Carl Maria yon Weber (1786 - 1826) PETER SCHMOLLOpera in Two Acts Among infant prodigies already remarkable in thefirst ten years of their lives for musicality and abilines as composer, CarlMaria von Weber (1786 -1826) undoubtedly belongs by the side of WolfgangAmadeus Mozart and Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy. He had his musical grounding asa child from his father Franz Anton and travelled throughout Germany with hisfamily as a member of the Weber Theatre Company. He had no education at schooland in consequence learned as a boy the privanons, difficulties and joys of lifein the theatre. Weber’s father hoped to find among his many childrena second Mozart. Franz Anton Weber, who had served earlier at Eutin astown-musician, with responsibility for the provision of suitable music for allfestivals, undertook, as a violinist and double-bass player himself, togetherwith Carl’s elder step-brother Fritz, the musical education of the boy, whichonly proceeded with difficulty. In Hildburghausen, where the family settled in1796, Carl Maria von Weber had his first serious musical instruction from ayoung musician in the ducal chapel. Johann Peter Heuschkel was an accomplishedand reliable teacher who took care with his gifted ten-year-old pupil. InOctober 1797 the family travelled to Salzburg, where they remained for a time,in view of the political changes resulting from the Napoleonic wars.Furthermore Carl’s uncle Fridolin, whose daughter Constanze had married Mozartin 1782, had lived there. In Salzburg there was a centuries old musical tradition.Michael Haydn, younger brother of Joseph Haydn and a leading Salzburg courtmusician, was impressed by the gifted boy and gave him lessons free of charge.Carl also sang with the charisters in performances at religious works. After thedeath of his mother in Salzburg in 1798, father and san resumed their restlesswandering through the German principalities. A longer stay in Munich allowedlessons with Johann Nepomuk Kalcher, also a pupil of Michael Haydn. In SaxonFreiberg they sought a new home, with the hope of a first performance there ofthe romantic comic opera Das Waldmadchen (The Forest Maiden), which failed, inspite of the loudly expressed advocacy of his father. The failure occasionedextended diatribes from him in the press against the conductor and the critics.The dream of aperatic success in Freiberg came to nothing and an exchange ofletters in the newspapers there brought the Webers into some disrepute. Fatherand son, therefore, cut short their stay in Freiberg and an unsettled timefollowed. In November 1801 they returned again to Salzburg, where Franz Antonagain entertained ombitious plans. His son should complete from memory a Massthat he had started with Kalcher in Munich and of which the manuscript had beenburned, and dedicate it to the Prince-Archbishop von Colloredo. This was done,but Colloredo in the meantime had fled from Salzburg, in view of the politicaldifficulties of the time. The Mass was considered lost, but in 1925 wasdiscovered in the Salzburg archives. At this time Weber also wrote the charmingSix petites pieces faciles for piano duet and his Douze Allemandes for piano. Weber’s principal composition at this period, carriedout under the supervision of his teacher Michael Haydn, was a stage-work, PeterSchmoll and His Neighbours. Carl Mario was now fifteen years old and, after thelack of attention aroused by his first attempts at opera, the lost Die Machtder liebe und des Weins (The Power of love and Wine) and the opera DasWaldmadchen, hoped now for o real success. The novel of the same name by CarlGottlob Cramer had appeared in two parts in 1798 and 1799 and had beenreprinted many times. Cramer was in his day a best-selling writer and hisserialised novel suited well the taste of the time. Two friends lose touch inthe disturbances of revolution, find each other again and all ends happily withtheir children. The Thuringian forestry offical Cramer strainedevents in his sequel, caught up in the feelings and sentiments of Nature. Theidea of using the work as the basis for opera came from Franz Anton Weber. Heexpected from the adaptation of this successful literary piece a rapid and widesuccess for the Singspiel. Unfortunately the adapter Joseph Turk (or Turke), inother respects not entirely unknown as a librettist, stuck pedantically to theform of the original novel, rewriting the many coincidences of its plot in alibretto as undistinguished as it is banal, with its clumsy rhymes. Of the textonly the parts set by Weber survive, demonstrating the wretched task