Croquefer, ou Le dernier des paladins
Encyclopedia
Croquefer, ou Le dernier des paladins is a one-act opéra bouffe
by Jacques Offenbach
to a French
libretto
by Adolphe Jaime and Étienne Tréfeu, first performed in 1857.
, Rue Monsigny, Paris
, on 12 February 1857, subsequently revived, and productions followed in Vienna (as Ritter Eisenfrass) in 1864 and London (as The Last of the Paladins) in 1868. The authors defied the theatrical regulation forbidding more than four characters in a stage piece at the Bouffes Parisiens theatre by adding a fifth who had no tongue and could therefore only 'sing' grunts and barks in the 'quintet'. In the Duo Offenbach mocks the Salle Le Peletier, home of the Paris Opéra, and quotes from operas by Meyerbeer
, Donizetti
and Halévy
.
Boutefeu, the squire of Croquefer, surveys the countryside through a telescope. Croquefer clambers out onto the platform just as he swallows his last sabre. Mousse-à-Mort, Croquefer’s sworn enemy is approaching the castle with six armed men, presumably to rescue his daughter Fleur-de-Soufre whom Croquefer abducted fifteen days previously and who is languishing in a filthy cell. The 23-year war has ruined Croquefer and his castle, and he wants an end to it. Although Mousse-à-Mort has lost most of his body parts in battle (including his tongue), Croquefer is still frightened of him, and would like to make peace. Boutefeu lines up models of pretend soldiers to give the impression that Croquefer still has an army.
When Mousse-à-Mort (using signs with messages on to communicate) nevertheless defies him, Croquefer's nephew Ramasse-ta-Tête appears. Croquefer instructs him to keep guard on the daughter of Mousse-à-Mort, also offering him a choice from his drinks.
From the cell where she is kept Fleur-de-Soufre calls to Ramasse-ta-Tête and they sing a mock love duet (quoting from well-known operas of the time), and they dance and sing of running off together to the Opéra. Boutefeu and Croquefer enter and also join in with the dance.
When Mousse-à-Mort enters Croquefer presents him with two options: either Fleur-de-Soufre will marry him or she will be killed. Independently Boutefeu and Fleur-de-Soufre plot to serve poisoned wine to their adversaries.
As armed men loyal to Mousse-à-Mort enter, Ramasse-ta-Tête agrees to submit, provided that he can marry Fleur-de-Soufre. She agrees.
Just as Croquefer and Mousse-à-Mort are about to fight, the effects of the spiked drinks take effect, with collective diarrhoea. They both rush off-stage, to return, with Croquefer's sword and Mousse-à-Mort's tongue returned to their owners.
At this point Boutefeu presents on a silver platter a letter just delivered: Croquefer begs the indulgence of the audience; the composer and his librettist of the piece are being taken off to Charenton
.
Opéra bouffe
Opéra bouffe is a genre of late 19th-century French operetta, closely associated with Jacques Offenbach, who produced many of them at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens that gave its name to the form....
by Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
to a French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Adolphe Jaime and Étienne Tréfeu, first performed in 1857.
Performance history
The successful premiere was at the Théâtre des Bouffes ParisiensThéâtre des Bouffes Parisiens
The Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens is a Parisian theatre which was founded in 1855 by the composer Jacques Offenbach for the performance of opéra bouffe and operetta. The current theatre is located in the 2nd arrondissement at 4 rue Monsigny with an entrance at the back at 65 Passage Choiseul. In...
, Rue Monsigny, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, on 12 February 1857, subsequently revived, and productions followed in Vienna (as Ritter Eisenfrass) in 1864 and London (as The Last of the Paladins) in 1868. The authors defied the theatrical regulation forbidding more than four characters in a stage piece at the Bouffes Parisiens theatre by adding a fifth who had no tongue and could therefore only 'sing' grunts and barks in the 'quintet'. In the Duo Offenbach mocks the Salle Le Peletier, home of the Paris Opéra, and quotes from operas by Meyerbeer
Giacomo Meyerbeer
Giacomo Meyerbeer was a noted German opera composer, and the first great exponent of "grand opera." At his peak in the 1830s and 1840s, he was the most famous and successful composer of opera in Europe, yet he is rarely performed today.-Early years:He was born to a Jewish family in Tasdorf , near...
