The Complete Opera Book Part 88

There is much confusion when the escape is discovered. Ridicule is heaped upon _Guillot_. For is it not in his carriage, in which the old roue hoped to find _Manon_ awaiting him, that she has driven off with her young lover!

Act II. The apartment of _Des Grieux_ and _Manon_, Rue Vivienne, Paris. _Des Grieux_ is writing at his desk. Discovering _Manon_ looking over his shoulder, he reads her what he has written--a letter to his father extolling her charms and asking permission to marry her.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Copyright photo by Mishkin

Caruso as Des Grieux in "Manon"]

The scene is interrupted by knocking and voices without. The maid servant announces that two guardsmen demand admission. She whispers to _Manon_, "One of them loves you--the n.o.bleman, who lives near here."

The pair are _Lescaut_ and _De Bretigny_, the latter masquerading as a soldier in _Lescaut's_ regiment. _Lescaut_ scents more profit for himself and for his cousin _Manon_ in a liaison between her and the wealthy n.o.bleman than in her relations with _Des Grieux_. Purposely he is gruff and demands "yes" or "no" to his question as to whether or not _Des Grieux_ intends to marry the girl. _Des Grieux_ shows the letter he is about to despatch to his father. Apparently everything is satisfactory. But _De Bretigny_ manages to convey to _Manon_ the information that the _Chevalier's_ father is incensed at his son's mode of life, and has arranged to have him carried off that night. If she will keep quiet about it, he (_De Bretigny_) will provide for her handsomely and surround her with the wealth and luxury she craves.

She protests that she loves _Des Grieux_--but is careful not to warn him of the impending abduction.

_Lescaut_ and the n.o.bleman depart, after _Lescaut_, sly fellow, has blessed his "children," as he calls _Manon_ and _Des Grieux_. Shortly afterwards the latter goes out to despatch the letter to his father.

_Manon_, approaching the table, which is laid for supper, sings the charming air, "Adieu, notre pet.i.te table" (Farewell, dear little table). This is followed by the exquisite air with harp accompaniment, "Le Reve de Manon" (A vision of Manon), which is sung by _Des Grieux_, who has re-entered and describes her as he saw her in a dream.

There is a disturbance outside. _Manon_ knows that the men who will bear away her lover have arrived. She loves _Des Grieux_, but luxury means more to her than love. An effort is made by her to dissuade the _Chevalier_ from going outside to see who is there--but it is a half-hearted attempt. He goes. The noise of a struggle is heard.

_Manon_, "overcome with grief," exclaims, "He has gone."

Act III. Scene I. The Cours de la Reine, Paris, on the day of a popular fete. Stalls of traders are among the trees. There is a pavilion for dancing. After some lively preliminary episodes between the three actresses and _Guillot_, _De Bretigny_ enters with _Manon_.

She sings a clever "Gavotte." It begins, "Obeissons, quand leur voix appelle" (List to the voice of Youth when it calleth).

The _Count des Grieux_, father of the _Chevalier_, comes upon the scene. From a conversation between him and _De Bretigny_, which _Manon_ overhears, she learns that the _Chevalier_ is about to enter the seminary of St. Sulpice and intends to take holy orders. After a duet between _Manon_ and the _Count_, who retires, the girl enters her chair, and bids the wondering _Lescaut_ to have her conveyed to the seminary.

Scene II. Parlour in the Seminary of St. Sulpice. Nuns and visitors, who have just attended religious service, are praising the sermon delivered by _Des Grieux_, who enters a little later attired in the garb of an abbe. The ladies withdraw, leaving _Des Grieux_ with his father, who has come in un.o.bserved, and now vainly endeavours to dissuade his son from taking holy orders. Left alone, _Des Grieux_ cannot banish _Manon_ from his thoughts. "Ah! fuyez douce image" (Ah!

depart, image fair), he sings, then slowly goes out.

Almost as if in answer to his soliloquy, the woman whose image he cannot put away enters the parlour. From the chapel chanting is heard.

Summoned by the porter of the seminary, _Des Grieux_ comes back. He protests to _Manon_ that she has been faithless and that he shall not turn from the peace of mind he has sought in religious retreat.

Gradually, however, he yields to the pleading of the woman he loves.

"N'est-ce plus ma main que cette main presse?... Ah! regarde-moi!

N'est-ce plus Manon?" ("Is it no longer my hand, your own now presses?... Ah! look upon me! Am I no longer Manon?") The religious chanting continues, but now only as a background to an impa.s.sioned love duet--"Ah! Viens, Manon, je t'aime!" (Ah, Manon, Manon! I love thee.)

