diff options
Diffstat (limited to '42918-8.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | 42918-8.txt | 6359 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 6359 deletions
diff --git a/42918-8.txt b/42918-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index c75eed1..0000000 --- a/42918-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6359 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Standard Light Operas, by George Upton - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Standard Light Operas - Their Plots and Their Music - -Author: George Upton - -Release Date: June 11, 2013 [EBook #42918] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STANDARD LIGHT OPERAS *** - - - - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dianna Adair, Christoph W. -Kluge and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - THE - STANDARD LIGHT OPERAS - THEIR PLOTS AND THEIR MUSIC - - - _A Handbook_ - - By GEORGE P. UPTON - AUTHOR OF "THE STANDARD OPERAS," ETC. - - CHICAGO - A. C. McCLURG & CO. - 1902 - - - Copyright - A. C. McClurg & Co. - 1902 - - Published September 13, 1902 - - - TO MY FRIEND - CHARLES C. CURTISS - - - - - PREFACE. - - -The present volume, "The Standard Light Operas," has been prepared not -only with the hope that it may supply a popular want in these days when -the light opera is so much in vogue, but also with the purpose of -completing the series which the author has already compiled, including -the opera, oratorio, cantata, and symphony. It has been somewhat -difficult to select from the "embarrassment of riches" in the material -offered by the profusion of operettas, musical comedies, and legitimate -light operas which have been produced during the last few years, and -which are still turned out with almost bewildering rapidity. Still more -difficult is it to determine accurately those among them which are -standard. A few of the lighter works which are contained in the original -edition of the "Standard Operas" have been recast, as they properly -belong in a work of this kind, and as they may answer the needs of those -who have not the former volume. The opera comique and the opera bouffe -are also represented by the best of their class, those whose text is -clearly objectionable being omitted. The entire list of the -characteristic and delightful operettas by the late Sir Alexander -Sullivan is included, and some of the musical comedies which have a -strong hold upon popular admiration. The operas have not been analyzed -with that closeness of detail which characterizes the "Standard Operas," -as they do not call for treatment of that kind, and in many cases the -leading numbers are only suggested. They are described rather than -criticised, and as they have been compiled solely for the use of the -general public they have been presented as untechnically as possible. -They are intended to heighten popular enjoyment rather than to supply -information for musicians, and as a _vade mecum_ for the opera-goer -rather than a reference for the musical student. - - G. P. U. - -Chicago, August, 1902. - - - - - CONTENTS - - - PAGE - ADAM - The Postilion of Lonjumeau 15 - AUBER - Fra Diavolo 19 - The Crown Diamonds 22 - AUDRAN - Olivette 26 - The Mascot 29 - BALFE - The Bohemian Girl 33 - The Rose of Castile 36 - BELLINI - La Sonnambula 40 - BENEDICT - The Lily of Killarney 43 - BOIELDIEU - La Dame Blanche 47 - CELLIER - Dorothy 50 - CHASSAIQUE - Falka 52 - DeKOVEN - Robin Hood 57 - Maid Marian 60 - Rob Roy 63 - The Fencing-Master 67 - DELIBES - Lakmé 70 - DONIZETTI - The Daughter of the Regiment 73 - Don Pasquale 76 - Linda 78 - The Elixir of Love 81 - EICHBERG - The Doctor of Alcantara 84 - FLOTOW - Martha 87 - Stradella 90 - GENÉE - Nanon 93 - GOUNOD - Mirella 97 - HUMPERDINCK - Hansel and Gretel 100 - JAKOBOWSKI - Erminie 103 - LECOCQ - Girofle-Girofla 106 - La Fille de Madame Angot 109 - LÖRTZING - Czar and Carpenter 113 - LUDERS - King Dodo 116 - The Prince of Pilsen 118 - MASSÉ - Paul and Virginia 121 - Queen Topaze 124 - The Marriage of Jeannette 126 - MILLÖCKER - The Beggar Student 128 - The Black Hussar 131 - NESSLER - The Trumpeter of Säkkingen 134 - NICOLAI - The Merry Wives of Windsor 138 - OFFENBACH - The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein 141 - La Belle Hélène 145 - Orpheus 148 - PLANQUETTE - The Chimes of Normandy 152 - RICCI - Crispino 155 - ROSSINI - The Barber of Seville 158 - SOLOMON - Billee Taylor 161 - SOUSA - El Capitan 164 - STRAUSS - The Merry War 167 - The Queen's Lace Handkerchief 169 - Queen Indigo 171 - Die Fledermaus (The Bat) 174 - STUART - Florodora 177 - SULLIVAN - Cox and Box 180 - Trial by Jury 182 - The Sorcerer 185 - H. M. S. Pinafore 188 - The Pirates of Penzance 193 - Patience 196 - Iolanthe 200 - Princess Ida 203 - The Mikado 206 - Ruddygore 209 - The Yeomen of the Guard 213 - The Gondoliers 216 - SUPPÉ - Fatinitza 220 - Boccaccio 224 - The Beautiful Galatea 227 - THOMAS - Mignon 230 - WALLACE - Maritana 233 - Lurline 236 - - - - - THE - STANDARD LIGHT OPERAS. - - - - - ADAM, ADOLPHE CHARLES. - - - - - The Postilion of Lonjumeau. - - - [Opéra comique, in three acts; text by De Leuven and Brunswick. First - produced at the Opéra Comique, Paris, October 13, 1836.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Chapelou, postilion. - Madeleine, mistress of the inn. - Marquis de Courcy, opera manager. - Bijou, village blacksmith. - Boudon, chorus leader. - - [Villagers, chorus singers, etc.] - - The scene of the opera is laid in Lonjumeau, a French village, and - Paris; time of Louis the Fifteenth. - -The sprightly opera "The Postilion of Lonjumeau" is characterized by -grace and elegance of treatment, fascinating rhythm, and odd contrasts in -effects. Its plot is very dramatic, and affords ample scope for humorous -action. The opening scene of the first act introduces us to the wedding -of Chapelou, the postilion, and Madeleine, mistress of the inn. During -the merriment which follows, the Marquis de Courcy, Superintendent of the -Paris Grand Opera, whose carriage has broken down, makes his appearance, -seeking the aid of a wheelwright. He hears Chapelou singing, and is so -pleased with his voice that he offers him a position in the opera. -Chapelou after some persuasion accepts, entreats Bijou, the village -blacksmith, to look after Madeleine, and goes off with the Marquis in -quest of artistic glory. Bijou informs Madeleine of Chapelou's baseness, -and the act closes with her denunciations of him, in which she is -enthusiastically assisted by the female members of the wedding-party. - -The second act opens in Paris. Madeleine has inherited a fortune from an -aunt, and makes her appearance in the gay city as a rich and noble lady, -under the assumed name of Madame de la Tour. The Marquis de Courcy, who -is in love with her, at her request brings Chapelou, who is now a famous -tenor known as St. Phar, Bijou, the Lonjumeau blacksmith, who is primo -basso under the name of Alcindor, and the operatic chorus to her château -for a rehearsal. St. Phar, not wishing to sing, pleads a cold, but when -he learns that he is in the apartments of Madame de la Tour he consents, -and the rehearsal goes off finely. Left alone with his hostess, he -proposes to her and is accepted, but as he is already married he arranges -that Boudon, the chorus leader, shall play the part of priest. The -Marquis, who overhears the conspiracy, informs Madame de la Tour, who -sends for a real priest and accompanies St. Phar to the altar, where they -are married for the second time. - -In the third act St. Phar, who fears that he will be hanged for -committing bigamy, finds a happy escape from his troubles. The Marquis, -furious because he has been rejected by Madame de la Tour in favor of an -opera singer, seeks revenge, but his plans are thwarted. A humorous scene -ensues, in which St. Phar is tormented by Alcindor and the wedding-party, -as well as by the Marquis, who is now reconciled. Finally, upon being -left alone in a darkened room with Madame de la Tour, she also aggravates -him by personating two characters, singing from different sides of the -apartment in the voice of the Madame and that of Madeleine. The -dénouement ensues when she appears to him as the veritable Madeleine of -Lonjumeau, whither the joyous pair return and are happy ever after. - -The principal music of the first act is a romanza for soprano, "Husband -ever Dear," leading into a dance chorus; the famous Postilion's Song with -whip-snapping accompaniment; and a balcony serenade by Madeleine. The -second act opens with a long and well-written aria for soprano, which is -followed by the rehearsal scene,--a clever bit of humorous musical -writing. In the course of this scene the tenor has a characteristic aria, -preceded by a clarinet obligato, and the basso also has one running down -to G, in which he describes with much gusto the immunities of a basso -with a "double G." A duet follows for soprano and tenor with a cadenza of -extraordinary length, the act closing with a finale in the conventional -Italian style. - -The third act opens with a long clarinet solo, the refrain of which is -heard in the close of the act. This is followed by a "Good Night" chorus -in mazurka time. The tenor then has an aria followed by a comic trio, -which in reality is a duet, as the soprano is personating two singers -with different voices. A duet and finale close the opera, the music of -which is of just the class to be popular, while the action is so -sustained in its humor as to make the bright little opera a favorite -wherever heard. - - - - - AUBER, DANIEL FRANÇOIS ESPRIT. - - - - - Fra Diavolo. - - - [Opéra comique, in three acts; text by Scribe. First produced at the - Opéra Comique, Paris, January 28, 1830; in English, at Drury Lane - Theatre, London, November 3, 1831; in Italian, at the Lyceum, London, - July 9, 1857.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Fra Diavolo, leader of the brigands. - Lord Allcash, English nobleman. - Lady Allcash, his wife. - Matteo, innkeeper. - Zerlina, Matteo's daughter. - Lorenzo, Zerlina's lover. - Beppo, } - Giacomo, } brigands. - - The scene is laid at the village of Terracina, Italy; time, last - century. - -The first act of this universally favorite opera opens with the hurried -arrival of Lord Allcash, a typical English tourist, and his wife, at the -inn of Terracina, kept by Matteo, whose daughter, Zerlina, is loved by -Lorenzo, a young soldier. The latter is about to start for the capture of -Fra Diavolo, the leader of the bandits, when the action of the opera -begins. The English tourists have been robbed on their journey by the -band of this same Fra Diavolo, who has followed them in the disguise of a -marquis and has been very attentive to the susceptible Lady Allcash. Lord -Allcash has a quarrel with his wife on this account in a humorous duet, -"I don't object." Fra Diavolo learns that the travellers have saved the -most of their valuables, and lays his own plans to secure them. In an -interview with Zerlina, she, mistaking him for the Marquis, sings him the -story of Fra Diavolo in a romanza, "On Yonder Rock Reclining," which has -become a favorite the world over. To further his schemes he makes love to -Lady Allcash in a graceful barcarole, "The Gondolier, Fond Passion's -Slave." In the finale of the act Lorenzo and his carbineers return, and -not finding Fra Diavolo at the inn, where they had hoped to surprise him, -resume their search, leaving him to perfect his plans for the robbery. - -In the opening scene of the second act Zerlina is in her chamber, -preparing to retire. Before doing so, she lights Lord and Lady Allcash to -their room. During her absence Fra Diavolo and his companions, Beppo and -Giacomo, conceal themselves in her closet, Fra Diavolo having previously -given them the signal that the coast was clear by singing a serenade, -"Young Agnes," in violation of every rule of dramatic consistency. -Zerlina returns, and after singing a simple but charming prayer, "Oh! -Holy Virgin," retires to rest. In attempting to cross the room they -partially awake her. One of the bandits rushes to the bed to stab her, -but desists from his purpose as he hears her murmuring her prayer. Then -follows a trio by the robbers, sung pianissimo, which is very dramatic in -its effect. At this point the carbineers return again, and the house at -once is in an uproar. Lord and Lady Allcash rush in to find out the -cause, followed by Lorenzo, who came to greet Zerlina. A sudden noise in -the closet disturbs them. Fra Diavolo, knowing that he will be -discovered, steps out into the room, and declares he is there to keep an -appointment with Zerlina, whereupon Lorenzo challenges him. He accepts -the challenge and coolly walks out of the room. One of his comrades is -captured, but to secure his liberty agrees to betray his chief. - -The opening of the third act finds Fra Diavolo once more among his native -mountains. He gives expression to his exultation in a dashing, vigorous -song, "Proudly and wide my Standard flies," followed by the pretty rondo, -"Then since Life glides so fast away." As he joyously contemplates a -speedy meeting with Lord and Lady Allcash and the securing of their -valuables, villagers arrayed in festival attire in honor of the -approaching nuptials of Lorenzo and Zerlina enter, singing a bright -pastoral chorus, "Oh, Holy Virgin, bright and fair." The finale of the -act is occupied with the development of the scheme between Lorenzo, -Beppo, and Giacomo to ensnare Fra Diavolo, and the final tragedy in which -he meets his death at the hands of the carbineers, but not before he has -declared Zerlina's innocence. The text of the opera is full of vivacity -and humor, and the music so bright and melodious and yet artistically -scored that it made Auber's reputation at the Opéra Comique. - - - - - The Crown Diamonds. - - - [Opéra comique, in three acts; text by Scribe and St. George. First - produced in Paris in 1841; in English, at the Princess Theatre, London, - May 2, 1844.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Count de Campo Mayor, Minister of Police. - Don Henrique, nephew of the Count. - Don Sebastian, friend of Don Henrique. - Rebelledo, chief coiner. - Catarina, leader of the coiners. - Diana, cousin of Don Henrique. - - The scene is laid in Portugal; time, 1777. - -The story of "The Crown Diamonds," one of the most melodious of Auber's -works, is as follows: Don Henrique, nephew of the Count de Campo Mayor, -Minister of Police at Coimbra, on his way to participate in the -coronation ceremonies and at the same time to sign a marriage contract -with his cousin Diana, daughter of the Minister of Police, is overtaken -by a storm in the mountains and seeks shelter in a ruined castle near the -monastery of St. Huberto. While there he espies Rebelledo, the chief -coiner, and two of his comrades examining the contents of his trunk. The -latter, discovering him in turn and thinking him a spy, rush upon him, -but he is saved by Catarina, the leader of the gang, who returns him his -trunk and allows him to depart upon condition that he shall not mention -what he has seen for a year. He consents, but before he leaves, the gang -is surrounded by soldiers led by Don Sebastian, a friend of Don Henrique. -They make their escape, however, disguised as monks, while Rebelledo and -Catarina disappear through an underground passage, carrying with them a -mysterious casket of jewels. - -The second act opens in the Château de Coimbra, and discloses Don -Henrique in love with the mysterious Catarina and Diana with Don -Sebastian. As Diana and Don Henrique are singing together, Don Sebastian -announces that an accident has happened to a carriage and that its -occupants desire shelter. Catarina and Rebelledo enter and accept the -proffered hospitality. When Diana begins to read the account of a robbery -containing a description of Rebelledo and his companions, that worthy -vanishes, but Catarina remains in spite of Don Henrique's warning that -she is in the house of the Minister of Police. He declares his love for -her, and begs her to fly with him; she refuses, but gives him a ring as a -souvenir. At this point the Count enters, and announces that the crown -jewels have been stolen and Don Henrique's ring is recognized as one of -them. Catarina is saved by Diana, who promises Don Henrique she will send -her away in the Count's carriage if he will refuse to sign the marriage -contract. He consents, and Catarina makes her escape. - -The last act opens in the anteroom of the royal palace at Lisbon, where -the Count, Don Henrique, and Don Sebastian are present, and Diana awaits -an audience with the Queen. While they converse, Rebelledo enters, -announced as the Count Fuentes, and an usher brings him word that the -Queen will have private audience with him. While awaiting her, Rebelledo -in a monologue explains that the real crown jewels have been pledged for -the national debt, and that he has been employed to make duplicates of -them to be worn on state occasions until the genuine ones can be -redeemed. The Queen enters, declares she is satisfied with the work, and -makes Rebelledo Minister of Secret Police. Count de Campo Mayor then -announces to her the decision of the Council that she shall marry the -Prince of Spain. She declares she will make her own choice, and when the -Count remonstrates she threatens to confiscate his property for allowing -the crown jewels to be stolen, and orders him to arrest his daughter and -nephew for giving shelter to the thieves. Diana, suddenly entering, fails -to recognize her as Catarina, and implores pardon for her connivance in -the escape. Then Don Henrique still further complicates the situation. He -recognizes Catarina, and declares to Diana he will seize her and fly to -some distant land. His purpose is thwarted by his arrest for treason upon -the Queen's order. He rushes forward to implore mercy for Catarina, when -the Queen reveals herself and announces that she has chosen Don Henrique -for her husband and their King. - -The principal musical numbers of the opera are Rebelledo's rollicking -muleteer's song, "O'er Mountain steep, through Valley roaming," the -rondo, "The Young Pedrillo," with chorus accompaniment, and the -lugubrious chorus of the pseudo monks, "Unto the Hermit of the Chapel," -in the first act; the nocturne, "The Brigand," closing in gay bolero -time, "In the Deep Ravine of the Forest," Catarina's bravura aria, "Love! -at once I break thy Fetters," the duet, "If I could but Courage feel," -and the beautiful ballade, "Oh! whisper what thou feelest," in the second -act; the usually interpolated air, "When Doubt the Tortured Frame is -rending," originally written for Louisa Pyne, who really made the first -success for the opera, and the charming cavatina, "Love, dwell with me," -sung by the Queen in the last act. - - - - - AUDRAN, EDMUND. - - - - - Olivette. - - - [Comic opera, in three acts; text by Chivat and Duru. First produced at - the Bouffes Parisiens, Paris, November 13, 1879; first American - production, New York, January 7, 1881.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Captain de Mérimac, of the Man of War "Cormorant." - Valentine, his nephew, officer of the Rousillon Guards. - Duc des Ifs, cousin of the Countess. - Coquelicot, his foster brother. - Marvejol, Seneschal to the Countess. - Olivette, daughter of the Seneschal. - Bathilde, Countess of Rousillon. - Veloutine, the Seneschal's housekeeper. - Moustique, Captain's boy on board the "Cormorant." - - [Nobles of the Court of Rousillon, the watch of Perpignan, citizens, - gossips, wedding-guests, sailors, etc.] - - The scene is laid at Perpignan on the Mediterranean Sea; time of Louis - the Fourteenth. - -Following the English version of the opera, at the opening of the first -act the villagers of Perpignan are greatly excited over the approaching -marriage of Olivette, the Seneschal's daughter, and De Mérimac, an old -sea-captain. Olivette, however, just out of a convent, is in love with -Valentine, a young officer and the Captain's nephew. In the mean time the -Countess of Rousillon is also in love with Valentine and has come to -Perpignan to see him. She is at the house of the Seneschal, and is -surprised there by Valentine, who has climbed her balcony expecting to -find Olivette. The old Captain, who is making slow progress with his -suit, writes to the Countess demanding Olivette's hand. Valentine seizes -his opportunity, passes himself off as the Captain, and marries Olivette -at the request of the Countess herself. - -The second act opens with a ball which the Countess gives in honor of the -wedding, at which Valentine is forced to personate both himself and the -Captain. The latter appears upon the scene, and is heartily congratulated -as the bridegroom. When Valentine also appears as the old man, De Mérimac -resolves he will have the bride whom Valentine has secured by the use of -his name. By a little craft Olivette rids herself of her elderly suitor -only to encounter fresh trouble, for the Countess declares she will marry -the soldier. A plot is formed, the result of which is an order sending -the Countess out of the kingdom. - -The opening of the last act shows that the plot is partially successful. -The Countess is a prisoner on board De Mérimac's vessel, and Olivette and -Valentine, who are disguised as sailors, seek a vessel to take them away; -but Valentine is recognized and seized, Olivette contrives to free the -Countess, and passes herself off for her, Olivette's maid, Veloutine, -pretending to be her mistress. This introduces a new complication, for -the near-sighted Duke des Ifs courts the maid, supposing her to be -Olivette, and boasts of it to Valentine in the hearing of De Mérimac. -Both uncle and nephew then renounce Olivette until the Countess returns -and an explanation is made. In the dénouement Valentine is united to -Olivette and the Countess to the Duke, while the old Captain is advised -to follow the example of the Venetian Doges and "marry the sea," which he -promptly hastens to do, and follows his bride ever after. - -The music of "Olivette" is light and sprightly throughout, the most -taking numbers being the marine madrigal, a song with chorus, "The Yacht -and the Brig"; the pretty waltz song, "O Heart, wherefore so light," sung -by the Countess; Olivette's tyrolienne song, "The Convent slept"; -Valentine's serenade, "In Quaint and in Mystic Word," and Olivette's -characteristic sob song, "Oh! my Father," in the first act: Olivette's -serio-comic song, "The Matron of an Hour"; the Countess' song, "When -Lovers around Woman throng"; another humorous song for Olivette, "I do -think Fate, upon my Life"; a charming duet for Olivette and the Countess, -"Like Carrier Dove, I'll swift be flying," with the refrain, "I love my -Love so well," and the jolly farandole, "The Vintage over, then Maid and -Lover," sung and danced by Olivette, Countess, and chorus, in the second -act: the romanza "Nearest and dearest," an effective number for the -Countess, and three delicious bits of nonsense,--"Give Milk to Babes, to -Peasants Beer," styled in the score a Grog-orian chant, the ridiculous -legend "The Torpedo and the Whale," and the dashing bolero, "Where Balmy -Garlic scents the Air," in the last act. - - - - - The Mascot. - - - [Comic opera, in three acts; text by Chivat and Duru. First produced at - the Bouffes Parisiens, Paris, December 29, 1880; first American - production, Gaiety Theatre, Boston, April 12, 1881.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Bettina, the Mascot. - Fiametta, daughter of Prince Lorenzo. - Pippo, a shepherd. - Lorenzo, prince of Piombino. - Rocco, a farmer. - Frederic, prince of Pisa. - Parafante, sergeant. - Matheo, innkeeper. - - [Peasants, lords and ladies of court, soldiers, etc.] - - The scene is laid in Piombino, Italy; time, the fifteenth century. - -The story of "The Mascot" is charmingly romantic, and much more -consistent and coherent than the usual plots of the comic operas. The -first act opens with a vintage festival. The peasants are all rejoicing -except Rocco, the farmer, who has had bad luck. Pippo, his shepherd, whom -he had sent to his brother for help, returns with a basket of eggs and a -letter in which he informs Rocco that he has also sent him Bettina, his -turkey-keeper, who will bring him prosperity, as she is a mascot. Pippo, -who is in love with Bettina, waxes eloquent over her charms, but when she -comes she is coldly received by Rocco and ordered to go back. As she is -preparing to leave, Prince Lorenzo, his daughter Fiametta, Prince -Frederic, and others of a hunting-party arrive and stop for refreshment. -Prince Lorenzo, who is one of the unlucky kind, learns by chance of -Bettina's gift, and determines to take her to his court; but Rocco -objects. The Prince, however, gains his consent by promising to make him -Lord Chamberlain. The party sets off homeward with Rocco in good spirits -and Bettina sad, while poor Pippo is left behind disconsolate. - -The second act opens in the palace at Piombino, where a festival is to be -given in honor of the marriage of Fiametta to Prince Frederic of Pisa. -Among the attractions of the fête is an entertainment by a troupe of -actors and dancers, the most prominent of whom is Saltarello, in reality -Pippo in disguise. The lovers discover each other and plan an escape; but -Rocco, who has recognized Pippo, frustrates their scheme by disclosing -his identity to the Prince, who orders his arrest. The situation is still -further complicated by the fickle Fiametta, who has fallen in love with -Pippo and tells him that Bettina is false and is about to marry Prince -Lorenzo. At last Pippo and Bettina have a chance to meet, and they make -their escape by leaping through a window into the river. - -The last act opens in the hall of an inn in Pisa. There has been a war -between the two princes, and Frederic has defeated Lorenzo. Pippo has -been a captain in the Pisan army, and Bettina, disguised as a trooper, -has fought by his side. They reveal their real names to Frederic, and -declare their intention of marriage. During preparations for the wedding -Prince Lorenzo, Fiametta, and Rocco, who are travelling about the country -as minstrels to make their living, owing to the misfortunes of war, meet -the bridal party at the inn. After mutual explanations Fiametta returns -to her old lover Frederic, and Pippo and Bettina are married. The Mascot -brings good luck to them all at last. - -The most interesting numbers in the opera are the drinking-song, "All -morose Thoughts now are flying"; the legend of the Mascots, "One Day the -Arch Fiend drunk with Pride," sung by Pippo and chorus; Bettina's song, -"Don't come too near, I tell you"; the quaint duet for Bettina and Pippo, -"When I behold your Manly Form"; the charming coaching-chorus, "Come, let -us now be off as quick as a Bird," sung by Bettina and chorus in the -first act; the chorus and air of Saltarello, "Hail, Princesses and -Lords"; the pretty duet, "Know'st thou those Robes," for Bettina and -Pippo, and the concerted finale of the second act; the stirring rataplan, -"Marking Time with Cadence so Steady," the entrance of the refugees -preluding the grotesque "Orang-Outang Song," sung by Fiametta and chorus, -and the graceful arietta following the entrance of the wedding-party in -the last act. - - - - - BALFE, MICHAEL WILLIAM. - - - - - The Bohemian Girl. - - - [Grand opera, in three acts; text by Bunn. First produced at Drury Lane - Theatre, London, November 27, 1843.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Arline, daughter of Count Arnheim. - Thaddeus, a Polish exile. - Gypsy Queen. - Devilshoof, Gypsy leader. - Count Arnheim, Governor of Presburg. - Florestein, nephew of the Count. - - [Retainers, hunters, soldiers, gypsies, etc.] - - The scene is laid at Presburg, Hungary; time, last century. - -"The Bohemian Girl," usually designated as grand opera, strictly -speaking, is a ballad opera, and is one of the few English works of its -class which has made a success upon the Continent and in the United -States. The first act opens with the rescue of Arline, daughter of Count -Arnheim, from the attack of a stag by Thaddeus, a Polish fugitive, who -has joined a gypsy band to save himself from arrest. In return for his -timely aid, the Count invites him to a banquet, where he gets into -trouble by refusing to drink the health of the Emperor. Devilshoof, the -leader of the band, saves him from the angry soldiers, but in turn is -himself seized. The Count allows Thaddeus to go, and Devilshoof -subsequently escapes, carrying Arline with him. - -Twelve years elapse between the first and second acts. The Count has -received no tidings from Arline and has given her up as lost. The second -act opens in the gypsy camp in the suburbs of Presburg, and discloses -Arline asleep with Thaddeus watching over her. The gypsies themselves -depart in quest of plunder, headed by Devilshoof, and happen upon -Florestein, the Count's nephew, returning in a drunken condition from a -revel. They speedily relieve him of his valuables. After their departure -Arline awakes, and Thaddeus tells her how she received the scar upon her -arm and of her rescue from the stag, at the same time declaring his love -for her. Arline confesses her love for him, and the two are united -according to the laws of the tribe by the Gypsy Queen, who is also in -love with Thaddeus, and vows vengeance upon the pair. The scene now -changes to a street in the city. A fair is in progress, and the gypsies -resort to it with Arline at their head. As they mingle among the people, -Florestein attempts to insult Arline, and an altercation ensues between -them, ending in his repulse. He seeks revenge by having her arrested for -stealing a medallion which belonged to him and which the Gypsy Queen, -knowing it to be his, had maliciously given to her. Arline is brought -before the Count for trial, during which he asks her about the scar on -her arm. She replies by relating the story Thaddeus had told her, and -this leads to his discovery of his daughter. - -The last act finds Arline restored to her old position but still -retaining her love for Thaddeus. With Devilshoof's help he secures a -meeting with her. The Gypsy Queen gives information to the Count, and -Thaddeus is ordered to leave. Arline implores her father to relent, and -threatens to go with her lover. The situation happily resolves itself -when Thaddeus proves that he is of noble descent. The Count thereupon -yields and gives his daughter to him. The baffled and furious Gypsy Queen -induces one of the tribe to fire at Thaddeus, but by a timely movement of -Devilshoof the bullet pierces the heart of the Queen. - -The principal musical numbers of the first act are the Count's solo, "A -Soldier's Life"; the pathetic song, "'T is sad to leave your Fatherland"; -the gypsy chorus, "In the Gypsy's Life you may read," and the prayer in -the finale, "Thou who in Might supreme." The second act contains some of -the most melodious and effective numbers in the work, including the -quaint little chorus, "Silence, Silence, the Lady Moon"; the joyous song, -"I dreamed I dwelt in Marble Halls," which is a universal favorite; the -musical dialogue and ensemble, "The Secret of her Birth"; the gypsy's -song, "Come with the Gypsy Bride"; the beautiful unaccompanied quartette, -"From the Valleys and Hills," and the impressive reverie by the Count, -"The Heart bowed down." The last act has two delightful numbers,--the -tender and impassioned song, "When other Lips and other Hearts," and the -stirring martial song, "When the Fair Land of Poland," in which Thaddeus -avows his noble descent and boasts the deeds of his ancestry in battle. - - - - - The Rose of Castile. - - - [Comic opera, in three acts; text by Harris and Falconer. First - produced at the Lyceum Theatre, London, October 29, 1857.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Elvira, Queen of Leon and "Rose of Castile." - Manuel, Don Sebastian, the Infant, in disguise of muleteer. - Carmen, attendant of the Queen. - Don Pedro, } - Don Sallust, } - Don Florio } conspirators. - - The scene is laid in Spain; time, last century. - -At the opening of the opera, Elvira, Queen of Leon, has just ascended the -throne, and her hand has been demanded by the King of Castile for his -brother, Don Sebastian, the Infant. The latter, with the design of -satisfying his curiosity about her, is on the eve of entering Castile -disguised as a muleteer. Elvira hears of this, and adopts the same -expedient, by starting with Carmen, one of her attendants, disguised as -peasants to intercept him. In the opening of the first act the two appear -at an inn where the peasants are dancing. The innkeeper is rude to them, -but Don Sebastian, disguised as Manuel the muleteer, protects them, and -offers his services as escort, which the Queen willingly accepts, for she -has recognized him and he has fulfilled the motive of the story by -falling in love with her. At this point Don Pedro, who has designs upon -the throne, with his fellow-conspirators Don Sallust and Don Florio, -enter. Observing Elvira's likeness to the Queen, they persuade her to -personate Her Majesty, which, after feigned reluctance, she consents to -do. She also accepts their services as escorts, and all the more -unhesitatingly because she knows Manuel will follow her. - -The second act opens in the throne-room of the palace. Don Pedro enters, -somewhat dejected by the uncertainty of his schemes. The Queen, who has -eluded the surveillance of the conspirators, also appears and grants an -audience to Manuel, in which he informs her of the meeting with the -peasant girl and boy and declares his belief they were the Queen and -Carmen. He also informs her of the conspirators' plot to imprison her, -which she thwarts by inducing a silly old Duchess to personate the Queen -for one day and, closely veiled, ride to the palace in the royal -carriage. Her scheme succeeds admirably. The Duchess is seized and -conveyed to a convent. In the next scene Don Pedro and Don Florio are -mourning over the loss of their peasant girl, when she appears. Their -mourning turns to desperate perplexity when the Queen reveals herself and -announces her intention of marrying the muleteer. - -In the last act Carmen and Don Florio agree to marry. Then the Queen and -her ladies enter, and a message is delivered her from Don Sebastian -announcing his marriage. Enraged at the discovery that the muleteer is -not Don Sebastian, the Queen upbraids him and yet declares she will be -true to him. This pleases Don Pedro, as he believes he can force her to -abdicate if she marries a muleteer; but in the last scene Manuel mounts -the throne, and announces he is King of Castile, Elvira expresses her -delight, and all ends happily. - -The story of the opera is exceedingly involved, but the music is well -sustained and ranks with the best that Balfe has written. The principal -numbers of the first act are the lively chorus, "List to the Gay -Castanet"; the vocal scherzo by Elvira, "Yes, I'll obey you"; Manuel's -rollicking song, "I am a Simple Muleteer"; the buffo trio, which ends in -a spirited bacchanal, "Wine, Wine, the Magician thou art"; and Elvira's -pleasing rondo, "Oh! were I the Queen of Spain." The second act contains -the expressive conspirators' chorus, "The Queen in the Palace"; the -beautiful ballad, "Though Fortune darkly o'er me frowns," sung by Don -Pedro; the ballad, "The Convent Cell," sung by Elvira, which is one of -Balfe's happiest inspirations; the buffo trio, "I'm not the Queen, ha, -ha"; and Elvira's characteristic scena, "I'm but a Simple Peasant Maid." -The leading numbers of the last act are the bravura air, "Oh! Joyous, -Happy Day," which was intended by the composer to show the vocal ability -of Eliza Pyne, who first appeared in the role of Elvira; Manuel's fine -ballad, "'Twas Rank and Fame that tempted thee"; Don Pedro's martial -song, "Hark, hark, methinks I hear"; the stirring song by Manuel, when he -mounts the throne, which recalls "The Fair Land of Poland" in "The -Bohemian Girl"; and Elvira's second bravura air, "Oh! no, by Fortune -blessed." - - - - - BELLINI, VINCENZO. - - - - - La Sonnambula. - - - [Grand opera, in two acts; text by Romani. Produced for the first time - in Milan, March 6, 1831; in London, at the King's Theatre, July 28, - 1831; in Paris, October 28, 1831; in New York, May 14, 1842.