Bettina, the Mascot.
Fiametta, daughter of Prince Lorenzo.
Pippo, a shepherd.
Lorenzo, prince of Piombino.
Rocco, a farmer.
Frederic, prince of Pisa.
Parafante, sergeant.
Matheo, innkeeper.
[Peasants, lords and ladies of court, soldiers, etc.]
The scene is laid in Piombino, Italy; time, the fifteenth century.
The story of "The Mascot" is charmingly romantic, and much more
consistent and coherent than the usual plots of the comic operas. The
first act opens with a vintage festival. The peasants are all rejoicing
except Rocco, the farmer, who has had bad luck. Pippo, his shepherd, whom
he had sent to his brother for help, returns with a basket of eggs and a
letter in which he informs Rocco that he has also sent him Bettina, his
turkey-keeper, who will bring him prosperity, as she is a mascot. Pippo,
who is in love with Bettina, waxes eloquent over her charms, but when she
comes she is coldly received by Rocco and ordered to go back. As she is
preparing to leave, Prince Lorenzo, his daughter Fiametta, Prince
Frederic, and others of a hunting-party arrive and stop for refreshment.
Prince Lorenzo, who is one of the unlucky kind, learns by chance of
Bettina's gift, and determines to take her to his court; but Rocco
objects. The Prince, however, gains his consent by promising to make him
Lord Chamberlain. The party sets off homeward with Rocco in good spirits
and Bettina sad, while poor Pippo is left behind disconsolate.
The second act opens in the palace at Piombino, where a festival is to be
given in honor of the marriage of Fiametta to Prince Frederic of Pisa.
Among the attractions of the fête is an entertainment by a troupe of
actors and dancers, the most prominent of whom is Saltarello, in reality
Pippo in disguise. The lovers discover each other and plan an escape; but
Rocco, who has recognized Pippo, frustrates their scheme by disclosing
his identity to the Prince, who orders his arrest. The situation is still
further complicated by the fickle Fiametta, who has fallen in love with
Pippo and tells him that Bettina is false and is about to marry Prince
Lorenzo. At last Pippo and Bettina have a chance to meet, and they make
their escape by leaping through a window into the river.
The last act opens in the hall of an inn in Pisa. There has been a war
between the two princes, and Frederic has defeated Lorenzo. Pippo has
been a captain in the Pisan army, and Bettina, disguised as a trooper,
has fought by his side. They reveal their real names to Frederic, and
declare their intention of marriage. During preparations for the wedding
Prince Lorenzo, Fiametta, and Rocco, who are travelling about the country
as minstrels to make their living, owing to the misfortunes of war, meet
the bridal party at the inn. After mutual explanations Fiametta returns
to her old lover Frederic, and Pippo and Bettina are married. The Mascot
brings good luck to them all at last.
The most interesting numbers in the opera are the drinking-song, "All
morose Thoughts now are flying"; the legend of the Mascots, "One Day the
Arch Fiend drunk with Pride," sung by Pippo and chorus; Bettina's song,
"Don't come too near, I tell you"; the quaint duet for Bettina and Pippo,
"When I behold your Manly Form"; the charming coaching-chorus, "Come, let
us now be off as quick as a Bird," sung by Bettina and chorus in the
first act; the chorus and air of Saltarello, "Hail, Princesses and
Lords"; the pretty duet, "Know'st thou those Robes," for Bettina and
Pippo, and the concerted finale of the second act; the stirring rataplan,
"Marking Time with Cadence so Steady," the entrance of the refugees
preluding the grotesque "Orang-Outang Song," sung by Fiametta and chorus,
and the graceful arietta following the entrance of the wedding-party in
the last act.