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Ebook has 584 lines and 92101 words, and 12 pages

GRAND OPERA

UNDER THE DIRECTION OF

MR. HEINRICH CONRIED

LIBRETTO

THE ORIGINAL ITALIAN, FRENCH OR GERMAN LIBRETTO WITH A CORRECT ENGLISH TRANSLATION.

H?nsel und Gretel

PUBLISHED BY

F. RULLMAN.

THEATRE TICKET OFFICE.

F. RULLMAN THEATRE TICKET OFFICE.

Choice Seats and Boxes for the Opera and all Theatres.

Opera Seats at Box Office Prices.

Publisher of Opera Librettos in all Languages.

TELEPHONE CALLS, CORTLANDT.

H?NSEL AND GRETEL

A FAIRY OPERA IN THREE ACTS BY ADELHEID WETTE

The Music by Engelbert Humperdinck

PUBLISHED BY F. RULLMAN AT THE THEATRE TICKET OFFICE, 111 BROADWAY NEW YORK

ARGUMENT.

H?nsel and Gretel is an opera in three acts, the music by Engelbert Humperdinck and the libretto by Adelheid Wette. It is the German version of the old nursery legend--Babes in the Wood.

The first scene discloses a wretched homestead. The two children, H?nsel and Gretel, are at work--the boy making brooms and the girl knitting stockings. They both complain of feeling very hungry, and there isn't a thing in the house. Yes, there's a jug of milk that will make nice blanc-mange when mother comes home. H?nsel tastes it and Gretel raps his fingers. He says he won't work any more and proposes they dance instead. Gretel is delighted. He is very awkward at first but she teaches him the steps and they are getting along so famously that they whirl around the room and fall exhausted on the floor. At this moment the mother enters and she is so angry at seeing them do no work that she boxes their ears for it. In her excitement she gives the milk pitcher a push. It falls off the table, breaks in pieces, and spills all the milk. At this she is beside herself and seizes a basket and tells the children to go to the wood and pick strawberries. They must not come home till the basket is full. They run off while she, weary of life, sits sobbing herself to sleep.

The father is heard in the distance with a joyous song and enters in a joyful mood. He wakes up his unhappy wife to tell that he has sold all his brooms at the fair for splendid prices and he shows his basket full of provisions. Both are thus in fine humor when he asks where the children are. She says she sent them away in disgrace to the Ilsenstein. The Ilsenstein! he exclaims, where the witches ride on broomsticks and devour little children. Exclaiming "Oh horror!" she runs out of the house, he after her, to find H?nsel and Gretel.

The second act shows a forest. Gretel is making a garland of wild roses while H?nsel is looking for strawberries. In the background is the Ilsenstein. It is sunset. H?nsel crowns Gretel queen of the wood and she allows him to taste a strawberry. He gives her one in return and little by little they devour them all. Then they are frightened. They want to pick more but it is getting too dark. They want to leave but cannot find the way. Gretel fears being in the dark but H?nsel is very brave. She sees faces in trees and stumps and he calls out to reassure her. Echo answers and he grows frightened too. They huddle together as a thick mist arises which hides the background. Gretel, terror-stricken, falls on her knees and hides behind H?nsel. At this moment a little man appears, as the mist rises, and quiets them. It is the Sandman and he sings them to slumber. Half awake they say their evening prayer and sink down on the moss in each other's arms. A dazzling light then appears, the mist rolls itself into a staircase and angels pass down and group themselves about the two sleeping children.

In the third act the scene is the same, the mist still hiding the background. The Dawn Fairy shakes dewdrops on the children. They wake, but H?nsel very lazily. They both have had dreams of angels coming to see them with shining wings. The mist now clears away and in the background is seen the witches' house with a fence of gingerbread figures. There are also seen an oven and a cage. H?nsel wants to go inside and Gretel draws him back. But H?nsel says the angels beguiled their footsteps and why shouldn't they nibble a bit at the cottage? They tiptoe to the fence and break off a bit of the cake cautiously. The witch voice from within tells them to go on nibbling. They like the gingerbread. It suits them famously and apparently suits her too as she watches them from her window.