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Amina, ward of the miller's wife. - Elvino, a landholder. - Rodolfo, lord of the village. - Lisa, innkeeper. - Alessio, a peasant, lover of Lisa. - Teresa, mistress of the mill. - - The scene is laid in Switzerland; time, last century. - -The first act of the opera opens with the preparations for the marriage -of Amina and Elvino. Lisa, the mistress of the inn, is also in love with -Elvino and jealous of Amina. On the day before the wedding, Rodolfo, the -young lord of the village, arrives to look after his estates, and puts up -at the inn, where he meets Amina. He pays her many pretty compliments, -much to the dissatisfaction of Elvino, who is inclined to quarrel with -him. After Rodolfo retires to his chamber, Amina, who is addicted to -sleep-walking, enters the room and throws herself upon the bed as if it -were her own. She is seen not only by Rodolfo, but also by Lisa, who has -been vainly seeking to captivate him. To escape the embarrassment of the -situation, Rodolfo quietly goes out; but the malicious Lisa hastens to -inform Elvino of what Amina has done, at the same time thoughtlessly -leaving her handkerchief in Rodolfo's room. Elvino rushes to the spot -with other villagers, finds Amina as Lisa had described, denounces her, -and offers himself to the latter. - -In the last act Amina is seen stepping from the window of the mill in her -sleep. She crosses a frail bridge above the mill wheel, descends in -safety, and walks into Elvino's arms amid the jubilant songs of the -villagers. Elvino at last is convinced of her innocence, while the -discovery of Lisa's handkerchief in Rodolfo's room proclaims her the -faithless one. - -The little pastoral story is of the simplest kind, but it is set to music -as melodious as ever has come from an Italian composer, and the rôle of -the heroine has engaged the services of nearly all the great artists of -the nineteenth century from Malibran to Patti. Its most striking melodies -are the aria "Sovra il sen" ("On my Heart your Hand do place"), in the -third scene of the first act, where Amina declares her happiness; the -aria for baritone in the sixth scene, "Vi ravviso" ("I recognize you, -Pleasant Spot"), sung by Rodolfo; the playful duet, "Mai piu dubbi" -("Away with Doubts"), in which Amina chides her lover for his jealousy; -the humorous and characteristic chorus of the villagers in the tenth -scene, "Osservate, l'uscio è aperto" ("Observe, the Door is open"), as -they tiptoe into the chamber; the duet in the next scene, "O mio dolor" -("Oh, my Sorrow"), in which Amina asserts her innocence; the aria for -tenor in the third scene of the second act, "Tutto e sciolto" ("Every Tie -is broken"), in which Elvino bemoans his hard lot; and that joyous -outburst of birdlike melody, "Ah! non giunge" ("Human Thought cannot -conceive"), which closes the opera. - - - - - BENEDICT, SIR JULIUS. - - - - - The Lily of Killarney. - - - [Romantic opera, in three acts; text by Oxenford and Boucicault. First - produced at Covent Garden Theatre, London, February 8, 1862.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Anne Chute, the heiress. - Mrs. Cregan, of the hall at Tore Cregan. - Father Tom, the priest. - Eily O'Connor, the Colleen Bawn. - Hardress Cregan, son of Mrs. Cregan. - Sheelah. - Danny Mann, the boatman. - Myles na Coppaleen. - Corrigan, "the middle-man." - - The scene is laid at Killarney, Ireland; time, last century. - -The opera "The Lily of Killarney" is the musical setting of the drama, -"The Colleen Bawn." The plot is essentially similar, and the characters -are identical. The first act opens with the festivities of Hardress -Cregan's friends at the hall at Tore Cregan. During their temporary -absence to witness a horse-race, Corrigan, "the middle-man," calls upon -Mrs. Cregan and suggests to her the marriage of her son to the heiress, -Anne Chute, as the only chance of securing the payment of a mortgage he -holds upon the place. Failing in this, he expresses his own willingness -to accept Mrs. Cregan's hand, but the hint meets with no favor. At this -point Danny Mann, Hardress' boatman, is heard singing, and Corrigan -informs Mrs. Cregan he is about to take her son to see Eily, the Colleen -Bawn, Anne Chute's peasant rival. Danny and Hardress set off on their -errand, leaving Mrs. Cregan disconsolate and Corrigan exultant. In the -second scene Corrigan and Myles na Coppaleen, the peasant lover of the -Colleen Bawn, have an interview in which Corrigan tells him she is the -mistress of Hardress. The next scene introduces us to Eily's cottage, -where Father Tom is seeking to induce her to persuade Hardress to make -public announcement of his marriage to her. When Hardress appears he asks -her to give up the marriage certificate and conceal their union; but -Myles prevents this, and Father Tom makes Eily promise she will never -surrender it. - -In the second act Hardress is paying court to Anne Chute, but is haunted -by remorse over his desertion of Eily. Danny Mann suggests putting her on -board a vessel and shipping her to America, but Hardress rejects the -scheme. Danny then agrees that Eily shall disappear if he will send his -glove, a token secretly understood between them. This also he rejects. -Meanwhile Corrigan is pressing his alternative upon Mrs. Cregan, but is -interrupted by Hardress, who threatens to kill him if he does not desist. -Corrigan retires uttering threats of revenge. Danny Mann then intimates -to Mrs. Cregan that if she will induce Hardress to send the glove, he can -bring happiness to the family again. She secures the glove and gives it -to Danny, who promptly takes it to Eily with the message that her husband -has sent for her. Eily, in spite of Myles' warnings, gets into Danny's -boat and trusts herself to him. Danny rows out to a water cave, and -ordering her to step upon a rock demands the certificate. She refuses to -give it up, and Danny pushes her into the water. Myles, who uses the cave -for secret purposes, mistakes Danny for another and shoots him, and then, -espying Eily, plunges in and saves her. - -The dénouement of the story is quickly told in the last act. Hardress is -arrested for murder, but Danny, who was fatally wounded, makes a dying -confession of his scheme against the life of the Colleen Bawn. Corrigan -brings soldiers to the house of Anne Chute at the moment of Hardress' -marriage with her, but is thwarted in his revenge when Myles produces -Eily Cregan, Hardress' lawful wife. Mrs. Cregan also confesses her part -in the plot, and absolves her son from intentional guilt. Everything -being cleared up, Eily rushes into Hardress' arms, and the chorus -declares - - "A cloudless day at last will dawn - Upon the hapless Colleen Bawn." - -The music is very elaborate for light-opera purposes, and is written -broadly and effectively, especially for the orchestra. Many Irish -melodies sprinkled through the work relieve its heaviness. The principal -numbers are the serenade and duet, "The Moon has raised her Lamp above"; -Myles' song, "It is a Charming Girl I love"; Eily's song, "In my Wild -Mountain Valley he sought me," and the well-known original Irish melody, -"The Cruiskeen Lawn," also sung by Eily; the "Tally-ho" chorus, -introducing the second act; Danny Mann's recitative and airs, "The -Colleen Bawn" and "Duty? Yes, I'll do my duty"; the dramatic finale to -the second act; Myles' serenade in the third act, "Your Slumbers, och! -Soft as your Glance may be"; Hardress' beautiful song, "Eily Mavourneen, -I see thee before me"; and the fine concerted trio which closes the act. - - - - - BOIELDIEU, FRANÇOIS ADRIEN. - - - - - La Dame Blanche. - - - [Opéra comique, in three acts; text by Scribe. First produced at the - Opéra Comique, Paris, December 10, 1825; first time in English under - the title of "The White Maid" at Covent Garden, London, January 2, - 1827.] - - PERSONAGES. - - George Brown, or Julius of Avenel. - Gaveston, late steward of the Avenel estate. - MacIrton, an auctioneer. - Dikson, an honest farmer. - Anna, adopted child of the Lady of Avenel. - Jenny, wife of Dikson. - Margaret, servant of the late Lady of Avenel. - - [Mountaineers, peasants, etc.] - - The scene is laid in Scotland; time of the Stuarts. - -The story of this favorite opera, adapted from Walter Scott's novels "The -Monastery" and "Guy Mannering," runs as follows. The Laird of Avenel, a -Stuart partisan, upon the eve of going into exile after the battle of -Culloden, entrusts his estate and a considerable treasure concealed in a -statue, called "the White Lady," to Gaveston, his steward. The traditions -affirmed that the White Lady was the protectress of the Avenels, and the -villagers declared they had seen her in the neighborhood. Gaveston, -however, who puts no faith in the legend, announces the sale of the -castle, hoping that the superstition may keep others from bidding and -that he may get it for a low price. The steward decides to sell, because -he has heard the Laird is dead and knows there is no heir. - -Anna, an orphan, who had been befriended by the Laird, determines to -frustrate the designs of Gaveston, and appears in the village disguised -as the White Lady. She writes to Dikson, a farmer who is indebted to her, -to meet her at midnight in the castle of Avenel. His superstitious fears -lead him to decline the invitation, but George Brown, a young British -soldier on furlough, who is sharing the farmer's hospitality, volunteers -in his stead. He encounters the White Lady at the castle, and is informed -by her that he will speedily meet a young lady who has saved his life by -her careful nursing, Anna recognizing him as her recent patient. When the -day of sale comes, George and Anna are present, and the former buys the -castle in obedience to Anna's instructions, though he has not a shilling -to his name. When the time for payment comes, Anna produces the treasure -which had been concealed in the statue, and still in the disguise of the -White Lady reveals to him the secret of his birth during the exile of his -parents, and informs him he is Julius of Avenel. Gaveston approaches the -spectre, and tears off her veil, revealing Anna. Moved by the zeal and -fidelity of his father's ward, George offers her his hand, which after -some maidenly scruples she accepts. - -In the first act the principal numbers are the opening song of George, -"Ah! what Pleasure a Soldier to be"; the characteristic ballad of the -White Lady with choral responses, "Where yon Trees your Eye discovers"; -and the graceful trio in the finale, "Heavens! what do I hear." The -second act opens with a plaintive romanza, "Poor Margaret, spin away," -sung by Margaret, Anna's old nurse, at her spinning-wheel, as she thinks -of the absent Laird, followed in the fifth scene by a beautiful cavatina -for tenor, "Come, O Gentle Lady." In the seventh scene there is a -charming duet, "From these Halls," and the act closes with an ensemble -for seven voices and chorus which is extremely effective. The third act -opens with a sentimental air for Anna, "With what Delight I behold," -followed in the third scene by a stirring chorus of mountaineers, "Hail -to our Gallant, our New-made Lord," and leading up to "The Lay ever sung -by the Clan of Avenel"--set to the familiar melody of "Robin Adair." -Though somewhat old-fashioned, the opera still retains its freshness, and -its refined sentiment finds charming musical expression. - - - - - CELLIER, ALFRED. - - - - - Dorothy. - - - [Comic opera, in three acts; text by Stephenson. First produced at the - Gaiety Theatre, London, September 25, 1886.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Dorothy Bantam, Squire Bantam's daughter. - Lydia Hawthorne, her cousin. - Priscilla Privett, a widow. - Phyllis, Tuppet's daughter. - Geoffrey Wilder, Bantam's nephew. - Harry Sherwood, Wilder's chum. - Squire Bantam, of Chanticleer Hall. - Lurcher, a sheriff's officer. - Tuppet, the village landlord. - Tom Grass, in love with Phyllis. - - [Farm hands, hop-pickers, and ballet.] - - The scene is laid in Kent, England; time, a hundred years ago. - -The story of "Dorothy" is a simple one, but affords much scope for humor. -The first act opens in a hop-field, introducing a chorus and dance of the -hop-pickers. Afterward appears Dorothy, daughter of a wealthy squire, who -is masquerading in a peasant's dress, and while serving the landlord's -customers falls in love with a gentleman whose horse has lost a shoe. Her -cousin, Lydia Hawthorne, who is with her in disguise, also falls in love -with a customer. Each girl gives her lover a ring, and each lover vows he -will never part with it; but that same evening at a ball the faithless -swains give the rings to two fine ladies, who are none other than Dorothy -and Lydia as their proper selves. After they have parted, the two lovers, -Wilder and Sherwood, play the part of burglars and rob Squire Bantam. -Dorothy, disguised in male attire, then challenges her lover, who, though -he accepts, displays arrant cowardice, which leads up to the inevitable -explanations. Incidentally there is much fun growing out of the efforts -of Lurcher, the sheriff's officer, who has followed Wilder and Sherwood -down from London to collect a bill against the former. In the end Wilder -and Sherwood are united to Dorothy and Lydia amid great rejoicing at -Chanticleer Hall. - -The principal numbers are the ballad, "With such a Dainty Dame"; the song -of "The Sheriff's Man" by Lurcher, Wilder, and Sherwood; the quartette -"You swear to be Good," and the jolly chorus "Under the Pump," in the -first act; the introduction and country dance, the bass song by Bantam, -"Contentment I give you," and the ballad, "I stand at your Threshold," -sung by Sherwood, in the second act; and the chorus of old women, -"Dancing is not what it used to be," Phyllis' ballad, "The Time has come -when I must yield" and the septette and chorus, "What Joy untold," -leading up to the elaborate finale of the last act. - - - - - CHASSAIQUE, F. - - - - - Falka. - - - [Comic opera, in three acts; text by Letterier and Vanloo.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Kolbach, military governor of Montgratz. - Tancred, his nephew. - Arthur, student, son of a rich Hungarian farmer. - Lay Brother Pelican, doorkeeper of the convent. - Konrad, captain of the governor's pages. - Tekeli, sergeant of the patrol. - Boboky, gypsy scout. - Boleslas, chief of the gypsies. - The Seneschal, Kolbach's steward. - Falka, niece of Kolbach, at the convent school. - Edwige, sister of Boleslas. - Alexina de Kelkirsch, a young heiress. - Minna, her maid. - Janotha, landlady of the inn. - - [Military pages, soldiers of the watch, maids of honor, peasants, - Bohemians, etc.] - - The scene is laid in Hungary; time, the middle of the eighteenth - century. - -The first act of "Falka" opens with the announcement that Kolbach, the -military governor of Hungary, has been promised a patent of nobility by -the Emperor upon the condition that he can establish the succession with -a male heir, either direct or collateral. He is childless himself, but he -has a niece, Falka, who is in a convent, and a nephew, Tancred, who is -usher in a village school. The brother of Kolbach is dead. His hopes for -the heir rest upon Tancred, whom he has never seen. He summons him to -take a place in his house as the heir presumptive. On his way, Tancred is -captured by a band of gypsies, led by Boleslas, but is released by -Edwige, Boleslas' sister, on condition that he marries her. All this has -happened in the night, and Edwige has not even seen Tancred's face. The -latter, when he learns who Edwige is, flies, and is pursued to the city -where Kolbach lives by Boleslas and Edwige. From a pocket-book he has -dropped they discover he is the nephew of the governor, and plot to -identify him at the meeting, but Tancred, overhearing them, decides to -baffle them by not appearing, and writes to his uncle that he is detained -by illness. In the mean time Falka, the niece, has eloped with a young -man named Arthur. Closely pursued by Brother Pelican, the convent -doorkeeper, the fugitives arrive at the inn where Kolbach and Tancred -were to have met. To foil Brother Pelican, Falka arrays herself in a suit -of Arthur's, and then boldly decides to personate her brother. Kolbach is -easily deceived, but new complications ensue. Brother Pelican, finding -Falka's convent dress, suspects she has disguised herself as a boy and -arrests Arthur for her. Boleslas and Edwige, witnessing the meeting of -Falka and Kolbach, are certain Falka is the missing Tancred. For Falka's -sake Arthur is silent, and the cortège sets out for the castle where the -heir presumptive is to be engaged, by the Emperor's order, to the rich -young Alexina de Kelkirsch. - -In the second act Brother Pelican takes Arthur to the convent in Falka's -dress, and Falka remains in a soldier's uniform to win the consent of her -uncle to their union. Her plans are now disturbed by the arrival of -Tancred, disguised as a footman, to watch his own interests and thwart -the schemes of the young soldier, who he little dreams is his own sister. -He is afraid to reveal himself because he knows Boleslas is on his track. -He contrives that Falka shall be accused of broken vows before Kolbach, -and she is challenged by Boleslas, but escapes by revealing her sex to -Edwige. Arthur, who has been brought back from the convent, confesses the -interchange of dresses with Falka, whereupon Kolbach orders them both out -of his presence. Tancred displays unusual satisfaction, and thus -discloses his identity to Edwige. Thus the act closes with Kolbach's -discovery that Tancred is betrothed to a gypsy and that the pseudo -Tancred is his niece Falka. - -In the last act Kolbach reluctantly prepares for the marriage of Tancred -to Alexina, as the Emperor desires. Falka is shut up in a tower, whence -she is to be sent back to the convent. At this point Boleslas appears -with Edwige. An interview between the two brides leads to the -substitution of Edwige for Alexina, and Tancred marries the gypsy. Falka -escapes from the tower, but is caught and brought before her uncle, who -at last pardons her various follies, all the more willingly because he -has received a despatch from the Emperor that he may adopt her as his -heiress, the succession having been settled in the female line. - -The principal numbers in the first act are the stirring air and refrain, -"I'm the Captain," sung by Edwige, Tancred, and Boleslas, preluded by a -short march movement; a taking little nocturne, "There was no Ray of -Light," sung by Edwige; a rondo duet, "For your Indulgence"; and the long -and elaborate finale, which closes with an octette and full chorus. - -The second act opens with a charming chorus, "Tap, tap," sung by the -maids of honor, followed by couplets, "Perhaps you will excuse." Falka -has a pretty air, "Yon Life it seems," followed by the exit chorus, "Ah! -is she not a Beauty?" This in turn is followed by a characteristic -Bohemian chorus, "Tra-la-la," with a gypsy air, "Cradled upon the -Heather," coming in as a kind of vocal intermezzo. After a long ensemble, -"It was Tancred," a trio, "Oh Joy! oh Rapture!" is sung, in the course of -which there is an ingenious passage burlesquing Italian opera, followed -by a quintette, "His Aspect's not so overpowering," and leading up to an -elaborately concerted finale. - -The last act, though short, contains many brilliant numbers; among them -the bridal chorus, "Rampart and Bastian Gray," followed by a lively -Hungarian rondo and dance, "Catchee, catchee"; a romanza "At Eventide," -which literally passes "from grave to gay, from lively to severe," as it -begins with an andante agitato, changing to an andante religioso, and -ending with a waltz tempo, and repeating with the same abrupt changes; a -charming duo Berceuse, "Slumber, O Sentinel"; and the bell chorus, "There -the Bells go," preceding a short finale. - - - - - DEKOVEN, REGINALD. - - - - - Robin Hood. - - - [Comic opera, in three acts; text by Harry B. Smith. First produced in - Chicago, June 9, 1890.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Robert of Huntington, afterward Robin Hood. - Sheriff of Nottingham. - Sir Guy of Gisborne, his ward. - Little John, } - Will Scarlet, } - Friar Tuck, } - Allan a Dale, } outlaws. - Lady Marian Fitzwalker, afterwards Maid Marian. - Dame Durden, a widow. - Annabel, her daughter. - - [Villagers, milkmaids, outlaws, King's foresters, archers, pedlers, - etc.] - - The scene is laid in England; time of Richard the First. - -The first act of "Robin Hood" opens in the market-place of Nottingham, -where the villagers are holding a fair and at the same time celebrating -May Day with a blithe chorus, for Robin Hood's name is often associated -with that day. The three outlaws Allan a Dale, Little John, and Will -Scarlet, enter, and sing most lustily the praises of their free life in -Sherwood Forest, the villagers joining in chorus. The tantara changes to -a graceful and yet hilarious dance chorus, "A Morris Dance must you -entrance," sung fortissimo. The second number is a characteristic and -lively song by Friar Tuck, in which he offers at auction venison, ale, -and homespun, followed by No. 3, a humorous pastoral, the milkmaid's song -with chorus, "When Chanticleer crowing." This leads up to the entrance of -Robin Hood in a spirited chorus, "Come the Bowmen in Lincoln Green," in -which the free life of the forest is still further extolled. Another and -still more spirited scene introduces Maid Marian, which is followed by an -expressive and graceful duet for Maid Marian and Robin Hood, "Though it -was within this Hour we met," closing in waltz time. This is followed by -the Sheriff's buffo song with chorus, "I am the Merry Sheriff of -Nottingham," and this in turn by a trio introduced by the Sheriff, "When -a Peer makes Love to a Damsel Fair," which, after the entrance of Sir Guy -and his luckless wooing, closes in a gay waltz movement, "Sweetheart, my -own Sweetheart." In the finale Robin Hood demands that the Sheriff shall -proclaim him Earl. The Sheriff declares that by his father's will he has -been disinherited, and that he has the documents to show that before -Robin Hood's birth his father was secretly married to a young peasant -girl, who died when the Earl's first child was born. He further declares -that he reared the child, and that he is Sir Guy, the rightful heir of -Huntington. Maid Marian declares she will suppress the King's command and -not accept Sir Guy's hand, and Robin Hood vows justice shall be done when -the King returns from the Crusades. - -The second act opens with a brisk hunting-chorus, "Oh! cheerily soundeth -the Hunter's Horn," sung by Allan a Dale, Little John, Scarlet, and the -male chorus, in the course of which Scarlet tells the story of the tailor -and the crow, set to a humming accompaniment. This is followed by Little -John's unctuous apostrophe to the nut-brown ale, "And it's will ye quaff -with me, my Lads." The next number is a tinkers' song, "'Tis Merry -Journeymen we are," with characteristic accompaniment, followed by an -elaborate sextette, "Oh, see the Lambkins play." Maid Marian sings a -joyous forest song, "In Greenwood Fair," followed by Robin Hood's -serenade, "A Troubadour sang to his Love," and a quartette in which Maid -Marian declares her love for Robin Hood and Allan a Dale vows revenge. In -the finale, opening in waltz time, the Sheriff is placed in the stocks by -the outlaws, who jeer at him while Dame Durden flouts him, but he is -finally rescued by Sir Guy and his archers. The outlaws in turn find -themselves in trouble, and Maid Marian and Robin Hood are in despair. - -The last act opens with a vigorous armorers' song, "Let Hammer on Anvil -ring," followed by a pretty romance, "The Legend of the Chimes," with a -ding-dong accompaniment. A graceful duet follows, "There will come a -Time," in which Robin Hood and Maid Marian plight their troth. In strong -contrast with this, Annabel, Dame Durden, Sir Guy, the Sheriff, and Friar -Tuck indulge in a vivacious quintette, "When Life seems made of Pains and -Pangs, I sing my Too-ral-loo-ral-loo." A jolly country dance and chorus, -"Happy Day, Happy Day," introduce the finale, in which Maid Marian is -saved by the timely arrival of Robin Hood at the church door with the -King's pardon, leaving him free to marry. - - - - - Maid Marian. - - - [Comic opera, in three acts; text by Harry B. Smith. First produced at - Chestnut Street Opera House, Philadelphia, Pa., November 4, 1901.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Sheriff of Nottingham. - Little John. - Robin Hood. - Will Scarlet. - Friar Tuck. - Allan a Dale. - Guy of Gisborne. - Dame Durden. - Giles, } - Geoffrey, } gamekeepers. - Yussuf, a slave merchant. - Sir H. Vere de Vere, } - Sir Hugh Montford, } Knights of St. George. - Amina, a snake-charmer. - Lady Vivian. - Maid Marian. - - [Huntsmen, men at arms, Saracen warriors, mummers, Crusaders, etc.] - - The scene is laid in England and Palestine; time of Richard the First. - -The story of "Maid Marian" introduces most of the familiar characters in -"Robin Hood" and some new ones, and the scene alternates between Sherwood -Forest and Palestine. It is intended as a sequel to the latter opera. The -plot begins at the point where Maid Marian and Robin Hood were betrothed. -Robin has joined the Crusaders and left Marian on the eve of the wedding. -He also leaves a letter for Marian in Little John's charge, directing her -in case of trouble to apply to him for help. This letter is stolen by the -Sheriff of Nottingham, who substitutes for it a forged missive calculated -to make her believe that Robin is false. The first act closes with the -arrival of Little John and the forest outlaws, who leave for the holy -war. Marian joins them to seek for Robin. - -The second act opens in the camp of the Crusaders, near the city of Acre. -Maid Marian has been captured by the Saracens and sold into slavery, but -is rescued by Robin Hood. Then the Sheriff of Nottingham and Guy of -Gisborne, the latter still intent upon marrying Marian, appear in the -disguise of merchants and betray the camp into the hands of the Saracens. -Dame Durden's encounter with the Sheriff and Friar Tuck's antics as an -odalisque add merriment to the story. - -In the last act all the principals are back in England and the scene -opens with a Christmas revel in Huntington Castle. Robin thwarts all the -schemes of the Sheriff, comes into his rights, and is reunited to Maid -Marian. - -While the story lacks in interest as compared with that of "Robin Hood," -the music gains in dramatic power and seriousness of purpose, and at the -same time is full of life and vivacity. The overture is notable for being -in genuine concert form,--the first instance of the kind in comic opera -for many years past,--and thus naturally sets the pace, as it were, for -the opera, and gives the clew to its musical contents. The most -noticeable numbers in the first act are the Cellarer's Toast, "The Cellar -is dark and the Cellar is deep," a rollicking song for Scarlet, Friar -Tuck, and chorus; the charmingly melodious "Song of the Falcon," "Let one -who will go hunt the Deer," for Maid Marian; the Sheriff's song, "I am -the Sheriff Mild and Good," which is always popular; and a delightful -madrigal, the quintette "Love may come and Love may go." The second act -contains many pleasing and characteristic songs, among them "The Monk and -the Magpie," sung by Scarlet and chorus; the "Song of the Outlaw," a -spirited ballad by Robin Hood; the Sheriff's serenade, a popular tune, -"When a Man is in Love"; "The Snake Charmer's Song," by Maid Marian; and -the vigorous "Song of the Crusader" by Robin; but the two most effective -numbers are a graceful song, "Tell me again, Sweetheart," sung by Allan a -Dale, and the duet in waltz manner, "True Love is not for a Day," by -Robin and Marian. The third act is largely choral, the introductory -Christmas carolling and dance rhythms being especially effective, but it -contains one of the best solo numbers in the work, the dainty song with -chorus, "Under the Mistletoe Bough." The music throughout is dramatic, -strong, and well written. While the opera has not been as popular as its -predecessor, yet the music is of a higher order, and occasionally -approaches grand opera in its breadth and earnestness. - - - - - Rob Roy. - - - [Romantic comic opera, in three acts; text by Harry B. Smith. First - produced at the Herald Square Theatre, New York, October 29, 1894.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Rob Roy MacGregor, Highland chief. - Janet, daughter of the Mayor. - Prince Charles Edward Stuart, the young Pretender. - Flora MacDonald, partisan of the Pretender. - Dugald MacWheeble, Mayor of Perth. - Lochiel, otherwise Donald Cameron. - Capt. Ralph Sheridan, of the Grenadiers. - Sandy MacSherry, town-crier. - Tammas MacSorlie, the Mayor's henchman. - Lieut. Cornwallis, of the Grenadiers. - Lieut. Clinton. - Angus MacAllister. - Duncan Campbell. - Stuart MacPherson. - Donald MacAlpine. - Nellie, barmaid of "The Crown and Thistle." - - [Highlanders, Lowlanders, townsmen, watchmen, drummer-boys, English - Grenadiers, etc.] - - The scene is laid in Scotland; time of George the Second. - -The first act of "Rob Roy" opens in Perth, where Lochiel and his -Highlanders have stolen a considerable sum of money in the keeping of the -Provost, with which they propose to aid Prince Charles Stuart in his -designs upon the English throne. Flora MacDonald, a zealous partisan of -the young Pretender, appears upon the scene, and induces the Provost to -consent to a gathering of the clans in Perth. Hearing of a Scotch -victory, he compels his daughter Janet to marry Sandy MacSherry, the -town-crier, who claims relationship with the Stuarts. In the mean time -English grenadiers enter Perth, and their captain, Ralph Sheridan, falls -in love with Janet. The Provost, who is always on the side that is -uppermost, forces his daughter to declare herself the Captain's wife and -then accuses Sandy of stealing the missing money. Janet obeys him, but -immediately afterwards Rob Roy captures the town, and the Provost, to get -rid of his new English son-in-law, causes his arrest. It now appears that -the crafty Janet when she went through the Scotch form of marriage with -Sandy and the Captain was already secretly married to Rob Roy. To escape -her two nominal husbands she proposes to go with Rob Roy's Highlanders as -his orderly. The act closes with the gathering of the clans and the -elevation of the standard. - -The second act opens with the defeat of the Scotch at Culloden. A reward -is offered for the Prince, who is in hiding among the MacGregors in their -mountain stronghold. The Provost and his henchmen appear as strolling -balladmongers, still in Highland dress, and not having heard of the -Scotch defeat. When Sandy MacSherry arrives with the news of the English -victory, the Provost gets into English uniform at once, and determines to -secure the reward offered for the Prince. At last the Prince is found by -the English, but when they are about to take him away, Flora MacDonald -appears in the Prince's costume, declares him her servant, and is led -away by the soldiers in spite of the efforts of Rob Roy and the Prince to -rescue her. - -The third act opens near Stirling Castle, where Flora is confined under -sentence of death on the morrow. Lochiel aids her to escape, and she goes -to the MacGregors' cave, where the Prince is to join her. Meanwhile, her -cell being empty, Lochiel, who has taken the turnkey's place, puts Sandy -in it. The Provost, who is now an English corporal, supposing that Flora -is still in the castle, brings her a disguise costume in which Sandy -manages to effect his escape. Flora is found in the cave and brought back -to the camp, but is saved from being shot by the timely arrival of the -Prince, who gives himself up. As he is about to be executed, the -Lowlanders around him throw off their coats and stand revealed as armed -Highlanders. They keep the English soldiers at bay while the Prince and -Flora are seen sailing away for France. - -In the first act, after a long choral scene and ensemble, Flora makes her -entrance with the spirited song, "Away in the Morning Early," which is -followed by a sentimental duet with the Prince, "Thou, Dear Heart." The -town-crier next has a characteristic song with a ding-dong accompaniment. -After a grenadier song and chorus by Captain Sheridan and his soldiers, -there is a vigorous Highland chorus and song by Rob Roy, "The White and -the Red, huzzah." The remaining prominent numbers in this act are a -pretty duet for Rob Roy and Janet, "There he is and nae one wi' him"; a -charming Scotch ballad, "My Hame is where the Heather blooms," and a -humorous song by the Provost, "My Hairt is in the Highlands." - -The principal numbers in the second act are Janet's joyous song, "There -was a Merry Miller of the Lowland"; the spirited martial lay of the -Cavalier, "With their trappings all a-jingle"; the jolly song of the -balladmongers, "From Place to Place I fare, Lads"; Rob Roy's song, "Come, -Lairds of the Highlands"; and the effective romanza, "Dearest Heart of my -Heart," sung by Flora. - -The third act opens with a vigorous rataplan chorus followed by a -charming chansonette and duet, "Who can tell me where she dwells," sung -by the Prince and Flora. The remaining numbers are a short but -exceedingly effective bass song, "In the Donjon Deep"; the Provost's -serenade, "The Land of Romances," followed by a dance, and a pretty -little rustic song, "There's a Lass, some think her Bonny," for Rob Roy, -Janet, and chorus, leading up to a vigorous choral finale. - - - - - The Fencing-Master. - - - [Comic opera, in three acts; text by Harry B. Smith. First produced at - the New York Casino, November 14, 1892.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Francesca, Torquato's daughter, brought up as a boy. - Torquato, fencing-master of the Milanese court. - Pasquino, private astrologer to the Duke. - Galeazzo Visconti, Duke of Milan. - Count Guido Malespine. - Filippa, the Duke's ward. - Marchesa di Goldoni. - Theresa, daughter of a Milanese money-lender. - Pietro, an innkeeper. - Michaele Steno, Doge of Venice. - Rinaldo, Captain of the Doge's Guards. - Fortunio, rightful heir to the ducal throne. - - [Students in Torquato's Academy.] - - The scene is laid in Milan and Venice; time, the first quarter of the - fifteenth century. - -The heroine of this opera is Francesca, daughter of a fencing-master, who -has brought her up as a boy and taught her fencing among other -accomplishments. She is in love with Fortunio, rightful heir to the -throne of Milan, who believes her to be a boy. Fortunio in turn is in -love with the Countess Filippa, and the Marchesa di Goldoni, a young -widow, is in love with Francesca. The bankrupt and usurping Duke of Milan -and his private astrologer, of whom he has purchased so many horoscopes -as to deplete his exchequer, furnish the comedy element of the opera. The -Duke has mortgaged one room after another in his palace to money-lenders, -and has also employed a regularly organized stock company of Venetian -bravos to remove Fortunio. The first act closes with the departure of -Fortunio and Francesca to Venice on political business. - -The second act opens in Venice. Filippa has been sent there to be -married, but Fortunio plans an elopement with her and entrusts the secret -to Francesca. The jealous Francesca betrays the plan to Guido, his rival, -who abducts Filippa. When Fortunio discovers what Francesca has done, he -challenges the supposed young man, whose identity is revealed after he -has wounded her. Fortunio is arrested by the Duke and is about to be -taken to prison, when Francesca declares herself as the real traitor and -is imprisoned in his stead. - -In the last act Francesca escapes through the connivance of the Marchesa, -who still believes her to be a man. At a fête Filippa is expected to name -her future husband. Fortunio has made an appointment with her, but meets -Francesca disguised as the Countess, in a mask and domino like hers. She -learns from Fortunio that he really loves her and not Filippa. The opera -closes with the downfall of the usurping Duke and his astrologer and the -restoration of Fortunio to his rights. - -The music has the Italian color, the first act containing a graceful -tarantella and chorus, "Under thy Window I wait"; a duet, gavotte, and -chorus, "Oh, listen, and in Verse I will relate," sung by Theresa and -Pasquino; a lively song, "The Life of a Rover," by Fortunio; a charming -habanera and quintette, "True Love is a Gem so Fair and Rare"; and a -waltz quintette, "Lady Fair, I must decline." The second act opens with a -barcarole, "Over the Moonlit Waves we glide," and contains also a -graceful maranesca, "Oh, come, my Love, the Stars are bright"; a humorous -serenade for the Duke, "Singing a Serenade is no Light Task"; a -sentimental romanza for Francesca, "The Nightingale and the Rose"; and a -brilliant finale in which the music accompanies the historic ceremony of -the marriage with the Adriatic. The principal numbers of the third act -are a graceful carnival scene with chorus opening the act; the serenade -for the Marchesa and cavaliers, "Wild Bird that singeth"; a -will-o'-the-wisp song by Francesca, "Traveller wandering wearily"; and a -melodious duet for Francesca and Fortunio, "Dwells an Image in my Heart," -leading up to a short finale. - - - - - DELIBES, LEO. - - - - - Lakmé. - - - [Romantic opera, in three acts; text by Goudinet and Gille. First - produced at the Opéra Comique, Paris, April 14, 1883; in New York, - March 1, 1886.