Libretto of the Opera "The Madmen" by Félix Máximo López - Part II
- Cochuchi
- 7 days ago
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Updated: 15 hours ago
"Nonsense or the Work of Madmen"
by Félix Máximo López (1742-1821)
Spanish opera in three acts
Libretto published on superopera.com since 2001.
Premio al mayor descubrimiento musicológico del siglo.
Award for the greatest musicological discovery of the century.
Part II. Scenes XV to XVII, FINAL AND CODA.
Libretto for the opera "NONSENSE OR THE WORK OF THE MAD" (1815?)
.....continued from the link:
SCENE XV
[Now in the square]
Bullfighting Festival
ALL
Famous morning,
the square is set,
the stands are full,
every seat is taken.
MADMAN 1
What cattle.
MADMAN 2
From Castile.
MADMAN 3
I’d take the chickpea.
MADMAN 4
I’d take the wheat too.
ALL
Let’s go, let’s go, it’s about to start.
[The bull charges out at full speed]
MADMAN 1
What a beautiful animal!
MADMEN 2, 3, and 4
Beautiful!
MADMAN 2
What a fine entrance.
MADMEN 1, 3, and 4
Good form.
MADMAN 3
To the barrier.
ALL
Wait.
MADMAN 4
Don’t trust it.
ALL
Curro, hold on.
MADMAN 4
Take a breath.
MADMAN 1
The bull is from Muñoza’s herd.
MADMAN 3
Now!
MADMAN 2
And from the finest stock.
MADMAN 3
Turn back!
MADMAN 1
It’ll catch you!
MADMAN 4
Courage!
MADMAN 3
Run, run!
MADMEN 1, 2, and 4
It’s going to get you!
MADMAN 3
Pepeillo!
ALL
It’s catching up to you.
Don’t mind it,
even if it drives its horns
into your side.
MADMAN 2
Don’t mind it,
even if it charges at you
and tears your guts out.
SCENE XV
[Now in the square]
ALL
He climbs
the barrier.
No, the earth
swallows him.
MADMAN 2
Bring them.
MADMEN 1, 2, and 3
The flaming banderillas.
MADMAN 4
They’ll plant them on me too.
ALL
Out, out!
MADMAN 2
Kill it!
ALL
Don’t kill it!
MADMAN 3
A small lance.
MADMAN 4
The stake.
MADMEN 1 and 3
Dogs, dogs!
MADMEN 2 and 4
Little Domingos!
ALL
Out!
MADMAN 1
Give it a mace.
MADMAN 3
Give it two measures of hazelnuts
so it can catch its breath.
MADMAN 2
Pink sugar water is what
the first sword demands.
MADMEN 1 and 3
Set the cape properly.
MADMAN 4
Romero, it’s escaping you!
MADMAN 1
Now it charges.
MADMAN 2
It already charged.
ALL
What a famous thrust!
Hurrah, hurrah!
MADMAN 3
Give it four medals.
MADMAN 4
Let it kiss them and return them;
devotion is enough for that.
MADMAN 1
How many are left?
MADMAN 2
Only the embolado is missing.
MADMAN 3
Another one, another one!
MADMAN 4
No, it’s late.
ALL
Night falls. Homeward!
We must make the sausages tonight without fail;
they must go by mail
to serve tomorrow
at the table of the Bishop
Prior of Las Alpujarras,
whose niece marries
the Abbot of La Granja.
Good celebration!
(A voice from inside)
MADMAN 4:
Back, back,
Blás’s mother-in-law is here!
SCENE XVI
[Back to their quarters]
MADMAN 1:
Oh, companion?
MADMAN 2:
What?
MADMAN 1:
I don’t know what’s happening to me.
MADMAN 2:
Nor do I know what’s happening to me.
MADMAN 4:
Could this be true?
MADMAN 3:
I’m an ice statue!
MADMAN 2:
I’m made of marzipan!
MADMAN 1:
I sweat even through my nose!
MADMAN 4:
That’s a bad sign already!
ALL:
Poor Blás!