that anopera composer then had to undertake. There were no competent Germanlibrettists at the time, the reason that the critical Beethoven was onlyinspired to write one opera, Fidelio. It is interesting for us that Weber’s opera dealswith the theme of French emigres, who had left France in 1789 at the outbreakof the Revolution and had settled in various parts of Germany. Many wereunhappy with their situation, once the fear of death by the guillotine hadfaded. Others felt themselves unlucky since for family or financial reasonsthey were now dependent on other people, for whose help they were grateful,while depressed by its necessity. The treatment of the plot in Cramer’s novel isinterlocked and ill-suited to dramatisation. People who have fled from Franceseek each other, many of them returning, changed by the dangers of revolutionthat they meet and altered in both name and appearance. This goes on until theymeet again. Turk based his treatment on the events of one day and dealt withthe reunion of a separated family. The form of the opera is that of the GermanSingspiel, with spoken dialogue. The original text of the dialogue was lostafter the first performance. In a letter of recommendation written in Salzburg on2nd June 1802 Michael Haydn sought to support his pupil and a possibleperformance of the work: With true pleasure I attended yesterday an informalrehearsal of the opera Peter Schmoll and His Neighbours, composed by my belovedpupil Herr Carl Maria von Weber, and cannot do otherwise than bear appropriatewitness with honesty and my own judgement and absolute assurance that thisopera is written bravely and perfectly according to the true principles ofcounterpoint, with much fire and delicacy, and that the text is set entirelysuitably and that the composer himself is at the same time one of the mostdistinguished keyboard-players of the present time, and therefore find itequitable and just to recommend this dear pupil of mine to the best attentionof the whole musical world. In this early work Weber shows his lightness of touchand facility, bringing to life the cardboard figures of the plot with cheerfuland graceful melodies. In particular the basso buffo part of Hans Bast is welldone, comic, reflective and contributing to the general reconciliation. Thefive principal roles Bast, Schmoll, Minette, Karl and Martin, are plausiblycharacterized in their arias and ensembles in the best Singspiel tradition. Those hearing this little opera should compare itwith other early compositions by Weber. All of them are preparatory studies forhis later goal, the creation of German romantic opera. The later style issuddenly evident in this or that rhythmic idea, this or that clearly formulatedmelody. Musicologists have found Weber’s score for this opera inexperienced andharmonically clumsy. In spite of all understandable evidence of immaturity,bearing in mind Weber’s hitherto inadequate education, this compositionconfirms his potential talent as a composer for the stage. In Peter Schmoll wefind by the side of melodies of folk- song type a treatment of orchestralcolour that later appears in masterly fashion in Der Freischutz. The main andfundamental features of Weber’s musical language can be heard, the dramatic andvivid use of instruments, the simple yet attractive management of singingparts. Weber later made a concert arrangement of the overture, which, unlikethe complete work, has remained in orchestral repertoire until our own time. In spite of all criticism the original score showsgreat dramatic gifts and for a fifteen-year-old composer it is a quiteextraordinary work. It is solid in construction and the characteristic use ofcertain keys, so highly developed in Der Freischutz, is here expressivelyevident. The fundamental tonality of the opera is E flat major, the key of theOverture, the Introduction (Terzetto No.1) , the false aria of Hans Bast (No.12) , both Finales and the great love duet (No.9) .Three other numbers are in Bflat major. The only sharp keys are D major for the Blindman’s Buff Terzetto(No.2) and the Quartet (No.17) and A major for the Terzetto (No.6). The talent of the born opera-composer appearsthroughout, breathing life into Cramer’s characters, into Peter Schmollhimself. There is only one female role in the whole opera, Minette, a lyricalsoubrette, and, as the music soon shows, pointing more to Annchen than toAgatha. Weber knows rather less how to deal with Karl, a lyrical tenor. He isnot the only composer, particularly in Germany, who finds difficulty in theexpression of upright, heroic and noble feelings without a touch