L'Heure Espagnole (The Spanish Hour) is a French musical comedy, a one-act opera composed by Maurice Ravel (March 7, 1875 – December 28, 1937.) Libretto was written by Franc Nohain based on comedy by Nohain. It was premiered in paris, Opéra Comique, on May 19, 1911, set in Toledo, Spain in the 18th century.
L'Heure Espagnole is considered one of the wittiest one-act opera by Ravel. His work is quintessentially French in its touch and elegance. The orchestral part is fragile and graceful and the voices admirably reflect the different emotions of each character.
Main Characters in L'Heure Espagnole
- Torquemada, a clock maker (tenor)
- Concepcion, his wife (soprano)
- Ramiro, a muleteer (baritone)
- Gonzalve, a poet (tenor)
- Don Inigo Gomez, a banker (comic bass)
Plot Summary of L'Heure Espagnole
Act 1. Store of a Spanish Clockmaker Torquemada
Ramiro the muleteer brings his watch to Torquemada to be repaired. He explains that as the government mule driver, he should always know the correct time. Concepcion reminds her husband Torquemada that it s is time to regulate the government clocks. He apologizes to Ramiro that he'll look after the watch later when he returns.
Concepcion has been complaining that she has no clock in her bedroom. Ramiro carries one up for her. Gonzalve, Concepcion's lover arrives. Instead of pouring attention to Concepcion, he is caught up in his own poetic ramblings.
Ramiro returns and Concepcion persuades him to bring back the clock he just carried up and to take up another clock. While Ramiro is fetching the first clock, Concepcion hides Gonzalve in the second clock.
Inigo Gomez, a banker, arrives to court Concepcion. He tells Concepcion that it is him who got Torquemada out of the house by appointing him to regulate the government so he can be with Concepcion. She ignores the advances of Inigo Gomez.
Concepcion accompanies Ramiro upstairs with the second clock containing Gonzalve. Gomez decides to hide in another clock. Ramiro is pleased that she has left him in charge of the store. She complains that her clock does not keep time and begs Ramiro to carry back the clock down. Ramiro returns and carries the clock which he does not realize contains Inigo.
At this point Conception has gotten so disappointed by Gonzalve's poetic silliness, she doesn't want to see him again. Inside the clock, he continues composing poems. She thinks that her whole afternoon has been wasted.
Meantime, Ramiro remains happy that Concepcion has found him something to do. He runs upstairs again to fetch back the clock. Admiring Ramiro's biceps, Concepcion takes him back to her room, this time without any clocks.
After sometime, Torquemada arrives. Gonzalve tries to leave, but sees Torquemada. He opens a clock to hide, inadvertently exposing Inigo who also finds him hiding in the other clock. Gonzalve pretends that he got inside the clock to inspect the mechanism and agrees to buy it. Torquemada sells a clock each to Gonzalve and Gomez.
Torquemada asks Ramiro to let her wife know the time each morning when he goes on his daily rounds. Everyone sings the moral of the story: There comes a moment in time, during love's diversions, that the efficient lover succeeds, and that even a muleteer has his turn.
Sources:
The Da Capo Opera Manual, Nicholas Ivor Martin, New York, Da Capo Press, 1997
The Harrap Opera Guide by Alexander Morley, London, Harrap, 1979
Opera, Dorling Kindersley (DK) Eyewitness Companions, 2006