His terrible mother-in-law
has avenged herself on you!
Poor Blás,
your mortal enemy
is chasing you down!
MADMAN 1
It’s punishment from above!
MADMAN 4
Then let’s go down to the portal.
MADMAN 3
If she was lower down,
how could she get here?
MADMAN 4
I’ve seen the effects of the spell
come true;
I thank all three of you.
MADMEN 1, 2, and 3
Well, patience, friend Blás,
let the chaos run its course.
There’s no need to tremble for that.
MADMAN 4
I’ll tremble forty times
if this lasts any longer.
If I finish her off,
she wants to finish me off.
MADMEN 1 and 2
Give her three enemas,
and she’ll disappear.
MADMEN 3 and 4
And where’s that fine fellow
who’s supposed to give them to her?
MADMEN 1 and 2
With ten pairs of suction cups,
she’ll return to her region.
MADMEN 3 and 4
And what? During that procedure,
will she stay still?
MADMAN 1
There’s very little remedy for her!
MADMAN 2
I’m going to throw myself into the well.
MADMAN 3
We’re all doomed!
MADMAN 4
Then let’s keep quiet and endure it.
ALL
Poor Blás!
Your terrible mother-in-law
has avenged herself on you!
Poor Blás,
your mortal enemy
is chasing you down!
MADMAN 1
Could it be apprehension?
MADMAN 4
Perhaps.
MADMAN 2
Could it be an illusion?
MADMAN 4
It might be.
MADMAN 3
What if we’re mistaken?
MADMAN 4
It’s possible.
MADMEN 1 and 2
Well, let’s not doubt it;
few mothers-in-law come here
from the other side.
MADMEN 3 and 4
Let’s recover ourselves:
let’s regain our courage now.
ALL
And let a pastoral bolero
serve as a suffrage for her.
What a bolero, what charm,
what a rascal and what a liar,
I won’t put on my hat,
or I might catch a cold.
Let a pastoral bolero
serve as a suffrage for her,
to double her sorrows
and duplicate her pain.
So here it goes:
let’s see if this way her figure
won’t appear anymore.
(A voice from inside [imitating the mother-in-law])
MADMAN 4
Give them here, give them here,
Son-in-law Blás,
the ochavos I gave you
when I departed this world!
MADMAN 4
You lie, cursed tongue!
Listen, pay attention, and you’ll see.
[They dance a pastoral bolero]
PASTORAL
ALL
Tristrís, tristrís, tristrís,
Trastrás, trastrás, trastrás.
We don’t believe you;
you’re trying to deceive us.
Don’t torment your blessed son-in-law anymore;
a son-in-law is worth a lot,
especially one like Blás.
MADMAN 1
If they’ve sent you from the other world
because they couldn’t stand you there,
go to Barahona;
they’ll welcome you there,
as long as mothers-in-law arrive
without being greased.
ALL
Leave here,
leave us in peace.
MADMEN 2, 3, AND 4
Piripipipí, piripipipá.
MADMAN 1
If they recognize you in the land where you’re going,
you won’t lack a decent job to take up—
one of those favorite roles
you had back here.
Piripipipí, piripipipá.
ALL
Tristrís, tristrís, tristrís,
Trastrás, trastrás, trastrás.
Go to Barahona
and leave us in peace.
MADMAN 1
Those coins you’re demanding from your poor son-in-law Blás—
the apothecary, the priest, and the sacristan keep them safe;
no son-in-law could have them better spent.
Piripipipí, piripipipá.
ALL
Tristrís, tristrís, tristrís,
Trastrás, trastrás, trastrás.
Go to Barahona
and leave us in peace.
FINAL SCENE (XVII)
[The four Madmen have passed away. The scene takes place in Hell.]
MADMAN 1
What is this my eyes behold?
MADMAN 2
What horror and terror is this?
MADMAN 3
What is this place called?
MADMAN 4
Pluto’s sty.
MADMAN 1
Well, we’ve really done it now.
MADMAN 4
Here everything is confusion.
MADMEN 2 AND 3
And where is that beast?
