Das Spitzentuch der Königin (The Queen's Lace Handkerchief) is an 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 Johann Strauss II

Johann Strauss II

Johann Strauss II , also known as Johann Baptist Strauss or Johann Strauss, Jr., the Younger, or the Son , was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed over 500 waltzes, polkas, quadrilles, and other types of dance music, as well as several operettas...

. The libretto by Heinrich Bohrmann-Riegen and Richard Genée

Richard Genée

Franz Friedrich Richard Genée was a Prussian born Austrian librettist, playwright, and composer.Genée was born in Danzig. One of his best known works was the libretto of Karl Millöcker's operetta Der Bettelstudent, which he co-wrote with Friedrich Zell .In 1876, Genée composed the operetta Der...

 was based on Cervantes

Cervantes

-People:*Alfonso J. Cervantes , mayor of St. Louis, Missouri*Francisco Cervantes de Salazar, 16th-century man of letters*Ignacio Cervantes, Cuban composer*Jorge Cervantes, a world-renowned expert on indoor, outdoor, and greenhouse cannabis cultivation...

.

It was first performed on 1 October 1880 in Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

 at the Theater an der Wien

Theater an der Wien

The Theater an der Wien is a historic theatre on the Left Wienzeile in the Mariahilf district of Vienna. Completed in 1801, it has seen the premieres of many celebrated works of theatre, opera, and symphonic music...

 under the composer with Therese Braunecker-Schäfer, Alexander Girardi

Alexander Girardi

Alexander Girardi was an Austrian] actor and tenor singer in operettas.- Career :Girardi was born in Graz; his father was the locksmith Andreas Girardi who had migrated to Graz from Cortina d'Ampezzo. Following the early death of his father, Alexander Girardi was raised by his stepfather who put...

, Eugenie Erdösy, Karoline Tellheim, Hermine Meyerhoff, Felix Schweighofer, and Ferdinand Schütz.

The work is rather obscure nowadays, but the waltz Rosen aus dem Süden

Rosen aus dem Süden

Rosen aus dem Süden , Op. 388, is a waltz medley composed by Johann Strauss II in 1880 with its themes drawn from the operetta Das Spitzentuch der Königin inspired by a novel by Heinrich Bohrmann-Riegen.The waltz was first performed at the regular Sunday concerts of the Strauss Orchestra conducted...

(Roses from the South), which incorporates melodies from the operetta, is well-known.

Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast, (Conductor: Johann Strauss II)
Cervantes	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...
The King of Portugal	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...
The Queen	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...
Don Sancho d'Avellaneday Villapinquedones	tenor
Donna Irene, confidant of the Queen	soprano
Count Villalobos y Rodriguez	bass
Marquis de la Mancha y Villareal	baritone
Chorus

Recordings

Johann Strauss II: Das Spitzentuch der Königin Orchester der Staatsoperette Dresden and chorus

• Conductor: Ernst Theis
• Soloists: Nadja Stefanoff, Jessica Glatte, Elke Kottmair, Ralf Simon, Markus Liske, Hary Brachmann, Gritt Gnauck
• Recorded: 30 May 2008
• Label and number: CPO Records 777 406-2