Act IV. A fas.h.i.+onable gambling house in Paris. Play is going on.

_Guillot_, _Lescaut_, _Poussette_, _Javotte_, and _Rosette_ are of the company. Later _Manon_ and _Des Grieux_ come in. _Manon_, who has run through her lover's money, counsels the _Chevalier_ to stake what he has left on the game. _Des Grieux_ plays in amazing luck against _Guillot_ and gathers in winning after winning. "Faites vos jeux, Messieurs," cry the croupiers, while _Manon_ joyously sings, "Ce bruit de l'or, ce rire, et ces eclats joyeux" (Music of gold, of laughter, and clash of joyous sounds). The upshot of it all, however, is that _Guillot_ accuses the _Chevalier_ of cheating, and after an angry scene goes out. Very soon afterwards, the police, whom _Guillot_ has summoned, break in. Upon _Guillot's_ accusation they arrest _Manon_ and the _Chevalier_. "o douleur, l'avenir nous separe" (Oh despair!

Our lives are divided for ever), sings _Manon_, her accents of grief being echoed by those of her lover.

Act V, originally given as a second scene to the fourth act. A lonely spot on the road to Havre. _Des Grieux_ has been freed through the intercession of his father. _Manon_, however, with other women of her cla.s.s, has been condemned to deportation to the French colony of Louisiana. _Des Grieux_ and _Lescaut_ are waiting for the prisoners to pa.s.s under an escort of soldiers. _Des Grieux_ hopes to release _Manon_ by attacking the convoy, but _Lescaut_ restrains him. The guardsman finds little difficulty in bribing the sergeant to permit _Manon_, who already is nearly dead from exhaustion, to remain behind with _Des Grieux_, between whom the rest of the opera is a dolorous duet, ending in _Manon's_ death. Even while dying her dual nature a.s.serts itself. Feebly opening her eyes, almost at the last, she imagines she sees jewels and exclaims, "Oh! what lovely gems!" She turns to _Des Grieux_: "I love thee! Take thou this kiss. 'Tis my farewell for ever." It is, of course, this dual nature which makes the character drawn by Abbe Prevost so interesting.

"Manon" by Ma.s.senet is one of the popular operas in the modern repertoire. Its music has charm, and the leading character, in which Miss Farrar appears with such distinction, is both a good singing and a good acting role, a valuable a.s.set to a prima donna. I have an autograph letter of Ma.s.senet's written, presumably to Sibyl Sanderson, half an hour before the curtain rose on the _premiere_ of "Manon,"

January 19, 1884. In it he writes that within that brief s.p.a.ce of time they will know whether their hopes are to be confirmed, or their illusions dissipated. In New York, eleven years later, Miss Sanderson failed to make any impression in the role.

The beauty of Ma.s.senet's score is responsible for the fact that audiences are not troubled over the legal absurdity in the sentence of deportation p.r.o.nounced upon _Manon_ for being a courtesan and a gambler's accomplice. In the story she also is a thief.

The last act is original with the librettists. In the story the final scene is laid in Louisiana (see Puccini's _Manon Lescaut_). The effective scene in the convent of St. Sulpice was overlooked by Puccini, as it also was by Scribe, who wrote the libretto for Auber's "Manon." This latter work survives in the laughing song, "L'eclat de Rire," which Patti introduced in the lesson scene in "Il Barbiere di Siviglia," and which Galli-Curci has revived for the same purpose.

LE CID

"Le Cid"; opera in four acts and ten scenes; the poem by MM. d'Ennery, Louis Gallet, and edouard Blau; music by Ma.s.senet; produced at the Opera on November 30, 1885. The authors of the libretto of "Le Cid"

declared at the start of it that they had been inspired by Guillen de Castro and by Corneille. The sole masterpiece of Corneille which is built about a sort of psychological a.n.a.lysis of the character of _Chimene_ and of the continual conflict of the two feelings which divide her heart, in fact would not have given them sufficient action; on the other hand they would not have been able to find in it the pretext for adornments, for sumptuousness, for the rich stage setting which the French opera house has been accustomed for two centuries to offer to its public.