But she comes out of the house as they are joyously laughing and throws a rope about H?nsel's neck and caresses them. H?nsel tries to get away and calls her names, while she goes on saying how she loves them both--they are such dainty morsels. H?nsel tries to run away and takes Gretel with him. But the witch casts a spell on them and they stand stock-still. Then she leads H?nsel to the cage and shuts him in and gives him almonds and raisins to fatten him up. She loosens Gretel with the magic stick and says how nice and plump she'll be when she's roasted brown. She opens the oven and puts more fagots under it and says the fire will soon be ripe to push Gretel in. In her joy she rides wildly round on a broomstick while Gretel watches from the house.

The witch calls Gretel out and opens the oven door. H?nsel tells Gretel to beware and the witch tells her to peep in the oven. Gretel pretends she does not understand. She secretly disenchants H?nsel so that when the witch bends over and peeps into the oven they give her a push and in she goes. Then they dance wildly about. H?nsel throws sweetmeats out of the window. The oven cracks open and falls into bits, while groups of children suddenly surround H?nsel and Gretel. Then they disenchant the gingerbread children who are very grateful. As they are all dragging the gingerbread witch about, the Father and Mother come in and are overjoyed at finding their children again.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE.

PETER, Broom-maker. GERTRUDE, his wife. H?NSEL, } } their children. GRETEL, } THE WITCH who eats children. SANDMAN, the Sleep Fairy. DEWMAN, the Dawn Fairy. CHILDREN. THE FOURTEEN ANGELS.

H?NSEL UND GRETEL.

ERSTES BILD.

DAHEIM.

Erste Scene.

GRETEL.

Suse, liebe Suse, was raschelt im Stroh? Die G?nse gehn barfuss und haben kein' Schuh. Der Schuster hat's Leder, kein'n Leisten dazu. Drum kann er den G?nslein auch machen kein' Schuh.

H?NSEL.

Eia popeia, das ist eine Not! Wer schenkt mir einen Dreier zu Zucker und Brot? Verkauf ich mein Bettlein und leg mich auf's Stroh, sticht mich keine Feder und beisst mich kein Floh!

Ach, k?m doch die Mutter nun endlich nach Haus!

GRETEL.

Auch ich halt's kaum noch vor Hunger aus.

H?NSEL.

Seit Wochen nichts als trocken Brot; ist das ein Elend! Potz schwere Not!

GRETEL.

Still, H?nsel, denk daran, was Vater sagt, wenn Mutter manchmal so verzagt: >>Wenn die Not auf's h?chste steigt, Gott der Herr die Hand euch reicht!<<

H?NSEL.

Jawohl, das klingt ganz sch?n und glatt, aber leider wird man davon nicht satt. Ach, Gretel, wie lang' ist's doch schon her, dass wir nichts Gutes geschmauset mehr! Eierfladen und Butterwecken-- kaum weiss ich noch, wie die thun schmecken.

Ach, Gretel, ich wollt'...

GRETEL .

Still, nicht verdriesslich sein: Gedulde dich fein, sieh freundlich drein! Dies lange Gesicht,--hu, welcher Graus! Siehst ja wie der leibhaftige Griesgram aus! Griesgram, hinaus! Fort aus dem Haus! Ich will dich lehren, Herz zu beschweren, Sorgen zu mehren, Freuden zu wehren: Griesgram, Griesgram, greulicher Wicht, griesiges, gr?miges Galgengesicht, packe dich, trolle dich, sch?biger Wicht!

H?NSEL.

Griesgram, hinaus! Halt's nicht mehr aus! Immer mich plagen, Hungertuch nagen, muss ja verzagen, mag's nicht ertragen! Griesgram, Griesgram, greulicher Wicht, griesiges, gr?miges Galgengesicht, packe dich, trolle dich, sch?biger Wicht!

GRETEL.

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