MADMAN 4
Here it is—I am Pluto!
And if you listen carefully
and pay attention,
you’ll see here characters
of great renown
who played distinguished roles
back in the world.
MADMEN 1, 2 AND 3
Away with fear and sorrow;
we are not surprised by dread.
Lord Pluto, let’s be quick—
it’s very hot in here!
MADMAN 4
Look.
MADMAN 4
In their sty, the coachmen
are happy and proud
because others come on foot,
and they come on horseback.
Look, look, look.
MADMAN 3
The merchants over there
wanted to be like God:
without measure, and this calculation
didn’t work out for them.
MADMAN 4
Look, look.
MADMAN 1
There are the mountaineers,
turned into a stew,
their torment eased somewhat
by showing their credentials.
MADMAN 2
And why are the apothecaries
jumping around in a trot?
MADMAN 4
Because there are many of them,
and they’re dancing
from jar to jar.
MADMAN 3
Who are those wearing zamarras?
MADMAN 4
The barbers with guitars.
MADMAN 3
And those madamiselas?
MADMAN 4
Isabel and Anne Boleyn.
MADMAN 1
Why are the harvesters here?
MADMAN 4
For leaving others stripped bare.
MADMAN 2
Who is that sacristan?
MADMAN 4
Muhammad with his Quran.
MADMAN 3
And what’s that simpleton doing here?
MADMAN 4
Wandering from pillar to post. Enough with such questions!
MADMEN 1, 2, AND 3:
Forgive us, Lord Pluto;
it’s necessary to inform those who come here
about what this place is like.
MADMAN 4:
Judas, Luther, and Calvin
are in a corridor,
alongside Herod,
playing their mediator.
Look, look—look!
Even if Herod didn’t play,
as I perceive it,
the other three could easily
share a pork knuckle among themselves.
Look, look.
MADMAN 1:
Julius Caesar and Nero,
Elagabalus and Tiberius—
with Caligula, the five of them
are over there cooling off.
MADMAN 2:
Who are those figures
with caps, robes, and collars?
MADMAN 4
They’re Nebuchadnezzar
and his son King Belshazzar.
MADMAN 3
And who’s washing his hands?
MADMAN 4
President Pilate.
MADMAN 3
And those who are curtseying?
MADMAN 4
They’re Jezebel and Herodias.
MADMAN 1
And the ones with capes and hats?
MADMAN 4
Hippocrates and Galen.
MADMAN 2
And the one on the step?
MADMAN 4
The philosopher Solon.
MADMAN 3
And the one drinking chocolate?
MADMAN 4
That’s King Mithridates. Enough with such questions!
MADMEN 1, 2, AND 3:
Forgive us, Lord Pluto;
it’s necessary to inform those who come here
about what this place is like.
MADMAN 1:
The one biting his nails over there—who is he?
MADMAN 4:
Ammon: for being gluttonous there,
he pays for his treachery here.
MADMAN 2:
Who is the one with the censer?
MADMAN 4:
Captain Belisarius,
who, blind, sees and worships
the one who gave him all command;
he’s in his sty,
incensing Justinian.
MADMAN 3:
And that big cauldron over there?
MADMAN 4:
It’s Pedro Botero’s,
filled with millions of snakes,
toads, and various insects.
There lie the gossips,
tailors, and matchmakers:
firework makers, scribes,
and hundreds of meddlers.
Then enters the rabble
of drunkards and liars;
next comes the mob
of countless fools—
they make up the seasoning of the stew
that Botero tends so carefully.
Among many well-known ones,
there are these:
Pedro, who never matures—
he’s the first insect.
Then Juan de la Encina.
The one I know:
the King Who Raged;
the prison breeches
with Perogrullo;
for a gram of anise,
Chivisgarabís;
for fine cumin seeds,
“Calaínos”;
with mules and carriage,
Don Diego at night;
Herbite coachman
with “Trochi Mochi”;
“Marizápalos” seated in a chair;
and with a bustle, “Marisabidilla”;
all the little Moors with their hubbub;
also Garibay’s soul on foot—
with the Huguenots;
and Perico of the sticks—
delicately poking Juan Porro;
Perico weaving mischief;
the fool from Coria with his candlestick:
Saint Pajares; Villadiego’s women—
kill them silently; catch them sleeping;
the cat and Juan Ramos looking for their masters;
with Juan of good soul, who takes the prize.
