(The Beneficent Dervish, or The Fool's Cap)

Singspiel in three acts
Libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder
Music by various composers from the Theater auf der Wieden
Premiere: Theater auf der Wieden, March, 1791

Roles:
Zenomide, soprano
Mandolina, mezzo-soprano
Sofrano, tenor
Mandolino, baritone
Derwisch, bass
Women's chorus
Men's chorus

Orchestra: 
2 flutes (1 doubles piccolo), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons,  
2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, percussion, strings,  
and obbligato "gravicembalo" (harpsichord or possibly fortepiano)

Program Notes by Martin Pearlman

Der wohltätige Derwisch (The Beneficent Dervish) was the second in a series of fairy-tale operas produced in the 1790's at Emanuel Schikaneder's Theater auf der Wieden in suburban Vienna. It was a series of operas produced by the same company of singers that commissioned and produced Mozart's The Magic Flute, which was the third in the series.

The first opera, Der Stein der Weisen (The Philosopher's Stone), premiered in September of 1790, made international news in 1997, when it was discovered that a previously unexamined manuscript copy bore Mozart's name, along with those of four other members of Schikaneder's company.  It is of particular interest not only because of Mozart's involvement, but also because both its story and its music show many parallels with The Magic Flute.  

Der wohltätige Derwisch was long thought to date from after Mozart's death and therefore to have had no influence on The Magic Flute. But contemporary descriptions and advertisements have now established that it was performed in March of 1791, exactly midway between The Philosopher's Stone and The Magic Flute and is thus part of the series that led up to the commissioning of Mozart's masterpiece. 

There are many similarities among these three fairy-tale operas, The Philosopher's Stone, The Beneficent Dervish, and The Magic Flute.  All three are Singspiels and are thus entertainments for the popular theater, written in the vernacular German with spoken dialogue between the musical numbers.  All three works are based on stories from the same book of quasi-oriental tales, Christoph Martin Wieland's collection, Dschinnistan; all three libretti were written by Schikaneder; and all three works were performed by his company, with more or less the same singers performing parallel roles in the three productions.  The hero of each story is a prince (Nadir in The Philosopher's Stone, Sofrano in The Beneficent Dervish, and Tamino in The Magic Flute) and each hero has a comical peasant as his companion (Lubano/Mandolino/Papageno).  All three of the latter roles were sung by the librettist and impresario Emanuel Schikaneder.  There are correspondences among other characters, as well:  the comic companion is always paired with a female counterpart (Lubano with Lubanara, Mandolino with Mandolina, and Papageno with Papagena), and the prince of each opera seeks to win a princess (Nadine/Zenomide/Pamina).  There is always a mysterious guardian whose powers help the prince to overcome forces of evil, and each story makes use of important magical objects:  a sword and a bird (depicted by a flute) in The Philosopher's Stone, a pouch, drum and bells in The Beneficent Dervish,  and a flute and bells in The Magic Flute. 

Musically and dramatically, The Beneficent Dervish is a lighter work than its companions.  Although a complete performance would make an evening's entertainment, it has proportionally far more spoken dialogue and less music than the other two Singspiels.  There are no lengthy finales in this work, only short arias, choruses and instrumental numbers, some of which are repeated two or even three times in the course of the comedy.  Schikaneder's libretto for The Beneficent Dervish is less unified and more convoluted and farcical than those of the other two, but there are nonetheless some important ideas evolving here that appear to have influenced his libretto for The Magic Flute.  The bass role has evolved from the evil god of The Philosopher's Stone to the wise dervish, a character who is much closer to Sarastro in The Magic Flute.  We also see here the origin of Papageno's magic bells in Mandolino's fool's cap.  (Tamino's magic flute has already been prefigured by the bird/flute in The Philosopher's Stone.)

We do not know for certain exactly who composed this work, since the score does not bear any names.  But there is little doubt that it was written by members of Schikaneder's company, most likely the same ones who had written The Philosopher's Stone six months earlier-- with the important exception of Mozart, who in all likelihood did not participate.  These include Johann Baptist Henneberg, who shortly thereafter conducted rehearsals and performances of The Magic Flute; the tenor Benedikt Schack, a friend of Mozart, who would soon sing the role of Tamino in The Magic Flute; the bass Franz Xaver Gerl, who premiered the role of Sarastro; and Emanuel Schikaneder.  For The Beneficent Dervish there is no smoking gun pointing to Mozart's involvement in the music, such as there is for The Philosopher's Stone, where one manuscript has Mozart's name at the beginning of several pieces.  There is no musical or musicological reason to think that Mozart was directly involved here, but there is good reason to think that he would have heard this work performed and taken an interest in it.  He had been involved with Schikaneder's company at the time of The Philosopher's Stone and was friends with some of its members.  While he was composing The Magic Flute for many of the same singers, Mozart would certainly have been influenced by the experience of hearing them sing similar roles in The Philosopher's Stone and in The Beneficent Dervish  during the previous year. 