This is the way the opera is arranged: First act, first scene: at the house of the _Comte de Gormas_; scene between _Chimene_ and the _Infanta_. Second scene: entering the cathedral of Burgos. _Rodrigo_ is armed as a knight by the _King_. The _King_ tells _Don Diego_ that he names him governor of the _Infanta_. Quarrel of _Don Diego_ and _Don Gormas_. Scene of _Don Diego_ and _Don Rodrigo_: "Rodrigue, as-tu du coeur?" Second act, third scene: A street in Burgos at night. Stanzas by _Rodrigo_: "Perce jusques au fond du coeur."

_Rodrigo_ knocks at the door of _Don Gormas_: "a moi, comte, deux mots!" Provocation; duel; death of _Don Gormas_. _Chimene_ discovers that _Rodrigo_ is the slayer of her father. Fourth scene: The public square in Burgos. A popular festival. Ballet. _Chimene_ arrives to ask the _King_ for justice. _Don Diego_ defends his son. A Moorish courier arrives to declare war on the _King_ on the part of his master. The _King_ orders _Rodrigo_ to go and fight the infidels. Third act, fifth scene: The chamber of _Chimene_: "Pleurez, pleurez, mes yeux, et fondez-vous en eau." Scene of _Chimene_ and _Rodrigo_. Sixth scene: the camp of _Rodrigo_. Seventh scene: _Rodrigo's_ tent. The vision.

St. James appears to him. Eighth scene: the camp. The battle. Defeat of the Moors. Fourth act, ninth scene: The palace of the Kings at Granada. _Rodrigo_ is believed to be dead. _Chimene_ mourns for him: "eclate o mon amour, tu n'as plus rien a craindre." Tenth scene: A courtyard in the palace. _Rodrigo_ comes back as a conqueror.

_Chimene_ forgives him. The end.

DON QUICHOTTE

Opera in five acts by Jules Ma.s.senet; text by Henri Cain, after the play by Jacques Le Lorrain, based on the romance of Cervantes. Produced, Monte Carlo, 1910.

CHARACTERS

LA BELLE DULCINeE _Contralto_ DON QUICHOTTE _Ba.s.s_ SANCHO _Baritone_ PEDRO, burlesquer _Soprano_ GARCIAS, burlesquer _Soprano_ RODRIGUEZ _Tenor_ JUAN _Tenor_ TWO VALETS _Baritone_

TENEBRUN, chief, and other bandits, friends of Dulcinee, and others.

_Time_--The Middle Ages.

_Place_--Spain.

Act I. Square in front of the house of _Dulcinee_, whose beauty people praise in song. Into the midst of the throng ride _Don Quichotte_ and his comical companion, _Sancho_. Night and moonlight. _Don Quichotte_ serenades _Dulcinee_, arousing the jealousy of _Juan_, a lover of the professional beauty, who now appears and prevents a duel. She is amused by the avowals of _Don Quichotte_, and promises to become his beloved if he will recover a necklace stolen from her by brigands.

Act II. On the way to the camp of the brigands. Here occurs the fight with the windmill.

Act III. Camp of the brigands. _Don Quichotte_ attacks them. _Sancho_ retreats. The Knight is captured. He expects to be put to death. But his courage, his grave courtesy, and his love for his _Dulcinee_, deeply impress the bandits. They free him and give him the necklace.

Act IV. Fete at _Dulcinee's_. To the astonishment of all _Don Quichotte_ and _Sancho_ put in their appearance. _Dulcinee_, overjoyed at the return of the necklace, embraces the Knight. He entreats her to marry him at once. Touched by his devotion, _Dulcinee_ disillusions him as to the kind of woman she is.

Act V. A forest. _Don Quichotte_ is dying. He tells _Sancho_ that he has given him the island he promised him in their travels; the most beautiful island in the world--the "Island of Dreams." In his delirium he sees _Dulcinee_. The lance falls from his hand. The gaunt figure in its rusty suit of armour--no longer grotesque, but tragic--stiffens in death.

CENDRILLON

CINDERELLA

Opera, in four acts, by Ma.s.senet, text by Henri Cain.

Produced, Opera Comique, Paris, May 24, 1899.

CHARACTERS

CINDERELLA _Soprano_ MME. DE LA HALTIeRE, her stepmother _Mezzo-Soprano_ NOeMIE, her stepsister _Soprano_ DOROTHeE, her stepsister _Soprano_ PANDOLFE, her father _Baritone_ THE PRINCE CHARMING _Soprano_ THE FAIRY _Soprano_ THE KING _Baritone_ DEAN OF THE FACULTY _Baritone_ MASTER OF CEREMONIES _Tenor_ PRIME MINISTER _Ba.s.s_

_Time_--Period of Louis XIII.

_Place_--France.