ALL
And all this stew will be tended carefully by Pedro Botero, adding what is expected from there. Two kinds of people are missing—they won’t be found here: Hieronymite Fathers are one kind. And musicians—that’s all.
MADMAN 1
And why such an exception?
MADMAN 2
And why such privilege?
MADMAN 4
Because some are always at festivities,
and others always at farms.
FINAL
MADMEN 1, 2, AND 3
The visit is over;
there’s nothing left for us to see.
If truth be told,
there’s much to reflect upon here!
MADMAN 4
Well, if there’s much to reflect upon,
then let the reflection serve you well!
Don’t come to be the ladle
of the cauldron yourselves.
MADMAN 1
I’m heading to the other world.
MADMAN 2
I’m going as far as Geneva.
MADMAN 3
I’m off to the cantons.
MADMAN 4
Well, I’m going to the...
MADMEN 1, 2, AND 3
Swallow that one!
What a peripatetic warning.
MADMAN 4 (coughs)
Egé, egé, egé.
MADMEN 1, 2, AND 3
What a Cicero-like fever!
MADMAN 4 (coughs)
Egé, egé, egé.
MADMEN 1, 2, AND 3
What madness-filled nonsense!
What a polished jest!
MADMAN 4
(coughs)
Egé, egé, egé. Io li rendo più grazie signore per la sua confidenza.
(The first three Madmen rise and stand.)
MADMEN 1, 2, AND 3
Command us, command us.
MADMAN 4
(courteously)
Li ringrazio.
MADMEN 1, 2, AND 3
Lord Plutone.
MADMAN 4
Schiavo, schiavo.
MADMEN 1, 2, AND 3
Then command us, Your Devilishness.
(The three exit while bowing.)
MADMAN 4
(rising angrily)
This is a great affront!
It can no longer be endured.
I’ll avenge such an insult—
I’ll throw myself into the sea!
So that the fish of my body will make a feast.
I’ll throw myself out the window—no wait: the impact is fatal!
I’ll hang myself; that’s a bit more rational.
Poor Pluto! Poor devil! What have you come to? But here honor intervenes—I’ll go hang myself immediately and then have fourteen lean slices—no more—of those hams from those rascals of Barrabas who tried to mock Pluto and his character. But first I want to take a holy turn through my sty; a man cannot fail to fulfill his duty. Farewell, farewell. Gentlemen—we’ll meet again there.
MADMEN 1, 2, AND 3
Let’s go, let’s go. Come on Pluto!
MADMAN 4
They’re calling me already.
MADMEN 1, 2, AND 3:They want to challenge you!
MADMAN 4
I’m coming there—I’m coming there! Farewell, farewell gentlemen—we’ll meet again there.
(Inside the three with the sound of chains.)
MADMEN 1, 2, AND 3
Let’s go—come on Pluto!
MADMAN 4
They’re calling me already.
MADMEN 1, 2, AND 3
They want to challenge you!
MADMAN 4
I’m coming there—I’m coming there!
MADMEN 1, 2 AND 3
Look—this is hell—come put us at peace!
MADMAN 4
Wait—I’m coming there!
MADMEN 1, 2 AND 3
The abbots and devotees have started quarreling over which of their two classes deceived more in the world.
MADMAN 4
Well—it’s going well then!
MADMEN 1, 2 AND 3
Come quickly!
MADMAN 4
I’m coming right away!
MADMEN (ALL)
Ahhh...
(Repeated exchanges between Pluto and Madmen with "Ahhh" responses and commands.)
ENDING
CODA (Optional Ending)
TERCETTO
MADMAN 2
A thrust struck me in the middle of my heart;
and seeing the door open—
through it my soul escaped—
My love...
MADMAN (ALL)
You are my love.
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