, Donizetti
Gaetano Donizetti
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was an Italian composer from Bergamo, Lombardy. His best-known works are the operas L'elisir d'amore , Lucia di Lammermoor , and Don Pasquale , all in Italian, and the French operas La favorite and La fille du régiment...
and Halévy
Fromental Halévy
Jacques-François-Fromental-Élie Halévy, usually known as Fromental Halévy , was a French composer. He is known today largely for his opera La Juive.-Early career:...
.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 12 February 1857 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Croquefer, an immodest and faithless knight | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
Pradeau |
| Boutefeu, his stubborn squire | tenor | Léonce Léonce Édouard-Théodore Nicole , known as Léonce, was a French actor and singer.-Biography:Léonce was born in Paris. After studying law, he made his stage debut at the Théâtre de Belleville.... |
| Ramasse-ta-Tête, his nephew; a spirited gentleman but bad relation | tenor | Tayau |
| Fleur-de-Soufre, an unfortunate princess who is resigned to become an assassin | soprano | Maréchal |
| Mousse-à-Mort, a dismembered knight, father of Fleur-de-Soufre; returned from Palestine | tenor | Michel |
| Chorus: Armed guards, vassals and child soldiers | ||
Synopsis
The scene is the platform of a half-destroyed crenellated castle tower. Beyond, the countryside, on the left a cell with a grill facing the audience; down stage a trap-door covering an entrance from the tower to the platform. A door leads to the inside of the castle.Boutefeu, the squire of Croquefer, surveys the countryside through a telescope. Croquefer clambers out onto the platform just as he swallows his last sabre. Mousse-à-Mort, Croquefer’s sworn enemy is approaching the castle with six armed men, presumably to rescue his daughter Fleur-de-Soufre whom Croquefer abducted fifteen days previously and who is languishing in a filthy cell. The 23-year war has ruined Croquefer and his castle, and he wants an end to it. Although Mousse-à-Mort has lost most of his body parts in battle (including his tongue), Croquefer is still frightened of him, and would like to make peace. Boutefeu lines up models of pretend soldiers to give the impression that Croquefer still has an army.
When Mousse-à-Mort (using signs with messages on to communicate) nevertheless defies him, Croquefer's nephew Ramasse-ta-Tête appears. Croquefer instructs him to keep guard on the daughter of Mousse-à-Mort, also offering him a choice from his drinks.
From the cell where she is kept Fleur-de-Soufre calls to Ramasse-ta-Tête and they sing a mock love duet (quoting from well-known operas of the time), and they dance and sing of running off together to the Opéra. Boutefeu and Croquefer enter and also join in with the dance.
When Mousse-à-Mort enters Croquefer presents him with two options: either Fleur-de-Soufre will marry him or she will be killed. Independently Boutefeu and Fleur-de-Soufre plot to serve poisoned wine to their adversaries.
As armed men loyal to Mousse-à-Mort enter, Ramasse-ta-Tête agrees to submit, provided that he can marry Fleur-de-Soufre. She agrees.
Just as Croquefer and Mousse-à-Mort are about to fight, the effects of the spiked drinks take effect, with collective diarrhoea. They both rush off-stage, to return, with Croquefer's sword and Mousse-à-Mort's tongue returned to their owners.
At this point Boutefeu presents on a silver platter a letter just delivered: Croquefer begs the indulgence of the audience; the composer and his librettist of the piece are being taken off to Charenton
Charenton (asylum)
Charenton was a lunatic asylum, founded in 1645 by the Frères de la Charité in Charenton-Saint-Maurice, now Saint-Maurice, Val-de-Marne, France....
.
Musical numbers
- Overture
- Ballade « Mon château qu’il est chic ! »
- Trio « Oui, c’est moi comme Mars en Carême »
- Duo « Comment c’est vous, un gentilhomme ! »
- Galop
- Chanson à boire « A vos santés je bois »
- Marche
- Quintet « O ciel ! o ciel ! »
- Final « O vous tous qui m’écoutez »