The Three Pintos

In three acts by C. M. v. WEBER.



After WEBER'S manuscripts and designs, and TH. HELL'S textbook. The

musical part completed by GUSTAV MAHLER, the dramatic part by CARL VON

WEBER.





Thanks to the incessant endeavours of Weber's grandson and of Gustav

Mahler, the gifted disciple of Weber, a real treasure in German music

has been disinterred from the fragments of the past, thus lon after

its composer's death. It is a striking illustration of the

universality of Weber's genius that aught like this should prove to

have been written by him, for his manuscript is a fragment of a

comic opera of the best kind. Although only seven parts were completed

by the composer himself, Mahler took the remaining ten mostly from

Weber's other manuscripts. He completed them himself so adroitly, that

the best musicians cannot distinguish Weber from Mahler. We owe a debt

of gratitude to both composer and poet, who have performed this act of

piety towards the great deceased and at the same time have preserved us

real musical pearls. The text is well done, though not important

enough for three acts; two would have been quite sufficient.



The first scene takes us into a little village in Spain, where a

student, Don Gaston Piratos bids farewell to his fellows. He is a gay

and gallant youth, whose money dwindles to a paltry sum before mine

host's long account. But this cunning host has a charming daughter

Ines, and light-hearted Gaston flirts with the damsel, his servant

Ambrosio valiantly assisting him.



The Kater-romance sung by Ines is as gracefull as it is droll and

effective.



Don Pinto de Fonseca now arrives on horseback. He is so corpulent,

that he is scarcely able to dismount, and he excites the curiosity and

amusement of all. Having called for food and drink, he tells Gaston,

that he comes to marry a rich and noble lady, Donna Clarissa de

Pacheco. Fonseca's father has once rendered a great service to Don

Pantaleone Roiz de Pacheco, and in reward he destined his only child

Clarissa for Fonseca's son. This promising young knight has a

letter of recommendation from his father. He is in perplexity as to

his behaviour towards such a young lady and Gaston offers to instruct

him therein. Ambrosio acts as bride, Gaston shows how she is to be

courted and Don Pinto gawkishly imitates his teacher's gestures. This

scene is most irresistibly comic. When wine and food are brought by

Ines and her servants, Don Pinto so entirely absorbs himself in

satisfying his hunger and thirst, that at last the wine gets the better

of him. He falls asleep and Gaston, thinking it an injury to a noble

lady to be wooed by such a clown, takes away old Fonseca's letter and

departs with Ambrosio. Don Pinto is carried into the house on a

grass-covered litter.



In the second act Don Pantaleone's servants are assembled in the

ancestral hall, where their master announces to them the approaching

arrival of Don Pinto, his daughter's future bridegroom. Donna

Clarissa, who already loves Don Gomez Freiros, a knight of wealth,

noble birth and bearing is in despair, as is also her lover, but Laura,

her pretty maid promises to find ways and means to avert the dreaded

marriage.



In the third act Laura and the servants are decorating the hall with

flowers. The majordomo sends them away, proclaiming Don Pinto's

arrival. All go except Laura, who hides behind a bosquet. Gaston,

entering with Ambrosio sees all those preparations with wonder.

Ambrosio detects Laura and according to his wont begins to court her.

Gaston warns the damsel, and she entering into the joke mockingly

quits them. Gay Ambrosio is consoling himself in a charming song of

which the burden is girls' fickleness, when Don Gomez enters and

touches Gaston's kind heart by the description of his love for

Clarissa. Gaston tenders him Fonseca's letter, counselling Gomez to

play the part of Don Pinto, for Don Pantaleone has never seen either of

them. Gomez accepts the letter gratefully from the supposed Don Pinto

and presents it to Don Pantaleone, who has entered with his daughter

and his whole suite. Of course the father, struck by the knight's

noble bearing, gives his consent to the union with his daughter and

adds his benediction. But their joy is disturbed by the entrance of

the real Don Pinto, who at once begins wooing in the manner he has

practised with Don Gaston.



The ridiculous fellow is thought mad and is about to be turned out,

when catching sight of Gaston, he loudly accuses him of treachery.

Gaston however draws his sword and menaces Don Pinto, upon which the

poor swain cries for mercy and is thereafter removed from the hall

amidst the laughter of the whole chorus.



Imagine the assistant's astonishment, when Gaston declares, that they

have turned out the true Don Pinto. Gomez believing himself betrayed

challenges Gaston, and the father rages against the two pretenders.

But Clarissa pleads and Gaston quietly shows to Don Pantaleone the

contrast between the two suitors, while Gomez is obliged to

acknowledge gratefully that he owes his lovely bride solely to Don

Gaston's joke. So the lovers are united.