of cliché. Themusical treatment, however, is felicitous and points to a real ability fordramatic effect and variety. It would be unreasonable to expect deep psychologicalmeaning from a composer still in his boyhood and Turk’s contribution is alsoinadequate. Nevertheless Peter Schmoll shows a sure musical instinct stemmingfrom German folk-music and fitting perfectly Peter Schmoll and his friends. On the other hand many other things remind us of thedebt of romantic opera to the French opera comique. The picture of thecomfortable bourgeois family, whose lives are turned upside down by the dispositionsof fate, the political ferment in the background, the vicissitudes of events-these are only some of the common factors that are also found in Peter Schmolland that are still further developed in romantic opera, basic features that aredistinctly found at a higher level in Der Freischutz. Naturally this work isformally in the tradition of the German Singspiel, but also, if indications ofthe tradition of a Dittersdorf, Muller or Schenk appear, Peter Schmolldemonstrates a young rising talent that will deliberately free itself from thistradition. Not only because of the rich signs of an individual musicalpersonality .only a few composers show such a preference for the unmixed harshsound of wind instruments - but also in melody there appears a certainimpatience with traditional farms and clichés, as in the taste far mareelegant, deeper, mare brilliant music, such as Weber later wrote. A number oftouches suggest that the composer will not long be satisfied with establisheddramatic situations. Peter Schmoll stands at the beginning of a road that leadsto Oberon and Der Freischutz. The first performance of the completed opera wasintended to take place in 1802 in Augsburg, where Carl’s step-brother Edmundwas director of music. When the day of the performance was delayed, father andson set out on a concert tour of North Germany. In the spring of 1803 CarlMaria von Weber returned to Augsburg and the first performance took place in March,without any particular success, as Weber remarked in his autobiography. The opera Peter Schmoll subsequently found no placeon the German stage, after the performance in Augsburg, and in the twentiethcentury there have been various reconstructions and revivals, the first inLubeck in 1927 and later in Freiberg. Far the guest performance in Freiberg bythe Dresden State Opera in 1943 Hans Hasse wrote new dialogue and diverged inhis complete new text from the original song texts of Turk. This version, inFebruary 1944, was one of the last premieres of the Semper Opera before the endof the war. The opera was mounted at the Bielefeld State Theatre in May 1955together with Abu Hassan. A concert performance at the Dresden State Opera in1980 followed. In 1963 there appeared a new edition of Peter Schmoll, publishedby Peters, with new dialogue by Willy Werner Gottig based on the speech styleof the year 1800, without touching the original song texts. This version hasbeen used for the present recording, with abridgement of the spoken dialogue. Jurgen Gauert (English translation by Keith Anderson) Introduction A rich sixty-year-old banker called Peter Schmoll liveswith his nineteen-year-old niece Minette and his old factotum Hans Bast in acountry-house, near a village. Peter Schmoll has fallen in love with Minetteand eventually proposes marriage, but she is in love with the young KarlPirkner. The French Revolution and the troubles of war have torn the family apart. One day there appear with the peasant Niklas,purveyor of vegetables to the house, two men, one young and the other old,purporting to be father and son. Actually they ore Martin Schmoll and KarlPirkner, who after years of searching have found where Peter Schmoll andMinette have settled. From here on there are various misunderstandings, untilthe final reconciliation, when nothing stands any more in the way of themarriage of Karl and Minette. Synopsis CD 1 - Act I After the Overture (1) the curtain rises. The sceneis a park in front of an aid country-house. The year is about 1800. Peter Schmolland Hans Bast complain, while Minette is happier with her situation (2) .Schmollfinds it unbelievable that people should steal and rob as they do and thatright should always be an the side of the mob, sentiments with which Hans Bastagrees, but Minette sees no reason to complain in such a beautiful place, far onlylove brings happiness. The thief has flown, with the ready money, Schmollrages, as Bast tries to calm him and Minette thinks all will be well. Schmoll continueshis tirade: if he caught the thief, he would give him a hiding. Bast tells himit is no use complaining, and in any case he has saved quite enough, a suggestionthat angers Schmoll still further. Minette, meanwhile, is left to herself, as longas the other two are arguing. Schmoll declares himself master in his awn house,and Bast had better keep quiet. As the latter suggests, he can still think whathe likes. (3) In the fallowing conversation Bast asks Schmoll why he is soangry and Minette adds that it is no use dwelling on the past. Bast begs him tocalm himself, but Schmoll refuses to be calm. Minette annoys Bast by remarkingthat it is stupid far two aid men to go on quarrelling about nothing. Bast objectsto the ward aid, but Schmoll acknowledges that they are not young any mare, buthe has saved a tidy little sum from his interests as a banker in France,enabling him to buy the house. Minette agrees that it is a beautiful house, butso remote that her father, wham she has last in the Revolution, will never findthem there. What use is a father, Schmoll asks, since she has him. Minettestill longs to see her father, Bast supports her, and Schmoll finally tellsthem bath to be quiet. (4) In the following aria Peter Schmoll declareshimself master of his own house: what he says, goes, and he will brook noopposition, except from Minette, whom he loves, although no-one knows: he is anold fool, and love robs him of sleep, falling for his own niece, and drivinghim mod. A man, though, is never too old to marry, but what should he do? Tellher? Ask her? She is bound to say no in the end, and make fun of him. He mustsee what happens, though nothing burns as fiercely as hidden love, known tonone. (5) Minette, in the conversation that follows, tells Schmoll that shewants to go and buy vegetables from the peasant Niklas. He thinks it unsuitablefor her to go alone without him, but she pleads for his permission, only thisonce. Never, says Schmoll. Why does she want to wander round far and wide, whenhe is there, the best company for her? Naturally, she assures him, he is thebest uncle she could have. He is about to speak openly to her, but sheinterrupts, telling him that she knows how fond of her he has been since shewas a child. But now, Schmoll says, she is grown up, a beautiful girl, and heloves her not as an uncle but as a man, if she would be his wife. Minetteexclaims at this, and he asks her to think the matter over. The proposal hasbeen so sudden and she must think. He tells her to reflect, until he comesback, but alone she wonders how to tell him that her heart belongs to another. In her Romanze (6) Minette declares that the heart ofa girl that really loves has only one true love, on whom her happiness depends.Always she remembers that first kiss, when she gave her heart to him in love:she will be true to him till death. Never will she forget that first happiness.(7) She is in tears, as Bast interrupts her, suspecting love as the cause. Heis right, but he knows only the half of it, he loves her, but she does not lovehim. Bast tells her that it is not for her to cry but for the man. But, shereplies, the one who loves her is the master of the house, a situation thatBast finds comical. For Minette, however, it is tragic, since she lovesanother, Karl. Bast recalls that at the outbreak of war Karl was a soldier andthat no-one has heard of him since, but Minette, since that first kiss, ispledged to him and expects his return. Bast tells her not to despair, sincemiracles can happen. A duet follows between Minette and Bast (8) .Minettewelcomes Bast’s true friendship and urges him always to be honest with her.Bast tells her to think matters over. They must find some clever trick to helpher. Minette has been in love, since that first kiss, but Bast will help her.She sings of her love, how she could see her own image reflected in the brightlight of his eyes: never will she forget him! Never can she forget him! Herheart beats for him, through good and ill, and she will do everything for theirhappiness together, by trickery. Bast wonders what to do, since he is not soclever, and how tactfully to bring the old man round. Should he tell the truth?Must he tell the truth? The best way is to find some trick, to help the younglovers. (9) Whether she likes it or not, Bast tells her, she must pretend tolove Schmoll, humouring him at least until Karl comes back. What happens if hewants to kiss her, she asks. Then, Bast advises, say "Not until after thewedding, uncle dear", bidding her go now to practise her part as a sulkybride. Niklas comes in, and wishes Bast good morning. Bast