MASSÉ, VICTOR.

Paul and Virginia.

[Romantic opera, in three acts and seven tableaux; text by Carré and Barbier. First produced at the Opéra National Lyrique, Paris, November 15, 1876; in London, June 1, 1878; in New York, March 28, 1883.]

PERSONAGES.

Paul.

St. Croix, slave-master.

Domingo, mulatto slave.

M. de la Bourdonnais, governor of the island.

Negro Slave.

Virginia.

Meala, mulatto slave.

MME. de la Tour, mother of Virginia.

Margaret, mother of Paul.

Overseer.

Old Lady, grand-aunt of Virginia.

[Inhabitants of the island, sailors, slaves, etc.]

The scene is laid upon an island on the African coast; time, the eighteenth century.

The story of “Paul and Virginia,” Massé’s masterpiece, follows the lines of Bernardin St. Pierre’s beautiful romance of the same name. The first act opens with the recital of the history of Madame de la Tour, mother of Virginia, and Margaret, the mother of Paul, and [122] reveals the love of the two children for each other. While they are discussing the advisability of sending Paul to India for a time, against which his slave Domingo piteously protests, islanders come rushing towards the cabin announcing the arrival of a vessel from France. In hopes that she will have a letter announcing that she has been forgiven by the relatives who have renounced her, Madame de la Tour goes to the port. A love scene between the children follows, which is interrupted by the hurried entrance of the slave Meala, who is flying from punishment by her master, St. Croix. The two offer to go back with her and to intercede for her forgiveness, in which they are successful. St. Croix, who has designs upon Virginia, begs them to remain until night; but Meala warns them of their danger in a song, and they leave while St. Croix wreaks his revenge upon Meala.

The second act opens in the home of Madame de la Tour. She has had a letter from her aunt forgiving her, making Virginia her heiress if she will come to France, and sending money for the journey. After a long struggle between duty to her mother and love for Paul, she declines to go. Meala makes them another hurried call, again flying from St. Croix, who this time is pursuing her with a twofold purpose, first, of punishing Meala and, second, of carrying out his base designs against Virginia. He soon appears at the house and demands his slave, but Paul refuses to give [123] her up. At last St. Croix offers to sell her to Paul, and Virginia furnishes the money. The faithful Meala that night informs them of St. Croix’s plot to seize Virginia when she goes to the vessel; but he is foiled, as she does not leave. The act closes with a call from the governor of the island, who bears express orders from Virginia’s relatives, signed by the King, that she must go to France.

The last act is brief, and relates the tragedy. It opens at a grotto on the seashore, where the melancholy Paul has waited and watched week by week for the vessel which will bring Virginia back to him. At last it is sighted, but a storm comes up and soon develops into a hurricane, and when it subsides the vessel is a wreck, and Virginia is found dead upon the beach.

The opera is replete with beautiful melodies. There are, in the first act, a characteristic minor song for Domingo, “Ah! do not send my Dear Young Master,” which the composer evidently intended to be in the Ethiopian manner; a chanson of the genuine French style, “Ah! Hapless Black,” though sung by a negro boy; a lonely and expressive melody sung by Virginia, as she pleads with St. Croix, “What I would say my Tongue forgetteth”; the weird Bamboula chorus, sung by the slaves; and a very dramatic aria for Meala, “’Neath the Vines Entwining,” in which she warns the children of their danger. The principal numbers in the second act are Virginia’s romance, “As Last Night thro’ the Woods”; a [124] beautiful chanson for Domingo, “The Bird flies yonder”; Paul’s couplets, “Ah! crush not my Courage”; the passionate duet for Paul and Virginia, “Ah! since thou wilt go,” closing in unison; and Virginia’s florid aria, “Ah, what Entrancing Calm,” the cadenza of which is exceedingly brilliant. The best numbers in the short last act are Meala’s song, “In vain on this Distant Shore”; Paul’s letter song, “Dearest Mother”; and the vision and storm music at the close.