These earlier fairy-tale operas give us a fascinating perspective on Mozart's great masterwork, revealing a workshop in which some of its musical and dramatic ideas were formed.   For that rare glimpse behind the scenes they are fascinating and extremely valuable.

The first recording of Der wohltätige Derwisch was made by Boston Baroque and released by Telarc in 2000.

Synopsis

ACT I

The Turkish prince Sofrano has been impoverished since the death of his father, King Almandor.  As the opera opens, he is about to leave for the kingdom of Basora, where he hopes to win the heart of the beautiful princess Zenomide.   He says  farewell to his  friend and mentor, an old and wise dervish.  However, before he leaves, the dervish gives Sofrano the key to a treasure box, which his father left in a monument, and he warns Sofrano to beware of Zenomide.  She has a cold heart, and her father is an evil sheik.  The prince, however, sings joyfully of his love and his new found wealth and enters the monument to find his treasure.  Left alone, the dervish reveals himself as King Almandor and vows to help his son through his magic powers.

The dervish watches as the fisherman Mandolino is beaten by his wife, Mandolina, for flirting with a peasant girl.  He warns Mandolino that the girl was really a malicious fairy, who has poisoned him.  To save himself, he must drink from a golden goblet, which is guarded by a fire-breathing dragon, but he need not fear the dragon, since it only eats women.  Mandolino enjoys the idea of feeding wives to such a dragon. 

The dervish now tells Mandolino that he must accompany Sofrano on his journey.  Soon Sofrano comes out of the monument with a magic pouch that will provide whatever wealth he desires, as well as a magic drum that will conjure whatever help he needs when he is in danger.  Mandolino, in turn,  finds a small box containing a magic fool's cap.  Whoever wears it and shakes its bells will be saved from danger.  He tests it, and a dozen singing dervishes appear and beat him.  As Sofrano beats his magic drum, a ship appears with Turkish musicians playing a march.  Sofrano, Mandolino and Mandolina all board the ship and sail off to Basora.

ACT II

In the sheik's garden in Basora, we hear a song about the power women have to enslave men through their seductions.  As Sofrano, Mandolino and the sleeping Mandolina arrive, wind music is heard in the garden, followed by a seductive song sung by the Princess Zenomide.  Suddenly her father, Sheik Abukaf appears with guards, who attempt to arrest the foreigners.  But Mandolino puts on his cap and rings its bells, at which a dozen dervishes appear and drive off the attackers.

As the princess tries in vain to learn the source of Sofrano's wealth, her father attempts to kill the hungry Mandolino by leaving a table set with poisoned food.  But, the dervishes appear once more and beat Mandolino to prevent him from eating the food.  His wife, Mandolina, eventually reveals to Zenomide the secret of Sofrano's magic pouch.  The princess then steals his pouch, while singing Sofrano an allegorical Romance.  She and her father then sail off with Sofrano's fortune.  Sofrano, however, beats his drum, conjures an armada to pursue them and, after a sea battle, captures Zenomide and Abukaf.

ACT III

The dervish, who has followed the heroes to Basora, warns Sofrano to beware of women and not be carried away by his passions, but Sofrano again falls for the deceits of Zenomide and her father and forgives them.  He and Zenomide sing a love duet, but, as they do so, she once again steals his magic pouch and substitutes an ordinary one.  She then learns from Mandolina the secret of the magic drum, steals that too, and uses it to conjure an army to drive Sofrano and Mandolino from her kingdom. 

The dervish, disguised as the ghost of Almandor, now appears to the banished Sofrano.  He admonishes Sofrano to be more manly and more forceful against his enemies.  Mandolino, having finally learned the proper way to use his magic fool's cap, shakes its bells and calls up singing dervishes, who bring baskets of fruit, bread and wine.  But despite a warning not to eat the enchanted fruit, Mandolino cannot resist, and, as he does so, his nose grows long and his stomach swells.  Sofrano, on the other hand, realizes that the fruit can help them, and the two men set out for Basora disguised as dervishes.

In Basora, Zenomide and Mandolina have joined forces and boast that their female charms can enslave men.  Sofrano and Mandolino appear disguised as dervishes and offer their exotic fruits to Abukaf, Zenomide and Mandolina, all of whom grow long noses and swollen stomachs.  Zenomide sends an army to capture the two men, but the dervish, predicting victory, helps them drive off the attackers.  He then provides the men with a flask of water, which restores Mandolino's stomach and nose to their normal size.

In the palace garden, Zenomide and Mandolina are lamenting their lost beauty, when a slave comes to tell them of two farmers who have magic water that will restore their noses and bellies.  Sofrano and Mandolino, disguised as farmers, are led in and sing a rustic duet.  Zenomide offers them the magic drum and pouch in exchange for a drink of their water, but suddenly, amidst thunder and lightning, the triumphant dervish appears and reveals himself as King Almandor, Sofrano's father.  Sofrano and Mandolino also remove their disguises.  Realizing their defeat, Zenomide and Mandolina again lament their lost beauty, while they are derided by the men. 

Boston Baroque Performances

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