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Lakmé, daughter of Nilakantha. - Nilakantha, a Brahmin priest. - Gerald, an English officer, lover of Lakmé. - Frederick, an English officer. - Mallika, slave of Lakmé. - Hadji, slave of Lakmé. - Ellen, } - Rose, } daughters of the Viceroy. - Mrs. Benson, their governess. - - [Hindoos, Chinamen, fruit-venders, sailors, etc.] - - The scene is laid in India; time, last century. - -The opera of "Lakmé" opens in the sacred grounds of Nilakantha, a Brahmin -priest who has an aversion to all foreigners, where Gerald and Frederick, -two young English officers, with ladies are strolling about. They -gradually retire with the exception of Gerald, who is curious to see the -owner of some jewels left upon a shrine. Lakmé, the daughter of -Nilakantha, returns for them, espies Gerald, and there is a case of love -at first sight. The priest however interrupts their demonstrations, and -Gerald escapes his vengeance in a convenient thunder-storm. In the second -act Lakmé and Nilakantha appear in the market-place in the guise of -penitents. He forces his daughter to sing, hoping that her voice will -induce her lover to disclose himself. The scheme succeeds, and -Nilakantha, stealing upon Gerald, stabs him in the back and makes good -his escape. The third act opens in a jungle where Lakmé is nursing Gerald -with the hope of retaining his love. She eventually saves his life, but -while she is absent to obtain some water which, according to the Indian -legend, will make love eternal, Frederick finds him and urges him to -return to his regiment. Duty is more powerful than passion, and he -consents. When Lakmé finds that he is going, she takes poison and dies in -Gerald's arms. - -The first act opens with a chorus of Hindoos, oriental in its coloring, -followed by a duet between Lakmé and her father, the scene closing with a -sacred chant. A beautiful duet for Lakmé and her slave follows, "Neath -yon Dome where Jasmines with the Roses are blooming." As Lakmé appears at -the shrine, she sings a restless love song, "Why love I thus to stray?" -followed by Gerald's ardent response, "The God of Truth so Glowing." - -The first number of importance in the second act is the pathetic aria of -Nilakantha, addressed to his daughter, "Lakmé, thy Soft Looks are -over-clouded." Then follows Lakmé's bell song, "Where strays the Hindoo -Maiden," a brilliant and gracefully embellished aria with tinkling -accompaniment which will always be popular. The remaining principal -numbers are an impassioned song by Gerald, "Ah! then 'tis Slumbering -Love," followed by the mysterious response from Lakmé, "In the Forest -near at Hand." - -The music of the third act is tinged with sadness throughout, as the -action hastens to the tragic dénouement. Its principal numbers are the -low murmuring song by Lakmé, "'Neath the Dome of Moon and Star," as she -watches her sleeping lover; Gerald's song, "Tho' Speechless I, my Heart -remembers," followed by a pretty three-part chorus in the distance; and -Lakmé's last dying songs, "To me the Fairest Dream thou'st given," and -"Farewell, the Dream is over." - - - - - DONIZETTI, GAETANO. - - - - - The Daughter of the Regiment. - - - [Opéra comique, in two acts; text by Bayard and St. Georges. First - produced at the Opéra Comique, Paris, February 11, 1840.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Sulpice, an old sergeant. - Tony, a Tyrolean peasant in love with Marie. - Hortensius, secretary of the Marchioness. - Marie, the adopted Daughter of the Regiment. - Marchioness de Berkenfeld. - Duchesse de Crackenthorpe. - - [Villagers, soldiers, gentlemen, guests.] - - The scene is laid in the Tyrol; time, about twelve years after the - Battle of Marengo. - -At the opening of the opera Marie, the heroine, and vivandière in -Napoleon's Twenty-first Regiment, has been saved from falling over a -precipice by Tony, a Tyrolean peasant, and is ever after the object of -his special admiration and, shortly, of his love. She tells the story of -her life, from which it appears that she was adopted as the Daughter of -the Regiment because she was picked up on the field of battle by Sergeant -Sulpice, who found upon her person a letter written by her father to the -Marchioness de Berkenfeld. Tony's reward for his rescue of Marie is his -arrest as a spy, but not before he has declared his love for her. He -easily clears up his record, and the soldiers decide he may have Marie's -hand if he will join them. He gives joyous assent to this proposition, -but his hopes are suddenly dashed to the ground when the Marchioness de -Berkenfeld appears. Sergeant Sulpice delivers the letter to her, after -reading which she claims Marie as her niece, and carries her off amidst -smothered imprecations by the soldiers and especially by Tony upon the -Marchioness. - -In the second act Marie is found in her new home at the castle of -Berkenfeld, and the old sergeant is with her, while she is rehearsing a -romance which she is to sing to a grand company. She and Sulpice suddenly -break out into a rollicking rataplan, and go through military evolutions -to the horror of the Marchioness. While the latter is expostulating with -them, martial music announces the approach of the gallant Twenty-first, -with Tony at their head, for he is now a colonel. He makes another appeal -for Marie's hand, and the appeal is seconded by the soldiers, but the -Marchioness refuses the favor. Tony then proposes an elopement, to which -Marie consents. To thwart this scheme, the Marchioness announces that -early in life she had been secretly married to an army officer of low -rank and that he was Marie's father. Unable to disobey her mother's -wishes, Marie gives up Tony and falls into a melancholy mood. Her sad -plight rouses old associations in the mind of the Marchioness, and she at -last gives her consent to the union. - -The music of the first act is very brilliant, and includes among its best -numbers Marie's opening song, "The Camp was my Birthplace"; the duet with -Sulpice, known the world over as "The Rataplan," stirring and martial in -its character and accompanied by the rattling of drums and the sonorous -strains of the brasses; the spirited "Salute to France"; Marie's song of -the regiment, "All Men confess it"; her pretty duet with Tony, "No longer -can I doubt it"; and her touching adieu to the regiment, "Farewell, a -Long Farewell." - -In the second act the principal numbers are the "Rataplan" (repeated); -Marie's aria, "By the Glitter of Greatness and Riches"; the soldiers' -spirited choral appeal, "We have come our Child to free"; Tony's romance, -"That I might live in her Dear Sight"; and the effective trio, "Once -again, what Delight," leading to the exultant finale. The music of the -opera is light, but exceedingly brilliant, and the leading rôles have -always been esteemed by great artists. That of Marie was a favorite one -with Jenny Lind, Patti, Sontag, and Albani. - - - - - Don Pasquale. - - - [Opera buffa, in three acts; text and music by Donizetti. First - produced at the Theatre des Italiens, Paris, January 4, 1843.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Don Pasquale, an obstinate but kind-hearted bachelor. - Dr. Malatesta, his friend and physician. - Ernesto, Don Pasquale's nephew. - Norina, a young widow. - Notary. - - [Valets, chambermaids, majordomo, dressmaker, etc.] - - The scene is laid in Rome; time, last century. - -The opening of the first act of "Don Pasquale" discloses the Don enraged -with Ernesto, his nephew, because he will not marry to suit him. Dr. -Malatesta, a mutual friend, comes to the help of Ernesto, to whom he is -greatly attached, and contrives a scheme to further his interests. He -urges the Don to marry a lady, pretending she is his (the doctor's) -sister, in reality Norina, with whom Ernesto is in love. Norina is let -into the secret, her part being to consent to the marriage contract and -then so torment Don Pasquale that he will be glad to get rid of her and -even consent to her marriage with Ernesto. - -In the second act Ernesto is found bewailing his fate. The Don enters, -showily arrayed for his wedding. Norina appears with the doctor, and -shyly and reluctantly signs the wedding-contract. As soon as she has -signed it, however, she drops all modesty. The bewildered Ernesto is kept -quiet by signs from the doctor. Norina first refuses all the Don's -demonstrations, and then declares Ernesto shall be her escort. She -summons the servants, and lays out a scheme of housekeeping upon such an -extravagant scale that Don Pasquale declares he will not pay the bills. -She says he shall, as she is now master of the house. - -In the third act Norina continues her annoying antics. She employs the -most expensive milliners and modistes. At length, when he finds that she -is going to the theatre, he forbids it. A quarrel follows. She boxes his -ears, and as she flounces out of the room she purposely drops a letter, -the contents of which add jealousy to his other troubles. At this -juncture Dr. Malatesta comes in and condoles with him. Nothing will -satisfy Don Pasquale, however, except her leaving the house, and finally -he orders her to go, at the same time taxing her with having a lover -concealed on the premises. The doctor pleads with him to let his nephew -marry Norina. When he finds she is really the doctor's sister, he is only -too glad to get out of his troubles by consenting to the marriage of the -young couple and blessing them. - -The principal numbers in the first act are the duet for Ernesto and Don -Pasquale; the scena for Norina, "And in that Look she gave"; and the -charming duet for Norina and the doctor, "What Sport we'll have," closing -the act. The second act opens with the lugubrious aria, "Oh! how at one -Fell Blow," in which Ernesto bewails his sad condition, and also contains -a charming quartette. The gem of the opera is the serenade in the last -act, "How Soft the Air -- in April Night so Fair," better known perhaps -by its Italian title, "Com 'e gentil," which was inserted by Donizetti -after the first performance to strengthen the work and make it more -popular. The serenade has been heard the world over and is a favorite -concert number still. The charm of "Don Pasquale" lies in its humorous -situations and the bright, melodious music which illustrates them. For -brilliant gayety it stands in the front rank of comic operas. - - - - - Linda. - - - [Grand opera, in three acts; text by Rossi. First produced at the - Kärnthnerthor Theatre, Vienna, May 19, 1842.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Linda, daughter of Antonio. - Pierotto, a villager. - Antonio, a farmer. - Madalina, his wife. - Marquis of Boisfleury. - Carlo, the Marquis' son. - Prefect. - - [Villagers, Savoyards, etc.] - - The scene is laid in Switzerland; time, last century. - -The first act of "Linda de Chamouni" opens in the valley of that name, -and discloses the home of Antonio Lonstolat, a farmer, and his old wife, -Madalina, whose only daughter, Linda, is in love with Carlo, a young -painter who has recently come into the valley. Misfortunes have overtaken -the old couple, and they are in danger of losing their farm, which is -owned by the Marchioness de Sirval. Their anxiety is temporarily relieved -when the Marquis of Boisfleury visits them and assures them he will save -the farm, his real purpose being to effect the ruin of Linda by -ingratiating himself with her parents. The Prefect of the village, -however, is aware of his designs, and induces them to let Linda accompany -a party of villagers to Paris, promising at the same time to place her -with his brother, who is supposed to be living in that city. She soon -leaves under the protection of Pierotto, the Savoyard. - -The second act discloses them on the way to Paris, but Linda -unfortunately loses her companion. Upon reaching Paris she finds that the -Prefect's brother is dead. Meanwhile Carlo, who has followed her, -arrives, and reveals to her that he is the Viscount Sirval, son of the -Marchioness, and nephew of the Marquis. He renews his offer of marriage, -and places her in a handsome apartment. In these questionable -surroundings Pierotto discovers her. Her father, who has had to give up -the farm, also finds her, and, distrusting her innocence amid such -luxury, curses her. The Marchioness meanwhile, who has learned of her -son's attachment, threatens to imprison Linda if he does not marry the -lady she has selected for him. He gives his feigned consent, and Linda, -thinking he has deserted her, goes insane. - -In the last act Pierotto takes her back to her native village. Carlo -arrives there in search of her, and finding her with Pierotto sings to -her, hoping she will recognize his voice and that her reason may return. -The song has the desired effect. Subsequently the Marchioness relents, -gives her consent to their union, and all ends happily. - -The music of "Linda" is of that serious and dignified kind which -justifies its inclusion in the list of grand operas. In the first act the -opening aria of Antonio, "We were both in this Valley nurtured," is a -touching expression of the sorrow of the aged couple. Linda's farewell, -"Oh, Stars that guide my Fervent Love," familiar on the concert stage by -its Italian title, "O, luce di quest' anima," is an aria of strong -dramatic power, and has always been a popular favorite. In this act also -are Pierotto's pathetic ballad, "Once a Better Fortune seeking," and the -passionate duet for Linda and Carlo, "Oh that the Blessed Day were come." -The principal numbers in the second act are the brilliant duet for Linda -and Pierotto, "Oh, Linda, at thy Happy Fate," which is highly -embellished, and the aria for Linda, "Ah! go, my Love." The last act -contains a mournful aria by Carlo, "If from Heaven the Bolts should reach -me"; his charming song in which he appeals to Linda, "Hear the voice -that, softly singing"; and the rapturous duet for Linda and Carlo, "Ah! -the Vision of thy Sorrow fades," which closes the opera. - - - - - The Elixir of Love. - - - [Opera buffa, in two acts; text by Romani. First produced in Milan in - 1832; in English at Drury Lane Theatre, London, in 1839.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Nemorino, a young husbandman. - Sergeant Belcore. - Dr. Dulcamara, a travelling quack. - Landlord. - Notary. - Pietro, peasant. - Adina, a country girl. - Gianetta, } - Floretta, } her companions. - - [Farmers, peasants, soldiers, villagers, etc.] - - The scene is laid in an Italian village; time, last century. - -Few more graceful little operas have been written than "The Elixir of -Love." Its heroine, Adina, a capricious country girl, is loved by -Nemorino, a farmer, whose uncle lies at the point of death, also by -Belcore, a sergeant, whose troops are billeted upon the neighboring -village. Adina has both her lovers in suspense when Dr. Dulcamara, a -quack, arrives in the village to sell his nostrums. Nemorino applies to -him for a bottle of the Elixir of Love, and receives from him a bottle of -ordinary wine with the assurance that if he drinks of it he can command -the love of any one on the morrow. To make sure of its agreeable -properties, he drinks the whole of it with the result that he accosts -Adina in a half-tipsy condition, and so disgusts her that she promises to -marry the sergeant in a week. In the mean time an order comes for the -departure of the troops, and the sergeant presses her to marry him that -day. - -Adina gives her consent, and the second act opens with the assembling of -the villagers to witness the signing of the marriage contract. While the -principals and notary retire for the signing, Nemorino enters, and -finding Dr. Dulcamara begs of him some charm that will make Adina love -him; but as he has no money the quack refuses to assist him. Nemorino is -in despair, but at this juncture the sergeant enters out of humor, as the -capricious Adina has refused to sign until evening. Finding that Nemorino -needs money, he urges him to enlist, and for the sake of the bonus of -twenty crowns he consents. Nemorino hastens with the money to the quack, -and obtains a second bottle of elixir which is much more powerful than -the first. The girls of the village somehow have discovered that -Nemorino's uncle has died and left him a handsome property, of which good -fortune, however, Nemorino is ignorant. They use all their charms to -attract his favor. Nemorino attributes his sudden popularity to the -elixir, and even the quack himself is surprised at the remarkable change -in his customer. Nemorino now pays Adina off in kind by making her -jealous. Dr. Dulcamara comes to her assistance, seeing an opportunity for -the sale of more elixir. He explains its properties to her, tells her of -Nemorino's attachment, and advises her to try some of it. Struck with his -devotion, she announces another change of mind to the sergeant, and -bestows her hand upon the faithful Nemorino. - -The opera abounds with bright and gay musical numbers, the most -attractive of which are the long and characteristic buffo song, "Give Ear -now, ye Rustic Ones," in which Dr. Dulcamara describes his various -nostrums to the villagers; the charmingly humorous duet, "Much obliged," -for Nemorino and Dr. Dulcamara; and the ensemble, "The Wine-cup full -teeming," in which the half-tipsy Nemorino appears in the finale of the -first act. The prominent numbers of the second act are the beautiful -duet, "What Affection and oh, how cruel," for Adina and Dr. Dulcamara; -the beautiful romanza for Nemorino, "In her Dark Eye embathed there -stood" ("Una furtiva lacrima"), which is of world-wide popularity; and -Adina's gracefully melodious aria, "So much Joy is more than my Heart can -contain." - - - - - EICHBERG, JULIUS. - - - - - The Doctor of Alcantara. - - - [Comic operetta, in two acts; text by Wolfe. First produced at the - Museum, Boston, Mass., April 7, 1862.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Dr. Paracelsus. - Señor Balthazar. - Carlos, his son. - Perez, } - Sancho, } porters. - Don Pomposo, alguazil. - Donna Lucrezia, wife of Dr. Paracelsus. - Isabella, her daughter. - Inez, her maid. - - [Serenaders, citizens, etc.] - - The scene is laid in Alcantara, Spain; time, last century. - -The first act of this operetta opens with a dainty serenade by Carlos, -son of Señor Balthazar, to Señorita Isabella, daughter of Dr. Paracelsus, -with whom he is in love. Isabella, who is intended for another by her -mother, Donna Lucrezia, prefers this unknown serenader. As the song -closes, Isabella, Lucrezia, and even the maid Inez claim it as a -compliment, and quarrel over it in an effective buffo trio, "You Saucy -Jade." Three songs follow this number,--"Beneath the Gloomy Convent -Wall," "When a Lover is Poor," and "There was a Knight, as I've been -told," in which the three women recite their unfortunate love affairs. As -their songs close, the doctor enters with the announcement that a basket -has arrived, ostensibly for Inez. The curious Lucrezia looks into it, and -finds Carlos, who immediately jumps out and sings a passionate love-song, -"I love, I love," which the infatuated Lucrezia takes to herself. The -love scene is interrupted by a sudden noise, and in alarm she hurries -Carlos back into the basket and flies. Carlos in the mean time gets out -again and fills it with books. The doctor and Inez enter, and to conceal -the receipt of the basket from Lucrezia, as she might be angry with the -maid, they remove it to a balcony, whence by accident it tumbles into the -river. Their terror when they learn that a man was concealed in it makes -an amusing scene, and this is heightened by the entrance of the Alguazil, -who announces himself in a pompous bass song, "I'm Don Hypolito Lopez -Pomposo," and inquires into the supposed murder. - -In the second act the situation becomes still further complicated when -the doctor and Inez find Carlos in the house. Convinced that he is a -detective, they seek to conciliate him by offering him wine, but by -mistake give him a narcotic draught which the doctor had mixed for one of -his patients. Carlos falls insensible, and thinking him dead, they hide -him under a sofa. Meanwhile Señor Balthazar, the father of the youth whom -Isabella supposes she is to be forced to marry, and who turns out to be -Carlos, arrives to pass the night. As they have no bed for him, he sleeps -upon the sofa over the supposed corpse of his own son. A quartette, -"Good-night, Señor Balthazar," follows, which is full of humor, mingled -with ghostly terror, and grotesque in its effect, especially in the -accompaniment. Daylight, however, dispels the illusion, and a happy -dénouement is reached in the finale, "Hope, ever Smiling," which is quite -brilliant in character. The operetta is very amusing in its situations, -the songs are pretty and tuneful, and the concerted music is particularly -effective. - - - - - FLOTOW, FRIEDRICH VON. - - - - - Martha. - - - [Opéra comique, in three acts; text by St. Georges. First produced in - Vienna, November 25, 1847.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Plunkett, a wealthy young farmer. - Lionel, his adopted brother, afterwards Earl of Derby. - Lord Tristan Mickleford, Lady Henrietta's cousin. - Sheriff of Richmond, footman to Lady Henrietta. - Lady Henrietta, Maid of Honor to the Queen. - Nancy, her waiting-maid. - Molly Pitt, } - Polly Smith, } - Betsy Witt, } servants. - - [Farmers, farmers' wives, servants, ladies, hunters, huntresses, and - footmen.] - - The scene is laid in Richmond, England; time of Queen Anne. - -The first act of "Martha," unquestionably the most popular of all light -operas, opens during the progress of the servants' fair at Richmond, -whither Lady Henrietta, maid of honor to the Queen, accompanied by Nancy, -her maid, and Sir Tristan, her aged cousin and admirer, tired of court -life, have resorted in the disguise of servants. In the first three -scenes they arrange their masquerade. Sir Tristan, much to his disgust, -is to be known as John, and Lady Henrietta as Martha. The first number is -a duet for the two ladies, "Of the Knights so Brave and Charming," -followed by an animated trio with Sir Tristan, in dance time. The fourth -scene is laid in the market-place, in which appear Plunkett, a wealthy -farmer, and Lionel, his adopted brother. The parentage of the latter is -unknown, but he has a souvenir from his father in the form of a ring -which he is to present to the Queen whenever he shall find himself in -trouble. Lionel tells his story in a tenor aria, "Lost, proscribed, a -Humble Stranger," which has been a favorite song the world over for -years. The two have come to the fair to engage servants for the year, who -are bound over by the sheriff. Plunkett and Lionel meet Martha and Nancy, -and are so delighted with their looks that they tender the customary -bonus which secures them. They accept it as a joke, but find that it is a -serious matter when the young farmers drive off with them, leaving Sir -Tristan in despair. - -The second act opens in Plunkett's farmhouse. After having learned their -names, Plunkett attempts to find out what they can do, and tests them -first at the spinning-wheel, which leads up to the delightful spinning -quartette, "When the Foot the Wheel turns lightly." It does not take the -brothers long to find out that they have engaged servants who are more -ornamental than useful, but they decide to keep them. Nancy in a pet -kicks her wheel over and runs off, followed by Plunkett, leaving Lionel -alone with Martha. He at once falls in love with her, snatches a rose -from her bosom, and refuses to return it unless she will sing. She -replies with the familiar song, "The Last Rose of Summer," interpolated -by Flotow, and made still more effective by introducing the tenor in the -refrain. He asks for her hand, but she makes sport of him. In the mean -time Plunkett and Nancy return, and a beautiful Good-night quartette -follows, "Midnight Sounds." The brothers then retire, and Martha and -Nancy, aided by Sir Tristan, make their escape. The next scene opens in -the woods where farmers are carousing; among them Plunkett, who sings a -rollicking drinking-song, "I want to ask you." The revel is interrupted -by a hunting-party of court ladies, headed by the Queen. Martha and Nancy -are among them, and are recognized by Plunkett and Lionel, but they are -not recognized in turn. Plunkett attempts to seize Nancy, but the -huntresses drive him off, leaving Lionel and Lady Henrietta alone. The -scene is one of the most effective in the opera, and contains a beautiful -tenor solo, "Like a Dream Bright and Fair"--better known perhaps by its -Italian title, "M'appari," and a romance for soprano, "Here in Deepest -Forest Shadows," the act closing with a finely concerted quintette and -chorus. The despairing Lionel bethinks him of his ring, gives it to -Plunkett, and asks him to show it to the Queen. It proves that he is the -only son of the late Earl of Derby, and his estate, of which he has been -unjustly deprived, is restored to him. - -The opera reaches its musical climax in the second act. The third is -mainly devoted to the dénouement. The Lady Henrietta, who has really been -seriously in love with Lionel, is united to him, and it hardly needs to -be added that Nancy and Plunkett go and do likewise. - - - - - Stradella. - - - [Romantic opera, in three acts; text by Deschamps and Pacini. First - produced as a lyric drama at the Palais Royal Theatre, Paris, in 1837; - rewritten and produced in its present form, at Hamburg, December 30, - 1844.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Alessandro Stradella, a famous singer. - Bassi, a rich Venetian. - Leonora, his ward. - Barbarino, } - Malvolio, } bandits. - - [Pupils of Stradella, masqueraders, guards, and people of the Romagna.] - - The scene is laid in Venice and Rome; time, the year 1769. - -The story of the opera follows in the main the familiar historical, and -probably apochryphal, narrative of the experiences of the Italian -musician, Alessandro Stradella, varying from it only in the dénouement. -Stradella wins the hand of Leonora, the fair ward of the wealthy Venetian -merchant, Bassi, who is also in love with her. They fly to Rome and are -married, but in the mean time are pursued by two bravos, Barbarino and -Malvolio, who have been employed by Bassi to make way with Stradella. -They track him to his house, and while the bridal party are absent, they -enter in company with Bassi and conceal themselves. Not being able to -accomplish their purpose on this occasion, they secure admission a second -time, disguised as pilgrims, and are kindly received by Stradella. In the -next scene, while Stradella, Leonora, and the two bravos are singing the -praises of their native Italy, pilgrims on their way to the shrine of the -Virgin are heard singing outside, and Leonora and Stradella go out to -greet them. The bravos are so touched by Stradella's singing that they -hesitate in their purpose. Bassi upbraids them, and finally, upon -receiving an additional sum of money, they agree to execute his designs, -and conceal themselves. When Stradella returns and rehearses a hymn to -the Virgin which he is to sing on the morrow, they are so affected that -they emerge from their hiding-place, confess the object of their visit, -and implore his forgiveness. Explanations follow, a reconciliation is -effected, and the lovers are made happy. This dénouement differs from -that of the historical version, in which both lovers are killed. - -The principal numbers are Stradella's serenade, "Hark! Dearest, hark"; -the following nocturne, "Through the Valleys"; the brilliant carnival -chorus, "Joyous ringing, Pleasure singing," in the first act: the aria of -Leonora in her chamber, "Be Witness to my Fond Heart's Dreaming," the -rollicking drinking-song of the two bravos, "Quick, let us drink," and -the bandit ballad, "Within Lofty Mountains," sung by Stradella, in the -second act; and an exquisite terzetto, "Tell me, then, Friend Barbarino," -sung by Bassi and the two bravos when they hesitate to perform their -work; and Stradella's lovely hymn to the Virgin, "Virgin Maria, humbly -adoring," in the third act. - - - - - GENÉE, RICHARD. - - - - - Nanon. - - - [Opéra comique, in three acts; text by Zell. First produced in Vienna - in 1877.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Marquis de Marsillac. - Hector, his nephew. - Marquis d' Aubigné, King's chamberlain. - Bombardine, his henchman. - Louis XIV. - Mons. l'Abbé. - Nanon, mistress of the Golden Lamb. - Ninon de l'Enclos, a famous beauty. - Mme. de Frontenac, } - Countess Houliers, } Ninon's friends. - Gaston. - Mme. de Maintenon, King's mistress. - - [Country relatives, peasants, soldiers, courtiers, ladies, etc.] - - The scene is laid in Paris; time of Louis the Fourteenth. - -The first act opens at the inn of the Golden Lamb, near the gates of -Paris, kept by Nanon, who has become so famous for her wit and beauty -that the Marquis de Marsillac, director of the Royal Theatre, takes his -nephew Hector there to see her. Thither also goes Ninon de l'Enclos, -the famous beauty, to get a sight of Nanon, who, she suspects, has -attracted the attentions of her own lover, the Marquis d'Aubigné. She is -told that Nanon is to be married to Grignan, the drummer, and returns to -the city with her suspicions allayed. Grignan, however, is in reality the -Marquis, who, in the disguise of a drummer, intends to abduct Nanon. -After a serenade to her she surprises him with a proposal of marriage; -but when everything is ready for the ceremony, the Marquis secures his -own arrest by his Colonel on account of a duel. While grieving over the -arrest, Nanon receives a ring and some friendly assurances from Gaston, -the page of Ninon de l'Enclos, and thereupon turns to her for help in -rescuing the supposed Grignan from death, which is the penalty for -duelling. - -The second act opens in Ninon's salon. Marsillac, his nephew, and an -Abbé, who is one of Ninon's lovers and confessor of Mme. de Maintenon, -are present at a ball, likewise D'Aubigné, who is reproached by Ninon for -having remained away so long and forgotten her birthday. To escape -embarrassment he sings to her the same serenade he had sung to Nanon. -Shortly afterwards Nanon arrives to seek Ninon's aid in saving Grignan. -In the mean time D'Aubigné, jealous of Hector, because he pays court both -to Nanon and Ninon, challenges him, and they hurry into the latter's -garden and settle their quarrel with the sword. During their absence -Marsillac, who has noted Grignan's serenade, also sings it, accompanied -by the musicians of the court chapel, but is only laughed at for his -trouble. When D'Aubigné returns from the duel, he is asked to clear up -the mystery of this song; but before he can do so the guard, who has seen -the duel, enters and arrests Hector, who has been wounded and refuses to -give the name of his opponent. - -The third act opens in the private chapel of Mme. de Maintenon, where the -Abbé sings to her the same serenade in the form of a hymn. Marsillac -appears to ask for Hector's pardon, and receives it when it appears that -D'Aubigné was the challenging party. D'Aubigné thereupon congratulates -her upon her birthday with the serenade, and Marsillac repeats it. Ninon -and Nanon next appear to intercede for their lovers, D'Aubigné and -Grignan. The King presents Nanon with the life of Grignan, and she in -turn, recognizing Grignan, presents the pardon to Ninon. Touched by her -generosity, Grignan offers Nanon his hand, and Mme. de Maintenon, who is -somewhat uneasy at the King's evident admiration for Nanon, gives her -consent and she is made Marquise d'Aubigné. - -The music of "Nanon" is gay and brilliant throughout. The principal -numbers are the serenade, a minstrel's song, as it is usually designated, -"Ah! what a Joyful Day is this; I am so Full of Glee," which is heard in -various forms in all three acts; the opening drinking-choruses; Nanon's -ballad, "Once before this Tavern straying"; the jolly chorus of the -country relatives, "Here we come in Troops of Dozens, Uncles, Nephews, -Aunts, and Cousins"; Gaston's ballad, "All that Frenchmen now will heed"; -Hector's song, "Young appearing," in the second act; and the lively -concerted finale of the last act. - - - - - GOUNOD, CHARLES. - - - - - Mirella. - - - [Pastoral opera, in three acts; text by Carré. First produced at the - Théâtre Lyrique, Paris, March 19, 1864.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Mirella, daughter of Raimondo. - Tavena, a fortune-teller. - Andreluno, a shepherd boy. - Vincenzina, sister of Vincenzo. - Clemenza, a peasant girl. - Vincenzo, lover of Mirella. - Urias, his rival. - Raimondo, a wealthy farmer. - Ambrogio, father of Vincenzo. - - [Villagers, citizens, etc.] - - The scene is laid in Provence; time, the last century. - -The opera of "Mirella," in France known as "Mireille," is founded upon -the "Mireio" of Mistral, the Provençal poet, and was originally written -in five acts. Subsequently it was reduced to three acts and a waltz was -added to the finale. Though one of the lighter of Gounod's operas, and -not very strong dramatically, it has great lyric beauty. The first scene -opens in a mulberry grove. Mirella is rallied by the girls upon her love -for Vincenzo, the basket-maker, and is also warned by Tavena, the -fortune-teller, against yielding to her attachment, as she foresees that -Raimondo, Mirella's father, will never consent to the union. When she -meets her lover, however, they renew their pledges and arrange, if their -plans are thwarted, to meet at the Chapel of the Virgin. - -The second act opens with a merry-making at Arles. Tavena informs Mirella -that Vincenzo has a rival in Urias, a wild herdsman, who has asked her -hand of her father. Mirella however repulses him when he brings the -father's consent. Ambrogio, Vincenzo's father, and his daughter, -Vincenzina, intercede with Raimondo in Vincenzo's behalf, but in vain. -Mirella, who has overheard them, declares to her father her irrevocable -attachment for Vincenzo, which throws him into such a rage that he is -about to strike her. She is saved from the blow by appealing to the -memory of her mother. - -The last act opens upon a desolate sunburned plain. Mirella appears -toiling across the hot sands to keep her appointment with her lover at -the Chapel of the Virgin, accompanied by Andreluno, the shepherd boy, -singing to the accompaniment of his pipe. Tavena meets them, and assures -Mirella that Vincenzo will keep his appointment, and then returns to -Arles to plead with the father in Mirella's behalf. The poor girl arrives -at the chapel nearly prostrated with the burning heat. Vincenzo soon -appears, and is shortly followed by Raimondo, who is so affected by the -pitiable condition of his daughter, that he gives his consent to their -union. A biographer of Gounod has condensed the story of the opera into -these few words: "A rich young girl, a poor young man, an ill-fated love; -and death of the young girl by sunstroke." In the revised version the -dénouement is happy instead of tragic. - -The first act opens with the pretty and graceful pastoral chorus of the -maidens under the mulberry-trees, "Sing, Happy Maidens, as we gather." -The second act also opens with an equally graceful chorus and farandole, -"The Gay Farandole never fails to delight," followed by a beautiful -Provençal folk song, "Evening is Sweet with Summer Flowers," which is -full of local color. Tavena sings a quaint fortune-teller's roundelay, -"'Tis the Season of the Year," and in the next scene Mirella has a number -of rare beauty, "The Frowns of Fortune I fear no longer," in which she -declares her unalterable love for Vincenzo. The finale of this act with -its vigorous aria for Mirella, "At your Feet, behold, I remain," is the -only really dramatic episode in the opera. The third act opens with the -quaint little song of Andreluno with oboe accompaniment, "The Day -awakes," and also contains a plaintive song for tenor, "Angels of -Paradise." It closes with a waltz song, "Gentle Bird of the Morning," -which is most lavishly embellished and ends the quiet, naïve, little -pastoral opera with a brilliant vocal pyrotechnical display. - - - - - HUMPERDINCK, ENGELBERT. - - - - - Hansel and Gretel. - - - [Fairy opera, in three acts; text by Wette. First produced, in Germany - in 1894.