asks him howbusiness is going, and Niklas, in true peasant style, complains that the rainhas drenched everything, and then the sun has killed everything off. Niklas sings an ariette of complaint (10): I am apoor dog! Life is bitter for me! I am a small-holder! And yet I have my health!My hens lay eggs, without me bothering! There are the peas and beans, and theprice of salad makes me desperate. Work makes man, and in the old peasant styleI take the highest prices. I am quite fit, and not such a poor dog! (11) Hebreaks off to greet Minette and tell her he would rather bargain with her overtwopence than with Herr Schmoll. Minette, Bast and Niklas now sing together (12) .Basttells Niklas to show them what he has in his basket, if it is tasty enough:they have very delicate palates, and do not want cabbage and spinach. Niklasbrings only the best vegetables, freshly picked from his own land: if you buyfrom Father Niklas, you will be laughing, he sells good wares for good money:the cook will not regret it! Minette asks if the asparagus is tender: it wouldgo well with sauce hollandaise, a poem in itself. Niklas assures her that it istender, exquisite in flavour, like butter, avery poem. It must go down like butter, Bast adds, otherwise it stays on theplate, but once in the mouth it is o poem, an expensive, fine poem. Niklas hasthe second verse of the poem in his basket, a side of ham, that tastes so good,and fresh-laid eggs. They then sing all together of Father Niklas and his goodcheap wares. (13) Niklas tells them they have bought enough for a fine middaymeal, and Schmoll, joining them, tells Bast to take the stuff to the kitchen:he has been thinking about Minette, and wants to make life as pleasant aspossible for her. She tells him that she knows that he wants the best for her,to which he suggests immediate marriage. She asks for more time, since one dayshe might be able to love him. As Schmoll and Minette go in, the voice of Karl is heard(14). He sings to his beloved Minette, seeking the protection of love in hispredicament: he has sought her everywhere, to join her in happiness. Now hewonders if he is coming to the end of his search, as love leads him on, and recallsthe kiss that united them for ever. He begs the god of love to guide him to hisbeloved, and hopes that she may now be near, so that he may embrace her oncemore. (15) He has lost count of the years he was in the war, but Bast tells himto be gone: they want no beggars there. Karl tells him he is wrong: he haswork. So he can see, says Bast, with his tattered coat and beard: who does hework for? Father Niklas, says Karl, and Niklas joins in, agreeing. Bast askshis name, and is amazed to hear that this is Karl Pirkner, back from the war.Karl announces himself as Minette’s betrothed, and the old man with him, hetells Niklas, is her father. Bast exclaims that Minette will be delighted, butKarl says that Schmoll must not know that they are here. Left alone, Bast racks his brains in his ariette(16). Now he must use diplomatic tricks and turns, be very careful, and helpthe two of them. He must be diplomatic and silent as the grave, that is clear,diplomatic in word and deed, and, remembering his promise, be clever and usehis head. (17) Niklas hurries back, having forgotten his basket in hisexcitement. Bast says that the return of Karl will shake things up in thehouse. Fraulein Minette will be out of herself for joy, Niklas adds. And PeterSchmoll for woe, Bast rejoins, telling him that the old fool is in love withhis niece and has proposed to her. Minette joins them, sad at her situation, andBast repeats his complaint about Schmoll, master of the house, so that onlywhat he wants can happen. Now things will not be so bad, Niklas suggests, andMinette asks him what he means. Now your father has come back, Niklas tellsher, and Karl too, Bast adds. Minette cannot believe it, but Bast assures herthat he was there not half an hour before, a surprise for her. She tells himthat Schmoll must know nothing of it: Bast must promise her that the secretwill be kept. Minette, Niklas and Bast sing a final trio (18),Minette demanding secrecy and threatening to cut Bast’s ears off, if he revealsanything: he must be silent and dumb, something that he should not find hard.Bast and Niklas swear secrecy, Minette repeats her demand, and Bast lyricallypraises sweet longing, gentle hope, the sight of Heaven opening. Minette asksfor help in her plans, which the other two promise, a sworn band of three. CD 2 - Act II The second act opens with an aria from Minette (1).She sings of her happiness, as her