Ston. The Music of all the Principal Airs. STANFORD BOSTON: PUBLISHED BY OLIVER DITSON & CO. 277 WASHINGTON STREET. ML50 648914 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1859, by In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachuset Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends and Guests of Violetta, Servants, &e. THE SCENE 18 LAID IN AND NEAR PARIS. THE LIBRETTO HAS BEEN ADAPTED FROM THE DRAMA OF ALEXANDER DUMAS THE YOUNGER, ENTITLED "LA DAME AUX CAMELIAS." A. B. KIDDER'S MUSIC TYPOGRAFNT. BOSTOX. ARGUMENT. The first act commences with a gay party in the house of | give up Violetta, the generous girl resolves to sacrifice her Violetta (the heroine), a young and beautiful creature, affections and happiness for her lover's sake, and returns thrown by circumstances, and the loss of her parents in alone to Paris, whither Alfred, overwhelmed with despair childhood, into a course of voluptuous living. She is sur- when he discovers her flight, follows her. We are then rounded by a circle of gay and thoughtless beings like transported to a saloon in the hotel of Flora, one of Vioherself, who devote their lives to pleasure. Amongst the letta's former friends, during a festival given by the fair throng who crowd to her shrine is Alfred Germont, a young mistress of the mansion. There Alfred again meets Vioman, who becomes seriously enamored with Violetta. letta, now under the protection of the Baron Dauphol, and Touched by the sincerity of his passion, she yields to its being unaware of the generous motive which made her influence, a new and pure love springs up in her heart, and desert him, he overwhelms her with reproaches, and flings for the first time she becomes conscious of the misery of a purse containing money at her feet, in the presher position, and the hollowness of the pleasures in which ence of the company. Degraded and heart broken, the she has basked. In the second act, we discover her living unfortunate Violetta returns home to die; and in the last in seclusion with her lover, in a country-house near Paris, act we find the sad romance of her life drawing to its close. three months after the events narrated in the preceding act. Alfred, too late, learns the truth, and discovers the sacriAlfred accidentally discovers that Violetta has been secretly fice she has made to secure his happiness. Penetrated with selling her houses and property in Paris, in order to main- grief and shame, he hastens, with his Father, to comfort tain this establishment; and, revolting at the idea of being and console her, and to offer her his hand and name in a dependant on her bounty, he leaves hurriedly for Paris, reparation of the wrong he has done her;-but too late. to redeem his honor from this disgrace. During his ab. The fragile flower, broken on its stem, can never more raise sence, his Father, who has discovered his retreat, arrives, its beauteous head. One gleam of happiness, the purest and, representing to Violetta that his son's connexion with and brightest that she has known, arising from her lover's her is not only lowering him in the opinion of the world, assurance of his truth, and his desire to restore her reputabut will be ruinous to his family, inasmuch as his sister tion, gilds the closing moments of her life, and in a transwas betrothed to a wealthy noble, who had however de- port of joy her soul suddenly quits its fragile tenement of clared his intention of renouncing her, unless Alfred would clay. ACT I. SCENE I-A Saloon in the house of Violetta; in the back scene is a door, which opens into another saloon; there are also side doors; on the left is a fire-place, over which is a mirror.-In the centre of the apartment is a dining-table, elegantly laid. VIOLETTA, seated on a couch, is conversing with the DOCTOR and some Friends, whilst others are receiving the Guests who arrive, among whom are the BARON, and FLORA on the arm of the MARQUIS. Cho. 1. Past already's the hour of appointment- We play'd deep at Flora's, [Goes to meet them. 'Mid the wine-cups the hours pass more gaily. Can Cho. 2. Vio. [Andando oro incontro. Fra le tazze è più viva la festa. Flo. Mar. there find enjoyment? you Vio. I strive to; All. Yes, to pleasure I yield, and endeavor GASTONE and ALFRED enter. E goder voi potrete ? Alla danza m' affido, ed io soglio Con tal farmaco i mali sopir. Tutti. Sì, la vita s' addoppia al gioir. SCENA II.-Detti, il Visconte GASTONE DI LETORIERES, SCENA II.-The same. Kind Marquis! [They shake hands. That combin'd here are friendship and pleasure. Gas. [To Violetta.] Thou'rt the sole thought of Alfred. |