Arshin Mal Alan is a 1913 comic and romantic operetta

Operetta

Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...

 by Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov

Uzeyir Hajibeyov

Uzeyir bey Abdul Hussein oglu Hajibeyov was an Azerbaijani and Soviet composer, conductor, publicist, playwright, teacher, translator, and social figure from Azerbaijan. He is recognized as the father of Azerbaijani classical music and opera...

 about the cloth peddler in the 1900s Shusha

Shusha

Shusha , also known as Shushi is a town in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the South Caucasus. It has been under the control of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic since its capture in 1992 during the Nagorno-Karabakh War...

, who is looking for a wife. Hajibeyov composed the operetta in Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...

 and it was staged on October 25, 1913. The operetta is rich in national characteristics and realism. Following the staging on Azerbaijan scene, Arshin Mal Alan ventured across the theatres of Tbilisi

Tbilisi

Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...

, Yerevan

Yerevan

Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...

 and Ashgabat, as well as of Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

 and Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

.

The operetta has been also staged in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...

 and in the Chinese language at the Tianqiao Theater in Beijing

Beijing

Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

.

Synopsis

The plot is centered on a bachelor man called Asker, who wants to see and choose his bride before marriage. His wife quest, however, is difficult because in that time based on traditions women were kept at home and when allowed out they were heavily covered in hijab

Hijab

The word "hijab" or "'" refers to both the head covering traditionally worn by Muslim women and modest Muslim styles of dress in general....

. Asker's friend Suleyman suggests him disguising as a fabric peddler, a sure way to meet women. Asker agrees and starts to go round the houses selling fabrics.

Asker finally meets a woman called Gulchohra and both fall in love with each other, even though Asker's actual identity remains unknown to Gulchohra. Asker ultimately asks Gulchohra's father, the wealthy Sultan bey, for marriage permission, revealing his real activities. Sultan bey agrees, but Gulchohra objects as she can only love the peddler. She eventually learns that the rich businessman is really her beloved peddler.

The story ends with four couples getting married at the same time.

Plot

Role	Voice type
Asker- a young wealthy merchant	Tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
Jahan- his aunt, widow	Mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
Suleyman-Asker’s friend	Baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
Veli-Asker’s servant	Tenor
Sultan bey Bey Bey is a title for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders of small tribal groups. Accoding to some sources, the word "Bey" is of Turkish language In historical accounts, many Turkish, other Turkic and Persian leaders are titled Bey, Beg, Bek, Bay, Baig or Beigh. They are all the same word... -impoverished bey	Bass (voice type) Bass (voice type) A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
Gulchohre-his daughter	Soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
Asia-Sultan bey’s niece	Soprano
Telli-Sultan bey’s servant	Soprano
The action happens in Azerbaijan in the beginning of the XX century.

The first act

A young merchant Asker is handsome and wealthy. But nothing makes him happy for a long time. Incomprehensible sorrow has seized him. His aunt Jahan is anxious: what is happened with her nephew? Is he ill? Asker is not outspoken, that is why the aunt remains sad.

Veli-Asker’s cruel servant suspects his lords “illness” but he is just a servant and nobody asks him what he thinks. Suleyman-one of the friends of Asker doesn’t only immediately suspect but also said the reason of this secret illness loudly: It is Asker’s marriage time!

But there is a misfortune: according to ancient traditions of Muslim

Muslim

A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...

s, a fiancé cannot see his fiancée until wedding. But the old traditions don’t suit Asker. He would like to marry by love. What to do? But enterprising Suleyman offers Asker to disguise him in “arshin-malchy’s” (peddler) clothes. Then his access to the houses will be ensured. Asker is delighted: he becomes arshin malchy!

The second act

Gulchohra-the daughter of highborn, but impoverished Sultan bey knows about her father’s intention to find a rich fiancé. But Gulchohra wouldn’t like to marry a stranger, she would like to marry, whom she knows and loves. But the tradition is against that. What to do?

Her father has his own disturbances. Bey is fed up by loneliness, he would like to marry if he find an appropriate widow.

Voices are heard from the outdoor: “Arshin mal alan…”, and arshin malchy appears with commodities. Girls fly to him as birds. They look at the goods, but Asker looks at them. He shoots a glance at Gulchohra. She is that girl, of whom he dreamed. Gulchohra has also charmed by arshin malchy. Young men make a declaration of love when girls go away.

The aunt Jahan goes to Sultan bey as a matchmaker at her nephew’s request. Bey is glad to meet such a charming widow and makes a proposal of marriage to her.

Asker hurries to take the opportunity of this action: he agrees to give his aunt away in marriage to Sultan bey. But in return of that he wants to marry Gulchohra. What?! To give sultan’s daughter away to marriage to arshin malchy?! Arrogant Sultan bey furiously turns them out of the house.

The third act

Now Suleyman bey comes to Sultan bey. He proposes wealthy Asker bey to Gulchohra as a husband. Sultan bey agrees with joy.

Coming as a matchmaker, Suleyman finds his happiness at Sultan bey’s house-she is Asia, the bey’s niece. Sultan bey has seen her and fell in love. Asia also has liked this gallant young man.

Gulchohra is alarmed. Her father has informed him about the coming wedding. Fond of arshin malchy the girl begged her father to spare. But Sultan bey is unbending. Everything will be as he said! Wishing to avert daughter’s resistance, he has faked Gulchohra’s abduction and sent her to Askar’s house.

The fourth act

Gulchohra decided to put end to her life frantically, because of the marrying to an unloved man by force. But Asker comes at the moment and explains everything to amazed Gulchohre. Gulchohra is happy. Only Sultan bey knowing that they deceived him becomes angry. The aunt Jahan quickly calms the quick-tempered bey, promising to marry him.

The second couple also becomes happy and pleased.

But Suleyman knowing that Asia also wants to be his wife, declared him as a fiancée ad locum.

But only the servant Veli breathes sorrowfully. What is up? He has an eye on Sulyan bey’s servant Telli. And Telli is ready to marry Veli, she loves this scamp too.

Four weddings are celebrated with a happy feast.

See also

• Arshin Mal Alan (1916 film)
• Arshin Mal Alan (1945 film)
• Arshin Mal Alan (1966 film)