Die Försterchristl
Encyclopedia
Die Försterchristl is an operetta
in three acts by Georg Jarno
to a libretto
by Bernhard Buchbinder. It premiered on 17 December 1907 at the Theater in der Josefstadt
in Vienna
. Three years later, its English version had a run of 64 performances at Broadway
's Herald Square
Theatre in 1910/11 under the title The Girl and the Kaiser. The work is known in English as The Girl and the Kaiser
, The Bohemian
Dancer, The Forester
's Daughter and in French as La petite amie de sa majesté and Christelle et l'empereur.
In short: The title character (Christine) impulsively falls in love with a handsome stranger, never suspecting that the man is really the Austrian emperor Joseph II. Upon learning the emperor's true identity, Christine pleads with him to save her former boyfriend, rebel leader Franz Földessy, from the firing squad.
Christine meets a stranger who hunted without permission in the forest. She admonishes him and takes his watch as a security for a fine. She also tells him freely what she thinks of the Emperor and his court in Vienna.
Franz Földessy is in love with Christine and asks her father, the forester Hans Lange, for her hand. Peter Walperl, who is also in love with her, reveals in his jealousy that Franz is a deserter. Franz admits that he once hit an officer who seduced his sister and therefore had to flee the army. Christine decides to go to the court in Vienna and ask the Emperor to pardon Franz.
At the court, Christine meets the same stranger again whom she admonished for hunting without permission. He promises to arrange an audience with the Emperor. At that audience, she realises that the stranger is in fact the Emperor. He grants the pardon for Franz, and Christine loses her heart to him. When she meets Franz again, she is cold and rebuffs him, but she is overjoyed and blissful when the Emperor asks her for a dance at the court ball.
Back at home, Christine continues to reject Franz. To remove the source of substantial gossip, the Emperor arrives and explains that he is not allowed to follow his own heart. He suggests that she marry Franz, whom he made Head Forester, and gives her a ring as a present when he leaves. Christine overcomes her disappointment; she transforms the experience into a precious dream and marries Franz Földessy.
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:...
in three acts by Georg Jarno
Georg Jarno
Georg Jarno was a Hungarian composer, mainly of operettas.-Biography:After he finished his studies in Budapest, he worked as Theaterkapellmeister in in Bremen, Gera, Halle, Metz, Liegnitz, Chemnitz and Magdeburg, and also as opera director in Bad Kissingen, before settling in Vienna as a freelance...
to a libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Bernhard Buchbinder. It premiered on 17 December 1907 at the Theater in der Josefstadt
Theater in der Josefstadt
The Theater in der Josefstadt is a theater in Vienna in the eighth district of Josefstadt. It was founded in 1788 and is the oldest still performing theater in Vienna...
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...
. Three years later, its English version had a run of 64 performances at Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
's Herald Square
Herald Square
Herald Square is formed by the intersection of Broadway, Sixth Avenue and 34th Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. Named for the New York Herald, a now-defunct newspaper formerly headquartered there, it also gives its name to the surrounding area...
Theatre in 1910/11 under the title The Girl and the Kaiser. The work is known in English as The Girl and the Kaiser
Kaiser
Kaiser is the German title meaning "Emperor", with Kaiserin being the female equivalent, "Empress". Like the Russian Czar it is directly derived from the Latin Emperors' title of Caesar, which in turn is derived from the personal name of a branch of the gens Julia, to which Gaius Julius Caesar,...
, The Bohemian
Bohemianism
Bohemianism is the practice of an unconventional lifestyle, often in the company of like-minded people, with few permanent ties, involving musical, artistic or literary pursuits...
Dancer, The Forester
Forester
250px|thumb|right|Foresters of [[Southern University of Chile|UACh]] in the [[Valdivian forest]]s of San Pablo de Tregua, ChileA forester is a person who practices forestry, the science, art, and profession of managing forests. Foresters engage in a broad range of activities including timber...
's Daughter and in French as La petite amie de sa majesté and Christelle et l'empereur.
Roles
- Kaiser Joseph IIJoseph II, Holy Roman EmperorJoseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I...
- GrafGrafGraf is a historical German noble title equal in rank to a count or a British earl...
Kolonitzky, Adjutant generalAdjutant generalAn Adjutant General is a military chief administrative officer.-Imperial Russia:In Imperial Russia, the General-Adjutant was a Court officer, who was usually an army general. He served as a personal aide to the Tsar and hence was a member of the H. I. M. Retinue... - Graf Gottfried von Leuben, Majordomo
- von Reutern, ChamberlainChamberlain (office)A chamberlain is an officer in charge of managing a household. In many countries there are ceremonial posts associated with the household of the sovereign....