loving heart beats with joy, rejoicing, hersorrows now forgotten. She waits now for her beloved friend, with whom she willsoon be united, held fast in his arms. How long must she wait? Love and loyaltygive courage, and she longs for her lover’s kisses, all at last well, after thesad period of waiting. The sun shines again from the blue sky and happy songscan be heard in the flower-decked fields. Her heart is happy, moved by love,and joyful alone is the heart that loves. Love brings happiness and anxiety,sorrow and pain are forgotten. (2) She is joined by Schmoll, who is glad to seea young girl dancing for joy. She has every reason to be happy, Minette tellshim. Then she should not dance alone, Schmoll answers, but she tells him thatdancing might not come so easily to him and they should instead playa game.Schmoll hopefully suggests o game of forfeits, but Minette prefers Blind Man’sBuff, with Bast. Minette, Schmoll and Bast now join together in a trio(3) .Bast, in an aside, tells the old fool to play Blind Man’s Buff and wait invain for the Blind Man’s kiss. Schmoll tells Minette to blindfold him, whileBast sees the comic outcome of this childishness. Minette blindfolds Schmolland tells him that he must first catch her before he gets a kiss. Bast remarkson Minette’s agility and Schmoll’s lack of it. Catch me, then, calls Minette,while Schmoll’s aim is to kiss the girl. Bast teases Schmoll, and Minette is confidentthat she can avoid her uncle, and again Bast is caught, only to tell Schmollthat it is only Bast and not Minette. Bast takes his turn as Blind Man, teasedby Minette, telling him to go straight ahead, but to mind the wall. Bastcatches Schmoll and demands a kiss, thinking he has caught Minette, and Minettesays they should both be blindfold. Bast would be happy to give up, but Schmollwants to go on, and all goes according to Minette’s plan, as Schmoll stillseeks the reword of a kiss, which he will never have. (4) Schmoll declares thathe loves Minette and she is teasing him, proof of her affection. Bast attemptsto remonstrate, since Minette is only nineteen, but Schmoll points out that heis a man and well to do. Bast wonders if Minette is willing and tells Schmollthat she has said nothing directly, but he can tell from her shining eyes.Schmoll thinks all is going well and resolves to fix the wedding-day. Bastadds, aside, that Schmoll will have a surprise. In an ariette (5) Bast sings of the capacity of menfor deception; fair ladies and fine gentlemen must be deceived. The bigger thelie, the better, and the one who lies has more from life, yet truth will out.Deception must be polite, but not too feeble, not too coarse, not too fine.This is how love will triumph. Good friends, lie and humbug, it is an art. Whathe has to say is all too true. If everyone told the truth, everything wouldalways be in the open, but this seldom happens. He often wanders what it is allabout. Is deception just a joke? You can be caught and compromised, and someone tellshim that a minister lies. But that is not true, and yet it is clear as day.Lying, then, good friends, is an art. (6) Schmoll has other ideas, musing thatif he has never been a breaker of hearts, yet this time he will conquer agirl’s heart: it is a glorious thing, to be loved. Schmoll continues in an aria (7) .To be loved is aglorious feeling, nothing like it on earth. It gives an old man new energy andmakes us young again. Love is an elixir that can rejuvenate and has succeededwith him. Love also makes us dumb, dwelling always in Elysium. He does not knowwhat he will do, now he is no longer the old Peter Schmoll. He would like toleap like a horse. Love burns in his heart, the sweet pangs of fate. He has wonthe prize and now at last is loved. (8) He sees Minette coming, and now he mustseize his chance, and asks her if she still wants to take a walk. That would befine, she answers. Schmoll tells her they will go with the new man from Niklas’sin a carriage through the woods. Would that earn him a kiss? Certainly, saysMinette. At once? he asks: a little advance is a good thing, and he bids herwait for him. Minette thinks what would happen if her uncle only knew who Karlwas. At this point Karl comes in and the lovers meet again. Minette and Karl sing a duet (9). She rests in hisarms, while he glories in his unending happiness, now Fate has shown them itsmerciful favour. No power can part them, Minette sings, now they are united inloyalty: Karl has come back to her for ever. Their fate has changed to thepurest happiness, he adds, as the two express their love for one another. Thisis comfort