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.”