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Peter, a broom-maker. - Gertrude, his wife. - Witch. - Hansel. - Gretel. - Sandman, the sleep fairy. - Dewman, the dawn fairy. - - [Angels, witches, and fairies.] - - The scene is laid in a German forest; time, the present. - -The story of "Hansel and Gretel" is based upon one of Grimm's fairy -tales. The first act opens at the house of Peter, the broom-maker, who -with his wife is away seeking food. The children, Hansel and Gretel, have -been left with injunctions to knit and make brooms. Instead of working -they indulge in a childish romp, which is interrupted by the mother, who -has returned. In her anger she upsets a pitcher of milk, which was the -only hope of supper in the house. Thereupon she sends them into the -forest, and bids them not to come home until they have filled their -basket with strawberries. When Peter returns he brings provisions with -him, but breaks out in a fit of rage when he is informed the children -have been sent away, telling his wife of the witch who haunts the woods, -entices children to her honey-cake house, bakes them into gingerbread, -and devours them. - -The second act opens with a characteristic instrumental number, "The -Witches' Ride." The children are disclosed near the Ilsenstein, making -garlands and mocking the cuckoos in a beautiful duet with echo -accompaniment. At last they realize that they are lost, and their -distress is heightened by strange sights and sounds. In the midst of -their trouble the Sandman approaches, strews sand in their eyes, and -sings them to sleep with a charming lullaby, after they have recited -their prayer, "When at Night I go to sleep, Fourteen Angels Watch do -keep." As they go to sleep, the fourteen angels come down and surround -them, while other angels perform a stately dance. - -The third act is called "The Witch's House." The angels have disappeared, -and the Dawn Fairy wakens the children, singing a delightful song, "I'm -up with Early Dawning." Gretel wakes first, and rouses Hansel by tickling -him with a leaf, accompanying the act with a tickling song. When fairly -aroused, they discover the witch's house, with an oven on one side and a -cage on the other. The house is made of sweets and creams. Enticed by its -sweetness, the hungry children break off fragments, and are surprised at -their work by the old witch within. She comes out, and, after a series of -invocations, accompanied with characteristic music, prepares to bake -Gretel in the oven; but while she is looking into it the children push -her into the fire. Then they dance a witch waltz, and meanwhile the oven -falls into bits. Swarms of children rush round them, released from their -gingerbread disguise, and sing a song of gratitude as two of the boys -drag out the witch from the ruins in the form of a big cake. The father -and mother at last find the children, and all join in the pious little -hymn, "When past bearing is our Grief, God, the Lord, will send Relief." -It is only a little child's tale, but it is accompanied by music of the -highest order, and built up on the same plan of motives which Wagner has -used in his imposing Nibelung Trilogy. - - - - - JAKOBOWSKI, EDWARD. - - - - - Erminie. - - - [Musical comedy, in two acts; text by Bellamy and Paulton. First - produced at the Comedy Theatre, London, November 9, 1885; in New York - at the Casino, March 10, 1886.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Marquis de Pontvert. - Eugene Marcel, the Marquis' secretary. - Vicomte de Brissac. - Delaunay, a young officer. - Dufois, landlord of the Golden Lion. - Chevalier de Brabazon, guest of the Marquis. - Ravannes, } - Cadeaux, } two thieves. - Cerise Marcel, Erminie's companion. - Javatte, Erminie's maid. - Princesse de Gramponeur. - Erminie de Pontvert. - - [Soldiers, peasantry, guards, waiters, etc.] - - The scene is laid in France; time, the last century. - -The story of "Erminie" is based upon the old melodrama "Robert Macaire," -the two vagabonds, Ravannes and Cadeaux, taking the places of the two -murderers, Macaire and Jacques Strop. Few melodramas were more popular in -their day than "Robert Macaire," in which Lemaitre, the great French -actor, made one of his most conspicuous successes. It is also true that -few musical comedies have been more successful than "Erminie." At the -opening of the opera, a gallant on the way to his betrothal with a young -lady whom he has never seen is attacked by two thieves, Ravannes and -Cadeaux, who carry off his wardrobe and tie him to a tree. Later, -Ravannes arrives in the midst of the betrothal festivities, and passes -himself off as the expected guest. He introduces Cadeaux as a nobleman, -and explains their lack of proper attire with the statement that they had -been robbed while on the way there. Erminie has an affection for Eugene, -her father's secretary, and none for the man who claims to be a suitor -for her hand. Ernst, who was the real victim of the robbery, and who is -in love with Cerise, escapes from the predicament in which the two -thieves placed him, and arrives in time for the festivities, to find -himself denounced by Ravannes as the highwayman who had attacked them -earlier in the day. Ravannes, by assuming great magnanimity and a certain -nobility of conduct, and by his proffers of help to Erminie in securing -the man she loves in return for her assistance in his plans, of which she -of course is ignorant, so ingratiates himself in her confidence that he -nearly succeeds in robbing the house. In the end, however, the two -vagabonds are unmasked. Eugene obtains the hand of Erminie, and Ernst and -Cerise are equally fortunate. - -The music of "Erminie" is light and graceful throughout. Its principal -numbers are Erminie's song, "Ah! when Love is Young"; the duet for Eugene -and Erminie, "Past and Future"; the Marquis' stirring martial song, "Dull -is the Life of the Soldier in Peace"; the rollicking thieves' duet, -"We're a Philanthropic Couple, be it known"; Erminie's pretty dream song, -"At Midnight on my Pillow lying," and the lullaby "Dear Mother, in Dreams -I see her," which is the gem of the opera; the song and whistling chorus, -"What the Dicky Birds say"; the vocal gavotte, "Join in Pleasures, dance -a Measure"; and the concerted piece, "Good-night," which leads up to the -close of the last act. - - - - - LECOCQ, CHARLES. - - - - - Giroflé-Girofla. - - - [Opera bouffe, in three acts; text by Vanloo and Aterrier. First - produced at the Thèâtre des Fantasies Parisiennes, Brussels, March 21, - 1874; in Paris, November 11, 1874; in New York at the Park Theatre, - 1875.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Don Bolero d'Alcarazas, a Spanish grandee. - Marasquin, banker. - Mourzook, a Moorish chief. - Giroflé, } - Girofla, } Don Bolero's twin daughters. - Aurore, their mother. - Pedro, the page. - Paquita. - Pirate Chief. - Godfather. - Godmother. - Fernand. - Guzman. - - [Cousins, bridesmaids, pages, pirates, Moors, etc.] - - The scene is laid in Spain; time, the last century. - -The opening scene of "Giroflé-Girofla" which, with "La Fille de Madame -Angot," made the reputation of Lecocq as an opera-bouffe composer, -introduces Don Bolero d'Alcarazas, a Spanish grandee, and Aurore, his -wife, also their twin daughters, Giroflé and Girofla, who, being of -marriageble age, have been hastily betrothed, Giroflé to Marasquin, a -banker to whom Don Bolero is heavily indebted, and Girofla to Mourzook, a -Moorish chief who has made regular demands upon Don Bolero for money on -penalty of death. By the double marriage he expects to get rid of his -obligations on the one hand and avoid the payment of the enforced tribute -on the other. Giroflé is married as arranged, but Girofla, who was to -have been married the same day, is abducted by pirates before the -ceremony can be performed. When Mourzook arrives and finds he has no -bride, he is in a terrible rage, but is quieted down when, after a little -manoeuvring by Aurore, Giroflé is passed off on him as Girofla and is -thus to be married a second time. - -In the second act the wedding festivities are going on and both -bridegrooms are clamoring for their brides. No word is heard from Admiral -Matamoras, who has been sent to capture the pirates. Don Bolero and -Aurore resort to all kinds of expedients to settle matters and pacify the -irate banker and the furious Moor, and besides have much trouble in -restraining Giroflé from flying to her Marasquin. At last she is locked -up. She manages to get out, however, and goes off with some of her -cousins for a revel. Her absence is explained by a report that the -pirates have carried her off also, which adds to the parents' perplexity -as well as to the fury of Marasquin and Mourzook. At last Giroflé appears -in a tipsy condition and is claimed by both. The act closes with the -report that Matamoras has been defeated, and that the pirates have -carried Girofla to Constantinople. - -The third act opens on the following morning. The two would-be husbands -have been locked into their apartments. Marasquin has passed a quiet -night, but Mourzook has smashed the furniture and escaped through the -window from his chamber. The parents assure Marasquin that even if -Mourzook returns he will have to leave that afternoon, and suggest that -there can be no harm in letting him have Giroflé for his wife until that -time. Marasquin reluctantly consents, and when Mourzook returns and -Giroflé is presented to him as Girofla, a ridiculous love scene occurs, -which Marasquin contrives to interrupt by various devices. Finally the -return of Girofla is announced, and Matamoras with his sailors appears, -leading her by the hand. Explanations are made all round, the parents are -forgiven, and Mourzook is satisfied. - -The music is lively throughout and oftentimes brilliant, and of a higher -standard than usually characterizes opera bouffe. The most taking numbers -are the ballad with pizzicato accompaniment, sung by Paquita, "Lorsque la -journée est finis" ("When the Day is finished"); the concerted ensemble, -"À la chapelle" ("To the Church"); the grotesque pirates' chorus, "Parmi -les choses délicates" ("Among the Delicate Things to do"), and the -sparkling duet for Giroflé and Marasquin, "C'est fini, le mariage" ("The -Marriage has been solemnized"), in the first act: the bacchanalian -chorus, "Écoutez cette musique" ("Listen to this Music"), leading up to a -dance; a vivacious and well-written quintette, "Matamoras, grand -capitaine" ("Matamoras, our Great Captain"); a fascinating drinking-song, -"Le Punch scintille" ("This Flaming Bowl"), and the andante duet "O -Giroflé, O Girofla," a smooth, tender melody, which is in striking -contrast with the drinking-music preceding it and that which immediately -follows the chorus of the half-tipsy wedding-guests, "C'ést le canon" -("It is the Cannon"): and the rondo, "Beau père une telle demand" ("Oh, -my Father, now you ask"), sung by Marasquin, and the duet for Mourzook -and Giroflé "Ma belle Giroflé" ("My Lovely Giroflé"), in the third act. - - - - - La Fille de Madame Angot. - - - [Opera bouffe, in three acts; text by Clairville, Sirandin, and Konig. - First produced at the Fantasies Parisiennes, Brussels, November, 1872; - in Paris at the Folies Dramatiques, February 23, 1873.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Clairette Angot, daughter of the market. - Mlle. Lange, comedienne. - Ange Pitou, street singer. - Pomponnet, hairdresser. - Larivaudière, } - Louchard, } police officials. - Javotte. - Amaranthe. - Cydalise. - Hersilie. - Babet. - Trenitz. - - [Bourgeois, grenadiers, conspirators, hussars, servants, marketwomen, - etc. - - The scene is laid in Paris; time, about the period of the French - Revolution. - -The first act opens in a market square in Paris where the marketwomen and -others in holiday costume are making ready to celebrate the wedding of -Pomponnet, the hairdresser, and Clairette, the daughter of the late -Madame Angot. During the festive preparations, for which Clairette has -little desire, as her affections are fixed upon Ange Pitou, a street -singer, who is continually in trouble by reason of his political songs, -the latter makes his appearance. He is informed of the forthcoming -wedding, which has been arranged by the market people, who have adopted -Clairette as the child of the market. At the same time Larivaudière and -Louchard, the police officials who caused his arrest because of his -knowledge of the relations of Larivaudière and Mademoiselle Lange, the -comedienne and favorite of Barras, are surprised to find him at large. To -prevent him from reciting his knowledge in a song which he is sure has -been written, Larivaudière buys him off. Pitou subsequently regrets his -bargain. When the crowd clamors for a song, he says he has none. The -people are furious with him, but Clairette comes to his rescue. She has -found the song denouncing Larivaudière, sings it, and is arrested, -notwithstanding Pitou's declaration that he is the author of it. - -The second act opens in Mademoiselle Lange's salon. She has persuaded -Barras to release Clairette and have her brought to her apartments, so -that she may discover why she sings this song denouncing the government -and insulting her also. In the mean time she has also sent for Pomponnet, -her hairdresser, and informs him what his future wife has done. He -replies that Pitou wrote the song, and that he (Pomponnet) has it. She -orders him to fetch it to her. When Clairette arrives they recognize each -other as old school friends. Mademoiselle Lange assures her she shall not -go back to prison and that she need not marry Pomponnet. She retires to -Mademoiselle Lange's boudoir, when a visitor is announced. It is Ange -Pitou, and a love scene at once occurs. The jealous Larivaudière enters -and accuses them of being lovers. To justify herself Mademoiselle Lange -declares that Pitou and Clairette are lovers, and the latter confirms the -statement. Pomponnet's voice is heard in the outer room. He is admitted, -and promptly arrested for having the revolutionary song on his person. -The act closes with a meeting of conspirators, and Mademoiselle Lange's -clever oiling of the grenadiers who have come to arrest them by turning -the whole affair into a grand ball, to which they are invited. - -The last act is occupied with plots and counter-plots which at last -succeed in disentangling all the complications. Mademoiselle Lange's -perfidy, as well as Pitou's, is shown up, Larivaudière has his revenge, -and Clairette and Pomponnet are made happy. - -The music of the opera is so bright, gay, and characteristic that it made -Lecocq a dangerous rival of Offenbach. The most conspicuous numbers are -Clairette's pretty romance, "L'enfant de la Halle" ("The Child of the -Market"); Amaranthe's jolly couplets, "Marchande de marée" ("A Beautiful -Fishwoman"); Ange Pitou's rondo, "Certainement j'aimais Clairette" ("'Tis -true I loved Clairette") and Clairette's spirited song, "Jadis les rois, -race proscrite" ("Once Kings, a Race proscribed"), in the first act: -another equally spirited song, "Comme un Coursier" ("Like a Courser"); -Pomponnet's pretty air, "Elle est tellement innocente" ("She is so -innocent"); a charming sentimental duet for Mademoiselle Lange and -Clairette, "Jours fortunes de notre enfance" ("Happy Days of Childhood"); -a striking ensemble in the form of a quintette, "Oui, je vous le dis, -c'est pour elle" ("Yes, 'tis on her Account alone"); and the famous -conspirators' chorus, "Quand on conspire" ("When one conspires"), in the -second act: and Clairette's couplets with chorus, "Vous aviez fait de la -dépense" ("You put yourselves to Great Expense"); the humorous duet, -"Larivaudière and Pomponnet," and Clairette's song, "Ah! c'est donc toi" -("Ah! 'tis you, then"), in the last act. - - - - - LÖRTZING, ALBERT. - - - - - Czar and Carpenter. - - - [Opéra comique, in three acts; text and music by Lörtzing. First - produced in Berlin in 1854.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Peter I., Czar of Russia under the name of Peter Michaelhoff. - Peter Ivanoff, a young Russian shipwright. - Herr van Bett, burgomaster of Saardam. - Gen. Lefort, Russian ambassador. - Lord Syndham, British ambassador. - Marquis of Chateauneuf, French ambassador. - Marie, niece of the burgomaster. - Widow Brown, mistress of the shipyard. - - [Shipwrights, workmen, sailors, villagers, etc.] - - The scene is laid in Saardam; time, the year 1698. - -The opening of the first act of the "Czar and Carpenter" discloses Peter -the Great and Peter Ivanoff, a deserter from the Russian army, at work in -the shipyard of Mrs. Brown in Saardam. The British and French -ambassadors, having been notified that the Czar is there in disguise, are -searching for him with the object of negotiating a treaty with him, or, -failing that, to abduct him. The British ambassador employs the pompous -burgomaster of Saardam to find him a Russian named Peter, without however -disclosing his real character to him. The burgomaster happens upon Peter -Ivanoff and brings him to the ambassador, who, supposing him to be the -Czar, seeks to arrange a treaty with him, and finally gives him a -passport so that he may visit England. Meanwhile the people of Saardam, -being informed that the Czar is with them, prepare a reception for him. - -The French ambassador, who has also been searching for the Czar, finds -the real one by telling him the story of a Russian defeat which causes -him to betray himself. The Czar, who is now anxious to go home and crush -out the rebellion, seeks for some means to get away without the knowledge -of the Dutch and the English. Finding out by chance that Ivanoff has an -English passport, he secures it, and gives Ivanoff another paper which he -is not to open until an hour has passed. During this time Ivanoff is -enjoying the public reception, which suddenly is interrupted by cannon -reports. The gateway of the port is opened, showing the Czar with the -Russian and French ambassadors sailing away. Ivanoff opens his paper, and -finds that his companion was the Czar, who has given him a good situation -as well as his consent to his marriage with Marie, the burgomaster's -niece. - -The leading numbers of the first act are the carpenter's spirited song, -"Grip your Axes"; Marie's jealousy song, "Ah! Jealousy is a Bad -Companion"; the humorous aria of Van Bett, "Oh! sancta Justitia, I shall -go raving"; the long duet for Van Bett and Ivanoff, "Shall I make a Full -Confession?" and the effective quartettes in the finale. The second act -contains the best music of the opera. It opens with a mixed chorus of a -bacchanalian sort, "Long live Joy and Pleasure," which after a long -dialogue is followed by the tenor romanza, "Fare thee well, my Flandrish -Maiden," a quaint melody, running at the end of each stanza into a duet, -closing with full chorus accompaniment. A sextette, "The Work that we're -beginning," immediately follows, which, though brief, is the most -effective number in the opera. The next number of any consequence in this -act, is a rollicking bridal song, "Charming Maiden, why do Blushes," sung -by Marie. The last act has a comic aria and chorus, "To greet our Hero -with a Stately Reception," and an effective song for the Czar, "In -Childhood, with Crown and with Sceptre I played." - - - - - LUDERS, GUSTAVE. - - - - - King Dodo. - - - [A musical comedy, in three acts; text by Pixley. First produced at the - Studebaker Theatre, Chicago, May 27, 1901.] - - PERSONAGES. - - King Dodo I. - Pedro, Court chamberlain. - Dr. Fizz, Court physician. - Mudge, Court historian. - Sancho, an innkeeper. - Bonilla, prime minister to Queen Lili. - Lo Baswood. - Lopez. - Diego. - José. - Unio. - Queen Lili. - Angela, the King's ward. - Piola, a soldier of fortune. - Annette. - - [Courtiers, knights, ladies, etc.] - - The scene is laid in Dodoland and the South Sea islands; time, the - present. - -"King Dodo," though usually set down on the programmes as a comic opera, -strictly speaking, is a musical comedy, or comedy opera. Its plot turns -upon the efforts of King Dodo to find the elixir of youth. His adventures -carry him from his own kingdom in the land of nowhere in particular to -the South Sea islands and back, a few absurd love episodes adding to the -humor of the situations in which he finds himself. The old King is -enamoured of the Princess Angela, and to secure her he determines to find -the fountain which will renew his youth. His Court physician has failed -in the attempt; but Piola, "a soldier of fortune," claims to know where -the fountain is, but demands that when he finds it he shall have the hand -of Angela as his reward. The King reluctantly consents, and starts with -his whole establishment to find it. The wonderful spring is discovered in -the land of the Spoopjus, and there King Dodo also finds Queen Lili, who -promptly falls in love with him, because her ideal for a husband is a man -full of years and experience. The King, however, accidentally drinks from -the fountain, and is transformed into a child, whereupon the Queen -rejects him. As the waters fortunately work both ways, when Dodo is -thrown into them by conspirators, he becomes himself again, and the Queen -devotes herself to him anew with such assiduity that they are united. -Pedro and Annette and Piola and Angela also improve the occasion to get -married, and all return in great glee to Dodoland. - -The musical numbers in "King Dodo," are all of a light, catchy kind, -their success depending much upon the sprightliness of the performers. -The most popular are the "Cats' Quartette"; "The Tale of the Bumble-bee"; -Piola's song, "I'll do or die," which is accompanied by a stirring -chorus; the melodious "Zamoña," sung by Angela and chorus; a -drinking-song of a spirited sort by Annette and chorus; "The Eminent Dr. -Fizz," sung by the doctor himself; and "The Jolly old Potentate" and the -topical song, "They gave me a Medal for that," sung by King Dodo. - - - - - The Prince of Pilsen. - - - [A musical comedy, in two acts; text by Pixley. First produced in the - Tremont Theatre, Boston, May 21, 1902.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Carl Otto, the Prince. - Hans Wagner, an American citizen. - Tom Wagner, his son. - Arthur St. John Wilberforce. - François. - Mrs. Madison Crocker, an American widow. - Sidonie. - Edith. - Nellie. - Jimmy. - - [Tourists, students, flower-girls, sailors, etc. - - The scene is laid in Nice; time, the present. - -"The Prince of Pilsen," the latest, and in many respects the best, of Mr. -Luders' productions, like most musical comedies of the prevailing kind, -has but a brief and somewhat incongruous story. The first act opens -during the annual flower festival at Nice. The proprietor of the Hôtel -Internationale learns that the Prince of Pilsen will reach there on the -morrow incognito, and determines he shall be received with all the -attentions due to his rank. He employs a band of musicians to escort him -from the station to the hotel, and hires flower-girls to strew his way -with roses. Hans Wagner, a German-American brewer from Cincinnati, and -his daughter, who go to Nice to meet the brewer's son, an American naval -officer, arrive on the same day. The brewer is mistaken for the Prince, -and he and his party meet with a brilliant but somewhat surprising -reception. He can account for it in no other way than that his greeting -as the Prince of Pilsen is a tribute to the excellence of his Pilsener -beer, and accepts it complaisantly. When the real prince arrives, -however, with a company of Heidelberg students, he is ignored, and even -has some difficulty in securing accommodations. The Prince, however, does -not declare his identity at once, but waits for an opportunity to expose -the impostor who is trading on his name. He accidentally meets the -daughter, and after some conversation with her is sure that her father -has not intended to deceive and is not responsible for the mistake. He -decides therefore to continue the rôle of private citizen, and is the -more confirmed in his decision when he finds himself falling in love with -the brewer's daughter. This enrages the brother, who challenges the -Prince, which leads to the arrest of both of them. In the second act all -the complications get straightened out. The real Prince marries the -brewer's daughter, and the brewer himself takes home the American widow, -Mrs. Madison Crocker, as his wife. - -On this somewhat slight thread of a plot the composer has strung numerous -bits of lively, exhilarating music, some of it of a decidedly better kind -than is usually found in these potpourris, but the most of it of the sort -which is popular and easily caught up. The number of the lyrics as well -as of the topical songs, choruses, and extravaganzas is so large, and -they are of such uniformity in interest and tunefulness, that it is -difficult to single out the most conspicuous. The numbers, however, which -have made the greatest success are Wagner's topical song, "He didn't know -exactly what to do"; a charming smoking-song, "Pictures in the Smoke"; -the "Tale of the Sea-shell"; the unaccompanied male chorus, "Oh! -Heidelberg, dear Heidelberg," which should be a favorite students' song; -and the "Song of the Cities," in which the peculiarities of the girls of -various American cities are imitated, the song ending with a droll cake -walk. So far as numbers go, indeed, the opera presents a bewildering -embarrassment of good things. - - - - - MASSÉ, VICTOR. - - - - - Paul and Virginia. - - - [Romantic opera, in three acts and seven tableaux; text by Carré and - Barbier. First produced at the Opéra National Lyrique, Paris, November - 15, 1876; in London, June 1, 1878; in New York, March 28, 1883.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Paul. - St. Croix, slave-master. - Domingo, mulatto slave. - M. de la Bourdonnais, governor of the island. - Negro Slave. - Virginia. - Meala, mulatto slave. - MME. de la Tour, mother of Virginia. - Margaret, mother of Paul. - Overseer. - Old Lady, grand-aunt of Virginia. - - [Inhabitants of the island, sailors, slaves, etc.] - - The scene is laid upon an island on the African coast; time, the - eighteenth century. - -The story of "Paul and Virginia," Massé's masterpiece, follows the lines -of Bernardin St. Pierre's beautiful romance of the same name. The first -act opens with the recital of the history of Madame de la Tour, mother of -Virginia, and Margaret, the mother of Paul, and reveals the love of the -two children for each other. While they are discussing the advisability -of sending Paul to India for a time, against which his slave Domingo -piteously protests, islanders come rushing towards the cabin announcing -the arrival of a vessel from France. In hopes that she will have a letter -announcing that she has been forgiven by the relatives who have renounced -her, Madame de la Tour goes to the port. A love scene between the -children follows, which is interrupted by the hurried entrance of the -slave Meala, who is flying from punishment by her master, St. Croix. The -two offer to go back with her and to intercede for her forgiveness, in -which they are successful. St. Croix, who has designs upon Virginia, begs -them to remain until night; but Meala warns them of their danger in a -song, and they leave while St. Croix wreaks his revenge upon Meala. - -The second act opens in the home of Madame de la Tour. She has had a -letter from her aunt forgiving her, making Virginia her heiress if she -will come to France, and sending money for the journey. After a long -struggle between duty to her mother and love for Paul, she declines to -go. Meala makes them another hurried call, again flying from St. Croix, -who this time is pursuing her with a twofold purpose, first, of punishing -Meala and, second, of carrying out his base designs against Virginia. He -soon appears at the house and demands his slave, but Paul refuses to give -her up. At last St. Croix offers to sell her to Paul, and Virginia -furnishes the money. The faithful Meala that night informs them of St. -Croix's plot to seize Virginia when she goes to the vessel; but he is -foiled, as she does not leave. The act closes with a call from the -governor of the island, who bears express orders from Virginia's -relatives, signed by the King, that she must go to France. - -The last act is brief, and relates the tragedy. It opens at a grotto on -the seashore, where the melancholy Paul has waited and watched week by -week for the vessel which will bring Virginia back to him. At last it is -sighted, but a storm comes up and soon develops into a hurricane, and -when it subsides the vessel is a wreck, and Virginia is found dead upon -the beach. - -The opera is replete with beautiful melodies. There are, in the first -act, a characteristic minor song for Domingo, "Ah! do not send my Dear -Young Master," which the composer evidently intended to be in the -Ethiopian manner; a chanson of the genuine French style, "Ah! Hapless -Black," though sung by a negro boy; a lonely and expressive melody sung -by Virginia, as she pleads with St. Croix, "What I would say my Tongue -forgetteth"; the weird Bamboula chorus, sung by the slaves; and a very -dramatic aria for Meala, "'Neath the Vines Entwining," in which she warns -the children of their danger. The principal numbers in the second act are -Virginia's romance, "As Last Night thro' the Woods"; a beautiful chanson -for Domingo, "The Bird flies yonder"; Paul's couplets, "Ah! crush not my -Courage"; the passionate duet for Paul and Virginia, "Ah! since thou wilt -go," closing in unison; and Virginia's florid aria, "Ah, what Entrancing -Calm," the cadenza of which is exceedingly brilliant. The best numbers in -the short last act are Meala's song, "In vain on this Distant Shore"; -Paul's letter song, "Dearest Mother"; and the vision and storm music at -the close. - - - - - Queen Topaze. - - - [Opéra comique, in three acts; text by Lockroy and Battu. First - produced at the Théâtre Lyrique, Paris, December 27, 1856.] - - PERSONAGES. - - La Reine Topaze. - Le Capitaine Rafael. - Annibal. - Francappa. - Fritellino. - Filomèle. - - [Gypsies, soldiers, etc.] - - The scene is laid in France; time, last century. - -"Queen Topaze" ("La Reine Topaze") is one of the few of Massé's earlier -works which have held the boards, mainly on account of its charming -melodiousness. The rôle of the Queen was a great favorite with -Miolan-Carvalho and Parepa-Rosa, as it offers opportunities for brilliant -vocal execution. Its story is of the slightest kind. In her infancy -Topaze is stolen by a band of gypsies and eventually becomes their queen. -She falls in love with Rafael, a captain whom she wins from his -affianced, a rich noblewoman. He does not marry her, however, until she -discloses to him the secret of her birth. Some byplay among the gypsies -supplies the humor of the situations. As to the text it is far from -dramatic in character, and the dialogue is tedious and dragging. - -The music, however, is excellent, and it was to this feature that Massé -owed his election in the year of its production as Auber's successor in -the French Academy. The gypsy music is particularly charming. There are -also a clever sextette, "We are six noblemen"--indeed, there is an -unusual amount of six and seven part writing in the opera; the "Song of -the Bee," a delightful melody for Queen Topaze with a particularly -characteristic accompaniment, likewise a brilliant bolero; a lovely -romance in the last act for Rafael, and a somewhat dramatic narrative -song for him in the first act; and a skilfully constructed trio for -Annibal and the two gypsies. The remaining number of importance is an -interpolated one,--"The Carnival of Venice," with the Paganini -variations, which was first introduced by Miolan-Carvalho, the creator of -the title rôle. - - - - - The Marriage of Jeannette. - - - [Opéra comique, in one act; text by Carré and Barbière. First produced - at the Opéra Comique, Paris, February 4, 1853; in New York, in 1861.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Jean. - Jeannette. - Thomas. - Petit Pierre. - - [Chorus of peasants.] - - The scene is laid in a French country village; time, the last century. - -Nothing could be simpler than the story of Massé's little opera, "Les -Noces de Jeannette" ("The Marriage of Jeannette"), which was first given -in this country in 1861, with Clara Louise Kellogg and M. Dubreul in the -two principal parts, and twenty-five years later was a favorite in the -repertory of the American Opera Company, under the direction of Theodore -Thomas, who produced it as an after piece to Delibes' two-act ballet, -"Sylvia." The story concerns only two persons. Jean, a boorish rustic, -falls in love with Jeannette and proposes marriage. On the wedding-day, -however, he suddenly changes his mind, and just as the notary hands him -the pen to sign the contract, takes to his heels and runs home. Jeannette -follows him up to demand an explanation, and pretends that she will not -force him to marry her. In lieu of that she asks him to sign another -contract from which she will withhold her name just to show that he was -willing to do so. She furthermore promises publicly to reject him. When -he has signed the new contract, she suddenly changes her mind also, and -declares they are man and wife. In his fury Jean breaks up nearly -everything in the house before he goes to sleep. The next day in his -absence Jeannette provides new furniture from her own store, places -things to rights again, sets the dinner, and awaits Jean's return. When -he comes back again, he is in more tractable mood, and seeing what -Jeannette has done acknowledges her as his wife. - -This simple story the composer has framed in a dainty musical setting, -the principal numbers being the song "Others may hastily marry," sung by -Jean after his escapade; Jeannette's pretty, simple melody, "From out a -Throng of Lovers"; Jean's vigorous and defiant "Ah! little do you fancy"; -the graceful song by Jeannette, "Fly now, my Needle, glancing brightly"; -her brilliant and exultant song, "Voice that's sweetest"; and the -spirited unison male chorus, "Ring out, Village Bells," that closes this -refined and beautiful work. - - - - - MILLÖCKER, CARL. - - - - - The Beggar Student. - - - [Opéra comique, in three acts; first produced in Vienna, 1882.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Symon Symonovicz, the beggar student. - Janitsky, his friend. - Gen. Ollendorf, military governor of Krakow. - Enterich, } - Puffki, } jailers. - Major Holtzheim. - Sitzky, an innkeeper. - Countess Palmatica. - Laura, } - Bronislava, } her daughters. - Eva. - Ononphrie. - Lieut. Poppenburg. - Lieut. Schmeinitz. - Lieut. Wangerheim. - Burgomaster. - Bogumil. - - [Prisoners, peasants, soldiers, musicians, courtiers, etc.] - - The scene is laid in Krakow; time, the year 1704. - -The first act of this tuneful opera opens in the city of Krakow. General -Ollendorf, the military governor, is in a rage because he has been -repulsed by Laura, daughter of the Countess Palmatica, to whom he has -showed some unwelcome attentions. To avenge what he considers an insult, -he conceives the idea of dressing some poor and low-born young fellow in -the finery of a prince, and passing him off as such upon the Countess and -her daughter, trusting that their poverty will induce them to accept the -impostor. After such a marriage his revenge would be complete. He finds -his accomplice in the military prison. Symon Symonovicz, a vagabond -Polish student, is ready to play the gentleman, and only insists on -taking along with him Janitsky, a fellow prisoner, to act as his -secretary. The plot is successful. The Countess and her daughter, who -have been living for a long time in genteel poverty, are dazzled by the -finery and prospects of the suitor, and the act closes with the betrothal -of Symon and Laura. - -In the second act the two find that they are really in love with each -other. As the money furnished by the General is all spent, Symon decides -to tell Laura of the deception practised upon her, though it may cost him -the marriage, which was to have taken place that day. Afraid to tell her -in person, he writes the disclosure, and intrusts the letter to the -Countess with the request to have it given to Laura before the ceremony. -The General, however, thwarts this scheme, and the pair are married, -whereupon he exposes Symon to the assembled guests as an impostor and has -him driven from the palace. - -At the opening of the third act Symon appears in melancholy plight and -contemplating suicide. His friend Janitsky, who is in love with Laura's -sister, Bronislava, comes to his rescue. He comes forward as a Polish -officer engaged in a plot for the capture of the citadel and the -reinstatement of King Stanislaus upon the throne of Poland. The plot with -Symon's help succeeds, and in return Symon is not only ennobled, but the -Countess and his wife forgive him, and the governor-general is foiled at -every point. - -The principal numbers are Ollendorf's entrance song in waltz time, "And -they say that towards Ladies"; the characteristic duet by Symon and -Janitsky on leaving jail, "Confounded Cell, at last I leave thee"; the -charming entrance trio for Laura, Bronislava, and the Countess, "Some -little Shopping really we ought to do"; and Laura's brilliant song, "But -when the Song is sweetly sounding," in the finale of the first act; -Laura's humorous song, "If Joy in Married Life you'd find"; the -sentimental duet of Bronislava and Janitsky, "This Kiss, Sweet Love"; -Ollendorf's grotesque songs, "One Day I was perambulating," and "There in -the Chamber Polish," which is usually adapted as a topical song; and the -long and cleverly concerted finale of the second act: and Bronislava's -song, "Prince a Beggar's said to be," and Symon's couplet, "I'm penniless -and outlawed too," in the third act. - - - - - The Black Hussar. - - - [Opéra comique, in three acts. First produced at Vienna, 1886.