This volume contains C. G. Bush's manuscript music score for his two-act opera "Miles Standish," composed in 1865 and 1866 and adapted from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem of the same name. The score was written in ink but includes additional notes and corrections in pencil. The volume includes the libretto, act and scene titles, lyrics, and musical notations. A manuscript note at the bottom of page 109 reads "Jan. 9th, 1866."
The complete title for this work is "Miles Standish. Opera in Two Acts 1865. Words By H. W. Longfellow. Music By C. G. Bush." It was written for four solo characters: Miles Standish, Bass; John Alden, Tenor; Priscilla, Soprano; and Messenger, Bass. An additional chorus of "Sailors, Villagers &c &c" is also included.
The front cover bears a gold embossed leather nameplate that reads, "MILES STANDISH. COMPOSED BY C.G.B."
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow published his narrative poem about the Plymouth Colony The Courtship of Miles Standish in 1858. It features main characters named Miles Standish, John Alden, and Priscilla Mullins. It proved popular and sold widely, and soon after its publication was dramatized, translated, and made into musical works. Composer Franz Kielblock, for example, published Libretto to Miles Standish in 1860.
The identity of C. G. Bush remains unknown, although a previous attribution to Charles Green Bush (1842-1909) seems unlikely.
