The Love of Don Perlimplín and Belisa in the Garden
Encyclopedia
The Love of Don Perlimplín and Belisa in the Garden (Amor de Don Perlimplín con Belisa en su jardín) is a play by the twentieth-century Spanish
dramatist Federico García Lorca
. It was written in 1928 and first performed in 1933. It bears the subtitle "An erotic lace-paper valentine in a prologue and three scenes" (Aleluya erotica en un prologo y tres escenas).
The play tells the story of an elderly bachelor
, Don Perlimplín, who is persuaded by his servant Marcolfa that he should marry on the grounds that she is getting too old and won't always be there to look after him. Don Perlimplín expresses doubts but agrees to marry the far younger and very unsuitable Belisa. Belisa accepts the match because her avaricious mother convinces her that Don Perlimplín's money will make her more attractive to other men. On their wedding night two duendes
appear and draw a veil over the scene, explaining that some things should be left unseen. The next morning it appears that Don Perlimplín has been cuckold
ed by five different men who entered through the five windows of the bedchamber. His reaction is odd as he doesn't behave jealously but declares instead that he has discovered the true meaning of love. Belisa begins to receive graphic love letters from a mysterious man in a red cape with whom she falls in love and whom she agrees to meet in the garden of Don Perlimpín's house. She goes there at the appointed time but is met instead by Don Perlimplín, who announces that he will challenge his rival to a duel and runs offstage. The red-caped man staggers in mortally wounded, and when Belisa rushes to him she discovers that her mystery admirer has all along been Don Perlimplín, whose love letters Marcolfa delivered. In dying, Perlimplín is embraced by his wife for the first and last time. She realizes she has unwittingly fallen in love with her own elderly husband; in sacrificing his life, he carries her love to the grave, and bequeaths her the soul she conspicuously lacked when they were married.
Lorca, himself a composer, conceived this play with musical interludes (Scarlatti
harpsichord sonatas) as well as songs on stage. The stylized construction of the piece has proved attractive to numerous composers among them Rieti
(1949), Elston
(1958), Maderna
(1961), Fortner
(1962), Olsen (1966), Goeyvaerts
(1972), Belamarić (1974), Dreznin (1981), Susa
(1984), Morrill (1988), Vietri (1991), Coria
(1992), Shapiro
(1997), and Biales (2002). There is also a ballet by Mompou and Montsalvatge
(1956), and incidental music for the play by Billy Strayhorn
(1953) and Doyle (1988).
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
dramatist Federico García Lorca
Federico García Lorca
Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca was a Spanish poet, dramatist and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27. He is believed to be one of thousands who were summarily shot by anti-communist death squads...
. It was written in 1928 and first performed in 1933. It bears the subtitle "An erotic lace-paper valentine in a prologue and three scenes" (Aleluya erotica en un prologo y tres escenas).
The play tells the story of an elderly bachelor
Bachelor
A bachelor is a man above the age of majority who has never been married . Unlike his female counterpart, the spinster, a bachelor may have had children...
, Don Perlimplín, who is persuaded by his servant Marcolfa that he should marry on the grounds that she is getting too old and won't always be there to look after him. Don Perlimplín expresses doubts but agrees to marry the far younger and very unsuitable Belisa. Belisa accepts the match because her avaricious mother convinces her that Don Perlimplín's money will make her more attractive to other men. On their wedding night two duendes
Duende (mythology)
A duende is a fairy- or goblin-like mythological creature from Iberian, Latin American and Filipino folklore. While its nature varies throughout Spain, Portugal, Spanish and Portuguese-speaking America and the Philippines, analogues from other cultures include the Danish-Norwegian Nisse, the...
appear and draw a veil over the scene, explaining that some things should be left unseen. The next morning it appears that Don Perlimplín has been cuckold
Cuckold
Cuckold is a historically derogatory term for a man who has an unfaithful wife. The word, which has been in recorded use since the 13th century, derives from the cuckoo bird, some varieties of which lay their eggs in other birds' nests...