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Helbert, officer of the Black Hussars. - Waldermann, his companion. - Hackenback, magistrate of Trautenfeld. - Piffkow, his man of all work. - Thorillière, major in Napoleon's army. - Hetman, captain of the Cossacks. - Mifflin, an actor. - Minna, } - Rosetta, } Hackenback's daughters. - Barrara. - Ricci. - Goddess of Liberty. - Germania. - - [Soldiers, peasants, villagers, conspirators, etc.] - - The scene is laid in the German village of Trautenfeld; time, the years - 1812-13. - -The story of "The Black Hussar" is simple. Von Helbert, an officer of the -Black Hussars, in the disguise of an army chaplain, is seeking to foment -an insurrection in the town of Trautenfeld. Hackenback, the town -magistrate, has carried himself so diplomatically, as between the -Russians and French, and is so opposed to any rupture with either from -fear of sudden visitation, that Von Helbert's efforts to induce his -townsmen to rise against the Napoleonic régime are not altogether -successful. The French in the mean time are hunting for him, but he -cunningly succeeds in getting a description of the magistrate posted for -that of himself. To be ready for any sudden emergency, Hackenback has a -reversible panel on his house, one side having the portrait of the Czar -and the other that of Napoleon. When he is suspected by the French, he -calls their attention to it; but unfortunately for him the Russian side -is exposed, and this with the description which Von Helbert had so kindly -posted leads to his arrest. Finally the Black Hussar regiment arrives, -and captures the French troops just as they have captured the Russian, -which had previously been in occupation, so that there is no need for -further disguises. The humorous situations in the opera grow out of the -love-making between Von Helbert and his companion Waldermann and the -magistrate's daughters Minna and Rosetta. - -Although "The Black Hussar" is musically inferior to "The Beggar -Student," yet it has many interesting numbers, among them the long -descriptive song of Piffkow, the man of all work, "Piffkow, Piffkow, -that's the cry," which reminds one in its general character of Figaro's -famous song in "The Barber of Seville"; the magistrate's buffo song, "All -Night long I've weighed and sifted"; Helbert's martial recitative, "I've -traversed Lands that once were green"; the jolly gossipers' chorus, -introducing the second act; Piffkow's bombastic song, "'Twas in the -Adjacent Town Last Night"; Minna's quaint Russian song, "Ivan loved his -Katza well"; the introduced song, "Ohe, mamma"; and the trio following -it, "The Ways of Love are very strange," which closes the act. - - - - - NESSLER, VICTOR ERNST. - - - - - The Trumpeter of Säkkingen. - - - [Opera comique, in a prelude and three acts; text by Bunge. First - produced at the Stadt Theatre, Leipsic, May 4, 1884.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Baron of Schoenau. - Margaretha, his daughter. - Count of Wildenstein. - Countess Wildenstein, the Baron's cousin. - Damian, the Count's son by a second marriage. - Werner Kirchoff, the "trumpeter." - Conradin, a trooper. - - [Heralds, youths, maidens, peasants, school children, students, - troopers, etc.] - - The scene is laid in Säkkingen, on the Rhine; time, the year 1650, near - the close of the Thirty Years' War. - -Few operas have had the advantage of such an excellent book as Nessler's -"Trumpeter of Säkkingen," and few light operas have had their stories so -legitimately and skilfully illustrated with music. The text is based upon -the metrical romance of Victor von Scheffel's "Trumpeter Von Säkkingen," -known and admired all over Germany, which tells the story of the young -Werner and the fair Margaretha, their romantic wooing and final union. -The time is near the close of the Thirty Years' War, and the hero is -Werner Kirchoff, a handsome, dashing young student, who, with others of -his comrades, is expelled from the University of Heidelberg because of -their frequent carousals. They join a body of troopers, Werner in the -capacity of a trumpeter, and go with them to Säkkingen. While there he -has the good fortune to protect Margaretha, on a saint's fête day, from -the rudeness of some Hauenstein peasants who are ready for a revolt -against the Baron von Schoenau, her father. Margaretha, who is in company -with the Countess Wildenstein, a cousin of the Baron, who has separated -from her husband, gratefully gives Werner a forget-me-not. The Countess -inquires his name of his trooper comrade, Conradin, and is struck with -his resemblance to her son who had been carried off by gypsies in his -childhood. In the next scene the Baron has received a letter from Count -Wildenstein, in which he states that his second wife has died, that he -wishes to settle the misunderstanding with his first wife, the Countess, -and proposes Damian, his son by the second marriage, as a husband for -Margaretha,--a proposal which the Baron promptly accepts. When Margaretha -enters and tells of her adventures with Werner, the Baron regrets that -his old trumpeter, Rassmann, is not alive to summon assistance from the -city in case of attack by the peasants. Margaretha tells him of Werner, -and notwithstanding the Countess' objections, he gives the position to -him. - -The second act opens with a love scene between Werner and Margaretha, -which is discovered by the Countess, who at once informs the Baron. When -Werner asks him for the hand of Margaretha, he not only refuses it, but -orders him to leave the castle. Werner takes his farewell of Margaretha, -and leaves for his old position with the troopers in the city. Meanwhile -the Count of Wildenstein arrives with Damian, but he makes no impression -upon Margaretha notwithstanding the Baron's favor. - -In the last act the dénouement comes quickly. The peasants attack the -castle, and the Baron calls upon Damian to head his retainers and go out -to meet the mob. He proves himself, however, an arrant coward, and in the -midst of his irresolution Werner rides up at the head of his troopers, -performs prodigies of valor, and saves the inmates of the castle. A -birthmark upon his arm reveals him as the long-lost son of the Countess, -and nothing now stands in the way of Margaretha's and Werner's felicity. - -In the prelude and first act the most noticeable numbers are the -students' and troopers' choruses, written in the best German style--the -prelude indeed is almost entirely choral; the peasants' choruses and -lively dances on St. Fridolin's Day; the characteristic growl of the -Baron over his gout and the unreasonable peasants; and the charming lyric -sung by Margaretha, "How Proud and Grand his Bearing." The most -conspicuous numbers in the second act are a lyric sung by Werner, "On -Shore I played me a Merry Tune"; the love scene between Margaretha and -Werner, "Sun, has thy Light not grown in Splendor?" the dramatic -quintette, "Must so soon the Sunshine vanish?" and Werner's sentimental -and beautiful farewell, "Oh, it is sad that in this Life below." The -principal numbers of the third act are Margaretha's song, "My Love rode -out to the Wide, Wide World"; the May song, "There comes a Youth of Sweet -Renown"; the pantomime and dance composing a May idyll; the duet for -Margaretha and Werner, "True Love, I give thee Greeting"; and the ringing -mass chorus, "Faithful Love and Trumpet blowing," which closes the opera. - - - - - NICOLAI, OTTO. - - - - - The Merry Wives of Windsor. - - - [Opéra comique, in three acts; text by Mosenthal. First produced in - Vienna, April 1, 1847; in London, May 3, 1864; in New York, April 27, - 1863.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Sir John Falstaff. - Mr. Ford, } - Mr. Page, } gentlemen dwelling at Windsor. - Fenton. - Slender. - Dr. Caius, the French physician. - Mistress Ford. - Mistress Page. - Anne Page, her daughter, in love with Fenton. - Host of the Garter Inn. - - [Citizens, wives of Windsor, servants, fairies, elves, etc.] - - The scene is laid at Windsor; time, the sixteenth century. - -The story of the opera follows closely that of the Shakespearian comedy, -though the action is principally concerned with Falstaff's adventures -with the merry wives, with the attachment between Fenton and Anne -furnishing the romantic incident. Though the work of a German, the music -is largely in the Italian style, and the dramatic finish is French. It is -unnecessary to indicate the plot in further detail than to say it -includes the receipt of Sir John's amatory epistles by Mrs. Ford and Mrs. -Page, his concealment among the foul linen in the hamper and subsequent -sousing in the Thames, his sad experiences with Ford's cudgels, and his -painful encounter with the mock fairies, elves, and other sprites in -Windsor Park. - -The leading numbers in the opera are a duet for the two merry wives, -opening the opera, in which they read Falstaff's letters, "No, no, this -really is too bad," closing with an exquisitely humorous phrase as they -pronounce the name of the writer in unison; a beautiful little aria, -"Joking and Laughter," in the Italian style, sung by Mrs. Ford; and the -finale to the first act beginning with a mock serious aria in which Mrs. -Ford bewails her husband's jealousy, followed by a sextette and chorus, -and closing with a highly dramatic aria in which Mrs. Ford changes from -grief to rage and violently denounces Ford. - -The second act opens with a drinking-song for Falstaff, "Whilst yet a -Child on my Mother's Breast," which is full of rollicking, bacchanalian -humor, as well as are the accessories of the song. Falstaff sings one -verse, and his followers drain their huge mugs to the bottom. One of them -falls senselessly drunk, and is immediately borne out upon the shoulders -of his comrades with funereal honors, led off by Falstaff, all chanting a -sort of mock dirge. A descriptive and spirited buffo duet between -Falstaff and Ford follows, in which the former relates his adventures in -the hamper. The only remaining number of consequence in this act is the -romanza, "Hark, the Lark in yonder Grove," sung by Fenton. The last act -is very short, and made up of a beautiful trio for Mrs. Ford, Mrs. Page, -and Falstaff, "The Bell has pealed the Midnight Chime"; the romantic -ballad, "Of Herne, the Hunter, a Legend old," and the fairy dance and -chorus, "About, about, ye Elves, about," which close the opera. - - - - - OFFENBACH, JACQUES. - - - - - The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein. - - - [Opera bouffe, in three acts; text by Meilhac and Halévy. First - produced at the Variétés, Paris, April 12, 1867.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Grand Duchess. - Wanda, a peasant girl. - Iza, maid of honor. - Olga, maid of honor. - Prince Paul, neglected suitor of the Duchess. - Gen. Boum, in command of the army. - Baron Puck, Court chamberlain. - Baron Grog, emissary. - Fritz, a recruit. - Nepomuc, aide de camp. - - [Lords and court ladies, pages, soldiers, vivandières, country girls, - etc.] - - The scene is laid in the imaginary Duchy of Gerolstein; time, the year - 1720. - -"The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein," though in some respects inferior -musically to "Orpheus," by the same composer, is altogether the most -perfect type of the opera bouffe. For the drollness of its story, the -originality of its characters as well as of its music and obstreperous -gayety, dash, and geniality mixed with occasional seriousness and grace, -this work when it first appeared was unique, though Offenbach rose to his -highest achievement when dealing with the gods and goddesses of Olympus -in his "Orpheus," which revealed his powers of musical burlesque at their -best. - -The first act opens with a grand review of the army of the duchy, -commanded by the pompous General Boum, at which the Duchess is present. -In its ranks there is a recruit, known by the name of Fritz, who has -already aroused the General's jealousy by his attentions to Wanda, a -peasant girl. He continues still further to add to this jealousy when the -Duchess, attracted by his good looks, singles him out for her regard and -promotes him to the post of corporal. When she learns of his relations to -Wanda, she raises him to the rank of lieutenant, evidently to separate -him from Wanda by the new elevation. The review over, the Duchess studies -the plan of a pending campaign against a neighboring enemy. She summons -General Boum in the presence of Baron Puck, her court chamberlain, Prince -Paul, a feeble and neglected suitor of the Duchess, and Lieutenant Fritz, -who is now her special body-guard, and asks him for his plan of campaign, -which he states, much to the disgust of Fritz, who declares it to be -sheer nonsense. The Duchess then asks the latter for his plan, and is so -much pleased with it that she appoints him general and raises him to the -rank of baron, much to the discomfort and indignation of the others. - -The second act opens with the return of Fritz. He has been victorious, -and at the public reception given him he tells the story of his -adventures. Subsequently at a tête-à-tête with the Duchess, she makes -open love to him; but he is so occupied with thoughts of Wanda that he is -insensible to all her advances, which puts her in a rage. Overhearing a -conspiracy between Puck, Paul, and the deposed General Boum against his -life, she joins with them, and the act closes with a wild, hilarious -dance. - -In the third act Baron Grog, emissary of Prince Paul's father, appears -upon the scene to expedite the marriage of the Prince to the Duchess. He -joins the conspiracy against Fritz, and so ingratiates himself with the -Duchess that she finally consents to marry the Prince. In the mean time -she countermands the order for Fritz's assassination, and gives him -permission to marry Wanda. The conspirators, however, play a practical -joke upon Fritz by a false message summoning him to the battle-field. He -leaves at once on the wedding-night, but through the connivance of -General Boum is waylaid and badly beaten. While the betrothal of the -Duchess is being celebrated, Fritz returns in sad plight, with the sabre -which the Duchess has given him in a battered condition. She adds to his -misfortunes by depriving him of his command and bestowing it upon Baron -Grog, but learning that he has a family, she reinstates General Boum. In -the dénouement Fritz is restored to his Wanda and the Duchess marries -Prince Paul. - -The music is in keeping with the drollery of the situations, and abounds -in vivacity and odd descriptiveness, defying all accepted laws and -adapting itself to the grotesquerie and extravagance of the action. The -principal numbers in the first act are the pompous "Pif, paf, pouf" song -of General Boum; the Grand Duchess' air, "Ah! I love the Military" ("Ah! -que j'aime les militaires"); the regiment song for her and Fritz, "Oh! -what a Famous Regiment" ("Ah! c'est un fameux régiment"); the couplets of -Prince Paul, "To marry a Princess" ("Pour épouser une Princesse"); and -the famous sabre song, "Lo, here the Sabre of my Sire" ("Voici, le sabre -de mon père"). The best numbers of the second act are Fritz's spirited -rondo, "All in Good Order, Colors flying" ("En très bon ordre nous -partîmes"), in which he tells the story of his victory; the romanza "Say -to him" ("Dites lui"), a delightful little song, and so refined that it -hardly seems to belong to the opera; and the conspirators' trio, "Max was -a Soldier of Fortune" ("Max était soldat de fortune"), which is -irresistible in its broad humor and queer rhythms. The musical interest -really reaches its climax in the second act. Outside of the chorus work -in the third act, there is little of interest except the Duchess' ballad, -"There lived in Times now long gone by" ("Il était un de mes aieux"), and -Fritz' song to the Duchess, "Behold here, your Highness" ("Eh bien, -Altesse, me voilà!"). - - - - - La Belle Hélène. - - - [Opera bouffe, in three acts; text by De Meilhac and Halévy. First - produced at the Théâtre des Variétés, Paris, December 17, 1864.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Helen, Queen of Sparta. - Paris, son of Priam. - Menelaus, King of Sparta. - Agamemnon, King of the Kings. - Calchas, augur. - Achilles, King of Phthiotis. - Ajax I., King of Salamis. - Ajax II., King of the Locrians. - Orestes, son of Agamemnon. - Bacchis, attendant of Helen. - Parthoenis. - Loena. - Philocomes, servant of Calchas. - Euthycles, a blacksmith. - - [Princes, princesses, courtiers, Helen's attendants, slaves, etc.] - - The scene is laid in Sparta; time mythical. - -In "La Belle Hélène" Offenbach goes back to the mythical period, and -presents the heroes of the time of Helen and Paris in modern burlesque. -The first act opens at the temple of Jupiter in Sparta, where, among -others who have placed their offerings at his shrine, is Helen. When -alone with Calchas, the augur, they discuss some means of avoiding the -decree of the oracle which has declared she is to leave Menelaus, her -husband, and fly with Paris, son of Priam, to Troy. Before a decision is -reached, Paris, disguised as a shepherd, arrives, and soon he and Helen -are lovers. They meet again in a grand tournament in which the two -Ajaxes, Achilles, Agamemnon, and others announce themselves in the most -comic fashion and guess at conundrums for a prize. Paris wins, and -proclaims his name and lineage, to the delight of Helen, whose delight is -still further enhanced when the oracle orders Menelaus to set off at once -for Crete. - -In the second act Helen struggles against the decrees of Venus. Paris has -an interview with her, but she will not yield, and he retires. By the aid -of Calchas he secures admission to the chamber of the slumbering Queen, -when Menelaus suddenly returns and an altercation ensues, during which -Paris defies all the Grecian heroes, and Helen philosophically informs -Menelaus he should have announced his coming beforehand. Paris again -retreats, and Helen is now in despair. - -In the third act Helen and Menelaus have a family quarrel, and he charges -her with being false. She denies it, and declares he has been dreaming. -Calchas now appears, and announces that a new augur has been appointed -and is on his way there. A golden galley is seen approaching, and the new -augur is found to be Paris himself. He brings word that Venus is angry at -what has been going on, but will relent if Helen will return with him to -her shrine and sacrifice white heifers. She is reluctant to go, but -finally decides to obey the voice of destiny, and sails away with him, -leaving them all behind in grief and Menelaus in rage. - -The dialogue of "La Belle Hélène" is very witty, though coarse at times, -and many of the situations are full of a humorous incongruity and -drollness growing out of the attempt to modernize these mythological -heroes. The music admirably fits the text, and though not so gay as that -of "The Grand Duchess," yet is fresh, original, and interesting -throughout. The chief numbers of the work are Helen's passionate song of -mourning for Adonis, "Divine Love" ("Amours divins"); Paris' fable, "On -Mount Ida, three Goddesses" ("Au Mont Ida, trois déesses"), in which he -tells the well-known apple story; the march and chorus, "Here are the -Kings of Greece" ("Voici les rois de la Grèce"), in which, one after the -other, they come forward and announce themselves in an irresistibly funny -manner; Helen's mock sentimental song, "We all are born with Solicitude" -("Nous naissons toutes soucieuses"); the droll goose march of the Kings; -a fascinating chorus, "Let us wreathe Crowns of Roses" ("En courronnes -tressons roses"); Helen's song, "A Husband Wise" ("Un mari sage"), one of -the most characteristic numbers in the opera; and in the last act -Orestes' song, "In spite of this Ardent Flame" ("Malgré cette ardente -flamme"); the spirited trio, "When Greece has become a Field of Carnage" -("Lorsque la Grèce est un camp de carnage"); and the final chorus, "Let -now our Wrath" ("Que notre colère"), which preludes the Trojan war. - - - - - Orpheus. - - - [Opera bouffe, in three acts; text by Cremieux. First produced at the - Bouffes Parisiens, Paris, October 21, 1858.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Pluto, disguised as Aristeus. - Jupiter, King of the Gods. - Orpheus, the lutist. - John Styx, the ferryman. - Mercury, the messenger. - Bacchus, God of wine. - Mars, God of war. - Eurydice, spouse of Orpheus. - Diana, Goddess of the hunt. - Public Opinion. - Juno, consort of Jupiter. - Venus, Goddess of love. - Cupid, her messenger. - Minerva, Goddess of wisdom. - - The scene is laid near Thebes; time, mythical. - -The best musical work of Offenbach undoubtedly is to be found in his -"Orpheus aux Enfers," and the text which his librettist furnished him is -in keeping with the music. It was a bold as well as droll conception to -invest the Olympian gods and goddesses with human attributes and make -them symbols of worldly departments of action and official life, to -parade them in processions like the ordinary street pageant, to present -them in banquets, to dress them in the most fantastically individual -manner, and to make nineteenth-century caricatures of the whole Olympian -coterie. - -The first scene of the opera discloses Eurydice in the Theban meadows -plucking flowers with which to decorate the cabin of Aristeus, the -shepherd, who is really Pluto in disguise. Suddenly Orpheus appears, not -with his tortoise-shell lyre, but playing the violin and serenading, as -he supposes, a shepherdess with whom he is in love. His mistake reveals -the fact that each of them is false to the other, and a violent quarrel -of the most ludicrous description ensues, ending in their separation. He -goes to his shepherdess, she to her shepherd. Shortly afterwards, -Aristeus meets Eurydice in the fields and reveals his real self. By -supernatural power he turns day into night and brings on a tempest, in -the midst of which he bears her away to the infernal regions, but not -before she has written upon Orpheus' hut the fate that has overtaken her. -When Orpheus returns he is overjoyed at his loss, but in the midst of his -exultation, Public Opinion appears and commands him to go to Olympus and -demand from Jupiter the restoration of his wife. Orpheus reluctantly -obeys the order. - -The second act opens in Olympus, where the gods and goddesses are -enjoying a nap, from which they are awakened by the blasts of Diana's -horn. Thereupon much slanderous gossip is circulated amongst them, the -latest news discussed being Pluto's abduction of Eurydice. Pluto himself -shortly comes in, and is at once taxed by Jupiter with his unseemly -behavior, whereupon Pluto retaliates by reference to Jupiter's numerous -amours with mortals. This arouses the jealousy of Juno. Venus, with -Cupid's assistance, starts a veritable riot, which is suddenly -interrupted by the arrival of Orpheus and his guide, Public Opinion. He -demands that his wife shall be restored to him, and Jupiter not only -consents, but agrees to attend to the matter personally. - -The third act finds Eurydice in Hades, carefully guarded by John Styx. -Jupiter is faithful to his promise, and soon arrives there, but not in -his proper person. He appears in the disguise of a fly, and allows -Eurydice to catch him, after which he reveals himself. When Pluto comes -in, he finds her transformed into a bacchante of the most convivial sort. -Other deities make their appearance, and finally Orpheus comes sailing up -the Styx, playing his violin, and demanding of Jupiter the fulfilment of -his contract. Jupiter consents, but makes the condition that he shall -return to his boat, Eurydice following him, and that he must not look -back. Orpheus sets out, but just before he reaches the boat, the cunning -Jupiter launches a thunderbolt after him, which causes him to turn and -lose Eurydice, much to the disgust of Public Opinion, but greatly to the -edification of Orpheus, who is now at liberty to return to his -shepherdess on the Theban plain. - -The most striking numbers in this curious travesty are the opening aria -of Eurydice, as she gathers the flowers, "Woman that dreams" ("La femme -dont la coeur rêve"); the pastoral sung to her by Aristeus, "To see -through the Vines" ("Voir voltiger sous les treilles"); the fascinating -hunting-song of Diana, "When Diana comes down the Plain" ("Quand Diane -descend dans la plaine"); the characteristic and taking song of John -Styx, "When I was King of Boeotia" ("Quand j'étais roi de Beotie"), which -in its way is as striking as the sabre song in "The Grand Duchess"; -Eurydice's delicate fly-song, "Beautiful Insect, with Golden Wings" ("Bel -insecte, à l'aile dorée"); the drinking-song in the infernal regions, -"Hail to the Wine" ("Vive le vin"); and Eurydice's vivacious bacchanalian -song which immediately follows it, "I have seen the God Bacchus" ("J'ai -vu le dieu Bacchus"). - - - - - PLANQUETTE, ROBERT. - - - - - The Chimes of Normandy. - - - [Opéra comique, in three acts; text by Clairville and Gabet. First - produced at the Folies Dramatiques, Paris, April 19, 1877.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Serpolette, the good-for-nothing. - Germaine, the lost Marchioness. - Susanne. - Jeanne. - Henri, Marquis of Corneville. - Jean Grenicheux, a fisherman. - Gaspard, an old miser. - Baillie, magistrate. - Notary. - - [Peasants, sailors, servants, waiting-maids, etc.] - - The scene is laid in Normandy; time of Louis the Fifteenth. - -The first act of this charming opera, one of the most popular of its -class, opens in an old Norman village during the progress of a fair. -Henri, the Marquis of Villeroi, who has been an exile since childhood, -has just returned. The first scene discloses a number of village gossips -who are retailing scandals about Serpolette, the good-for-nothing, who -arrives in time to vindicate herself and retaliate upon the gossips. -Gaspard, the miser, has arranged to give his niece Germaine in marriage -to the sheriff, who is the chief dignitary in the village. Germaine, -however, objects to the proposition, since if she marries at all she -claims she must marry Jean Grenicheux, a young fisherman, in gratitude -for saving her life. To escape the marriage she and Jean become the -servants of the Marquis, and are joined by Serpolette, which is one of -the privileges of fair-time. - -The second act is occupied with the exposure of the ghosts in the castle -of Villeroi. The Marquis is confident that there is nothing supernatural -about the apparition which has been seen or the sounds which have been -heard in the various apartments. He therefore introduces his servants -into the castle, and after careful searching discovers that the ghost of -Villeroi is old Gaspard, the miser, who, when he is found out, becomes -crazy through fear of losing treasures which are concealed there. - -In the last act the castle is restored to its old splendor, and the -Marquis takes possession as master. He gives a fête and the villagers are -invited, the crazy Gaspard being among them. Serpolette appears as a -grand lady with Jean as her factotum, some papers found in the castle -indicating she is the lost heiress. After a love scene between Henri and -Germaine, however, Gaspard, who has recovered his reason, discloses that -Germaine, and not Serpolette, is the rightful heiress and the true -claimant to the title of marchioness. All the complications are now -unravelled. Gaspard's treasure is restored to its rightful owner. -Germaine comes to her rights, and Serpolette remains with her as her -friend. - -The music of the opera is delightful throughout, and has scarcely a dull -moment. Its most conspicuous numbers are Serpolette's rondo, "In my -Mysterious History"; a delightful little fantaisie, "Go, Little Sailor"; -the legend of the chimes, "Alas! we have lost Excellent Masters"; Henri's -grand aria, "I have thrice made the Tour of the World"; and his couplets, -"Under the Armor from Top to Toe"; Serpolette's sprightly aria, -"Viscountess and Marchioness"; the chorus with the chimes, a most -graceful and interesting number closing the second act; and in the last -act Gaspard's quaint old Norman song, "We were full Five Hundred Rogues"; -Serpolette's rondo, "The Apple's a Fruit full of Vigor"; and Henri's -romance, "A Servant, what Matter to me?" - - - - - RICCI, LUIGI. - - - - - Crispino. - - - [Opera buffa, in three acts; text by Piave. First produced in Venice, - in 1850.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Annetta, the cobbler's wife. - La Comare, the fairy. - Crispino, the cobbler. - Il Contino, the Count. - Dr. Fabrizio. - Dr. Mirobolante. - Don Asdrubal. - Lisetta. - - [Clerks, waiters, servants, etc.] - - The scene is laid in Venice; time, the last century. - -The first act of this charming little fairy opera opens with a unison -chorus of apothecary's apprentices, "Thump, thump" ("Batti, batti"). -Crispino, a poor cobbler, over head and ears in debt, whose wife Annetta -tries to help him out by ballad singing, is seated at his bench at work -in front of his house. In the intervals of the chorus the Count, who -figures in a side plot, sings a beautiful romanza, "Thou Beauteous as an -Angel art" ("Bella siccome un angelo"). Then Crispino bewails his hard -fortune in a quaint melody, "Once a Cobbler" ("Una volta un ciabattino"), -after which Annetta introduces herself with a canzonetta, "My Pretty -Tales and Songs" ("Istorie belle e leggere"), leading up to a minor duet -between them. In the sixth scene a buffo aria, "I am a Bit of a -Philosopher" ("Io sono un po' filosofo") is sung by Dr. Fabrizio. At last -Crispino gets into such desperate straits that he resolves to make way -with himself. He is about to jump into a well when a fairy appears and -dissuades him, at the same time giving him a purse of gold and offering -to set him up in business as a doctor, telling him he must look about him -whenever he has a patient, and if she is not present he will be -successful. The act closes with a duet for Crispino and Annetta, "Since -you have found a Fairy" ("Troffo so, basta per ova"). - -The second act discloses Crispino in the midst of a nourishing business, -and the delighted Annetta sings a joyous little melody, "I no longer am -Annetta" ("Io non sono piu l'Annetta"). A workman who has met with an -accident is brought to Crispino for treatment, and as the fairy is not -present he is successful. The musical treatment of the healing scene is -worked up with great skill. It begins with a baritone solo, leading up to -a duet with soprano and chorus accompaniment. A sextette then takes up -the theme, and in the close all on the stage give it with impressive -effect. A broadly humorous but very melodious trio of the doctors -follows, "Sirs, what means this Quarrel?" ("Ma Signori, perchè tantes -questione?"). In the next scene Annetta sings the pretty Fritola song, -"Pietro, Darling, this Cake so Tempting" ("Piero mio, go qua una -fritola"), in which she boasts the merits of a cake she has made for the -Carnival. Meanwhile Crispino grows so puffed up with his wealth that when -Annetta invites some old friends to the house he drives them out, and is -about to strike Annetta when the fairy suddenly appears. - -In the last act the fairy has taken Crispino to a cavern, where she shows -him crystal vases in which more or less brilliant lights are burning. She -tells him that each represents a human life. The one burning so brightly -is Annetta's, the one so dimly is his own. When he asks her to take some -oil out of Annetta's lamp and put it into his, she upbraids him, reveals -herself as death, and tells him to make his last request, for he is about -to die. In a doleful ballad, "Little I ask, Dearest Fairy" ("Poco cerco, -O mia Comare"), he asks for only a half-hour more, so that he may see -Annetta and the children. A sudden change of scene shows him in his own -house, awaking from sleep in his chair. As he realizes that it has been -only a nightmare, occasioned by a sudden fit of illness, he expresses his -delight and Annetta expresses her joy in a brilliant waltz movement, -"There's no Joy that e'er hath given me" ("Non ha gioja in tal Momento"), -which closes the opera. - - - - - ROSSINI, GIOACHINO ANTONIO. - - - - - The Barber of Seville. - - - [Opera buffa, in two acts; text by Sterbini. First produced at the - Argentina Theatre, Rome, February 5, 1816.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Rosina, ward of Dr. Bartolo. - Berta. - Figaro, the barber. - Count Almaviva, lover of Rosina. - Dr. Bartolo. - Basilio, a music-master. - - [Officers, soldiers, etc.] - - The scene is laid in Seville; time, the eighteenth century. - -The story and the music of "The Barber of Seville" are as fresh and -delightful as when the opera was first produced eighty-six years ago. Its -story is almost as familiar as household words, and no music has been -more popular on the operatic stage than its gay, brilliant arias. Count -Almaviva loves Rosina, the ward of Dr. Bartolo, who wishes to marry her -himself, but the Count is unable to get an interview with her until it is -arranged for by Figaro, the factotum of the place. In spite of Bartolo's -watchfulness, as well as that of Don Basilio, her music-teacher, who is -only too willing to serve Bartolo, she succeeds in writing to the Count -and telling him that his love is returned. With Figaro's help the Count -gets into the house disguised as a drunken dragoon, but is promptly -arrested. The next time he secures admission as a music-teacher upon the -pretence that Don Basilio is sick, and has sent him to give Rosina her -lesson. He further hoodwinks Bartolo by producing the letter Rosina had -written to himself, and promises to persuade her that the letter has been -given him by a mistress of the Count, which will break the connection -between the two. He secures the coveted interview, and an elopement is -planned. The unexpected appearance of Don Basilio, however, upsets the -arrangements, and the disconcerted lover makes good his escape. In the -mean time Bartolo, who has the letter, shows it to his ward and arouses -her jealousy. She thereupon promises to marry her guardian. At the time -set for the elopement, the Count and Figaro arrive. A reconciliation is -speedily effected, and the Count and Rosina are married just as Bartolo -makes his appearance with officers to arrest the Count. After mutual -explanations, however, all ends happily. - -The opera opens, after a short chorus, with the Count's serenade, "Lo, -smiling in the Orient Sky" ("Ecco ridente in cielo"), one of the most -beautiful numbers in the opera. In the second scene Figaro sings the -lively and well-known buffo aria, "Make Room for the Factotum" ("Largo al -factotum"). A light and lively duet between Figaro and the Count leads up -to the chamber aria of Rosina, "The Voice I heard just now" ("Una voce -poco fa"), which is not only very expressive but remarkably rich in -ornamentation. In the next scene occurs the calumny aria, "Oh! Calumny is -like the Sigh" ("La Calunnia è un venticello"). It is followed by a -florid duet and a dialogue between Rosina and Bartolo, closing with the -bass aria, "No longer conceal the Truth" ("Non piu tacete"). The finale -is composed of three scenes full of glittering dialogue and melodious -passages. - -The second act opens with a soliloquy by Bartolo, interrupted by a duet -with the Count. The music-lesson scene follows in which the artist -personating Rosina is given an opportunity for interpolation. In the next -scene occurs a dialogue quintette, which is followed by a long aria for -Bertha, "There is always Noise" ("Sempre gridi"), which the Italians -called the "aria de sorbetto," as they used to eat ices while it was -sung. In the eighth scene, after a long recitative, an instrumental -prelude occurs, representing a stormy night, followed by recitative in -which the Count reveals himself, leading up to a florid trio, and this in -turn to the elegant terzetto, "Softly, softly, no Delay" ("Zitti, zitti, -piano, piano"). A bravura and finale of light, graceful melody close the -opera. - - - - - SOLOMON, EDWARD. - - - - - Billee Taylor. - - - [Nautical comic opera, in two acts; text by Stephens. First produced in - London in 1880] - - PERSONAGES. - - Felix Flapper, R. N., Captain of "H. M. S. Thunderbomb." - Sir Mincing Lane, knight. - Billee Taylor. - Ben Barnacle. - Christopher Crab, tutor. - Phoebe Farleigh, a charity girl. - Arabella Lane, heiress. - Eliza Dabsey. - Susan. - Jane Scraggs. - - [Villagers, peasants, sailors, press gang, etc.] - - The scene is laid in Southampton, England; time, the year 1805. - -The story of "Billee Taylor" is based upon an old English marine ballad -of the same name. The first act opens at the inn of the Royal George in -Southampton, where the villagers have gathered to celebrate the wedding -of Billee Taylor and Phoebe Farleigh, a charity girl. The heiress, -Arabella Lane, is also in love with Billee, and has offered him her hand, -which he has rejected. Her father, Sir Mincing Lane, is going to give the -villagers a feast upon the occasion of Billee's wedding, and invites his -friend, Captain Flapper, to attend. The captain accepts, falls in love -with Phoebe at sight, and vows Billee shall not marry her. Crab, the -tutor, is also in love with Phoebe. In Captain Flapper's crew is Bill -Barnacle, who went to sea "on account of Eliza," who had been unfaithful -to him, and he is ordered by the press gang to carry Billee away, which -he does during the wedding festivities. - -The second act opens at Portsmouth, two years supposedly having elapsed. -All the charity girls, among them Phoebe, disguised as sailors, followed -Billee to sea, who in the mean time has risen to a lieutenancy. Arabella -forces her attentions upon him and he is inclined to yield. At this -juncture Phoebe, still seeking her lover, turns up as a common sailor -answering to the name of Richard Carr. Captain Flapper in her presence -mentions that he is in love with her, also that Billee is about to marry -Arabella. Sir Mincing Lane, now a commander of volunteers, endeavors to -persuade some of the sailors to join him, and Phoebe offers herself as a -recruit, but is claimed as a messmate by Barnacle, which leads to a -quarrel. Crab then incites Phoebe to revenge herself upon her recreant -lover, and she fires at him, but the shot hits Crab. She is arrested and -is about to be executed, but is released when she declares herself a -woman. In the end Billee is disrated, but marries Arabella. Barnacle -secures his Eliza. Phoebe marries the captain, and is made full -lieutenant of the "Thunderbomb." - -"Billee Taylor" is essentially a ballad opera. The best of the ballads -are "The Virtuous Gardener," in which Billee describes the ethical -pleasures of gardening; "The Two Rivers," sung by Phoebe, Susan, and -chorus; "The Self-made Knight," by Sir Mincing Lane, which resembles Sir -Joseph Porter's song in the first act of "Pinafore" ("When I was a Lad I -served a Term"); Phoebe's sentimental song, "The Guileless Orphan"; -Barnacle's well-known song, "All on account of Eliza"; Crab's humorous -ditty, "The Poor Wicked Man"; Angelina's sentimental "Ballad of the -Billow"; and Captain Flapper's disquisition on love in the interrogative -song, "Do you know why the Rabbits are caught in the Snares?" - - - - - SOUSA, JOHN PHILIP. - - - - - El Capitan. - - - [Comic opera, in three acts; text by Klein. First produced at the - Tremont Theatre, Boston, April 13, 1896.