Act II, which shows a room in _Adina's_ farmhouse, opens with a bright
chorus of rejoicing at her approaching wedding. _Dulcamara_ brings out a piece of music, which he says is the latest thing from Venice, a barcarole for two voices. He and _Adina_ sing it; a dainty duet, "Io son ricco, e tu sei bella" (I have riches, thou hast beauty) which figures in all the old potpourris of the opera.
[Music:
Io son ricco, e tu sei bella; Io ducati, e vezzi hai tu]
There is a scene for _Nemorino_, _Giannetta_, and the peasants, in which _Nemorino_ praises the elixir, "Dell'elisir mirabile" (Of this most potent elixir). Later comes another duet for _Adina_ and _Dulcamara_, "Quanto amore!" (What affection!) in which _Adina_ expresses her realization of the death of _Nemorino's_ affection for her.
"The score of 'Elisire d'Amore,'" says the _Dictionnaire des Opéras_, "is one of the most pleasing that the Bergamo composer has written in the comic vein. It abounds in charming motifs and graceful melodies. In the first act the duet for tenor and bass between the young villager and _Dr. Dulcamara_ is a little masterpiece of animation, the accompaniment of which is as interesting as the vocal parts. The most striking passages of the second act are the chorus, 'Cantiamo, facciam brindisi'; the barcarole for two voices, 'Io son ricco, e tu sei bella'; the quartet, 'Dell'elisir mirabile'; the duet between _Adina_ and _Dulcamara_, 'Quanto amore'; and finally the lovely and smoothly-flowing romance of Nemorino, 'Una furtiva lagrima,' which is one of the most remarkable inspirations of Donizetti."
LUCREZIA BORGIA
Opera, in a prologue and two acts, by Donizetti; words by Felice Romani, after Victor Hugo. Produced, La Scala, Milan, 1834; Théâtre des Italiens, Paris, 1840; London, 1839; in English, 1843; New York, Astor Place Opera House, 1847; with Grisi, September 5, 1854; with Tietjens and Brignoli, 1876; Academy of Music, October 30, 1882; Metropolitan Opera House, with Caruso, 1902.
CHARACTERS
ALFONSO D'ESTE, Duke of Ferrara _Baritone_ LUCREZIA BORGIA _Soprano_ MAFFIO ORSINI _Contralto_ GENNARO } Young noblemen in { _Tenor_ LIVEROTTO } the service of the { _Tenor_ VITELLOZZO } Venetian Republic { _Bass_ GAZELLO _Bass_ RUSTIGHELLO, in the service of DON ALFONSO _Tenor_ GUBETTA } { _Bass_ ASTOLFO } in the service of Lucrezia { _Tenor_
Gentlemen-at-arms, officers, and nobles of the Venetian Republic; same, attached to court of Alfonso; ladies-in-waiting, Capuchin monks, etc.
_Time_--Early sixteenth century.
_Place_--Venice and Ferrara.
When an opera, without actually maintaining itself in the repertory, nevertheless is an object of occasional revival, it is sure to contain striking passages that seem to justify the experiment of bringing it forward again. "Lucrezia Borgia" has a male character, _Maffio Orsini_, sung by a contralto. _Orsini's_ _ballata_, "Il segreto per esser felici" (O the secret of bliss in perfection), is a famous contralto air which Ernestine Schumann-Heink, with her voice of extraordinary range, has made well known all over the United States.
I quote the lines from the Ditson libretto:
O the secret of bliss in perfection, Is never to raise an objection, Whether winter hang tears on the bushes, Or the summer-kiss deck them with blushes. Drink, and pity the fool who on sorrow, Ever wastes the pale shade of a thought. Never hope for one jot from the morrow, Save a new day of joy by it brought!
The music has all the dash and abandon that the words suggest. _Orsini_ sings it at a banquet in Ferrara. Suddenly from a neighbouring room comes the sound of monks' voices chanting a dirge. A door opens. The penitents, still chanting, enter. The lights grow dim and one by one go out. The central doors swing back. _Lucrezia Borgia_ appears in the entrance. The banqueters are her enemies. She has poisoned the wine they have just quaffed to _Orsini's_ song. They are doomed. The dirge is for them. But--what she did not know--among them is _Gennaro_, her illegitimate son, whom she dearly loves. She offers him an antidote, but in vain. He will not save himself, while his friends die. She then discloses the fact that she is his mother. But, even then, instead of accepting her proffered aid to save his life, he repulses her. _Lucrezia_ herself then drains the poisoned cup from which he has quaffed, and sinks, dying, upon his prostrate form. Such is the sombre setting for the _Brindisi_--the drinking song--"the secret of bliss in perfection"--when heard in the opera.
[Music:
Il segreto per esser felici Sò per prova e l'insegno agli amici]
The tenor rôle of _Gennaro_ also has tempted to occasional revivals of the work. Mario introduced for this character as a substitute for a scene in the second act, a recitative and air by Lillo, "Com'è soave quest'ora di silenzio" (Oh! how delightful this pleasing hour of silence), a change which is sometimes followed.
Prologue. Terrace of the Grimani palace, Venice. Festival by night. _Gennaro_, weary, separates from his friends and falls asleep on a stone bench of the terrace. Here he is discovered by _Lucrezia_, who is masked. She regards him with deep affection. "Com'è bello quale incanto" (Holy beauty, child of nature) she sings.
[Music: Com'è bello quale incanto]
_Gennaro_ awakens. In answer to her questions he tells her that he has been brought up by a poor fisherman, "Di pescatore ignobile" (Deem'd of a fisher's lowly race).
[Music: Di pescatore ignobile]
The youth's friends come upon the scene. _Maffio Orsini_ tears the mask from _Lucrezia's_ face, and in a dramatic concerted number he and his friends remind _Lucrezia_, for the benefit of _Gennaro_, who had been struck by her beauty and was unaware that she was the hated _Borgia_, how each has lost a brother or other relative through her. "Maffio Orsini, signora, son'io cui svenaste il dormente fratello" (Madam, I am Orsini. My brother you did poison, the while he was sleeping). And so each one in order.
[Music: Maffio Orsini, signora, son'io]
_Gennaro_ turns from her in loathing. She faints.