Till today I have been of the opinion that the most unintentionally funny
passage in a libretto was the Rhine Maiden's yodelling session at the
beginning of Wagner's Rheingold.  But today I've read the libretto to
Albeniz's "Merlin".  It is by someone with the name Francis Burdett Money
Coutts (yes, his name is really Money - and the guy was a banker!).

The passage (Act III) goes like this:

(Nivian enters, with her troop of Saracen dancers.)

Nivian (at the cavern)

Hither, ye covetous elves!
leaving your granaried gold
heap'd on the hyaline shelves
deep in your cavernous hold!

Hither to hyacinth glades,
leaving your amethyst domes,
fast to the Saracen maids,
hither, ye amourous gnomes!

(The gnomes run out of the cavern.)

Gnomes (pursue the Saracen dancers)

Tric a ta trac
Tric a ta trac
tric a ti tric a ti trac
tric a ta tric
tric
trac
tric a ta tric
tric
trac
tric a ta tric
tric a ta tric
tric a ta tric
tric
trac...

(The gnomes pursue the maidens and by degrees both disappear into the
forest.)

Maidens (behind the stage)

Ah!

Gnomes

Ah!


Tremendous, isn't it? And the gnomes are sung by countertenors! Now I am
very anxious to listen to the recording...

Tricatitracingly,

Robert Peters
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