Nemorino, a young husbandman.
Sergeant Belcore.
Dr. Dulcamara, a travelling quack.
Landlord.
Notary.
Pietro, peasant.
Adina, a country girl.
Gianetta, }
Floretta, } her companions.
[Farmers, peasants, soldiers, villagers, etc.]
The scene is laid in an Italian village; time, last century.
Few more graceful little operas have been written than "The Elixir of
Love." Its heroine, Adina, a capricious country girl, is loved by
Nemorino, a farmer, whose uncle lies at the point of death, also by
Belcore, a sergeant, whose troops are billeted upon the neighboring
village. Adina has both her lovers in suspense when Dr. Dulcamara, a
quack, arrives in the village to sell his nostrums. Nemorino applies to
him for a bottle of the Elixir of Love, and receives from him a bottle of
ordinary wine with the assurance that if he drinks of it he can command
the love of any one on the morrow. To make sure of its agreeable
properties, he drinks the whole of it with the result that he accosts
Adina in a half-tipsy condition, and so disgusts her that she promises to
marry the sergeant in a week. In the mean time an order comes for the
departure of the troops, and the sergeant presses her to marry him that
day.
Adina gives her consent, and the second act opens with the assembling of
the villagers to witness the signing of the marriage contract. While the
principals and notary retire for the signing, Nemorino enters, and
finding Dr. Dulcamara begs of him some charm that will make Adina love
him; but as he has no money the quack refuses to assist him. Nemorino is
in despair, but at this juncture the sergeant enters out of humor, as the
capricious Adina has refused to sign until evening. Finding that Nemorino
needs money, he urges him to enlist, and for the sake of the bonus of
twenty crowns he consents. Nemorino hastens with the money to the quack,
and obtains a second bottle of elixir which is much more powerful than
the first. The girls of the village somehow have discovered that
Nemorino's uncle has died and left him a handsome property, of which good
fortune, however, Nemorino is ignorant. They use all their charms to
attract his favor. Nemorino attributes his sudden popularity to the
elixir, and even the quack himself is surprised at the remarkable change
in his customer. Nemorino now pays Adina off in kind by making her
jealous. Dr. Dulcamara comes to her assistance, seeing an opportunity for
the sale of more elixir. He explains its properties to her, tells her of
Nemorino's attachment, and advises her to try some of it. Struck with his
devotion, she announces another change of mind to the sergeant, and
bestows her hand upon the faithful Nemorino.
The opera abounds with bright and gay musical numbers, the most
attractive of which are the long and characteristic buffo song, "Give Ear
now, ye Rustic Ones," in which Dr. Dulcamara describes his various
nostrums to the villagers; the charmingly humorous duet, "Much obliged,"
for Nemorino and Dr. Dulcamara; and the ensemble, "The Wine-cup full
teeming," in which the half-tipsy Nemorino appears in the finale of the
first act. The prominent numbers of the second act are the beautiful
duet, "What Affection and oh, how cruel," for Adina and Dr. Dulcamara;
the beautiful romanza for Nemorino, "In her Dark Eye embathed there
stood" ("Una furtiva lacrima"), which is of world-wide popularity; and
Adina's gracefully melodious aria, "So much Joy is more than my Heart can
contain."