Expand
  • Find us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on Instagram
  • View Our YouTube Channel
  • Listen on Spotify
  • View our scores on nkoda

English Deutsch
Music Text

Libretto by Adolphe Jaime and Etienne Tréfeu; new German version by Josef Heinzelmann; chamber music arrangement by Josef Stolz (F,G)

Scoring

S,3T,Bar;
cl-perc-pft-vln.db

Abbreviations (PDF)

Publisher

Bote & Bock

Territory
This work is available from Boosey & Hawkes for the world.

Availability

World premiere of version
10/19/1984
Vienna
Company: unknown

Roles

MUNCHIRON, fearful knight Tenor
FIRESTONE, his squire, stubborn servant Tenor
BEAT-TO-DEATH, knight, incomplete Baritone
SULPHURBLOSSOM, his daughter Soprano
SKULLSMASHER, nobleman, Munchiron's nephew Tenor
Time and Place

Platform of a half-ruined tower. In former times

Synopsis

Munchiron, a knight of very sorrowful countenance, swallows his last remaining sabre. He will probably not need it any longer: his enemy Beat-to-Death, whose daughter Sulphurblossom he has taken away, is likely to fight only to a very limited degree, for in the battle against the unbelievers he has already lost a number of crucial body parts, among them his tongue. When Beat-to-Death nevertheless throws down the gauntlet, Munchiron's nephew Skullsmasher appears to save him. Munchiron offers Beat-to-Death two alternatives: either Sulphurblossom will be killed or she will marry him. The forced reconciliation is achieved, though it is sabotaged by subversive elements on both sides. The wine has been poisoned – accidentally with castor oil. The deployment of the troops heralds a collective bout of diarrhoea, in the course of which Munchiron's sabre and Beat-to-Death's tongue are rediscoverd. It all ends happily with the composer and his librettist sending their greetings from the lunatic asylum.

Moods

Comic

Subjects
Stay updated on the latest composer news and publications