The Trumpet-Major

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

The heroine, Ann Garland, is pursued by three suitors: John Loveday, the trumpet major in a British regiment, honest and loyal; his brother Bob, a merchant seaman and womaniser; and Festus Derriman, the cowardly son 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 at Waterloo, and Bob serves with Nelson at Trafalgar.

Unusually for a Hardy novel, most of the characters live happily ever after.

[edit] Opera 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.