Opera Plots I - MDC Faculty Home Pages

Madame de la Tour, and wishing to please her, brings St Phar and his company to her house for a
special rehearsal. At first the rehearsal is a farcical affair, the artiste refusing to sing properly; but
on hearing he is in the house of Madame de la Tour, for whom he has much admiration, St Phar
becomes serious and sur-passes himself. On being left alone with Madame, St Phar not
recognising in her his village wife, Madeleine makes love to her; upon which Madame accepts his
proposals, and, to his dismay, sends for a priest in haste, and has the marriage performed at once,
and is therefore united to him for the second time. St Phar, who had unsuccessfully endeavoured to
make it a mock marriage by arranging for his friend Bijou to act the part of priest, is now scared at
his supposed bigamy; and enticing him into a darkened room, Madame still further confuses him
by speaking to him first as Madeleine, and next as his new love, until he is almost driven
distracted. The climax of his fright is reached on the Marquis annoyed that Madame prefers the
tenor to himself bringing the police to arrest him as a bigamist; but Madame brings all to a happy
conclusion by revealing her true identity, and bestowing her forgiveness and unchanged love upon
her now-repentant husband.
3. THE DEPARTURE
Opera Comique By Eugene D'Albert
Libretto By A. von Steigentesch
First Produced Dresden, October, 1811
Chief Characters Louise, Gilfen, Trott
A MARRIED couple, Gilfen and Louise, have become somewhat estranged, the husband
neglecting his pretty wife, who is filled with sadness, thinking that his love for her has waned.
Gilfen's friend, Trott, is a great admirer of Louise, and thinks to profit by the husband's seeming
indifference by paying attentions to the neglected wife; but this has come to the knowledge of
Gilfen, who, in reality, still loves Louise, though doubtful whether she loves him in returnv and he
resents the advances of Trott. When the curtain rises, Gilfen is about to depart on a journey, but is
somewhat undecided whether he will really go or not. Trott, however, is very eager for him to be
gone, so that he may have good opportunity for pleasant flirtation with Louise during his absence;
and, very officiously, he offers to do all he can to assist Gilfen to set off as soon as possible.
Gilfen, anxious to prove his friend's sincerity, takes him at his word, and sends him on many
troublesome and unnecessary little errands, in order to fetch parcels and do odd jobs for him. Trott
gladly does his bidding, whispering in Louise's ear that he acts the part of slave thus willingly for
her sake. Louise, however, does not encourage his tender speeches, being sad at the departure of
her husband; and on hearing her sing a sad little song having reference to a neglected wife Gilfen
learns that his wife certainly still loves him as well as of yore, and, full of joy, he decides to
remain at home with her, and give up his projected journey. However, he still continues to fool his
friend, because of his unwelcome attentions to his wife; and so he sends him on more outrageous
errands than ever, all of which Trott carries out without a murmur. Finally he sends him to fetch
down a heavy chest from the top of the house, and during his absence he gathers from Louise's
conversation that she still loves him alone, and desires for a more constant show of affection from
him; but on the entrance of Trott with the chest he bids farewell to the now despondent Louise,
and makes a pretence to set forth on his journey. No sooner has he departed than Trott at once
proceeds to make love to Louise, who, however, turns coldly away from him; and just as the