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The Chieftain
 
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ACT 1

No. 1: DUET - José and Sancho

MIDI FILE [26KB, 3' 02"]

SCENE. - Mountain pass between Compostello and Seville. A splendid summer afternoon. SANCHO discovered watching R., JOSÉ, L. Ladrones about, partially hidden by rocks, and appearing from time to time unexpectedly.

SANCHO:
Hush!

JOSÉ: (to him, angrily)
Hush!

SANCHO: (louder)
Hush!

JOSÉ: (louder and more angrily)
Hush!

SANCHO:
Not a step, not a sound
Can I hear, Far or near,
With my ear, To the ground
Not a step, not a sound
Can I hear, Far or near,
With my ear, To the ground

JOSÉ: (remonstrating with SANCHO)
Any stranger, while you talk
Might, close by, unheeded walk.

SANCHO:
Take my orders, sir, from you!
Ridiculous! Pooh! Pooh!

JOSÉ: (aside)
Him with iron heel I'd crush

SANCHO: (aside)
Trusty knife, take his life

SANCHO AND JOSÉ:
Now, one blow!
Now, one blow!
Now, one blow!
They approach, turn, meet, hide their knives.
Hush! Hush!
(aside) Bah! my rage I can't conceal.

CHORUS:
Hush! Hush!

SANCHO AND JOSÉ:
Crunch him, scrunch him with my heel!

CHORUS:
Tush! Tush!

SANCHO AND JOSÉ:
Bah! my rage I can't conceal.

CHORUS:
Hush! Hush!

SANCHO AND JOSÉ:
Crunch him, scrunch him with my heel!

CHORUS:
Tush! Tush! Tush!

JOSÉ: SANCHO: TENORS: BASSES:
Sharpen, whet the gleaming steel! Sharpen, whet the gleaming steel! Hush!
Hush!
Hush!
Hush!
No! my vengeance he shall feel No! my vengeance he shall feel Hush!
Hush!
Hush!
Hush!
Sharpen, whet the gleaming steel! Sharpen, whet the gleaming steel! Hush!
Hush!
Hush!
Hush!
My vengeance he shall feel! My vengeance he shall feel!  
Hush!
 
Hush!
No! my vengeance he shall feel Hush! Hush!
No! my vengeance he shall feel  
Hush! Hush!
Hush! Hush!
Sharpen, whet the gleaming steel! Sharpen, whet the gleaming steel! To the Queen we will appeal, To the Queen we will appeal,
No! my vengeance he shall feel No! my vengeance he shall feel To the Queen we will appeal, To the Queen we will appeal,
No! my vengeance he shall feel Hush! Hush!
No! my vengeance he shall feel

Hush! Hush!
Hush! Hush!
Sharpen, whet the gleaming steel! Sharpen, whet the gleaming steel! To the Queen we will appeal, To the Queen we will appeal,
No! my vengeance he shall feel No! my vengeance he shall feel To the Queen we will appeal, To the Queen we will appeal,
Sharpen, whet the gleaming steel! Sharpen, whet the gleaming steel!
We will appeal, We will appeal,
No! my vengeance he shall feel No! my vengeance he shall feel
We will appeal, We will appeal,
He shall feel! He shall feel! We'll appeal, We'll appeal,
He shall feel! He shall feel! We'll appeal, We'll appeal,
No, my vengeance, No, my vengeance, To the Queen To the Queen
no, my vengeance he shall feel! no, my vengeance he shall feel! we will,
we will appeal!
we will,
we will appeal!

The women, led by ZITELLA, appear coming down rocks. Some urging SANCHO and JOSÉ to fight.

FIRST SOPRANOS:
Coward! traitor! Weapons handy!
Be they pistol, sword, or pike.
Coward! traitor! Words don't bandy.
Would you strike?
Then strike, then strike!

Some other women, led by JUANITA, urging SANCHO and JOSÉ to put down their weapons.

FIRST SOPRANOS: SECOND SOPRANOS: TENORS AND BASSES:
Coward! Brother! Brother! Hush!
Words don't bandy. Words don't bandy! Hush!
Would you strike? Do not strike Hush!
Then quickly strike! strike! Oh do not strike! To the Queen we will appeal,
strike! strike!
strike!
Don't strike! don't strike!
don't strike!
To the Queen we will appeal,
We'll appeal!

The tumult is at its height when a pistol-shot is heard. All the men cower. INEZ, pistol in hand, appears on rock above.

NOTE - During the run of "The Chieftain" the original No. 2 was replaced. To accommodate this, the ending of this number was slightly revised.

MIDI FILE [4KB, 0' 47"] Original Version MIDI FILE [4KB, 0' 46"] Revised Version


INEZ:
Ladrones! Braggarts! Bullies! Rapparees!
Down! down! and beg my pardon on your knees!

FIRST SOPRANOS:
Down! Down!

TENORS AND BASSES: (humbly)
We pardon beg!

JUANITA AND SECOND SOPRANOS:
They pardon beg!

INEZ:
The pardon beg of all these fair ones too!
Roused from their beauty sleep!

TENORS AND BASSES:
We do!

SOPRANOS:
They do!

JOSÉ AND SANCHO:
One word -

INEZ: (producing second pistol and pointing one at SANCHO and the other at JOSÉ)
Not one!
Would you my temper try?

CHORUS:
They wish to say -

INEZ:
Obey! obey!
The closure I apply!

INEZ replaces the pistols in her girdle, descends from the rock and comes down amongst them.
CHORUS:
Viva la Reina!
Viva la Reina!

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Page created 26 October 2003