W. S. Gilbert - The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan, by
William Schwenk Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan
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Title: The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan
The 14 Gilbert And Sullivan Plays
Author: William Schwenk Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan
Release Date: November 3, 2009 [EBook #808]
Language: English
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PLAYS OF GILBERT AND SULLIVAN ***
Produced by David Reed, and David Widger

OR
THE KING OF BARATARIA
Libretto by William S. Gilbert
Music by Arthur S. Sullivan
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
THE DUKE OF PLAZA-TORO (a Grandee of Spain)
LUIZ (his attendant)
DON ALHAMBRA DEL BOLERO (the Grand Inquisitioner)
Venetian Gondoliers
MARCO PALMIERI
GIUSEPPE PALMIERI
ANTONIO
FRANCESCO
GIORGIO
ANNIBALE
THE DUCHESS OF PLAZA-TORO
CASILDA (her Daughter)
Contadine
GIANETTA
TESSA
FIAMETTA
VITTORIA
GIULIA
INEZ (the King's Foster-mother)
Chorus of Gondoliers and Contadine, Men-at-Arms, Heralds and
Pages
ACT I
The Piazzetta, Venice
ACT II
Pavilion in the Palace of Barataria
(An interval of three months is supposed to elapse between Acts I
and II)
DATE
1750

Scene. the Piazzetta, Venice. The Ducal Palace on the right.
Fiametta, Giulia, Vittoria, and other Contadine discovered, each
tying a bouquet of roses.
CHORUS OF CONTADINE.
List and learn, ye dainty roses,
Roses white and roses red,
Why we bind you into posies
Ere your morning bloom has fled.
By a law of maiden's making,
Accents of a heart that's aching,
Even though that heart be breaking,
Should by maiden be unsaid:
Though they love with love exceeding,
They must seem to be unheeding
Go ye then and do their pleading,
Roses white and roses red!
FIAMETTA.
Two there are for whom in duty,
Every maid in Venice sighs
Two so peerless in their beauty
That they shame the summer skies.
We have hearts for them, in plenty,
They have hearts, but all too few,
We, alas, are four-and-twenty!
They, alas, are only two!
We, alas!
CHORUS. Alas!
FIA. Are four-and-twenty,
They, alas!
CHORUS. Alas!
FIA. Are only two.
CHORUS. They, alas, are only two, alas!
Now ye know, ye dainty roses,
Roses white and roses red,
Why we bind you into posies,
Ere your morning bloom has fled,
Roses white and roses red!
(During this chorus Antonio, Francesco, Giorgio, and other
Gondoliers have entered unobserved by the Girlsat first two,
then two more, then four, then half a dozen, then the remainder
of the Chorus.)
SOLI.
FRANC. Good morrow, pretty maids; for whom prepare ye
These floral tributes extraordinary?
FIA. For Marco and Giuseppe Palmieri,
The pink and flower of all the Gondolieri.
GIU. They're coming here, as we have heard but lately,
To choose two brides from us who sit sedately.
ANT. Do all you maidens love them?
ALL. Passionately!
ANT. These gondoliers are to be envied greatly!
GIOR. But what of us, who one and all adore you?
Have pity on our passion, we implore you!
FIA. These gentlemen must make their choice before you;
VIT. In the meantime we tacitly ignore you.
GIU. When they have chosen two that leaves you plenty
Two dozen we, and ye are four-and-twenty.
FIA. and VIT. Till then, enjoy your dolce far niente.
ANT. With pleasure, nobody contradicente!
SONGANTONIO and CHORUS.
For the merriest fellows are we, tra la,
That ply on the emerald sea, tra la;
With loving and laughing,
And quipping and quaffing,
We're happy as happy can be, tra la
With loving and laughing, etc.
With sorrow we've nothing to do, tra la,
And care is a thing to pooh-pooh, tra la;
And Jealousy yellow,
Unfortunate fellow,
We drown in the shimmering blue, tra la
And Jealousy yellow, etc.
FIA. (looking off). See, see, at last they come to make their
choice
Let us acclaim them with united voice.

(Marco and Giuseppe appear in gondola at back.)
CHORUS (Girls). Hail, hail! gallant gondolieri, ben venuti!
Accept our love, our homage, and our duty.
Ben' venuti! ben' venuti!
(Marco and Giuseppe jump ashorethe Girls salute them.)
DUETMARCO and GIUSEPPE, with CHORUS OF GIRLS.
MAR. and GIU. Buon' giorno, signorine!
GIRLS. Gondolieri carissimi!
Siamo contadine!
MAR. and GIU. (bowing). Servitori umilissimi!
Per chi questi fiori
Questi fiori bellissimi?
GIRLS. Per voi, bei signori
O eccellentissimi!
(The Girls present their bouquets to Marco and Giuseppe, who are
overwhelmed with them, and carry them with difficulty.)
MAR. and GIU. (their arms full of flowers). O ciel'! O ciel'!
GIRLS. Buon' giorno, cavalieri!
MAR. and GIU. (deprecatingly). Siamo gondolieri.
(To Fia. and Vit.) Signorina, io t' amo!
GIRLS. (deprecatingly). Contadine siamo.
MAR. and GIU. Signorine!
GIRLS (deprecatingly). Contadine!
(Curtseying to Mar. and Giu.) Cavalieri.
MAR. and GIU. (deprecatingly). Gondolieri!
Poveri gondolieri!
CHORUS. Buon' giorno, signorine, etc.
DUETMARCO and GIUSEPPE.
We're called gondolieri,
But that's a vagary,
It's quite honorary
The trade that we ply.
For gallantry noted
Since we were short-coated,
To beauty devoted,
Giuseppe\Are Marco and I;
When morning is breaking,
Our couches forsaking,
To greet their awaking
With carols we come.
At summer day's nooning,
When weary lagooning,
Our mandolins tuning,
We lazily thrum.
When vespers are ringing,
To hope ever clinging,
With songs of our singing
A vigil we keep,
When daylight is fading,
Enwrapt in night's shading,
With soft serenading
We sing them to sleep.
We're called gondolieri, etc.
RECITATIVEMARCO and GIUSEPPE.
MAR. And now to choose our brides!
GIU. As all are young and fair,
And amiable besides,
BOTH. We really do not care
A preference to declare.
MAR. A bias to disclose
Would be indelicate
GIU. And therefore we propose
To let impartial Fate
Select for us a mate!
ALL. Viva!
GIRLS. A bias to disclose
Would be indelicate
MEN. But how do they propose
To let impartial Fate
Select for them a mate?
GIU. These handkerchiefs upon our eyes be good enough to
bind,
MAR. And take good care that both of us are absolutely
blind;
BOTH. Then turn us roundand we, with all convenient
despatch,
Will undertake to marry any two of you we catch!
ALL. Viva!
They undertake to marry any two of us\them they catch!