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Medigua, Viceroy of Peru. - Cazarro, deposed viceroy. - Pozzo, secretary of Medigua. - Verrada, in love with Isabel. - Scaramba, an insurgent. - Estrelda, Cazarro's daughter. - Marghanza, Medigua's wife. - Isabel, her daughter. - - [Troops, insurgents, peasants, etc.] - - The scene is laid in Peru; time, the eighteenth century. - -At the opening of the story Cazarro, viceroy of Peru, has been deposed by -the King of Spain, and Medigua has been appointed in his stead. Cazarro -incites a revolution, and sends to Spain for El Capitan, a noted soldier, -to come to his help. He sails on the same ship with Medigua, in the -disguise of a seaman, but is killed in a quarrel on board. Medigua finds -out who he was, and when he lands, discovering that his faction is in a -hopeless minority, he proclaims himself El Capitan and joins the rebels. -To further his scheme he induces his secretary, Pozzo, to represent the -Viceroy. Among the other characters are Scaramba, a revolutionist in love -with Estrelda, daughter of Cazarro; the Princess Marghanza, wife of -Medigua; her daughter Isabel; and Count Verrada, who is in love with her. -Estrelda falls in love with the pseudo El Capitan, which arouses -Scaramba's jealousy. Pozzo is thrust into prison, much to the grief of -the Princess and of Isabel, who believe him to be Medigua. After the -arrival of the Spanish troops, however, Medigua declares himself. The -rebellion is squelched, all are pardoned, and everything ends happily. - -The principal numbers of the first act are a pretty drinking-song for the -chorus; a solo for Medigua, "If you examine Human Kind," followed by a -dialogue and leading up to an aria for Estrelda, "When we hear the Call -for Battle," with chorus in march time; a second march, "In me you see El -Capitan," which heralds Medigua's entrance; the chorus, "Lo, the Awful -Man approaches"; and the solo and chorus, "Bah, bah," closing the act. -The second act opens with a march song, "Ditty of the Drill," which is -shortly followed by an effective scene in which a mournful accompaniment -representing the grief of Marghanza and Isabel, and a festive -accompaniment setting forth the exultation of Estrelda and her companions -as they bind El Capitan with garlands of roses, are interwoven. As the -Princess discovers Medigua in El Capitan, a quarrel duet follows between -her and Estrelda, leading up to a pompous military finale, as the Spanish -troops appear. The leading numbers of the third act are a serenade and -duet for Verrada and Isabel; a song by the tipsy Medigua, "The Typical -Tune of Zanzibar," which is the most popular number in the opera; and a -final march with chorus. - - - - - STRAUSS, JOHANN. - - - - - The Merry War. - - - [Opéra comique, in three acts; text by Zell and Genée. First produced - in Vienna, November 25, 1881.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Countess Violetta. - Col. Umberto. - Duke de Limburg. - Balthasar Groats, dealer in tulip bulbs. - Else, wife of Groats. - Spiuzzi. - Franchetti. - Biffi. - - [Soldiers, citizens, etc.] - - The scene is laid in Genoa; time, the eighteenth century. - -The "merry war" is not a very serious one, as may be inferred from its -title. It is a quarrel between two petty states, Genoa and Massa Carrara, -growing out of the fact that a popular dancer has made simultaneous -engagements at the theatres of each. Both claim her, and the question at -issue is at which theatre the dancer shall appear. One harmless hand -grenade is thrown from either side with monotonous regularity each day, -and the "merry war" is without interesting incident until the pretty -Countess Violetta appears in one of the camps. She is seeking to make her -way in disguise into the city of the other camp, to take command of the -citadel. Umberto, the colonel commanding, is deceived by her, and allows -her to pass through the lines. When informed of the deception he -determines to take his revenge by marrying her. Understanding that she is -to marry the Duke de Limburg by proxy, he impersonates the Duke and is -married to Violetta without arousing her suspicions. He is assisted in -his scheme by Balthasar Groats, a Dutch speculator in tulip bulbs, whom -the soldiers have arrested, thinking him a spy, and who is naturally -willing to do anything for the Colonel to get him out of his predicament. -Complications arise, however, when Groats' wife appears and becomes -jealous, also because of Violetta's antipathy towards her supposed -husband and her affection for Umberto. All these matters are arranged -satisfactorily, however, when there is an opportunity for explanation, -and a treaty of peace is signed between the two states, when it is found -that the cause of the "merry war" will not keep her engagement with -either theatre. - -The music of "The Merry War" is light and gay throughout. Like all the -rest of the Strauss operas, it might be said that it is a collection of -marches and waltzes, and a repetition of dance music which has done good -service in ballrooms, strung upon the slight thread of a story. Its most -taking numbers are Umberto's couplets, "Till now no Drop of Blood"; -Balthasar's comical song, "General, ho!" and his tulip song, "From -Holland to Florence in Peace we were going"; Violetta's arietta, "In vain -I cannot fly"; the dainty duet for Violetta and Umberto, "Please do"; -Else's romantic song, "I wandered on"; the ensemble and Dutch song by -Artemisia, "The much Admired One"; Umberto's love song, "The Night begins -to creep"; Violetta's song, "I am yet Commander for To-day," leading to a -terzetto and spirited final chorus, "Of their Warlike Renown." - - - - - The Queen's Lace Handkerchief. - - - [Opéra comique, in three acts; text by Genée and Bohrmann-Riegen. First - produced at Vienna, October 2, 1880.] - - PERSONAGES. - - The King. - The Queen. - Donna Irene, the Queen's confidante. - Marquis of Villareal. - Cervantes, poet. - Count Villaboisy Roderiguez, Prime Minister. - Don Sancho de Avellaneda, tutor to the King. - Marquis de la Mancha Villareal, Minister of War. - Duke of Feria, Minister of Finance. - Count San Gregorio, Minister of the Interior. - Count Ermos, Minister of the Navy. - Don Diego de Barados, Minister of Police. - Dancing-Master. - Master of Ceremonies. - Antonio, innkeeper. - - [Students, doctors, ladies and gentlemen of the court, toreadors, - brigands, etc.] - - The scene is laid in Portugal; time, the year 1570. - -The romance of the story of "The Queen's Lace Handkerchief" has helped to -make this opera one of the most popular of Strauss' works. The action -begins at a time when Portugal is ruled by a ministry whose premier is in -league with Philip II. of Spain, and who, to keep possession of power, -has fomented trouble between the young Queen and King, and encouraged the -latter in all kinds of dissipations. At this time Cervantes, the poet, -who has been banished from Spain, is a captain in the Royal Guards, and -in love with Irene, a lady in waiting. These two are good friends of both -the King and Queen, and are eager to depose the ministry. Cervantes is -reader to the Queen, and the latter, having a sentimental attachment for -him, writes upon her handkerchief, "A queen doth love thee, yet art thou -no king," and placing it in a volume of "Don Quixote," hands it to him. -The book is seized, and as "Don Quixote" is Minister of War and "Sancho -Panza" Minister of Instruction, Cervantes is arrested for libel and -treason. Irene and the King, however, save him by proving him insane, and -the King and Queen ascend the throne. In desperation the premier hands -the King the handkerchief with the inscription on it, which leads to the -re-arrest of Cervantes and the banishment of the Queen to a convent. -Cervantes escapes, however, and joins some brigands. They capture the -Queen on her way to the convent, and in the disguise of the host and -waiting-maid of an inn, they serve the King, who happens there on a -hunting-trip. Everything is satisfactorily accounted for, and the -inscription on the handkerchief is explained as a message which the Queen -sent to the King by Cervantes. - -The music is light and brilliant. Much of it is in the waltz movement, -and the choral work is a strong feature. Its best numbers are the Queen's -humorous romanza, "It was a wondrous Fair and Starry Night"; another -humorous number, the King's truffle song, "Such Dish by Man not oft is -seen"; the epicurean duet for the King and premier, "These Oysters are -great"; Cervantes' recitative, "Once sat a Youth," in the finale of the -first act: a dainty little romanza for Cervantes, "Where the Wild Rose -sweetly doth blow"; the trio and chorus, "Great Professors, Learned -Doctors"; the fine duet for the King and Cervantes, "Brighter Glance on -him shall repose"; Sancho's vivacious couplet, "In the Night his Zither -holding"; the Queen's showy song, "Seventeen Years had just passed o'er -me"; and the two closing choruses, "Now the King all hail," in march -time, and the Bull-fight, which is full of dash and spirit. - - - - - Queen Indigo. - - - [Opera comique, in three acts; text by Jaime and Wilder. First produced - in Vienna, February 10, 1871.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Montadada I., widow of King Indigo. - Fantasca, the late King's favorite. - Janio, the late King's jester. - Romadour, chief of the eunuchs. - Babazouck, fruit and vegetable vender. - Mysouf, general-in-chief. - - [Inmates of the harem, eunuchs, cooks, courtiers, soldiers, sailors, - etc.] - - The scene is laid in Asiatic Turkey; time, the last century. - -At the opening of the opera King Indigo has just died, and his widow, -Montadada I., decides to sell the harem. Fantasca, a beautiful slave, who -was the favorite of the King, is included among those to be sold, and -Romadour, chief of the eunuchs, resolves to secure her. Fantasca is in -love with Janio, the King's jester, of her own country. Queen Montadada -is also in love with him and has chosen him for her second husband, but -he prefers Fantasca. The two contrive a cunning plot for the escape of -the entire harem. Janio informs the Queen that one of her tribes has -revolted, and as her troops are all sick he proposes that the women be -armed and that he be placed in command. She accepts the proposal, and -promises that the victor "shall choose the woman he loves, did she even -wear a crown," not doubting Janio will select her, but, much to her -chagrin, he announces Fantasca as his choice. - -The second act discloses the Amazon army with Janio and Fantasca at its -head. The Queen also accompanies them, still bent upon securing Janio's -love. At the first alarm the troops fly in all directions, and the Queen, -suspicious that something is wrong, scours the woods for Janio, who makes -his escape by changing clothes with Babazouck, a fruit-vender. The Queen -meanwhile arrays herself in male attire, so that she may compete in -physical attractions with Fantasca. She furthermore gets into a -semi-drunken condition, but recognizes the cheat when Babazouck is -brought before her. Immediately thereafter she falls into a drunken -stupor. Romadour also comes in intoxicated, and mistaking her for -Fantasca, sings to her, "O, my Queen, I love you," in a deep bass voice. -The act closes with the two sleeping side by side, and the women of the -harem carrying off the royal treasures. - -In the last act Janio, Fantasca, and the other slaves are preparing for -flight, when the Queen and Romadour enter. The former announces she no -longer loves Janio, but the man who had declared, "Oh, my Queen, I love -you." At her request Romadour repeats the remark, but this time in a high -falsetto voice which she does not recognize. Subsequently he changes his -mind, after hearing of Fantasca's prowess in battle, and exclaims, "O, my -Queen, I love you," in the bass voice. The Queen promptly claims him for -her husband and he acquiesces. She then orders Janio and Fantasca to be -sold, but Romadour intercedes in their behalf, and she banishes them. - -Like all the Strauss operas, "Queen Indigo" is full of charming waltz -music, comprising, in addition to many novelties, several of his old-time -favorites. The most effective vocal numbers are the trio, "What Dark -Forebodings" ("Quel sombre et noir présage"); Fantasca's couplets, "A -Model Soldier" ("Cavalier modèle"), and her song, "Woman is a Cunning -Bird" ("La femme est un oiseau subtil"); the waltz song, "Oh! Maddening -Flame" ("O flamme cuivrante"); the characteristic Tyrolienne, "Youpla! -why, Fond Lover" ("Youplà, pourquoi, bel amoureux"); and the "Blue -Danube" chorus of the sailors, in the last act. - - - - - The Bat. - - - (_Die Fledermaus._) - - [Opéra comique, in three acts; text by Haffner and Genée. First - produced in Vienna, July, 1874.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Eisenstein. - Alfred, singing-master. - Frosch, court usher. - Frank, prison director. - Dr. Blind, attorney. - Dr. Falke, notary. - Ivan, Prince Chamberlain. - Ali Bey, an Egyptian. - Murray, an American. - Cancorney, a Marquis. - Rosalind, wife of Eisenstein. - Prince Orlofsky. - Adele, Rosalind's maid. - Lord Middleton. - - [Dancers, masqueraders, etc.] - - The scene is laid in Germany; time, the last century. - -Strauss' "Die Fledermaus," or "The Bat," is founded upon Meilhac and -Halévy's "Le Revillon." In music it is Viennese; in dramatic effect, it -is French. The scene opens with Adele, maid of the Baroness Rosalind, -seeking permission to visit her sister Ida, a ballet-dancer, who is to be -at a masked ball given by Prince Orlofsky, a Russian millionaire. She -receives permission, and after she has gone, Dr. Falke, a notary, who has -arranged the ball, calls at the house of the Baron Eisenstein, and -induces him to go to it before going to jail, to which he has been -sentenced for contempt of court. The purpose of the doctor is to seek -revenge for his shabby treatment by the Baron some time before at a -masquerade which they had attended,--Eisenstein dressed as a butterfly, -and Falke as a bat. The doctor then notifies the Baroness that her -husband will be at the ball. She thereupon decides that she will also be -present. An amusing scene occurs when the Baron seeks to pass himself off -as a French marquis, and pays his devotions to the ladies, but is quite -astonished to find his wife there, flirting with an old lover. There are -further complications caused by Falke, who manages to have Alfred, the -singing-master, in the Baroness' apartments when the sheriff comes to -arrest the Baron, and arrests Alfred, supposing him to be Eisenstein. In -the last act, however, all the complications are disentangled, and -everything ends happily. - -It would be impossible to name the conspicuous numbers in this animated -and sprightly work without making a catalogue of them all. The opera is a -grand potpourri of waltz and polka motives and fresh, bright melodies. -The composer does not linger long with the dialogue, but goes from one -waltz melody to another in a most bewildering manner, interspersing them -with romanzas, drinking-songs, czardas, an almost endless variety of -dance rhythms and choruses of a brilliant sort. It is a charming mixture -of Viennese gayety and French drollery, and, like his "Roman Carnival" -and "Queen Indigo," is the very essence of the dance. - - - - - STUART, LESLIE. - - - - - Florodora. - - - [Musical comedy, in two acts; text by Hall. First produced in London, - November 11, 1899.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Cyrus W. Gilfain, proprietor of the island of Florodora. - Capt. Arthur Donegal, Lady Holyrood's brother. - Frank Abercoed, manager for Mr. Gilfain. - Leandro, overseer. - Anthony Tweedlepunch, phrenologist. - Dolores. - Valleda, maid to Lady Holyrood. - Estelle Lamont, stenographer. - Angela Gilfain. - Lady Holyrood. - - [Florodorean farmers, flower-girls, peasants, etc.] - - The scene is laid in the island of Florodora and Wales; time, the - present. - -"Florodora," the title of a musical comedy which has had extraordinary -success both in England and the United States, is the name of an island -and a perfume. The island has been stolen by Cyrus Gilfain, the -manufacturer of the perfume, from its rightful owner, whose daughter -Dolores works in his factory. He is anxious to marry the girl, so that he -may retain possession of the island, but she is in love with Abercoed, -the chief clerk, who in reality is Lord Abercoed. The conspicuous comedy -element of the work is supplied by Tweedlepunch, a detective, who arrives -at the island in Gilfain's absence, disguised as a phrenologist and -palmist, in search of the real owner's daughter. When Gilfain returns he -is accompanied by Lady Holyrood, a London society woman, who is scheming -to marry him. Lady Holyrood's brother, meanwhile, is in love with Angela, -Gilfain's daughter. Gilfain, finding that Tweedlepunch is a phrenologist, -bribes him to decide, after examination, that he and Dolores must wed, -and that Abercoed, whom he has learned is a peer, must marry his daughter -Angela. The scheme does not satisfy any one but Gilfain, and, least of -all, Lady Holyrood, who bribes Tweedlepunch again to decide that she and -Gilfain must marry. Abercoed refuses to marry Angela, is discharged by -Gilfain, and goes back to England with the intention of returning later -for Dolores. - -The second act opens in the grounds of Abercoed Castle in Wales, which -has been bought by Gilfain, who refuses to admit his former clerk. He -manages to get in, however, in company with Tweedlepunch and Dolores, and -Tweedlepunch, by a story of the ghost of an ancient Abercoed which has -threatened dreadful things will happen to Gilfain, so terrifies him that -he confesses his villainy, and all ends happily. Gilfain finally marries -Lady Holyrood, Donegal and Angela and Abercoed and Dolores are also -married, and the castle is restored to the rightful owner. - -The music of "Florodora" is light and catchy, but though original of its -kind, the work would hardly have achieved its remarkable vogue had it not -been for its brilliant stage setting, dances, and the extravagant comedy -rôle of Tweedlepunch. The best numbers in the first act are the sextette, -"The Credit due to me," by the clerks and chorus; the song, "When I leave -Town," by Lady Holyrood; and Abercoed's sentimental song, "In the Shade -of the Sheltering Palm," the only serious and musicianly number in the -work. The principal numbers of the second act are Lady Holyrood's topical -song "Tact," and "I've an Inkling"; Angela's clever song, "The Fellow who -might"; Donegal's song, "I want to be a Military Man"; the grotesque song -and dance by Leandro and Valleda, "We get up at 8 A. M."; and the double -sextette, "Tell me, Pretty Maiden," which is cleverly constructed and has -a fascinating rhythm. - - - - - SULLIVAN, ARTHUR. - - - - - Cox and Box. - - - [Comic operetta, in one act and seven tableaux; text by Burnand. First - produced at the Adelphi Theatre, London, 1867.] - - PERSONAGES. - - James John Cox, a journeyman hatter. - John James Box, a journeyman printer. - Sergt. Bouncer, late of the Hampshire Yeomanry. - - The scene is laid in London; time, the present. - -"Cox and Box" is of interest because it is the germ from which sprang the -long list of Sullivan's charming comic operas. Burnand, the author of the -libretto, has told the story of how they came to write this little -operetta. They had been to a private performance of Offenbach's "Les deux -Aveugles," and, Burnand wishing to present something of the same kind to -a party of his own friends, the notion suddenly occurred to him of -turning Morton's well-known farce of "Box and Cox" into an opera. -Sullivan took to the plan enthusiastically. Burnand reversed the title to -"Cox and Box," and turned Mrs. Bouncer into Sergeant Bouncer, so as to -admit of a martial air. They had but three weeks before them, but at the -end of that time the work was finished, Sullivan setting the music with -almost incredible rapidity. It made such a great hit that it was decided -to give it publicly, and at the last moment the composer wrote an -overture for it. - -The story is the familiar old one which as "Box and Cox" was for so many -years and still is such a favorite on the stage. It turns upon the funny -experiences of Cox, the hatter, and Box, the printer, who are occupying -the same room, the one by night and the other by day, unbeknown to each -other, and for which Sergeant Bouncer gets double rent. At last they meet -in the room which each one claims as his own. After a ludicrous dispute -they gradually become reconciled to each other, but another dispute -ensues when Cox finds that the widow Penelope Ann, whom he is about to -marry, has been deserted by Box, the latter pretending to have committed -suicide to get rid of her. Cox insists upon restoring Box to the arms of -his intended, but Box declines his generous offer. Then they agree to -decide by lot which shall have her, but each tries to cheat the other. -The situation resolves itself satisfactorily when a letter comes to Cox -from Penelope Ann, announcing that she has decided to marry Knox. They -give three cheers for Knox, and Bouncer closes the scene with a joyous -rataplan in which all three join. - -The situations are extremely humorous throughout, and the action moves -briskly. Though Sullivan wrote the music in great haste, it is in -perfect keeping with the fun of the farce and keeps up its interest to -the end. The principal numbers are Bouncer's rataplan song, "Yes, in -those Merry Days," and his duet with Cox, "Stay, Bouncer, stay"; Cox's -joyous song, "My Master is punctual always in Business," with its dance -at the end of each stanza; the characteristic serenade, "The Buttercup -dwells in the Lowly Mead" (Cox) and "The Floweret shines on the Minaret -Fair" (Box); Box's solemn description of his pretended suicide, "Listen! -I solemnly walked to the Cliff"; and the finale by the jolly triumvirate -with the "rataplan." - - - - - Trial by Jury. - - - [Operetta, in one act; text by Gilbert. First produced at the Royalty - Theatre, London, March 25, 1875.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Learned Judge. - Plaintiff. - Defendant. - Counsel for the Plaintiff. - Usher. - Foreman of the Jury. - Associate. - First Bridesmaid. - - [Barristers, attorneys, journeymen, and bridesmaids.] - - The scene is laid in a London Court of Justice; time, the nineteenth - century. - -The little operetta, "Trial by Jury," was the first result of the -successful collaboration of Gilbert and Sullivan, though it gave little -hint of the extraordinary excellence as well as popularity of the long -list which followed it. "The words and music were written and all the -rehearsals completed within three weeks, and all London went to see it," -says Sullivan's biographer. It was produced March 25, 1875, and had quite -a run, Frederick Sullivan, Sir Arthur's brother, appearing in the rôle of -the judge and contributing much to its success. - -The story is a satire upon the English courts, the incident being a -breach of promise case. Edwin is sued by Angelina. The usher impresses -upon the jury its duty to divest itself of prejudice in one breath, and -in the next seeks to prejudice it against the defendant by most violent -denunciations of him. When Edwin enters he is at once requested by the -jury to "dread our damages." He tells them how he became "the lovesick -boy" first of one and then of another. The jurymen in chorus, while -admitting that they were fickle when young, declare that they are now -respectable and have no sympathy with him. The judge enters, and after -informing the audience how he came to the bench, announces he is ready to -try the breach of promise case. The jury is sworn. Angelina enters, -accompanied by her bridesmaids. The judge takes a great fancy to the -first bridesmaid, and sends her a note, which she kisses rapturously and -places in her bosom. Immediately thereafter the judge transfers his -admiration to the plaintiff, and directs the usher to take the note from -the bridesmaid and give it to Angelina, which he does, while the jurymen -taunt the judge with being a sly dog, and then express their love for her -also. The plaintiff's counsel makes the opening speech, and Angelina -takes the witness-stand, but, feeling faint, falls sobbing on the -foreman's breast, who kisses her as a father. She revives, and then falls -sobbing upon the judge's breast, while the jurymen shake their fists at -the defendant, who comes forward and offers to marry Angelina "to-day and -marry the other to-morrow." The judge thinks it a reasonable proposition, -but the plaintiff's counsel submits that "to marry two at once is -Burglaree." In this dilemma Angelina embraces Edwin rapturously, but he -repels her furiously and throws her into the arms of her counsel. The -jury thereupon becomes distracted, and asks for guidance, whereupon the -judge decides he will marry Angelina himself, to which she gives -enthusiastic consent. - -The best numbers in the operetta are the defendant's song, "When first my -Old, Old Love I knew"; the juryman's song, "Oh! I was like that when I -was a Lad"; the judge's song, "When I, Good Friends, was called to the -Bar"; the pretty chorus of the bridesmaids, "Cover the Broken Flower"; -the plaintiff's song, "O'er the Season Vernal"; and the defendant's song, -"Oh! Gentlemen, listen, I pray." The London "Times," after the first -performance, said: "There is a genuine humor in the music, as for -instance in the unison chorus of the jurymen, and the clever parody on -one of the most renowned finales of modern Italian opera; and there is -also melody, both catching and fluent, here and there, moreover, set off -by little touches in the orchestral accompaniments which reveal the -experienced hand." - - - - - The Sorcerer. - - - [Comic opera, in two acts; text by Gilbert. First produced at the Opéra - Comique, London, November 18, 1877.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Sir Marmaduke Pointdextre, an elderly baronet. - Alexis, his son, of the Grenadier Guards. - Dr. Daly, vicar of Ploverleigh. - Notary. - John Wellington Wells, of Wells & Co., family sorcerers. - Lady Sangazure, a lady of ancient lineage. - Aline, her daughter, betrothed to Alexis. - Mrs. Partlet, a pew-opener. - Constance, her daughter. - - [Chorus of peasantry.] - - The scene is laid upon an English estate; time, the present. - -The success of the two operettas, "Cox and Box" and "Trial by Jury," led -to the organization of a company under the management of Mr. D'Oyly Carte -for the production of the Sullivan-Gilbert collaborations, and the first -of its performances was "The Sorcerer." Incidentally it may be stated -that this opera introduced Mr. George Grossmith to the stage, and its -success led to a proposition from "Lewis Carroll" to Sullivan to set his -"Alice in Wonderland" as an opera, though the scheme was never realized. -The libretto is replete with humor, and the music is original and -characteristic, and particularly noticeable for its admirable parodies of -the Italian operas, and yet it is always scholarly. - -The first act opens upon the grounds of Sir Marmaduke Pointdextre's -estate, where the villagers are gathered to celebrate the betrothal of -his son Alexis, and Aline, daughter of Lady Sangazure, with whom, fifty -years before, Sir Marmaduke had been in love. Mrs. Partlet, the -pew-opener, enters with her daughter Constance, who is hopelessly in love -with Dr. Daly, the vicar, for he cannot be made to understand, either by -her demonstrations or by the mother's hints, that he is the object of her -devotion. Alexis and Aline are congratulated by all, and sign the -marriage contract. When alone together, Alexis discourses upon his -favorite theory that all artificial barriers should be broken down and -that marriage should be contracted without regard to rank. To put his -theory into practice he procures from the firm of J. W. Wells & Co., the -old established family sorcerers of the place, a large quantity of their -love potion, which has no effect upon married persons but will cause -unmarried ones to couple without regard to rank or condition, mixes it -with the tea and serves it out to all who are in attendance at the -betrothal banquet. Gradually all fall insensible, and the act closes. - -The second act opens upon Sir Marmaduke's grounds at midnight. The -guests, one after the other, are waking. Alexis tells Aline she must take -some of the potion so that he may be sure of her love, which she does -after much protesting. As they regain their senses, each guest makes -offer of marriage to the first one seen. Constance declares her love for -the old notary. Sir Marmaduke enters with Mrs. Partlet, the venerable -pew-opener, on his arm and announces his intention of marrying her. Wells -appears on the grounds in a remorseful condition as he beholds the -mischief he has caused, and Lady Sangazure proposes to him, and leaves in -great anguish when he declares he is already engaged to "a maiden fair on -a South Pacific Isle." Aline beholds Dr. Daly and begins to fall -violently in love with him and he with her. Alexis, in alarm at the -trouble he is making, seeks out Wells and demands that he shall remove -the spell. Wells explains that in order to do this, one or the other of -them must offer his life to Ahrimanes. Alexis is not willing to give up -Aline, and Wells is averse to losing his profitable business. They agree -to leave the decision to the guests, and the latter agree that Wells -shall make the sacrifice. He consents, and all go back to their old -lovers as he sinks through a trap amid red fire. - -The most conspicuous numbers in the first act are Dr. Daly's ballad, -"Time was when Love and I were well acquainted"; the duet between Sir -Marmaduke and Lady Sangazure, "Welcome Joy, adieu to Sadness"; Alexis' -ballad, "Love feeds on many Kinds of Food I know"; Wells' long and -rollicking song, "Oh! my Name is John Wellington Wells"; and the -incantation music, "Sprites of Earth and Air." The second act opens with -a charming little country dance. The principal numbers which follow it -are Constance's aria, "Dear Friends, take Pity on my Lot"; the ensemble -for Aline, Alexis, Constance, and the Notary, "O, Joy! O, Joy!"; Alexis' -ballad, "Thou hast the Power thy Vaunted Love"; the quintette, "I rejoice -that it's decided"; Dr. Daly's humorous song, "Oh! my Voice is sad and -low"; and the final ensemble, "Now to the Banquet we press." - - - - - H. M. S. Pinafore; or, The Lass that Loved a Sailor. - - - [Comic opera, in two acts; text by Gilbert. First produced at the Opéra - Comique, London, May 28, 1878.] - - PERSONAGES. - - The Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph Porter, K.C.B., First Lord of the Admiralty. - Capt. Corcoran, commanding "H. M. S. Pinafore." - Ralph Rackstraw, able seaman. - Dick Deadeye, able seaman. - Bill Bobstay, boatswain's mate. - Bob Becket, carpenter's man. - Tom Tucker, midshipmite. - Sergeant of Marines. - Josephine, the Captain's daughter. - Hebe, Sir Joseph's first cousin. - Little Buttercup, a bumboat woman. - - [First Lord's sisters, his cousins, his aunts, sailors, marines, etc.] - - The scene is laid on the quarterdeck of "H. M. S. Pinafore"; time, the - present. - -Although "Pinafore," when it was first produced in London, was received -so coolly that it was decided to take it off the boards, yet eventually, -with the exception of "The Beggar's Opera," it proved to be the most -popular opera ever produced in England; while in the United States it was -for years the rage, and is still a prime favorite. The first scene -introduces the leading characters on the deck of "H. M. S. Pinafore" in -the harbor of Portsmouth. Little Buttercup, a bumboat woman, "the -rosiest, the roundest, and the reddest beauty in all Spithead," comes on -board and has an interview with Dick Deadeye, the villain of the story, -and Ralph Rackstraw, "the smartest lad in all the fleet," who is in love -with Josephine, Captain Corcoran's daughter. The Captain comes on deck in -a melancholy mood because Josephine has shown herself indifferent to Sir -Joseph Porter, K.C.B., who is to ask for her hand that afternoon. She -confesses to her father that she loves a common sailor, but will carry -her love to the grave without letting him know of it. Sir Joseph comes on -board with a long retinue of sisters, cousins, and aunts, who chant his -praises. After attending to some minor details, he has a fruitless -interview with the Captain and Josephine. She declares she cannot love -him. Shortly afterwards she meets Ralph, who declares his love for her, -but she haughtily rejects him. When he draws his pistol and declares he -will shoot himself, she acknowledges her love, and they plan to steal -ashore at night and be married. Dick Deadeye overhears the plot and -threatens to thwart it. - -The second act opens at night. Captain Corcoran is discovered sadly -complaining to the moon, and wondering why everything is at "sixes and -sevens." Little Buttercup sympathizes with him, and is about to become -affectionate, when he informs her he can only be her friend. She grows -enraged, and warns him there is a change in store for him. Sir Joseph -enters, and informs the Captain he is much disappointed at the way -Josephine has acted. The Captain replies that she is probably dazzled by -his rank, and that if he will reason with her and convince her that "love -levels all ranks," everything will be right. Sir Joseph does so, but only -pleads his rival's cause. She tells him she has hesitated, but now she -hesitates no longer. Sir Joseph and the Captain are rejoicing over her -apparent change of heart, when Dick Deadeye reveals the plot to elope -that night. The Captain confronts them as they are stealthily leaving the -vessel, and insists upon knowing what Josephine is about to do. Ralph -steps forward and declares his love, whereupon the Captain grows furious -and lets slip an oath. He is overheard by Sir Joseph, who orders him to -his cabin "with celerity." He then inquires of Ralph what he has done to -make the Captain profane. He replies it was his acknowledgment of love -for Josephine, whereupon, in a towering rage, Sir Joseph orders his -imprisonment in the ship's dungeon. He then remonstrates with Josephine, -whereupon Little Buttercup reveals her secret. Years before, when she was -practising baby-farming, she nursed two babies, one of "low condition," -the other "a regular patrician," and she "mixed those children up and not -a creature knew it." "The well-born babe was Ralph, your Captain was the -other." Sir Joseph orders the two before him, gives Ralph the command of -"H. M. S. Pinafore," and Corcoran Ralph's place. As his marriage with -Josephine is now impossible, he gives her to Ralph, and Captain Corcoran, -now a common seaman, unites his fortunes with those of Little Buttercup. - -It is one of the principal charms of this delightful work that it is -entirely free from coarseness and vulgarity. The wit is always delicate, -though the satire is keen. Words and music rarely go so well together as -in this opera. As a prominent English critic said of "Trial by Jury," "it -seems, as in the great Wagnerian operas, as though poem and music had -proceeded simultaneously from one and the same brain." The chorus plays a -very important part in it, and in the most solemnly ludicrous manner -repeats the assertions of the principals in the third person. All its -numbers might be styled the leading ones, but those which have become -most popular are the song, "I'm called Little Buttercup"; Josephine's -sentimental song, "Sorry her Lot who loves too well," one of the few -serious numbers in the opera; Sir Joseph Porter's song, "I am the Monarch -of the Sea," with its irresistible choral refrain, "And so are his -Sisters and his Cousins and his Aunts, his Sisters and his Cousins, whom -he reckons by the Dozens," leading up to the satirical song, "When I was -a Lad, I served a Term"; the stirring trio, "A British Tar is a Soaring -Soul"; Captain Corcoran's sentimental ditty, "Fair Moon, to thee I sing"; -Josephine's scena, "The Hours creep on apace," with its mock heroic -recitative; Dick Deadeye's delightful song, "The Merry Maiden and the -Tar"; the pretty octette and chorus, "Farewell, my own"; Little -Buttercup's legend, "A many Years ago, when I was young and charming"; -and the choral finale, "Then give three Cheers and one Cheer more." - - - - - The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty. - - - [Comic opera, in two acts; text by Gilbert. First produced in England - at the Opéra Comique, April 3, 1880.