- La mascotte
"La mascotte" ("The Mascot") is an
operetta byEdmond Audran . The French libretto was by Alfred Duru and Henri Charles Chivot. The best-known number of its lively and tuneful score is the Act 1 duet for Bettina (the 'mascot' of the title) and Pippo, in which she tells him, with appropriate farmyard noises, that she loves him just as much as her beloved turkeys.Performance history
It was first performed in
Paris on28 December 1880 . It was very popular and 1,000 performances were given in just five years.It was translated into English and staged at
Abbey's Park Theatre inNew York on5 May ,1881 , and inBrighton ,England on19 September the same year.ynopsis
The story, set in the 17th century, is that of a farm girl who brought good luck to whoever possessed her, so long as she remained a
virgin . The title was Frenchslang derived from the "Provençal" term "masco", meaningwitch .The title (in English) initiated the use of the word 'mascot' in the English language to mean an animal, human, or thing which brought luck.
Roles and role creators
*Bettina, "the mascot"
mezzo-soprano Grisier-Montbazon
*Fiametta, "daughter of Laurent XVII"soprano Dinelli
*Prince Fritellini, "Fiametta's fiancé"tenor Charles Lamy
*Pippo, "a shepherd"baritone Louis Morlet
*Laurent XVII, "prince" baritone Paul Hittemans
*Rocco, "a farmer " tenor Raucourt
*Parafante, "sergeant" baritone
*Mathéo, "inn-keeper" bass
*"Peasants, lords and ladies of court, soldiers, etc."ources
* [http://www.amadeusonline.net/almanacco.php?Start=0&Giorno=29&Mese=12&Anno=1880&Giornata=&Testo=&Parola=Stringa Amadeus Almanac, accessed 30 July 2008]
*"The Oxford Dictionary of Opera", by John Warrack and Ewan West (1992), 782 pages, ISBN 0-19-869164-5
*Traubner, R. "Operetta: a Theatrical History" (1983) New York.External links
* [http://www.archive.org/details/mascotlamascotte00audra Vocal score in English, including plot synopsis]
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