ed by five different men who entered through the five windows of the bedchamber. His reaction is odd as he doesn't behave jealously but declares instead that he has discovered the true meaning of love. Belisa begins to receive graphic love letters from a mysterious man in a red cape with whom she falls in love and whom she agrees to meet in the garden of Don Perlimpín's house. She goes there at the appointed time but is met instead by Don Perlimplín, who announces that he will challenge his rival to a duel and runs offstage. The red-caped man staggers in mortally wounded, and when Belisa rushes to him she discovers that her mystery admirer has all along been Don Perlimplín, whose love letters Marcolfa delivered. In dying, Perlimplín is embraced by his wife for the first and last time. She realizes she has unwittingly fallen in love with her own elderly husband; in sacrificing his life, he carries her love to the grave, and bequeaths her the soul she conspicuously lacked when they were married.
Lorca, himself a composer, conceived this play with musical interludes (Scarlatti
Domenico Scarlatti
Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti was an Italian composer who spent much of his life in the service of the Portuguese and Spanish royal families. He is classified as a Baroque composer chronologically, although his music was influential in the development of the Classical style...
harpsichord sonatas) as well as songs on stage. The stylized construction of the piece has proved attractive to numerous composers among them Rieti
Vittorio Rieti
Vittorio Rieti was an Jewish-Italian composer. Born in Alexandria, Egypt, Rieti moved to Milan to study economics. He subsequently studied in Rome under Respighi and Casella, and lived there until 1940....
(1949), Elston
Arnold Elston
Arnold Elston was an American composer and educator. Though he studied with Anton Webern, he did not himself use the twelve-tone technique.-Early life and career:...
(1958), Maderna
Bruno Maderna
Bruno Maderna was an Italian conductor and composer. For the last ten years of his life he lived in Germany and eventually became a citizen of that country.-Biography:...
(1961), Fortner
Wolfgang Fortner
Wolfgang Fortner was a German composer, composition teacher and conductor.-Life:Fortner was born in Leipzig. From his parents - both singers - Fortner very early on had intense contact with music...
(1962), Olsen (1966), Goeyvaerts
Karel Goeyvaerts
Karel Goeyvaerts was a Belgian composer.-Life:After studies at the Royal Flemish Music Conservatory in Antwerp, Goeyvaerts studied composition in Paris with Darius Milhaud and analysis with Olivier Messiaen...
(1972), Belamarić (1974), Dreznin (1981), Susa
Conrad Susa
Conrad Stephen Susa is an American composer, particularly known for his operas. His 1973 chamber opera, Transformations, set to texts from the poems of Anne Sexton, is one of the most frequently performed operas by an American composer and was one of the featured operas of the 2006 Wexford Opera...
(1984), Morrill (1988), Vietri (1991), Coria
Miguel Ángel Coria
Miguel Ángel Coria Varela is a Spanish composer of classical music. His early work showed affinities to the music of Anton Webern, but he became increasingly influenced by Impressionism. From 1973 he entered his post-modern period where his compositions were marked by "attempts to evoke the spirit...
(1992), Shapiro
Michael Jeffrey Shapiro
Michael Jeffrey Shapiro is a noted American composer and conductor.The son of a klezmer band clarinetist, Michael Shapiro was born in Brooklyn, New York, and spent most of his high school years in Baldwin, a Long Island suburb. The winner of several piano competitions during his youth, he earned...
(1997), and Biales (2002). There is also a ballet by Mompou and Montsalvatge
Xavier Montsalvatge
Xavier Montsalvatge i Bassols was a Spanish Catalan composer and music critic. He was one of the most influential music figures in Catalan music during the latter half of the 20th century.-Life:...
(1956), and incidental music for the play by Billy Strayhorn
Billy Strayhorn
William Thomas "Billy" Strayhorn was an American composer, pianist and arranger, best known for his successful collaboration with bandleader and composer Duke Ellington lasting nearly three decades. His compositions include "Chelsea Bridge", "Take the "A" Train" and "Lush Life".-Early...
(1953) and Doyle (1988).