to their troubled hearts, true and no dream, and they are united forever. Karl adds his own thoughts. With her only can he be happy; he is for everhers and swears to be true to her. He gives her his whole being, and sheresponds by pledging her own faith to him. (10) Minette tells Karl that sheknew he would come back one day to rescue her from her loneliness and explainshow when they had lost her father in their terrified flight from France, heruncle Peter had taken her to his house, where he has carried on his business asa banker. Money- making was always important to him, Karl remarks, he had nomind far anything else. That has changed, Minette tells him, for Schmoll is inlove. Old Schmoll? , exclaims Karl. Yes, Minette tells him, and today he hasdeclared his love for her and proposed marriage. Karl is not worried, since hewill not give her up, and in any case she now needs her father’s permission,which he will seek at once, suiting the action to the word. That is just likemen, Minette observes. They swear not to leave you and a few minutes later theyare gone. Niklas now ushers in Martin Schmoll, who asks to be left alone withhis daughter. In his aria (11) Martin Schmoll sings of his findingagain in that place his brother and his child. After many years alone, he isnow overjoyed and willingly resigns himself, now sorrow is no more. He had thecourage of his hopes in the bitterest times and now all has turned out well.Men should never grumble, since they are in the hands of God. Rare are the waysof Fate, and man knows them not. The lord’s path is a winding one, lit by thelight of grace. Oh my brother! Oh my daughter! What happiness to find you. Iembrace you once again in my arms, and joy returns, he continues. (12) MartinSchmoll then takes his daughter in his arms, and she is happy to find again herfather and her future husband. Karl, he tells her, is a good fellow and he hasnothing against the marriage, a declaration that Karl, who has rejoined them,is happy to hear. In a trio (13) Minette, Karl and Martin Schmollcelebrate their reunion. Martin Schmoll gives the pair his blessing, whichMinette welcomes, tied to her lover by the bonds of love, as Karl too declares.Love, Martin Schmoll asserts, is the highest happiness on earth and ties thebond of marriage. One day he will be a grandfather and that will be thegreatest happiness. Karl is Papa, Minette is Mama, and the little grandchild isso tiny, and then the sun will shine a hundred times brighter than today: thatis how the world goes, from children come grown up people. Karl echoes thethought, and sings of the rings that he and Minette have now exchanged aspledges of their love. The old man tells them they must always be true in love,if they want to be happy, united in the hard times of life by love and faith:their struggles once over, the sun soon shines again. Fortune cannot betrusted, they alone can work their own happiness: honour must be kept andvirtue. (14) Minette then tells her father that it would be better if PeterSchmoll did not yet know of their return. It might be too much for him, Karladds, to see his brother and the bridegroom of his bride. Martin Schmollquestions this last, and Minette draws him aside, saying she will explaineverything to him. Alone for the moment, Karl sings a recitative andaria (15). He has now reached his goal and the burning longing of his heart isstilled. Now he will have rest and a dear girl will be his wife. His littlebride is fair, as fair as the sun and from her eyes shine the delights of love.He is hers, and she his, her gentle heart belongs to him. He goes on to sing ofhis love for Minette, with love that is the happiness of life. For her alonehis loving heart beats and love is the highest good: who loves not, lives not.It is love that gives courage to the heart and raises us to the stars. Whatfeeling stirs the breast, for the love of a true woman is the highest pleasure!Love has a wonderful magic power that makes us forget the troubles of the worldand protects us in a dream, a beautiful dream. With love every day is Sundayand the heart beats full of joy. Love has brought him mat day the mostbeautiful, most wonderful day of all. In short, he is in love. (16) Rejoininghim, Minette tells him that her father has gone to rest. If she is as caring aw[e, as she is a daughter, Karl assures her, then he has won the greatestprize. He has that in any case, she modestly replies. Karl and Minette now sing a duet (17), hymning thesweet delights of love, for now they will be happy. When storms are abroad, hewill hold her hand, and she has no fear of sorrow, while they are together.