I PURITAN! " I Puritani " or " The Puritans " is an historical opera in three acts composed by Vincenzo Bellini and first pre sented at the Theatre Italien, Paris, Jan. 25, 1835, in the last year of its gifted composer's life. The librettist was Count Pepoli.
Lord Walter Walton, a Puritan.
Sir George, his brother.
Lord Arthur Talbot, a cavalier.
Sir Richard Forth, a Puritan colonel.
Sir Bruno Robertson, a Puritan.
Henrietta, widow of Charles I.
Elvira, daughter of Lord Walton.
Chorus of Puritans, soldiers of Cromwell, heralds and men-at-arms of Lord Arthur, countrymen and women, damsels, pages and servants.
The scene is laid in England in the neighborhood of Plymouth in the period preceding the impeachment and execution of Charles II. by Parliament. Lord Walton is keeper of the fortress held by the parliamentary forces. His daughter Elvira, whose hand has been promised to Sir Richard Forth, loves instead the young Royalist, Lord Arthur Talbot. Much to her happiness, her uncle, Sir George Walton, brings the information that her father has consented to her marriage with Arthur and that the latter is to be admitted to the fortress for the performance of the ceremony.
Henrietta, widow of Charles I., is a prisoner in the Plymouth Castle under sentence of death, and Talbot makes use of his presence in the enemy's camp to pass her out to freedom, disguising her in the wedding veil of his bride. Part of the incident comes to Elvira's knowledge, and she, thinking that her lover has eloped with another woman, loses her reason. On his return, Arthur explains the mat ter to the satisfaction of his lady-love, but not to that of the Parliamentarians, who have him sentenced to death for treason. Happily, at this crisis word is brought of the
defeat of the Stuarts and Cromwell magnanimously par dons the political offenders, Arthur not being excepted. Elvira is restored to sanity by this good fortune and she and her Royalist lover are united.
While Bellini was unfortunate in no longer having Romani for his librettist, the music of " I Puritani " is among the richest and most expressive of any he ever wrote. It is a peculiarity of the opera that the chief part, musically speaking, belongs to the tenor but being written for Rubini, whose upper tones were phenomenal, few tenors have voices sufficiently high to attempt it. The work was given in London in 1835 for Mme. Grisi's benefit and this " Puritani " season was remembered years afterward as the most brilliant ever known. " I Puritani " was Bellini's last work and when, shortly after his death, the Theatre Italien in Paris reopened with it, the singers repeated to some of its melodies, the words of the Catholic service for the dead.
The score is replete with engaging melodies, among them the tenor song, "A to o cara " (" To thee, be loved ") ; the polonaise sung by Elvira, " Son vergin vezzosa " (" A virgin veiled ") ; the stirring chorus of Puritans which concludes the first act; Elvira's mad song " Qui la voce " (" This the voice ") ; the sonorous and stirring " Liberty Duet " between Richard and George; the duet of Arthur and Elvira, " Star teco ognor " (" Yes with thee forever ") and Arthur's adagio, " Ella e tre mante " (" She now trembling ").