Queen Topaze.

[Opéra comique, in three acts; text by Lockroy and Battu. First produced at the Théâtre Lyrique, Paris, December 27, 1856.]

PERSONAGES.

La Reine Topaze.

Le Capitaine Rafael.

Annibal.

Francappa.

Fritellino.

Filomèle.

[Gypsies, soldiers, etc.]

The scene is laid in France; time, last century.

“Queen Topaze” (“La Reine Topaze”) is one of the few of Massé’s earlier works which have held the boards, mainly on account of its charming melodiousness. The rôle of the Queen was a great favorite with Miolan-Carvalho and Parepa-Rosa, as it offers opportunities for brilliant vocal [125] execution. Its story is of the slightest kind. In her infancy Topaze is stolen by a band of gypsies and eventually becomes their queen. She falls in love with Rafael, a captain whom she wins from his affianced, a rich noblewoman. He does not marry her, however, until she discloses to him the secret of her birth. Some byplay among the gypsies supplies the humor of the situations. As to the text it is far from dramatic in character, and the dialogue is tedious and dragging.

The music, however, is excellent, and it was to this feature that Massé owed his election in the year of its production as Auber’s successor in the French Academy. The gypsy music is particularly charming. There are also a clever sextette, “We are six noblemen”—indeed, there is an unusual amount of six and seven part writing in the opera; the “Song of the Bee,” a delightful melody for Queen Topaze with a particularly characteristic accompaniment, likewise a brilliant bolero; a lovely romance in the last act for Rafael, and a somewhat dramatic narrative song for him in the first act; and a skilfully constructed trio for Annibal and the two gypsies. The remaining number of importance is an interpolated one,—“The Carnival of Venice,” with the Paganini variations, which was first introduced by Miolan-Carvalho, the creator of the title rôle.

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The Marriage of Jeannette.

[Opéra comique, in one act; text by Carré and Barbière. First produced at the Opéra Comique, Paris, February 4, 1853; in New York, in 1861.]

PERSONAGES.

Jean.

Jeannette.

Thomas.

Petit Pierre.

[Chorus of peasants.]

The scene is laid in a French country village; time, the last century.

Nothing could be simpler than the story of Massé’s little opera, “Les Noces de Jeannette” (“The Marriage of Jeannette”), which was first given in this country in 1861, with Clara Louise Kellogg and M. Dubreul in the two principal parts, and twenty-five years later was a favorite in the repertory of the American Opera Company, under the direction of Theodore Thomas, who produced it as an after piece to Delibes’ two-act ballet, “Sylvia.” The story concerns only two persons. Jean, a boorish rustic, falls in love with Jeannette and proposes marriage. On the wedding-day, however, he suddenly changes his mind, and just as the notary hands him the pen to sign the contract, takes to his heels and runs home. Jeannette follows him up to demand an explanation, and pretends that she will not force him to marry her. In [127] lieu of that she asks him to sign another contract from which she will withhold her name just to show that he was willing to do so. She furthermore promises publicly to reject him. When he has signed the new contract, she suddenly changes her mind also, and declares they are man and wife. In his fury Jean breaks up nearly everything in the house before he goes to sleep. The next day in his absence Jeannette provides new furniture from her own store, places things to rights again, sets the dinner, and awaits Jean’s return. When he comes back again, he is in more tractable mood, and seeing what Jeannette has done acknowledges her as his wife.

This simple story the composer has framed in a dainty musical setting, the principal numbers being the song “Others may hastily marry,” sung by Jean after his escapade; Jeannette’s pretty, simple melody, “From out a Throng of Lovers”; Jean’s vigorous and defiant “Ah! little do you fancy”; the graceful song by Jeannette, “Fly now, my Needle, glancing brightly”; her brilliant and exultant song, “Voice that’s sweetest”; and the spirited unison male chorus, “Ring out, Village Bells,” that closes this refined and beautiful work.

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