Charles Zachary Barnett (c1813 – 1849) was an English librettist and playwright of Jewish descentRubens, Arthur, Jews and the English Stage, 1667—1850, Transactions & Miscellanies -Jewish Historical Society of England, Vol. 24 (1970-1973), pp. 151-170 notable for writing the libretti for two operas by his brother the composer John Barnett as well as for his early theatrical adaptations of the works of Charles Dickens.
He was the son of a Hungarian mother and Bernhard Beer, a Prussian Jew who changed his surname to Barnett on settling in England as a diamond merchant and jeweller. According to some he was a cousin of the composer Giacomo Meyerbeer.Conway, Davis Allen. Jewry in Music: Jewish Entry to the Musical Professions 1780-1850, Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) at the University of London: Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies, University College London (2007) p. 136 Charles Zachary Barnett was the younger brother of the composer John Barnett, for whom he wrote the libretti for two of his operas, Fair Rosamond (1837), in which he 'perversely reduced the story to the level of burlesque';Middleton, Louisa M. Dictionary of National Biography, 1901 supplement, Volume 1: Barnett, John (1802-1890) and Farinelli (1839). He also wrote several plays including early adaptations of the works of Charles Dickens, such as the three-act burletta Oliver Twist; Or, The Parish Boy's Progress, which opened at the Theatre Royal, Marylebone on 21 May 1838.Theatres in Victorian London - Victorian WebPlaybill for The Royal Pavilion Theatre advertising Oliver Twist - British Library Collection It was only the second stage production of the work, as Dickens had not yet completed the novel.Morley, M. The Old Marylebone Theatre (1960), St Marylebone Society Publication Barnett also wrote A Christmas Carol: Or, the Miser's Warning!, a two-act adaptation of A Christmas Carol first produced at the Surrey Theatre on 5 February 1844, just weeks after the publication of the novella.Charles Zachary Barnett, Librettists: English Romantic Opera websiteThe Gentleman's Magazine, Vol. 31 (Jan.1849), p. 103A Christmas Carol, or, the Miser's Warning!, Project Gutenberg eBook
Other plays written by Barnett include The Banks of Allan Water, or the Death of Fair Eleanor (1831), performed at the Pavilion Theatre at Mile End;Summers, Montague. The Gothic Quest - A History of the Gothic Novel, Read Books Ltd (2019), Google Books and a drama based on the Rothschilds - The Rise of the Rothschildes: Or, The Honest Jew of Frankfort (1838).Lepler, Jessica M. The Many Panics of 1837: People, Politics, and the Creation of a Transatlantic Financial Crisis, Cambridge University Press (2013) Google Books, p. 270 Other dramas from the pen of Barnett included The Drum of Fate or Sarah the Jewess (1838); The Minister's Dream or the Jew of Plymouth (1838);Conway, p. 137 Linda; The Pearl of Savoy, adaptation of Rossi's libretto Linda di Chamounix; Victorine of Paris; Dominique, and Bohemians of Paris.Rubens, (1974) p. 153
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