Part 2

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.