(18) Their happiness is interrupted by Peter Schmoll, who wants to know what isgoing on. A kiss of betrothal, Karl tells him. Impossible, Schmoll cries, withmy future bride. Wrong, Karl replies, Minette is his. You are wrong, Schmolldeclares, she is his bride and he is master of the house. Now Bast joins them, askingwhat the shouting is about, and Schmoll bids him get rid of Karl immediately:out with him! Now Minette, Schmoll, Karl and Bast join in o quartet(19) in which they can each express their feelings. Schmoll is agitated: to theDevil with him, he shouts, off with him, rascal, robber, murderer, thief! Karl attemptsto speak, but Schmoll interrupts, bidding him hold his peace, if he values hislife. Karl attempts again to speak, but Schmoll will have none of it: Karl is oscoundrel, a gallows-bird with no manners, and if he does not make off, he willhave the dogs on him. You have no dog, Bast reminds him, with Minette’s agreement,and Schmoll’s assent. Then he will call the police and Karl will be thrown intoprison, where no shouting will help him. Schmoll had just arrived in the nickof time to save Minette from this white-slave-trafficker. Minette interjectsthat this is all too much, but Karl does not know what to say, since Schmollcontinues to rage, threatening the lock-up and bread and water, the only way todeal with crooks. Bast attempts to intervene, since jealousy has mode Schmollmad, and urges his master to listen. Minette addresses him: dear Uncle Schmoll -He is no crook, no thief, no wicked thief, interrupts Bast, but an honourable man.Look at him, cries Schmoll. Only a robber has a beard like that and such badmanners. Karl explains that his beard is false, but the truth is that he isbetrothed to Minette and has come from o distance; he is no thief, but herbetrothed. (20) They are now joined by Martin Schmoll, who tells Peter Schmollthat his voice is as loud as it used to be many years ago. The latter is amazedand delighted to find his brother again, one he had never hoped to find oncemore, and at once offers him a place in his bank, so that they can between makeenough money for themselves and for his wife. When did you marry? , asks MartinSchmoll, to be told that his brother intends to marry Martin’s daughter in thecoming days. Karl interposes his own claim to Minette, and Martin talks of the timewhen he and his brother were separated and how Peter has been her reliableprotector. Minette adds that Peter Schmoll has been the best uncle a niececould ever want, and Peter himself adds that he has protected Martin’sdaughter, so that when they are married... Minette, however, interrupts with adeclaration of her love for Karl. Now at last Peter Schmoll agrees, since it isthe cleverer who gives way. She can take her Karl, and he will remain abachelor. But now, for the wedding, they must all go into the town and open thebank there again. Schmoll and Schmoll, Minette announces. That will be abusiness, Bast adds. The six of them, Minette, Peter and Martin Schmoll,Bast and Karl, now joined by Niklas, embark on the finale (21) .Karl andMinette sing of their happiness and love, while Peter Schmoll is at firstdisgruntled, but his brother is delighted to have found him and his daughteragain, while Bast calls it luck and Niklas congratulates the lovers and awaitsthe wedding banquet, for which both Schmoll brothers are now eager. PeterSchmoll addresses his niece. Things have turned out differently and it is nopleasure for him to be a bachelor, but all the same he will put a brave face onit and be happy for the two of them, and bestow on them his paternal blessing.This he proceeds to give them, talking, as his brother remarks, like aclergyman and forgetting that Martin Schmoll is Minette’s father. Have I norights over our child? , Schmoll demands, but is pacified by his brother. Karland Minette pledge their love for each other, with the blessing of Schmoll andSchmoll, Peter convinced of the wisdom of giving way. Niklas and Bast wish thepair all happiness, and the whole par1y sing together in joy, praising love,without which life is nothing: he only lives, who loves, and this is the aim ofall human endeavour, for love to bring happiness to the heart. The man who hasreached fifty without loving is a poor fellow, a very poor fellow. Fall in loveat twenty, when you are still young, then love will give you the energy youneed. Do not do as Herr Schmoll did. That, announce Niklas, Martin Schmoll andHans Bast, was the story of Peter Schmoll. They all join together to declarethat everyone should learn from it.