac Time'' and the French operetta adaptation ''Just a Kiss''.<ref name=LambODNB/>

Pounds returned occasionally to variety, including a 1905 appearance at the London Coliseum.<ref>''The Times'', 5 July 1905, p. 9</ref> In 1910 he returned briefly to production, mounting a musical comedy, ''A Modern Othello'', in Birmingham.<ref>''The Times'', 16 December 1910, p. 13</ref> He also appeared in a film, ''The Broken Melody'' (1916).<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090213225852/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/512124 ''The Broken Melody''], BFI.org, accessed 23 January 2012</ref>

===Family, personal life and death=== [[File:Pounds-Courneidge-Princess-Caprice.jpg|left|thumb|Pounds with Cicely Courtneidge in ''Princess Caprice'']] In 1927, Pounds's health gave way, and he was unable to perform. A fund was set up to provide for him, and fellow-artists giving their services in fund-raising included Seymour Hicks and his wife Ellaline Terriss, Evelyn Laye, Huntley Wright, Walter Passmore, Derek Oldham, Gertrude Lawrence, and Geoffrey Toye.<ref>"Courtice Pounds Fund", ''The Times'', 13 December 1927, p. 18</ref> More than £3,000 was raised.<ref>This was the equivalent of more than £500,000 in 2009 terms: see [http://www.measuringworth.com/ukcompare/ measuringworth.com]</ref>

Four of Pounds's sisters (Lily, Louie – a successful actress in her own right – Nancy, and Rosy) also appeared with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Pounds was married to D'Oyly Carte performer Jessie Louise Murray Wilson (1861–1953) in 1883,<ref>Her stage name was Jessie Gaston, after her father's name, Gaston Murray Wilson. After the marriage, she was sometimes credited as Jessie Pounds. Stone, David. [http://www.gsarchive.net/whowaswho/P-Q/PoundsJessie.htm "Jessie Pounds"], Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, 1 September 2007, accessed 4 May 2018</ref> They had no children.<ref name=LambODNB/> He never divorced his wife,<ref name=KGPyne/><ref name=stone/> but the W. S. Gilbert scholar Brian Jones states that Pounds "seems to have had a roving eye".<ref>Jones, Brian. [https://books.google.com/books?id=qUyGtqatz2gC&pg=PA34 ''Lytton: Gilbert and Sullivan's Jester'']. Trafford Publishing, p. 34, 2005 {{ISBN|1-4120-5482-6}}</ref> He had a long relationship with another former D'Oyly Carte actress, Millicent Pyne (born Millicent Pye, 1873–1965), and in an 1895 divorce case, evidence was introduced that the respondent Mary Hardie Lewis had had an affair with Pounds.<ref>"Remarkable Divorce Case", ''The Morning Post'', 14 December 1895, p. 7</ref> Around the turn of the century, he set up home with Irish actress Mary Gertrude Cranfield (1880–1973), with whom he had four children.<ref>Lamb, Andrew. "Ah, Leave Me Not to Pyne Alone! or, What a Tale of Cock", ''Sir Arthur Sullivan Society Magazine'', Spring 2019, pp. 28–33</ref>

Pounds died in Surbiton, Kingston upon Thames, in 1927, aged 66, of bronchitis and endocarditis.<ref name=LambODNB/><ref name=mg/> His funeral at St. Marks Church, Surbiton, was attended by his common-law widow and four children, and representatives of the theatrical profession.<ref>''The Times'', "Deaths; Funerals; Mr. Courtice Pounds", 27 December 1927, p. 13</ref>

==Recordings== Pounds recorded several discs for His Master's Voice during World War I. With Rosina Buckman and Frederick Ranalow, he sang the trio "The first thing to do is to get rid of the body", from ''The Boatswain's Mate'', accompanied by the composer, Dame Ethel Smyth (all three singers had appeared in the world premiere performance of the opera).<ref>His Master's Voice 04281</ref> From the same opera, he recorded the ballad "When rocked on the billows".<ref>His Master's Voice 02697</ref> His other recordings of this period were Balfe's setting of Tennyson's "Come into the garden, Maud",<ref>His Master's Voice 02668</ref> "When a Pullet is Plump", from ''Chu Chin Chow'',<ref>His Master's Voice 4-2812; this has been reissued on compact disc on "The Art of the Savoyard" (Pearl GEMM CD 9991)</ref> "Song of the Bowl", from ''My Lady Frayle'',<ref>His Master's Voice 02659</ref> and, with Violet Essex, "Any time's kissing time", from ''Chu Chin Chow''.<ref>His Master's Voice 04186</ref> In 1923 he recorded four numbers from ''Lilac Time'' for Vocalion ("Dream Enthralling"; "I want to carve your name"; "The Golden Song"; and "Underneath the lilac bough") with Clara Butterworth and Percy Heming.<ref>"New Music", ''The Musical Times'', May 1923), p. 329. These have been reissued on CD (Pearl Gemm CD 9115)</ref> His only Gilbert and Sullivan recording ("Is Life a Boon?", 1916) was never issued.<ref name=stone/>

==Notes== {{reflist}}

==References== *{{cite book|last=Ayre|first=Leslie|year=1972|title=The Gilbert & Sullivan Companion|location=London|publisher=W.H. Allen & Co Ltd|isbn=0-396-06634-8}} * {{cite book|last=Rollins|first=Cyril|year=1962|author2=R. John Witts|title=The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company in Gilbert and Sullivan Operas: A Record of Productions, 1875–1961|location=London|publisher=Michael Joseph|oclc=504581419}}

==External links== *[http://pinafore.www3.50megs.com/c-pounds.html Profile of Pounds] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20110716215532/http://www.the-camerino-players.com/britishtheatre/CourticePounds.html Profile and photos of Pounds] *{{IMDb name|1173038|Courtice Pounds}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pounds, Courtice}} Category:1861 births Category:1927 deaths Category:English male musical theatre actors Category:19th-century British male singers Category:Actors from the City of Westminster Category:English male stage actors Category:English tenors Category:Male actors from London Category:Singers from the City of Westminster Category:People from Pimlico