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Maj.-Gen. Stanley. - Pirate King. - Samuel, his lieutenant. - Frederic, the pirate apprentice. - Sergeant of Police. - Mabel, } - Edith, } - Kate, } - Isabel, } Gen. Stanley's daughters. - Ruth, a pirate maid of all work. - - [Pirates, police, etc.] - - The scene is laid on the coast of Cornwall; time, the present. - -"The Pirates of Penzance" has a local interest from the fact that it was -first produced in New York on New Year's Eve, December 31, 1879, under -the immediate supervision of both Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Gilbert. When the -composer left England he had only finished the second act, and that was -without orchestration. After his arrival here he wrote the first act and -scored the entire opera. By this performance the profits of the -representations in this country were secured. The work was not published -until after their return to England. - -At the opening of the opera it is disclosed that Frederic, when a boy, in -pursuance of his father's orders, was to have been apprenticed to a pilot -until his twenty-first year, but by the mistake of his nurse-maid, Ruth, -he was bound out to one of the pirates of Penzance, who were celebrated -for their gentleness and never molested orphans because they were orphans -themselves. In the first scene the pirates are making merry, as Frederic -has reached his majority and is about to leave them and seek some other -occupation. Upon the eve of departure Ruth requests him to marry her, and -he consents, as he has never seen any other woman, but shortly afterwards -he encounters the daughters of General Stanley, falls in love with Mabel, -the youngest, and denounces Ruth as a deceiver. The pirates encounter the -girls about the same time, and propose to marry them, but when the -General arrives and announces that he is an orphan, they relent and allow -the girls to go. - -The second act opens in the General's ancient baronial hall, and reveals -him surrounded by his daughters, lamenting that he has deceived the -pirates by calling himself an orphan. Frederic appears, and bids Mabel -farewell, as he is about to lead an expedition for the extermination of -the pirates. While he is alone, the Pirate King and Ruth visit him and -show him the papers which bound him to them. It is stated in them that he -is bound "until his twenty-first birthday," but as his birthday is the -29th of February, he has had but five. Led by his strong sense of duty, -he decides that he will go back to his old associates. Then he tells them -of the General's orphan story, which so enrages them that they swear -vengeance. They come by night to carry off the General, but are -overpowered by the police and sent to prison, where they confess they are -English noblemen. Upon promising to give up their piratical career, they -are pardoned, and this releases Frederic. - -The principal numbers in the first act are Ruth's song, "When Frederic -was a Little Lad"; the Pirate King's song, "Oh! better far to live and -die"; Frederic's sentimental song, "Oh! is there not one Maiden Breast"; -Mabel's reply, "Poor Wandering One"; and the descriptive song of the -General, "I am the very Pattern of a Modern Major-General," which reminds -one of Sir Joseph's song, "When I was a Lad I served a Term," in -"Pinafore," and Wells' song, "Oh! my Name is John Wellington Wells," in -"The Sorcerer." The second act opens with a chorus of the daughters and -solo by Mabel, "Dear Father, why leave your Bed." The remaining most -popular numbers are the Tarantara of the Sergeant; the Pirate King's -humorous chant, "For some Ridiculous Reason"; Mabel's ballad, "Oh, leave -me not to pine," and the Sergeant's irresistible song, "When a Fellow's -not engaged in his Employment," which has become familiar as a household -word by frequent quotation. - - - - - Patience; or, Bunthorne's Bride. - - - [Comic opera, in two acts; text by Gilbert. First produced at the Opéra - Comique, London, April 23, 1881.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Col. Calverley, } - Major Murgatroyd, } - Lieutenant the Duke of Dunstable, } officers of Dragoon Guards. - Reginald Bunthorne, a fleshly poet. - Archibald Grosvenor, an idyllic poet. - Mr. Bunthorne's Solicitor. - Lady Angela, } - Lady Saphir, } - Lady Ella, } - Lady Jane, } rapturous maidens. - Patience, a dairy-maid. - - [Guards, æsthetic maidens.] - - The scene is laid at Castle Bunthorne; time, the last century. - -The opera of "Patience" is a pungent satire upon the fleshly school of -poetry as represented by Oscar Wilde and his imitators, as well as upon -the fad for æsthetic culture which raged so violently a quarter of a -century ago. Bunthorne, in one of his soliloquies, aptly expresses the -hollowness of the sham,-- - - "I am _not_ fond of uttering platitudes - In stained-glass attitudes; - In short, my mediævalism's affectation - Born of a morbid love of admiration." - -In these four lines Gilbert pricked the æsthetic bubble, and nothing did -so much to end the fad of lank, languorous maidens, and long haired, -sunflowered male æsthetes, as Gilbert's well-directed shafts of ridicule -in this opera. - -The story of the opera tells of the struggle for supremacy over female -hearts between an æsthetic (Bunthorne) and an idyllic poet (Grosvenor). -In the opening scene lovesick maidens in clinging gowns, playing -mandolins, sing plaintively of their love for Bunthorne. Patience, a -healthy milkmaid, comes upon the scene, and makes fun of them, and asks -them why they sit and sob and sigh. She announces to them that the -Dragoon Guards will soon arrive, but although they doted upon Dragoons -the year before they spurn them now and go to the door of Bunthorne to -carol to him. The Guards duly arrive, and are hardly settled down when -Bunthorne passes by in the act of composing a poem, followed by the -twenty lovesick maidens. After finishing his poem he reads it to them, -and they go off together, without paying any attention to the Dragoons, -who declare they have been insulted and leave in a rage. Bunthorne, when -alone, confesses to himself he is a sham, and at the close of his -confession Patience comes in. He at once makes love to her, but only -frightens her. She then confers with Lady Angela, who explains love to -her, and tells her it is her duty to love some one. Patience declares she -will not go to bed until she has fallen in love with some one, when -Grosvenor, the idyllic poet and "apostle of simplicity," enters. He and -Patience had been playmates in early childhood, and she promptly falls in -love with him, though he is indifferent. In the closing scene Bunthorne, -twined with garlands, is led in by the maidens, and puts himself up as a -prize in a lottery; but the drawing is interrupted by Patience, who -snatches away the papers and offers herself as a bride to Bunthorne, who -promptly accepts her. The maidens then make advances to the Dragoons, but -when Grosvenor appears they all declare their love for him. Bunthorne -recognizes him as a dangerous rival, and threatens "he shall meet a -hideous doom." - -The opening of the second act reveals Jane, an antique charmer, sitting -by a sheet of water mourning because the fickle maidens have deserted -Bunthorne, and because he has taken up with "a puling milkmaid," while -she alone is faithful to him. In the next scene Grosvenor enters with the -maidens, of whom he is tired. They soon leave him in low spirits, when -Patience appears and tells him she loves him, but can never be his, for -it is her duty to love Bunthorne. The latter next appears, followed by -the antique Jane, who clings to him in spite of his efforts to get rid of -her. He accuses Patience of loving Grosvenor, and goes off with Jane in a -wildly jealous mood. In the next scene the Dragoons, to win favor with -the maidens, transform themselves into a group of æsthetes. Bunthorne and -Grosvenor finally meet, and Bunthorne taxes his rival with monopolizing -the attentions of the young ladies. Grosvenor replies that he cannot help -it, but would be glad of any suggestion that would lead to his being less -attractive. Bunthorne tells him he must change his conversation, cut his -hair, and have a back parting, and wear a commonplace costume. Grosvenor -at first protests, but yields when threatened with Bunthorne's curse. In -the finale, when it is discovered that Grosvenor has become a commonplace -young man, the maidens decide that if "Archibald the All-Right" has -discarded æstheticism, it is right for them to do so. Patience takes the -same view of the case, and leaves Bunthorne for Grosvenor. The maidens -find suitors among the Dragoons, and even the antique Jane takes up with -the Duke, and Bunthorne is left alone with his lily, nobody's bride. - -The most popular musical numbers in the opera are the Colonel's song, "If -you want a Receipt for that Popular Mystery"; Bunthorne's "wild, weird, -fleshly" song, "What Time the Poet hath hymned," also his song, "If -you're anxious for to shine"; the romantic duet of Patience and -Grosvenor, "Prithee, Pretty Maiden"; the sextette, "I hear the Soft Note -of the Echoing Voice"; Jane's song, "Silvered is the Raven Hair"; -Patience's ballad, "Love is a Plaintive Song"; Grosvenor's fable of the -magnet and the churn; the rollicking duet of Bunthorne and Grosvenor, -"When I go out of Door," and the "prettily pattering, cheerily -chattering" chorus in the finale of the last act. - - - - - Iolanthe; or, The Peer and the Peri. - - - [Comic opera, in two acts; text by Gilbert. First produced at the Savoy - Theatre, London, November 25, 1882.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Lord Chancellor. - Earl of Mountararat. - Earl Tollaller. - Private Willis, of the Grenadier Guards. - Strephon, an Arcadian shepherd. - Iolanthe, a fairy, Strephon's mother. - Queen of the fairies. - Celia, } - Leila, } - Fleta, } fairies. - Phyllis, an Arcadian shepherdess and ward in Chancery. - - [Dukes, marquises, earls, viscounts, barons, and fairies] - - The scene is laid in Arcady and at Westminster; time, between 1700 and - 1882. - -The first act of "Iolanthe" opens in Arcady. Iolanthe, a fairy, having -offended her Queen by marrying a mortal, has been banished for life; but -in the opening scene, after twenty years of exile, she is pardoned. She -tells the Queen of her marriage, and her son Strephon, half a fairy and -half a shepherd, who is engaged to Phyllis, a shepherdess, and ward in -Chancery. At this point Strephon enters, and informs his mother that the -Lord Chancellor will not permit him to marry Phyllis, but he will do so -in spite of him. He curses his fairyhood, but the Queen says she has a -borough at her disposal, and will return him to Parliament as a -Liberal-Conservative. In the next scene Strephon meets Phyllis and pleads -against delay in marriage, since the Lord Chancellor himself may marry -her, and many of the lords are attentive to her. Meanwhile the lords meet -to decide which one of them shall have Phyllis, the Lord Chancellor -waiving his claim, as it might lay his decision open to misconstruction. -Phyllis is summoned before them, but is deaf to all entreaties, and -declares she is in love with Strephon, who has just entered. The peers -march out in a dignified manner, while the Lord Chancellor separates -Phyllis and Strephon and orders her away. He then refuses Strephon his -suit, whereupon the latter invokes the aid of his fairy mother, who -promises to lay the case before her Queen. In the finale the peers are -seen leading Phyllis, who overhears something said by Strephon and -Iolanthe which induces her to believe he is faithless, and she denounces -him. He replies that Iolanthe is his mother, but cannot convince her. She -charges him with deceit, and offers her hand to any one of the peers. He -then appeals to the Queen, who threatens vengeance upon the peers and -declares that Strephon shall go into Parliament. The peers beg her for -mercy, and Phyllis implores Strephon to relent, but he casts her from -him. - -The second act opens at Westminster. Strephon is in Parliament and -carrying things with a high hand. Phyllis is engaged to two of the lords -and cannot decide between them, nor can they settle the matter -satisfactorily. Whereupon the Lord Chancellor decides to press his own -suit for her hand. Strephon finally proves his birth to Phyllis and -explains away all her fears. Iolanthe then acknowledges that the Lord -Chancellor is her husband and pleads with him in Strephon's behalf. When -she makes this confession, she is condemned to death for breaking her -fairy vow. Thereupon all the fairies confess that they have married -peers. As it is impracticable to kill them all, the Queen hunts up a -husband, and finds one in Private Willis, the sentry in the palace yard. -All the husbands join the fairies, and thus matters are straightened out. - -The music of "Iolanthe" is peculiarly refined and fanciful, and abounds -in taking numbers. The best of these are Strephon's song, "Good Morrow"; -the delightful duet between Strephon and Phyllis, "None shall part us -from each other," one of the most felicitous of the composer's lighter -compositions; the Lord Chancellor's song, "When I went to the Bar"; -Strephon's charming ballad, "In Babyhood upon her Lap I lay"; Private -Willis's song, "When all Night long a Chap remains"; the patter song of -the Lord Chancellor, "When you're lying awake with a Dismal Headache"; -the duet of Strephon and Phyllis, "If we're weak enough to tarry"; and -Iolanthe's pretty ballad, "He loves! if in the Bygone Years." - - - - - Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant. - - - [Comic opera, in three acts; text by Gilbert. First produced at the - Savoy Theatre, London, January 5, 1884.] - - PERSONAGES. - - King Hildebrand. - Hilarion, his son. - Cyril, } - Florian, } Hilarion's friends. - King Gama. - Avac, } - Guron, } - Scynthius, } Gama's sons. - Princess Ida, Gama's daughter. - Lady Blanche, Professor of Abstract Science. - Lady Psyche, Professor of Humanities. - Melissa, Lady Blanche's daughter. - Sacharissa, } - Chloe, } - Ada, } girl graduates. - - [Soldiers, courtiers, girl graduates, "daughters of the plough," etc.] - - The scene is laid at King Hildebrand's palace and Castle Adamant; time, - the present. - -"Princess Ida" is the least effective of the Sullivan operas. Its -libretto is also the least effective of the Gilbert stories set to the -former's music. At the time it was written the composer was depressed by -a severe family affliction, and at the same time had met the misfortune -of losing all his savings through the failure of those to whom he had -intrusted them. It may have been also that the labored and heavy style of -the story had something to do with the dry and somewhat forced style of -the music, as well as its lack of the brightness and fancy which are so -apparent in "Pinafore" and "Patience." - -The first act opens at King Hildebrand's palace, where the courtiers are -watching for the arrival of King Gama and his daughter, the Princess Ida, -who has been promised in marriage to Hilarion, Hildebrand's son. When -Gama finally comes, Ida is not with him, and he explains to the enraged -Hildebrand that she is at Castle Adamant, one of his country houses, -where she is president of a woman's university. Gama and his three sons, -Avac, Guron, and Scynthius, are seized and held as hostages for her -appearance, and in the mean time Hilarion, and his two friends, Cyril and -Florian, determine to go to Castle Adamant and see if they cannot make -some impression upon the Princess. - -The second act opens at Castle Adamant, and discloses the pupils of the -university in discourse with Lady Psyche, the Professor of Humanities, -and Lady Blanche, Professor of Abstract Science, who is ambitious to get -control of the institution. Hilarion and his two friends scale the wall -and get into the grounds, and finding some academic robes they disguise -themselves as girls. They first meet the Princess and explain to her that -they wish to enter the university, to which she gives her consent upon -their subscription to the rules. They sign with enthusiasm, especially -when they discover that there is one which requires them to give the -fulness of their love to the hundred maidens of the university. Shortly -afterwards they encounter Lady Psyche, who recognizes Florian as her -brother. They tell their secret to her. Melissa, the daughter of Lady -Blanche, overhears them, and is in raptures at her first sight of men. -She discloses to her mother what she has discovered, but urges her not to -speak of it, for if Hilarion is successful in his suit she (the Lady -Blanche) may succeed to the presidency. At the luncheon, however, the -Princess discovers she is entertaining three men and flees from the spot. -In crossing a bridge she falls into the river, but is rescued by -Hilarion. Her anger is not appeased by his gallantry, and she orders the -arrest of the three. As they are marched off, there is a tumult outside. -Hildebrand, with an armed force and with his four hostages, has arrived, -and gives the Princess until the morrow afternoon to release Hilarion and -become his bride. - -The last act opens with the preparations of the Princess and her pupils -to defend themselves, but one after the other their courage deserts them. -Gama proposes that his three sons shall be pitted against Hilarion and -his two friends, and if the latter are defeated the Princess shall be -free. In the contest Gama's sons are defeated, whereupon the Princess at -once resigns and accepts Hilarion. The Lady Psyche falls to Cyril, and -the delighted Melissa to Florian, and it is to be presumed the presidency -of the Woman's College falls to Lady Blanche. - -As has already been intimated, the music as a whole is labored, but there -are some numbers that are fully up to the Sullivan standard; among them -Hilarion's ballad, "Ida was a twelvemonth old"; Gama's characteristic -song, "If you give me your Attention," and the trio of Gama's sons, "For -a Month to dwell," in the first act: the Princess's long aria, "At this -my Call"; Lady Blanche's song, "Come, Mighty Must"; Lady Psyche's -sarcastic evolution song, "A Lady Fair of Lineage High"; Cyril's song, -"Would you know the Kind of Maid"; and Hilarion's song, "Whom thou hast -chained must wear his Chain," in the second act: and the Princess's song, -"I built upon a Rock"; Gama's song, "Whene'er I spoke Sarcastic Joke"; -the soldiers' chorus, "When Anger spreads his Wing"; and the finale, -"With Joy abiding," in the third act. - - - - - The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu. - - - [Comic opera, in two acts; text by Gilbert. First produced at the Savoy - Theatre, London, March 14, 1885.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Mikado of Japan. - Nanki-Poo, his son, disguised as a minstrel, in love with Yum-Yum. - Ko-Ko, Lord High Executioner of Titipu. - Pooh-Bah, Lord High Everything Else. - Pish-Tush, a noble lord. - Yum-Yum, } - Pitti-Sing, } - Peep-Bo, } three sisters, wards of Ko-Ko. - Katisha, an elderly lady, in love with Nanki-Poo. - - [School girls, nobles, guards, and coolies.] - - The scene is laid in Japan; time, the present. - -That the "Princess Ida," ineffective as it is in some respects, did not -indicate that the resources of Gilbert and Sullivan were exhausted, is -shown by the great success of both in "The Mikado," which immediately -followed it. This charming travesty of Japan, with the exception perhaps -of "Pinafore," has proved to be the most popular of the Sullivan operas, -and has even made an impression in Germany. It has been an equal success -for both the musician and the librettist, and still retains its freshness -and vivacity after seventeen years of performance. - -The story of "The Mikado" is so well known that it need not be given with -much fulness of detail. Nanki-Poo, the Mikado's son, is in love with -Yum-Yum, the ward of the tailor Ko-Ko, who is also Lord High Executioner, -and to whom she is betrothed, as Nanki-Poo is informed by Pooh-Bah, when -he comes to Titipu in quest of her. Pooh-Bah, who accepted all the -offices of the Ministers of State after their resignations when Ko-Ko was -made Lord High Executioner, is also "the retailer of state secrets at a -low figure," and furnishes much of the delightful comedy of the opera. -Nanki-Poo nevertheless manages to secure an interview with Yum-Yum, -confesses to her he is the Mikado's son, and that he is in disguise to -escape punishment for not marrying the elderly Katisha. Ko-Ko's -matrimonial arrangements are interfered with by a message from the -Mikado, that unless some one is beheaded in Titipu within a month he will -be degraded. Nanki-Poo consents to be beheaded if he is allowed to marry -Yum-Yum and live with her for the month. This being satisfactory, the -arrangements for the nuptials are made. - -The second act opens with Yum-Yum's preparations for her marriage. A -_tête-à-tête_ with Nanki-Poo is interrupted by Ko-Ko, who announces that -by the law when a married man is beheaded his wife must be burned alive. -This cools Yum-Yum's passion, and to save her Nanki-Poo threatens to -perform the Happy Despatch that day. As this would endanger Ko-Ko, he -arranges to swear to a false statement of Nanki-Poo's execution. Suddenly -the Mikado arrives. Ko-Ko gives him the statement, but a great danger is -imminent when the Mikado informs him he has killed the heir apparent and -must suffer some horrible punishment. In the dénouement Nanki-Poo -reappears, and Ko-Ko gets out of trouble by marrying the ancient Katisha, -leaving Yum-Yum to Nanki-Poo. - -The opera abounds in charming lyrics, though with a single exception, a -march chorus in the second act, "Miya sama, miya sama," there is no local -color to the music, as might have been expected in an opera entirely -Japanese in its subject and dramatic treatment. Its lyrics are none the -less delightful on that account. The most popular numbers in the first -act are Ko-Ko's song, with its choral response, "You may put 'em on the -List and they never will be missed"; the fascinating trio for Yum-Yum, -Peep-Bo, and Pitti-Sing, "Three Little Maids from School are we"; -Nanki-Poo's song, "A Wandering Minstrel"; and the trio for Ko-Ko, -Pooh-Bah, and Pish-Tush, "My Brain, it teems." The leading numbers of the -second act are Yum-Yum's song, "The Sun, whose Rays"; the quartette, -"Brightly dawns our Wedding-Day"; the Mikado's song, "A more Humane -Mikado never"; Ko-Ko's romantic ballad, "On a Tree by a River a little -Tomtit," which is in the genuine old English manner, and the well-known -duet for Nanki-Poo and Ko-Ko, "The Flowers that bloom in the Spring, tra -la." - - - - - Ruddygore; or, The Witch's Curse. - - - [Comic opera, in two acts; text by Gilbert. First produced at the Savoy - Theatre, London, January 22, 1887.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Robin Oakapple, a young farmer. - Richard Dauntless, his foster brother and man-o'-war's man. - Sir Despard Murgatroyd, the wicked Baronet. - Old Adam Goodheart, Robin's faithful servant. - Rose Maybud, a village maiden. - Mad Margaret. - Dame Hannah, Rose's aunt. - Zorah, } - Ruth, } professional bridesmaids. - Six Murgatroyd Ghosts. - Sir Roderic Murgatroyd, twenty-first Baronet. - - [Officers, ancestors, and professional bridesmaids.] - - The scene is laid in Cornwall; time, early in the last century. - -Although "Ruddygore," a satire upon the old English melodramas, has not -been as successful as some of the other Sullivan operas, it is as -entertaining as any in the series, while the story, with its grotesque -dramatic features, is peculiarly Gilbertian in its humor. The first act -opens in Cornwall. Sir Rupert Murgatroyd, the first of the baronets, -employed his leisure in persecuting witches and committing other crimes. -The chorus of "the legend," sung by Hannah, an old spinster, prophesies -that each Murgatroyd will die "with sinning cloyed." To avoid this fate, -the last inheritor of the title, Sir Ruthven, secludes himself under the -name of Robin Oakapple, in the Cornish village of Rederring, and his -younger brother, Despard, believing him to be dead, succeeds to the -title. Robin, who is shy and modest, is in love with Rose, a foundling, -who is very discreet. The love-making lags, and meanwhile Richard, his -foster brother, a man-o'-war's man, returns from sea, and so commiserates -Robin that he offers to plead his case with Rose. Instead of that he -pleads his own case, and is accepted by her, much to the disappointment -of Robin, who supports Richard's claim, however. Robin's younger brother, -Sir Despard, next appears, and hears from Richard of the existence of the -brother whom he had thought dead. He thereupon claims Robin as his elder -brother, and Rose shows her preference for Sir Despard, who is also -claimed by Mad Margaret, a village maiden, whom he had mistreated when he -was under the influence of the Murgatroyd curse. - -The second act opens in the picture gallery of Ruddygore Castle. Robin -and Adam, his faithful servant, are in the gallery, the former as Sir -Ruthven, and Adam as Gideon Crawle, a new name he has taken. The new Sir -Ruthven is under the curse, and asks his servant to suggest some daily -crime for him to commit. The strong scene of the act is the coming to -life of the various baronets whose portraits hang upon the walls, and -their announcement that Robin will die in fearful agony unless he abducts -some lady, it matters not whom. In the dénouement it is revealed that a -Ruddygore baron can only die through refusing to commit the daily crime, -but that such a refusal is tantamount to suicide. Hence none of the -ancestors ought to have died at all, and they come back to life greatly -to the delight of the professional bridesmaids, and Rose and Robin are at -last united. - -The principal numbers in the first act are the weird legend, "Sir Rupert -Murgatroyd, his Leisure and his Riches," sung by Hannah; Richard's breezy -sea song, "I shipped, d' ye see, in a Revenue Sloop"; the very tuneful -chorus of the bridesmaids, "Hail the Bridegroom, hail the Bride"; Mad -Margaret's whimsical song, "Cheerily carols the Lark"; the melodious -chorus of the bucks and blades, "When thoroughly tired of being admired"; -Sir Despard's song, with its alternating choral refrains, "Oh, why am I -moody and sad"; the madrigal, "Where the Buds are blossoming," written in -the early English style, and supported by the chorus; and the charming -gavotte leading to the finale, which contains some admirable duet and -trio numbers. The leading numbers of the second act are the opening duet -for Robin and Adam, "I once was as meek as a New-born Lamb," with a most -melodramatic "Ha ha," followed by another charming duet for Richard and -Rose, with choral refrain, "Happily coupled are we"; the weird song of -Sir Roderic, "When the Night Wind howls in the Chimney Cowls," which is -finely artistic in construction; the patter trio for Robin, Despard, and -Margaret, "My Eyes are fully open to my Awful Situation"; Hannah's pretty -ballad, "There grew a Little Flower"; and the brilliant finale, beginning -with Robin's number, "Having been a Wicked Baronet a Week." - - - - - The Yeoman of the Guard; or, The Merry Man and his Maid. - - - [Comic opera, in two acts; text by Gilbert. First produced at the Savoy - Theatre, October 3, 1888.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Sir Richard Cholmondeley, lieutenant of the Tower. - Col. Fairfax, under sentence of death. - Sergt. Meryll, of the Yeomen of the Guard. - Leonard Meryll, his son. - Jack Point, a strolling jester. - Wilfred Shadbolt, head jailer of the Tower. - Headsman. - Elsie Maynard, a strolling singer. - Phoebe Meryll, Sergt. Meryll's daughter. - Dame Carruthers, housekeeper to the Tower. - Kate, her niece. - - [Yeomen of the guard, gentlemen, citizens, etc.] - - The scene is laid at Tower Green, London; time, the sixteenth century. - -Although "The Yeomen of the Guard" has not enjoyed the popularity of some -others of Sullivan's works, the composer himself believed it to be the -best of his operas. The music is in some numbers a parody of the old -English; the story is melodramatic. Colonel Fairfax has been sentenced to -death for sorcery. As he has twice saved the life of Sergeant Meryll in -battle, the latter and his daughter, Phoebe, are anxious to save him -also. The chance comes when the brother of Phoebe, who has been appointed -a yeoman of the Guard, is induced to let Fairfax take his place in the -ranks. The latter is brought in to the lieutenant of the Tower and -declares his readiness to die, but asks, as he has been condemned for -sorcery through the machinations of one of his kinsmen who will succeed -to the estate in case he dies unmarried, that he will find him some one -whom he can marry at once. Elsie Maynard, a strolling singer, happens -along with Jack Point, a jester, and she agrees for a money consideration -to be married blindfolded to Fairfax, provided she can leave immediately -after the ceremony. She marries him, and then the question arises how to -get the yeoman suit to Fairfax in his cell and let him escape, as the -keys are in the possession of Wilfred, the head jailer, who is in love -with Phoebe. The problem is solved by Phoebe, who steals the keys, -releases Fairfax, and returns them before Wilfred discovers their -absence. The executioner comes forward, and the first act closes as he is -waiting for his victim. - -The second act discloses the civilians and Dame Carruthers denouncing the -warders for permitting their prisoner to escape. Point arranges with -Wilfred that if he will discharge his arquebus and state that he has -killed Fairfax he shall be a jester. When the shot is heard, Wilfred and -Point notify the governor that Fairfax is dead. Dame Carruthers enters -and informs Meryll that from what she has heard Elsie mutter in her sleep -she is sure Fairfax is the man she married. Fairfax, in order to test -her, makes love to Elsie in Point's interests, but ends by falling in -love with her himself. In the dénouement, Leonard, son of Sergeant -Meryll, arrives with a pardon which had been kept back by Fairfax's -kinsmen. Now that he is free, Fairfax claims Elsie, Phoebe consents to -marry Wilfred, and the sergeant surrenders to Dame Carruthers. - -The music is in humorous imitation of the antique, in which kind of work -Sullivan is always happy. The choruses are interesting, especially the -opening double one, "Tower Warders under Orders," which is swinging and -tuneful. The principal numbers in the first act are Dame Carruthers' song -with chorus, "When our Gallant Norman Foes"; Fairfax's sentimental song, -"Is Life a Boon"; the irresistibly funny chorus, both in music and words, -"Here's a Man of Jollity, jibe, joke, jollify; give us of your Quality, -come, Fool, follify"; the extremely melodramatic duet for Elsie and -Point, "I have a Song to sing"; Point's recitative and song, "I've Jest -and Joke"; Elsie's pretty ballad, "'Tis done! I am a Bride"; Phoebe's -graceful song, "Were I thy Bride"; and the trio in the finale, "To thy -Fraternal Care." The leading numbers of the second act are Point's -rollicking song, "Oh! a Private Buffoon is a Light-hearted Loon"; -Fairfax's ballad, "Free from his Fetters Grim"; the quartette, "Strange -Adventure! Maiden wedded"; the trio, "If he's made the Best Use of his -Time," and the quartette, "When a Wooer goes a-wooing," which leads -through a melodramatic ensemble to the finale, - - "Heighdy! heighdy! - Misery me, lackadaydee! - He sipped no sup and he craved no crumb, - As he sighed for the love of a ladyee." - - - - - The Gondoliers; or, The King of Barataria. - - - [Comic opera, in two acts; text by Gilbert. First produced at the Savoy - Theatre, London, December 7, 1889.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Duke of Plaza-Toro, a grandee of Spain. - Luiz, his attendant. - Don Alhambra del Bolero, the Grand Inquisitor. - Duchess of Plaza-Toro. - Casilda, her daughter. - - [Gondoliers, contadine, men-at-arms, heralds, and pages.] - - The scene is laid in Venice; time, the year 1750. - -"The Gondoliers" will always bring a feeling of regret to the admirers of -the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, as it was their last joint production. -It was during its run at the London theatre that their partnership was -dissolved after the extraordinary collaboration of twenty-three years. -Both were at their best in their Swan Song. "The Gondoliers" is not so -much melodrama or pleasant satire as it is genuine comedy. Among all the -Gilbert books which he furnished the composer, none is more delightful or -more full of his rollicking humor than this. The story opens in Venice. -The contadine are weaving garlands for the two favorite gondoliers, Marco -and Giuseppe, who, as they have no preference, make their choice -blindfolded, and secure Tessa and Gianetta for their brides. As all gayly -dance off, a gondola arrives with the Spanish Duke of Plaza-Toro, the -Duchess, their daughter Casilda, and Luiz, their attendant. While waiting -for an audience with the Grand Inquisitor, the Duke tells Casilda the -object of their visit. When she was an infant she was married by proxy to -the infant son of the King of Barataria. When the latter abandoned the -creed of his fathers and became a Methodist, the Inquisitor had the young -husband stolen and taken to Venice. Now that the King is dead, they have -come to find the husband, and proclaim Casilda queen. During the audience -the Inquisitor announces that the husband is a gondolier, and that the -person who brought him up had "such a terrible taste for tippling" that -he was never certain which child had been intrusted to him, his own or -the other. The nurse, however, who is Luiz's mother, would know, and he -would induce her to tell in the torture chamber. Shortly afterwards the -Inquisitor meets the newly wedded gondoliers, Marco and Giuseppe, and -decides that one or the other of them is the new King, but as he cannot -tell which, he arranges that both of them shall rule until the nurse can -be found and made to settle the matter. Thereupon they bid their wives -good-by, and sail away for Barataria. - -The second act discloses the two Kings upon the thrones. While they are -cleaning the crown and sceptre, and their friends, the gondoliers, are -playing cards, contadine arrive with Tessa and Gianetta. The delighted -Kings give them a grand banquet and ball, but the dance is interrupted by -the Inquisitor, who informs them that the ducal party will shortly -arrive, and that Casilda will claim one of them for her husband. When -Tessa and Gianetta realize that neither of them can be Queen, they begin -to weep, but are somewhat comforted when the Inquisitor assures them they -will not be kept long in suspense as the foster-mother is in the torture -chamber. In the dénouement she confesses that the late King intrusted the -Prince to her, and when traitors came to steal him she substituted her -own son and kept the Prince in hiding, and that Luiz is the real Prince. -Thereupon Luiz ascends the throne with Casilda as his queen, and Marco -and Guiseppe sail joyfully back to Venice with Tessa and Gianetta. - -The music is of Sullivan's best. He has reproduced in the score the old -Italian forms, employs the legitimate modern ballad and song styles, and -introduces also the "patter" songs and the "chant" songs which are so -common in his other operas. Besides this, he has given strong local color -with fandangoes, boleros, cachucas, and other dance rhythms. The best -numbers are the ensemble for Marco and Giuseppe, "We're called -Gondolieri"; the pompous song of the Duke, "In Enterprise of Martial -Kind"; the serious duet for Casilda and Luiz, "There was a Time"; the -Inquisitor's song, "I stab the Prince"; Tessa's beautiful song, "When a -Merry Maiden marries"; the frolicsome quartette, "Then one of us will be -a Queen"; the song of Marco with chorus, "For every one who feels -inclined"; the characteristic song of Giuseppe, "Rising early in the -Morning"; the gay and fascinating ensemble, "We will dance a Cachuca," -with the brilliant dance music that follows it; the song of the -Inquisitor, "There lived a King"; the ensemble, "In a Contemplative -Fashion," a quiet movement with alternating comments by chorus, reaching -a crescendo and then returning to the original movement, one of the most -effective numbers in the opera; the Duchess' song, "On the Day when I was -Wedded"; and the quintette in the finale, "I am a Courtier Grave and -Serious." - - - - - SUPPÉ, FRANZ VON. - - - - - Fatinitza. - - - [Opéra comique, in three acts; text by Zell and Genée. First produced - in Vienna, January 5, 1876.