Opera Plots I - MDC Faculty Home Pages

First Produced Hamburg, 1846
Chief Characters Mary, Stadinger ("The Armourer"), The Count of Liebenau, George ("The
Count's Valet")
THE scene of this bright little opera is laid in Worms, during the sixteenth century. A famous
Armourer, Stadinger, has a daughter, Mary, whose beauty and virtue has won for her the love of
the neighbouring Count of Liebenau, who determines to wed her. He declares his passion first in
his own name and rank as Count; but Mary is afraid to listen to the love-making of one so wealthy
and noble, and the honest father flatly refuses to allow the high-born suitor to enter his humble
home, having no faith at all in the sincerity of the Count, who is forced to retire baffled. lie now
disguises himself as a journeyman-smith, under the name of Conrad, and seeks employment with
Stadinger, who accepts his services and also those of the Count's valet, George, who is likewise
disguised. The Count now meets with success in his love-making, for the pretty Mary falls in love
with the new journeyman, whose wooing she is not ashamed to accept. The old Armourer,
however, objects to the journey-man as a suitor because he is such an unskilled work man, and he
determines that Mary shall be wedded to his other new assistant, George, who is a much more
expert worker. The valet vainly protests, but the Armourer determines that the wedding shall take
place on the day he celebrates his own jubilee as an-Armour-Master. After hearing from George
how matters stand the Count makes a pretence of storming the old Armourer's house in his true
character once more; but the stubborn Stadinger, still declining to believe in his sincerity, again
refuses him his daughter's hand, and announces that, since George refuses to accept her, she shall
be married to Conrad after all. Mary is delighted; but she is astonished when she presently
discovers that her humble sweetheart, Conrad, is none other than the dashing Count whom she had
been too shy to speak with. The old Armourer is at first angry at the trick played upon him; but
soon realising that all is fair in love and war, he finally gives his consent and blessing to the happy
pair, and the opera closes with the merry wedding revels.
81 THE CZAR AND THE CARPENTER
Opera Comique in Three Acts By Albert Lortzing
Libretto .Adapted from an old Play by the Composer
First Produced Leipzig, December, 1837
Chief Characters Mary, Peter the Czar, Peter Ivanow, Van Bett ("The Burgomaster"), Marquis de
Chateauneuf, Lord Sydenham, General Lefort
THE action takes place on the wharfs of Saardam, in Russia. Peter, Czar of Russia, being fond of
wandering forth in disguise to learn for himself certain matters he wishes to know, has taken work
as a carpenter on the wharfs of Saardam, under the name of Peter Michaelow, a carpenter. Here he
makes friends with another stranger, one Peter Ivanow, a deserter from the Russian Army; and the
two work together. Peter Ivanow has fallen in love with Mary, the niece of the Burgomaster, Van
Bett; but Mary likes to tease her sweetheart, and so makes him jealous by flirting with Peter
Michaelow. The Czar is enjoying his masquerade when there comes an interruption. Two
ambassadors, one from England and the other from France, named respectively Lord Syden-ham
and the Marquis de Chateauneuf, arrive, having heard that the Czar, whom they both seek for
impor-tant political negotiations, is in disguise in this neighbourhood; and they bid the