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."