The Indian Princess is a three-act operatic melo-drame with music composed by John Bray and a text in poetic verse by James Nelson Barker. It is a historical landmark in American musical theater, for it is one of the earlier attempts to capture the spirit of European opera within an intensely American setting and plot. The score is composed after the manner of the English ballad opera, which uses the music of common popular ballads and folk tunes, but adapts them for a theatrical setting, giving them new texts and accompaniments. Mr. Bray includes in his score descriptive orchestral compositions, written after the manner of the music of the German melodrama, which replaced the virtuosic solo singing of the Italians with extended dramatic orchestral passages. The libretto concerns the story of Captain John Smith, adventurer and explorer, and his love for the beautiful Indian princess Pocahontas. It opens on a "wild and picturesque" scenic representation of the New World, just as the early Americans are getting acquainted with their new land. The premiere of the opera took place on April 8, 1808, at the Philadelphia and Baltimore theaters. ~ Rita Laurance, All Music Guide
