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Lord Spleen
(1930)Libretto by Hugo F Königsgarten, after Ben Jonson's 'Epicoene' (G)
Main roles: colS,T,lyrT,Bar; small roles: 2T,Bar,B; chorus; dancers
2(II=picc).2(II=corA).2(II=Ebcl,bcl).ssax.tsax.2(II=dbn)-4.3.3.1-
timp.perc:BD/cyms/tgl/SD/tamb/cast/glock/xyl/tam-t/susp.cym/bells/
rattle/siren/whistle/jazzdr/jazzcym with brushes/tom-t/wood dr/BD/
gong-banjo-harm-harp-pft-strings; onstage tpt
Abbreviations (PDF)
Boosey & Hawkes
| AN ECCENTRIC, called LORD SPLEEN | Tenor |
| GEORGE, his nephew | Tenor |
| GEORGETTY, George's lover | Soprano |
| JIMMY | Baritone |
The house of Lord Spleen in London, the present
Lord Spleen hates the present, his nephew George and most of all noise. His servant Jimmy agrees to help George find Spleen a wife who can be guaranteed not to talk. She turns out, of course, to be George's lover in disguise. Jimmy disguises himself as a priest and 'marries' her to Spleen. Immediately she starts to talk endlessly. Next George, his friends and some musicians (Jimmy in yet another disguise) arrive and make a terrible din, driving Spleen to distraction. Finally he accedes to all of George's demands, including making him his heir, if only his new wife will agree to a divorce. He realises that his own servant has fixed everything, but he has the last laugh by asking the audience not to clap until the curtain has fallen.
Comic