''Tromb-al-ca-zar, ou Les criminels dramatiques'' is a ''bouffonnerie musicale'' in one act of 1856 with music by Jacques Offenbach. The French

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

was by Charles-Désiré Dupeuty and Ernest Bourget. With its dialogue containing plays on words and stage business from contemporary Parisian dramas and operas, it is described by Kracauer as satirizing the romantic bandits of grand opera.

Background

''Tromb-al-ca-zar'' was premiered in the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens, Salle Choiseul in Paris, preceded by two

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of ...

s by Offenbach, ''Le Berceau'' and ''La Paix du monde''.. ''Jacques Offenbach.'' Éditions Gallimard, Paris, 2000. Successful numbers such as the bolero for

Hortense Schneider Hortense Catherine Schneider, ''La Snédèr'', (30 April 1833 in Bordeaux, France – 5 May 1920, in Paris, France) was a French soprano, one of the greatest operetta stars of the 19th century, particularly associated with the works of composer J ...

and the song about

Bayonne ham Bayonne ham or is a cured ham that takes its name from the ancient port city of Bayonne in the far southwest of France, a city located in both the cultural regions of Basque Country and Gascony. It has PGI status. Production The area conc ...

, made the work popular along with the in-jokes, despite the thin plot; it was revived at the Bouffes-Parisiens for several years afterwards. As well as "extravagant parodies both of specific more serious musical works", the work pokes fun at the brigand element in romantic opera generally. Gänzl K. ''The Encyclopedia of the Musical Theatre.'' Blackwell, Oxford, 1994. After opening at the Bouffes-Parisiens, Schneider made such an impression on Prince

Jérôme Bonaparte Jérôme-Napoléon Bonaparte (born Girolamo Buonaparte; 15 November 1784 – 24 June 1860) was the youngest brother of Napoleon I and reigned as Jerome Napoleon I (formally Hieronymus Napoleon in German), King of Westphalia, between 1807 and 1 ...

, cousin of the emperor, that the company was summoned to give a command performance of the piece at his home. Harding J. ''Jacques Offenbach.'' John Calder, London, 1980. ''Tromb-al-ca-zar'' was performed in Brussels in September 1858 and in Vienna in March 1862, and mounted in London in English in 1870. Traubner, R. ''Operetta – A Theatrical History.'' Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1983.

Roles

Synopsis

;The interior of an inn near Saint-Jean-de-Luz The inn-keeper Ignace bemoans his lot at his isolated inn, with no customers. Having abandoned his cousin Simplette he lives in fear of bandit raids. There is a knock at the door; Beaujolais, an itinerant actor wearing a costume giving him the resemblance of a brigand and pistols on his belt, enters – to escape the rain and the police – theatrically declaiming his fate and all the heroic leads he can play (Don César de Bazan, Satan, Robert le Diable, Marco Spada). When Beaujolais describes to the fearful Ignace his exploits in the neighbouring town the inn-keeper thinks he is a bandit, and as soon as he mentions his "troupe", Ignace is sure he is faced with the notorious Tromb-al-ca-zar, leader of the Trabucayres, but reckons on placating them with a plate of sardines. Vert-Panné (the supporting actor), Gigolette (principal warbler) and other members of the company now also seek refuge in the inn. They had all been jeered from the stage during a performance the previous night in a neighbouring town, and are now on their way to

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine re ...

. In a trio they quote from various stage and popular musical works of the day, including

Félicien David Félicien-César David (13 April 1810 – 29 August 1876) was a French composer. Biography Félicien David was born in Cadenet, and began to study music at the age of five under his father, whose death when the boy was six left him an impoverish ...

's chanson "Les Hirondelles" and Auber's

opéra comique ''Opéra comique'' (; plural: ''opéras comiques'') is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged from the popular '' opéras comiques en vaudevilles'' of the Fair Theatres of St Germain and St Laurent (and to a l ...

''La sirène''. They are about to depart when Ignace calls for help to set the table for dinner. As they accept the invitation to eat, Ignace – aside – recognises in Gigolette his cousin, while she – also aside – recognises Ignace. After singing the praises of ham, they accept kirsch from Ignace, singing a song adapted from '' Le chalet'' by Adam. The players rehearse their next production, with Beaujolais as Trombonne-cazar and Vert-Panné as Astolfio, and Ignace gets more and more agitated over-hearing the bloody-thirsty dialogue, and tries to flee. He is brought back in on the quartet about the legendary Tromb-al-ca-zar and eventually, after pleading for mercy, Ignace is enrolled in the troupe, despite his lack of dancing skill. After numerous puns on the word " Pau" (another stop on the players' tour), the work ends with a reprise of the song in praise of

:
"Eh bon, bon, bon! que le vin est bon! avec le jambon de pif, paf, pif, pouf, de Bayonne!".

Musical numbers

* Overture * Recitative and aria "Ô rage, ô désespoir!" (Beaujolais) * Trio "Le crocodile en partant pour la guerre" (Gigolette, Beaujolais, Vert-Panné) * Trio "Détaillons" (Gigolette, Beaujolais, Vert-Panné) *

Couplet A couplet is a pair of successive lines of metre in poetry. A couplet usually consists of two successive lines that rhyme and have the same metre. A couplet may be formal (closed) or run-on (open). In a formal (or closed) couplet, each of the ...

s "La gitana, ah! Croyez bien ça, ah!" (Gigolette) * Trio "Un jambon de Bayonne" (Gigolette, Beaujolais, Vert-Panné) * Quartet "Un beau jour" (Gigolette, Beaujolais, Ignace, Vert-Panné) * Introduction, Valse et Reprise du Trio du jambon

References

External links

Léonce (Vert-Panné): costume
by

Draner Draner, actually Jules Joseph Georges Renard (12 November 1833 in Liège – 1926 in Paris), was a Belgian painter, Illustrator and cartoonist. Draner, who began working as an illustrator for renowned newspapers in 1861 and resided in Paris, ...