- Baronesse Agathe von Othegraven, Lady-in-waitingLady-in-waitingA lady-in-waiting is a female personal assistant at a royal court, attending on a queen, a princess, or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman from a family highly thought of in good society, but was of lower rank than the woman on whom she...
- Count Sternfeld, Captain
- Kontesse Josephine, his sister
- Franz Földessy, StewardSteward (office)A steward is an official who is appointed by the legal ruling monarch to represent him or her in a country, and may have a mandate to govern it in his or her name; in the latter case, it roughly corresponds with the position of governor or deputy...
to Sternfeld (tenorTenorThe 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...
) - Hans Lange, foresterForester250px|thumb|right|Foresters of [[Southern University of Chile|UACh]] in the [[Valdivian forest]]s of San Pablo de Tregua, ChileA forester is a person who practices forestry, the science, art, and profession of managing forests. Foresters engage in a broad range of activities including timber...
- Christine, his daughter (soubretteSoubretteA soubrette is a female stock character in opera and theatre. The term arrived in English from Provençal via French, and means "conceited" or "coy".-Theater:...
) - Peter Walperl (buffo)
- Minka, gypsy
- Ladies and gentlemen of the court, gendarmesGendarmerieA gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military force charged with police duties among civilian populations. Members of such a force are typically called "gendarmes". The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary describes a gendarme as "a soldier who is employed on police duties" and a "gendarmery, -erie" as...
, guards, footmenFootmanA footman is a male servant, notably as domestic staff.-Word history:The name derives from the attendants who ran beside or behind the carriages of aristocrats, many of whom were chosen for their physical attributes. They ran alongside the coach to make sure it was not overturned by such obstacles...
, citizens and peasants, gypsy musicians
Plot
Time and place: At the Hungarian border and in Vienna, 1764In short: The title character (Christine) impulsively falls in love with a handsome stranger, never suspecting that the man is really the Austrian emperor Joseph II. Upon learning the emperor's true identity, Christine pleads with him to save her former boyfriend, rebel leader Franz Földessy, from the firing squad.
Act 1
Forest clearing in front of the forester's houseChristine meets a stranger who hunted without permission in the forest. She admonishes him and takes his watch as a security for a fine. She also tells him freely what she thinks of the Emperor and his court in Vienna.
Franz Földessy is in love with Christine and asks her father, the forester Hans Lange, for her hand. Peter Walperl, who is also in love with her, reveals in his jealousy that Franz is a deserter. Franz admits that he once hit an officer who seduced his sister and therefore had to flee the army. Christine decides to go to the court in Vienna and ask the Emperor to pardon Franz.
Act 2
Hall in the castle in ViennaAt the court, Christine meets the same stranger again whom she admonished for hunting without permission. He promises to arrange an audience with the Emperor. At that audience, she realises that the stranger is in fact the Emperor. He grants the pardon for Franz, and Christine loses her heart to him. When she meets Franz again, she is cold and rebuffs him, but she is overjoyed and blissful when the Emperor asks her for a dance at the court ball.
Act 3
Room in the forester's houseBack at home, Christine continues to reject Franz. To remove the source of substantial gossip, the Emperor arrives and explains that he is not allowed to follow his own heart. He suggests that she marry Franz, whom he made Head Forester, and gives her a ring as a present when he leaves. Christine overcomes her disappointment; she transforms the experience into a precious dream and marries Franz Földessy.
Notable arias
- Herr Kaiser, Herr Kaiser, du liebe Majestät (WaltzWaltzThe waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
) - Steht ein Mädel auf der Puszta (CsárdásCsárdásCsárdás is a traditional Hungarian folk dance, the name derived from csárda . It originated in Hungary and was popularized by Roma music bands in Hungary and neighboring lands of Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Burgenland, Croatia, Ukraine, Transylvania and Moravia, as well as among the Banat...
) - Ich tu nur bös, bin sonst fidel (Waltz)
- Will ich einen Liebsten haben (Waltz)
- Ein Mädel ohne jeden Fehl (Waltz)
- Gebt mir die Geigen der ganzen Welt (Waltz)
- Ein ganz gewöhnlich Schneiderlein
- Mädchen vom Zigeunerstamme