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Count Timofey Gavrilovich Kantschakoff, Russian General. - Princess Lydia Imanovna, his niece. - Izzet Pasha, governor of Rustchuk fortress. - Capt. Vasil Staravieff. - Lieut. Ossipp Safonoff. - Steipann, a sergeant. - Vladimir Samoiloff, lieutenant of cavalry. - Julian, special war correspondent. - Hassan Bey, leader of Bashi-Bazouks. - Mustapha, guardian of the harem. - Vuika, a Bulgarian. - Hanna, his wife. - - [Soldiers, Bashi-Bazouks, Cossacks, slaves, moujiks, etc.] - - The scene is laid at Rustchuk and near Odessa; time, the last century. - -Franz Von Suppé has been styled the German Offenbach, though the styles -of the two composers differ widely. His operas are more purely comic -operas, or operettas, than burlesques. He made his first success with an -operetta, "Das Mädchen vom Lande" ("The Country Girl"), produced in -Vienna in 1847, and his next work, a musical comedy called "Paragraph 3," -made him known all over Germany. His entire list of light operas, musical -farces, and vaudevilles includes over one hundred and sixty titles, but -of these only two or three are well known in this country. "Fatinitza" is -the best known, and is universally popular. - -The story is an interesting one. Vladimir Samoiloff, a young lieutenant -in the Russian army, while masquerading in girl's costume under the name -of Fatinitza, encounters a Russian general, Count Timofey Kantschakoff, -who falls desperately in love with him. He manages to escape from him, -and subsequently meets the General's niece, the Princess Lydia, whom he -knows only as Lydia, and the two fall in love. Hearing of the attachment, -the General transfers the young officer to the Russian outposts. The -first act opens in camp at Rustchuk. Julian, a war correspondent, has -just been brought in as a spy, but is recognized by Vladimir as an old -friend. They plan private theatricals, in which Vladimir takes a female -part. The General unexpectedly appears at the play, and recognizes -Vladimir as his Fatinitza. When the opportunity presents itself, he -resumes his love-making, but it is interrupted by the arrival of Lydia, -whose noble rank Vladimir learns for the first time. Any danger of -recognition, however, is averted by the correspondent, who tells Lydia -that Fatinitza is Vladimir's sister. The doting old General commends -Fatinitza to the Princess, and goes off to inspect his troops. In his -absence some Bashi-Bazouks surprise the camp and capture Lydia, Vladimir, -and Julian, leaving the latter behind to arrange a ransom. - -The second act opens in the harem of Izzet Pasha, governor of the Turkish -fortress. Vladimir, in his female attire, and Lydia are brought in as -captives, and the Pasha announces to his four wives that Lydia will be -the fifth. Julian then arrives with the Russian sergeant, Steipann, to -arrange for the release of his friends. The Pasha offers to give up -Fatinitza, but declares he will retain Lydia. Steipann returns to the -General with the Pasha's terms, carrying also a secret message from -Julian, who has discovered how the Russians may capture the Turks. Julian -remains with the Pasha, who gives him many entertainments, among them a -shadow pantomime, during which the General and his soldiers rush in and -rescue their friends. - -The third act opens in the General's summer palace at Odessa. He has -promised his niece to an old and crippled friend of his, but Julian once -more straightens out matters by convincing the General that the real -Fatinitza has died of grief because she was separated from him. Thereupon -he consents to his niece's union with Fatinitza's brother, Vladimir. - -The principal numbers of the first act are Vladimir's romance, in the -sentimental vein, "Lost is the Dream that bound me"; the reporter's -(Julian) jolly descriptive song, "With my Notebook in my Hand"; the -pompously martial entrance song of General Kantschakoff, "Thunder! -Lightning! who goes there?" which forcibly recalls General Boum's "Pif, -paf, pouf" song in Offenbach's "Grand Duchess"; Lydia's sleighing-song, -"When the Snow a Veil is flinging"; and the quartette in the next scene, -"Not a Look shall tell," in the mock Italian style. The second act opens -with the characteristic toilet chorus in the harem, "Washing, dressing, -brushing, combing." The remaining most striking numbers are Izzet's song -and dance, "I pine but for Progress"; the pretty duet for Vladimir and -Lydia, "New Doubts, New Fears"; the effective sextette, "'Tis well; then -learn that this young Russian"; the brilliant kismet duet for Izzet and -Julian, "We are simply what Fortune pleases"; the sextette in the finale, -"Silver Tinklings, ringing brightly," known as the Bell Sextette; and the -characteristic music to the Karagois, or Turkish shadow pantomime, which -forms a second finale. The leading numbers of the last act are Lydia's -bell song, "Chime, ye Bells," accompanied by the ringing of bells on the -stage, and distant shots; the trio for Lydia, Vladimir, and Julian, -"Again, Love, we meet," which is one of the most effective bits in the -opera; and the brilliant closing chorus, "Joy, Joy, Joy, to the Bride." - - - - - Boccaccio. - - - [Opéra comique, in three acts; text by Zell and Genée. First produced - at the Carl Theatre, Vienna, February 1, 1879.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Boccaccio, novelist and poet. - Leonetto, his friend and student. - Pietro, Prince of Palermo. - Lutteringhi, a cooper. - Lambertuccio, a grocer. - Scalza, a barber. - Fratelli, a bookseller. - Checco, a beggar. - Fresco, the cooper's apprentice. - Fiametta, Lambertuccio's adopted daughter. - Beatrice, Scalza's daughter. - Isabella, Lutteringhi's wife. - Peronella, Lambertuccio's sister. - Filippa. - Oretta. - - [Beggars, students, citizens, coopers, courtiers, etc.] - - The scene is laid in Florence; time, near the close of the fourteenth - century. - -Suppé is fond of introducing real characters among the personages of his -operas, and in this one, which has become such a favorite, sharing -equally in popularity with "Fatinitza," we find Boccaccio of the -"Decameron," and the Fiametta whom he has immortalized in it (the -Princess Maria of Naples, with whom he fell violently in love) -masquerading as the adopted daughter of Lambertuccio, the grocer. In the -opera he is rewarded with her hand in the finale. In reality, Maria, the -Fiametta of the "Decameron," was already the wife of another when -Boccaccio was enamoured of her. She died long before her lover, but her -memory was cherished by him, as in the case of Beatrice and Dante, and to -her we owe undoubtedly the collection of tales in the "Decameron" which -furnished such abundant material to subsequent poets, story-tellers, and -dramatists. - -The story of the opera is a simple one. Pietro, the Prince of Palermo, is -to be married to Fiametta in accordance with the wishes of his father, -and goes to Florence for that purpose. The Duke, her father, for reasons -of his own, has had her reared as the adopted daughter of Lambertuccio, a -grocer, who was not aware of her royal birth and intends that she shall -marry Pietro, to whom she was betrothed in infancy. On his way to -Florence Pietro falls in with a madcap lot of students, whose leader is -Boccaccio, and he joins them in many of their pranks. Boccaccio himself -has incurred the anger of the Florentine men for having ridiculed them in -his stories, and he too is in love with Fiametta. Pietro among his other -adventures has made love to a married woman whom the students induced him -to believe was the niece instead of the wife of Lutteringhi, the cooper. -He has the misfortune before presenting himself to the Duke and Fiametta -to be mistaken for Boccaccio and to receive a sound beating. In the -dénouement, when he is about to be united to Fiametta for reasons of -state, Boccaccio, knowing that he is loved by her, arranges a play in -which the misdeeds of Pietro are set forth in such strong light that she -refuses the latter and gives her hand to the poet. - -The most popular numbers in the opera are the serenade to Beatrice, -"Lovely Charmer, hear these Sounds"; Boccaccio's song with chorus, "I see -a Gay Young Fellow standing nigh"; the charming duet for Fiametta and -Peronetta, "Listen to the Bells' Sweet Chime"; Fiametta's romanza, "If I -have but Affection"; the duet for Boccaccio and Fiametta, "A Poor Blind -Man implores your Aid"; Leonetto's song, opening the second act, "The -Girl of my Heart's a Treasure"; the cooper's rollicking song, "My Wife -has a Scolding Tongue"; the coquette song by Isabella, "Young Maidens -must beware"; the "cretin" song by Boccaccio, "When they ask me for the -News"; the graceful waltz song by Fiametta, "Blissful Tidings, -reassuring"; the rollicking drinking-song of Pietro, "See the Goblet -flash and sparkle"; the duet for Boccaccio and Fiametta, "Mia bella -fiorentina," in the Italian style; and the sextette, "Ye Foolish Men," -which leads up to the finale of the last act. - - - - - The Beautiful Galatea. - - - [Opéra comique, in two acts; text by Zell and Genée. First produced in - Vienna, 1865.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Galatea, the statue. - Ganymede, Greek boy. - Pygmalion, sculptor. - Midas, art patron. - - [Chorus of Grecians.] - - The scene is laid in Greece; time, mythological. - -The opera of "Die Schöne Galatea" ("The Beautiful Galatea"), though of -slight construction, is one of Suppé's most melodious works, while the -story is a clever setting of the familiar mythological romance in a -somewhat modern frame, in which respect it resembles the stories of Helen -of Troy and Orpheus and Eurydice, which Offenbach so cleverly travestied. -The first act opens with a graceful chorus of Grecians on their way to -worship at the temple of Venus, at dawn ("Aurora is awaking in Heaven -above"). Ganymede, Pygmalion's servant, declines to go with them, -preferring to sleep, and bids them good-by with a lullaby ("With Violets, -with Roses, let the Temple be decked"). His master, Pygmalion, who has -finished a statue of Galatea, his ideal, also goes to the temple, and -Ganymede decides to take a nap. His slumbers are interrupted, however, by -Midas, a professional art patron, who has heard of the statue and informs -Ganymede that he is ready to buy it, but first wishes to see it. The -servant declares it is impossible, as his master is in love with it. -Midas makes a further appeal to him in a long descriptive arietta ("My -Dear Father Gordias") in which he boasts of his abilities, his patronage, -and his conquests. He finally bribes Ganymede to show it to him, and as -he stands gazing at it and praising its loveliness, Pygmalion, who has -suddenly returned, enters and upbraids them. After a spirited trio, -"Boiling Rage I feel within me," Ganymede takes to his heels and Midas is -driven out. When Pygmalion is alone with the statue, a sudden impulse -moves him to destroy it because it has been polluted by Midas's glances, -but his hand is stayed as he hears the chorus of the returning -worshippers, and he makes an impassioned appeal to Venus ("Venus, oh, -see, I fly to thee") to give life to the marble. Venus answers his -prayer. The statue comes to life, and Galatea falls in love with -Pygmalion, the first man she has seen, which gives an opportunity for a -charming number, the Awakening Duet ("I feel so warm, so sweet"), and for -a solo closing the act ("Lightly sways and gently sweeps"). - -The second act opens with the couplets of Ganymede ("We Grecians"), at -the close of which he espies Galatea gathering flowers. As soon as the -fickle Galatea sees Ganymede, she falls in love with him because he is -younger and handsomer than Pygmalion. As they are discoursing admiringly, -Midas appears and recognizes Galatea, and proceeds to woo her with offers -of jewels. A pretty trio follows, "See the Trinkets I have brought you." -She accepts his trinkets and his money, but declines to accept him. As -they are negotiating, Pygmalion returns. Ganymede once more takes to his -heels, and Galatea conceals Midas by putting him on the pedestal behind -the screen where she had stood. She then hides her jewels, and tells -Pygmalion she is hungry. Ganymede is summoned and arranges the table, and -they sit down, the servant with them at Galatea's request. She sings a -brilliant drinking-song ("Bright in Glass the Foaming Fluid pass"), in -which Pygmalion and Ganymede join. During the banquet Midas is discovered -behind the screen, and Pygmalion also learns of Galatea's fickle conduct -later, when he surprises her and Ganymede in a pretty love scene ("Ah, -I'm drawn to Thee"). By this time Pygmalion is so enraged that he prays -Venus to let her become a statue again. The goddess graciously consents, -and the sculptor promptly gets rid of Galatea by selling her to Midas. - - - - - THOMAS, CHARLES AMBROISE. - - - - - Mignon. - - - [Opéra comique, in three acts; text by Barbier and Carré. First - produced at the Opéra Comique, Paris, November 17, 1866.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Mignon. - Wilhelm Meister, a student. - Laertes, an actor. - Frederic, an admirer of Filina. - Lotario, Mignon's father in disguise of a harper. - Filina, an actress. - - [Actors, gypsies, etc.] - - The scene is laid in Germany and Italy; time, the last century. - -The story of "Mignon," Thomas's universally popular opera, is based upon -Goethe's "Wilhelm Meister." Mignon, the heroine, who is of noble birth, -was stolen in her childhood by gypsies. Her mother died shortly -afterwards, and her father, disguised as Lotario, the harper, has long -and vainly sought for her. At the opening of the opera, a strolling band -of actors, among them Filina and Laertes, arrive at a German inn on their -way to the castle of a neighboring prince, where they are to perform. At -the same time a gypsy band appears and arranges to give the guests an -entertainment. Mignon, who is with the band, is ordered to dance, but -being tired, she refuses. The leader of the band rushes at her, but -Lotario, the old harper, intercedes in her behalf, whereupon he is -singled out for assault, but is saved by the wandering student, Wilhelm -Meister. To spare her any further persecution, he engages her as his -page, and they follow on in the suite of Filina, to whom he is devoted. -Touched by his kindness to her, Mignon falls in love with him; but he, -ignorant of her passion, becomes more and more a victim to the actress's -fascinations. When they arrive at the castle, all enter except Mignon, -who is left outside. Maddened by jealousy, she is about to drown herself, -but is restrained by the notes of Lotario's harp. She rushes to him for -counsel, and invokes vengeance upon all in the castle. After the -entertainment the guests come out, and Filina sends Mignon in for some -flowers she has left. Suddenly flames appear in the window. Lotario has -fired the castle. Wilhelm rushes in and brings out the insensible Mignon -in his arms. In the dénouement Wilhelm discovers her attachment to him, -and frees himself from Filina's fascinations. A casket containing a -girdle Mignon had worn in childhood, a prayer which she repeats, and the -picture of her mother convince Lotario that she is his daughter, and -Wilhelm and Mignon are united. - -The leading numbers of the first act are the quintette immediately -following the rescue of Mignon by Wilhelm; the romanza, "Non conosci il -bel suol" ("Know'st thou the Land"), a song full of tender beauty and -rare expression; the duet which immediately follows it, "Leggiadre -rondinelli" ("Oh, Swallows Blithe"), known as the Swallow Duet, and of -almost equal beauty with the romanza: and the graceful aria, "Grazia al -gentil signore" ("You'll come with us"), in which Filina invites Wilhelm -to join them. The best numbers in the second act are the trio, "Ohimè -quell' acre riso" ("Alas! her Bitter Laugh"); Filina's gay, coquettish -aria, "Gai complimenti" ("Brilliant Compliments"); Mignon's exquisite and -characteristic song, "Conosco un zingarello" ("A Gypsy Lad I well do -know"), which the composer himself calls the "Styrienne"; a bewitching -rondo-gavotte, "Ci sono" ("I'm here at last"), sung by the love-lorn -Frederic; Wilhelm's pathetic farewell to Mignon, "Addio, Mignon! fa core" -("Farewell, Mignon, take Heart"); the beautiful duet for Mignon and -Lotario, "Sofferto hai tu" ("Hast thou e'er suffered"); and the polacca -in the fourth scene, which is a perfect _feu de joie_ of sparkling music, -closing with an extremely brilliant cadenza. The last act is more -dramatic than musical, though it contains a few delightful numbers. Among -them are the chorus barcarole in the first scene, "Orsù, scioglian le -vele" ("Quick, the Sails unfurl"); a song by Wilhelm, "Ah, non credea" -("Ah, little Thought"), and the love duet, "Ah, son felice" ("Ah, I am -happy"), in which is heard again the cadenza of Filina's polacca. - - - - - WALLACE, WILLIAM VINCENT. - - - - - Maritana. - - - [Romantic opera, in three acts; text by Fitzball. First produced at - Drury Lane Theatre, London, November 15, 1845.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Charles the Second, King of Spain. - Don Jose de Santarem, his minister. - Don Cæsar de Bazan. - Marquis de Montefiori. - Lazarillo. - Maritana, a gitana. - Marchioness de Montefiori. - - [Nobles, alquazils, soldiers, gypsies, populace, etc.] - - The scene is laid in Madrid; time of Charles the Second. - -The story of "Maritana" is founded upon the well-known play of "Don Cæsar -de Bazan." At the opening of the first act a band of gypsies, Maritana -among them, are singing to the people. The young King Charles listening -to her is fascinated by her beauty. Don José, for reasons of his own, -extols her charms and arouses her hopes for a brilliant future. At this -point Don Cæsar de Bazan, a reckless, rollicking cavalier, once a friend -of Don José, makes his appearance. He has parted with the last of his -money to gamblers, and while he is relating his misfortunes to Don José, -Lazarillo, a forlorn lad who has just tried to make away with himself, -accosts Don Cæsar and tells him a piteous tale. The Don befriends, and -thereby becomes involved in a duel. This leads to his arrest for duelling -in Holy Week, which is forbidden on pain of death. While Don Cæsar sets -off for the prison, Don José promises Maritana speedy marriage and -presentation at court. - -The second act opens in the prison. Don José enters, and professes great -sympathy for Don Cæsar. When asked if he has any last request, he begs to -die like a soldier. Don José agrees that he shall not die an ignominious -death if he will marry. He consents, and is also treated to a banquet, -during which Lazarillo delivers a paper to Don José containing the royal -pardon of Don Cæsar, but Don José conceals it. Maritana, her features -disguised by a veil, is married to the Don, but at the expiration of an -hour he is led out to meet his fate. The soldiers fire at him, but he -escapes, as Lazarillo has managed to abstract the bullets from their -guns. He feigns death, and when the opportunity presents itself hurries -to a ball at the Montefiori palace, and arrives just as the Marquis, who -has had his instructions from Don José, is introducing Maritana as his -niece. Don Cæsar demands his bride, but Don José arranges with the -Marquis to present him with the Marchioness closely veiled. The scheme -does not work, as Don Cæsar hears Maritana's voice and claims her, but -she is quickly spirited away. - -The last act finds Maritana in a royal apartment. Don José carries out -his plot by introducing the King to her as her husband. At this juncture -Don Cæsar rushes in. The King in a rage demands to know his errand. He -replies that he is seeking the Countess de Bazan, and with equal rage -demands to know who he (the King) is. When the King in confusion answers -that he is Don Cæsar, the latter promptly replies, "Then I am the King of -Spain." Before further explanations can be made, the King is summoned by -the Queen. Don Cæsar and Maritana consult together, and he decides to -appeal to the Queen. While waiting for her in the palace garden, he -overhears Don José telling her that the King is to meet his mistress that -night. Don Cæsar denounces him as a traitor, and slays him. The King, -when he hears of Don Cæsar's loyalty, consigns Maritana to him, and -appoints him Governor of Valencia. - -The opera is full of bright, melodious music. The principal numbers in -the first act are Maritana's song, "It was a Knight of Princely Mien"; -the romanza which she sings for Don José, "'Tis the Harp in the Air"; the -duet between Don José and Maritana, "Of Fairy Wand had I the Power"; Don -Cæsar's rollicking drinking-song, "All the World over"; and the -delightful chorus, "Pretty Gitana, tell us what the Fates decree." The -first scene of the second act is a mine of charming songs, including -Lazarillo's, "Alas! those Chimes"; the trio, "Turn on, Old Time, thine -Hourglass"; Don Cæsar's stirring martial air, "Yes, let me like a Soldier -fall"; the sentimental ballad, "In Happy Moments, Day by Day"; and the -quartette and chorus closing the scene, "Health to the Lady, the Lovely -Bride." The next scene contains a pretty chorus in waltz time, "Ah! what -Pleasure," followed by an aria sung by the King, "The Mariner in his -Bark," and the act closes with a very dramatic ensemble, "What Mystery -must now control." The leading numbers of the last act are Maritana's -song, "Scenes that are Brightest," one of the most admired of all English -songs; the love duet between Don Cæsar and Maritana, "This Heart with -Bliss O'erflowing"; and Don Cæsar's song, "There is a Flower that -bloometh," which is in the sentimental ballad style. - - - - - Lurline. - - - [Romantic opera, in three acts; text by Fitzball. First produced at - Covent Garden Theatre, London, February 23, 1860.] - - PERSONAGES. - - Count Rudolph, a young nobleman. - Wilhelm, his friend. - Rhineberg, the river King. - Baron Truenfels. - Zelleck, a gnome. - Conrad. - Adolph. - Lurline, nymph of the Lurlei-Berg. - Ghiva, the Baron's daughter. - Liba, a spirit of the Rhine. - - [Vassals, conspirators, pages, water spirits.] - - The scene is laid on the banks and in the waters of the Rhine; time, - the present. - -The story of "Lurline" closely follows the old legend of the "Lorelei." -Count Rudolph, having dissipated his fortune, proposes marriage with -Ghiva, daughter of a neighboring baron, to recoup himself. The Baron, -however, turns out to be as poor as the Count, and nothing comes of the -proposition. Meanwhile Lurline, the Rhine nymph, has seen the Count -sailing on the river and fallen in love with him. At the last banquet he -and his companions give in the old castle, she appears, weaves spells -about him, places a magic ring on his finger, and then disappears. When -he comes to his reason, he finds himself enamoured of her, follows the -notes of her harp on the Rhine, and is engulfed in the whirlpool to which -Lurline allures her victims. - -The second act opens in Lurline's cavern under the Rhine, and Rudolph is -there by virtue of his magic ring. He hears his friends singing and -mourning his loss as they sail on the river, and is so touched by it that -he implores permission to return to them for a short time. Lurline -consents to his absence for three days, and agrees to wait for him on the -summit of the Lurlei-Berg at moonrise on the third evening. She also -prevails upon her father, the Rhine King, to give him treasures, with -which he embarks in a fairy skiff, leaving Lurline dejected. - -In the last act Rudolph discloses to the Baron and his daughter, as well -as to his companions, the secret of his wealth. The Baron once more -encourages his suit, and the crafty Ghiva steals the magic ring and -throws it into the Rhine. In the mean time Lurline waits nightly on the -Lurlei-Berg for the return of her lover, and there a gnome brings to her -the ring, token of his infidelity. Distracted between grief and anger, -she determines to reproach him with his perfidy at a banquet in the -castle; she suddenly appears, and demands her ring from him. A scene of -bitter reproaches ensues, ending with her denunciation of his companions' -treachery. Growing envious of the Count's wealth, they had conspired to -destroy him and then plunder the castle. Ghiva and her father, -overhearing the plot, reveal it to the Count and urge him to escape by -flight. Rudolph, however, preferring death near Lurline, confronts the -assassins. Love returns to Lurline once more. She strikes her harp and -invokes the Rhine, which rises and engulfs the conspirators. When the -waves subside, the Rhine King appears and gives the hand of his daughter -to the Count. - -The principal numbers of the first act are Rhineberg's invocation aria, -"Idle Spirit, wildly dreaming"; Lurline's beautiful romanzas with harp -accompaniment, "Flow on, flow on, O Silver Rhine," and "When the Night -Winds sweep the Wave"; the melodious chorus, "Sail, sail, sail on the -Midnight Gale"; the drinking-song, "Drain the Cup of Pleasure"; the -quaint tenor song, "Our Bark in Moonlight beaming"; and the vigorous -chorus of the gnomes in the finale, "Vengeance, Vengeance." The second -act opens with the gnomes' song, "Behold Wedges of Gold." The remaining -conspicuous numbers are the Count's song, "Sweet Form that on my Dreamy -Gaze"; Lurline's brilliant drinking-song with chorus, "Take this Cup of -Sparkling Wine"; Ghiva's ballad, for contralto, "Troubadour Enchanting"; -the breezy hunting-chorus, "Away to the Chase, come away"; Rhineberg's -sentimental song, "The Nectar Cup may yield Delight"; and the ensemble in -the finale, which is in the genuine Italian style. The third act is -specially noticeable for the ballad sung by Rudolph, "My Home, my Heart's -first Home"; Lurline's song on the Lurlei-Berg, "Sweet Spirit, hear my -Prayer," which has been a great favorite on the concert stage; the -unaccompanied quartette, "Though the World with Transport bless me"; the -grand duet, "Lurline, my Naiad Queen," and the incantation music and -closing chorus, "Flow on, thou Lovely Rhine." - - - - - By GEORGE P. UPTON - - - MUSICAL HANDBOOKS - THE STANDARD OPERAS - THE STANDARD ORATORIOS - THE STANDARD CANTATAS - THE STANDARD SYMPHONIES - THE STANDARD LIGHT OPERAS - 12mo. Yellow edges. Per volume, $1.50 - - - WOMAN IN MUSIC - 16mo. $1.00 - - - MUSICAL PASTELS: A Series of Essays on Quaint and Curious Musical -Subjects. - Large 8vo. With ten full-page illustrations from rare wood engravings. - - - A. C. McCLURG & COMPANY · CHICAGO - - - - - Transcriber's Notes - - - Silently corrected a few typos. - Relocated promotional material to the end of the text. - Generated a new cover image, provided for free use with this eBook. - Included copyright information from the original printed book (this -eBook is public-domain in the country of publication.) - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Standard Light Operas, by George Upton - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STANDARD LIGHT OPERAS *** - -***** This file should be named 42918-8.txt or 42918-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/9/1/42918/ - -Produced by Stephen Hutcheson, Dianna Adair, Christoph W. -Kluge and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, -set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to -protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you -charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you -do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the -rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose -such as creation of derivative works, reports, performances and -research. They may be modified and printed and given away--you may do -practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution. - - - -*** START: FULL LICENSE *** - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full Project -Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at - www.gutenberg.org/license. - - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or destroy -all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your possession. -If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by the -terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person or -entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the Foundation" -or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection of Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual works in the -collection are in the public domain in the United States. If an -individual work is in the public domain in the United States and you are -located in the United States, we do not claim a right to prevent you from -copying, distributing, performing, displaying or creating derivative -works based on the work as long as all references to Project Gutenberg -are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support the Project -Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to electronic works by -freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in compliance with the terms of -this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with -the work. You can easily comply with the terms of this agreement by -keeping this work in the same format with its attached full Project -Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are in -a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, check -the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement -before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, distributing or -creating derivative works based on this work or any other Project -Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no representations concerning -the copyright status of any work in any country outside the United -States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other immediate -access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear prominently -whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work on which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, performed, viewed, -copied or distributed: - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is derived -from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating that it is -posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work can be copied -and distributed to anyone in the United States without paying any fees -or charges. If you are redistributing or providing access to a work -with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the -work, you must comply either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 -through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the work and the -Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or -1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any additional -terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms will be linked -to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works posted with the -permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including any -word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access to or -distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format other than -"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official version -posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site (www.gutenberg.org), -you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a -copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon -request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other -form. Any alternate format must include the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works provided -that - -- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is - owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he - has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the - Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments - must be paid within 60 days following each date on which you - prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your periodic tax - returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as such and - sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the - address specified in Section 4, "Information about donations to - the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." - -- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or - destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physical medium - and discontinue all use of and all access to other copies of - Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of any - money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days - of receipt of the work. - -- You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work or group of works on different terms than are set -forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing from -both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and Michael -Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark. Contact the -Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg-tm -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium with -your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you with -the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in lieu of a -refund. If you received the work electronically, the person or entity -providing it to you may choose to give you a second opportunity to -receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If the second copy -is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing without further -opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO OTHER -WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO -WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of damages. -If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement violates the -law of the state applicable to this agreement, the agreement shall be -interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitation permitted by -the applicable state law. The invalidity or unenforceability of any -provision of this agreement shall not void the remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the production, -promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works, -harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, including legal fees, -that arise directly or indirectly from any of the following which you do -or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any Project Gutenberg-tm -work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or deletions to any -Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cause. - - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of computers -including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It exists -because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations from -people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future generations. -To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation -and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 -and the Foundation information page at www.gutenberg.org - - -Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent -permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. S. -Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are scattered -throughout numerous locations. Its business office is located at 809 -North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email -contact links and up to date contact information can be found at the -Foundation's web site and official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To -SEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any -particular state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. -To donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic -works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. |