The Trumpet-Major

1st American edition of The Trumpet-Major

The Trumpet-Major is a novel by Thomas Hardy published in 1880.

The heroine, Anne Garland, is pursued by three suitors: John Loveday, the trumpet major in a British regiment, honest and loyal; his brother Bob, a flighty sailor; and Festus Derriman, the cowardly nephew of the local squire.

The setting is the Napoleonic wars, and it seems Miss Garland has a penchant for men in uniform. Of the two brothers, John fights with Wellington in the Peninsular War, and Bob serves with Nelson at Trafalgar.

Unusually for a Hardy novel, most of the characters live happily ever after; however, the ending is debatably an ominous one.

Operatic version

Thomas Hardy's novel provided the source of Alun Hoddinott's opera The Trumpet Major, with libretto by Myfanwy Piper, first performed in Manchester on 1 April 1981.

External links

• The Trumpet Major at Project Gutenberg
• Hutchinson Encyclopedia: Alun Hoddinott
• Italian Opera: Alun Hoddinott