In 1825 Manuel García, with his wife, children and a troupe of singers, traveled to New York City where they gave the first professional opera performances in the history of the United States. They opened the season on 29 November 1825 with  Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia. A few weeks later, on 17 December 1825, they premiered a new work by García, L'amante astuto, with a libretto by Paolo (Pablo) Rosich, a well-known Spanish basso buffo, who was a member of the troupe.

L'amante astuto received mixed views from the press. One criticism was that, instead of sung recitatives as is usual in Italian opera, the dialogue between musical numbers in L'amante astuto was spoken (in Italian) as in an operetta or musical. García had previously used spoken dialogue in his early Spanish operettas as well as in his very successful opera, Il califfo di Bagdad (1813). Another criticism was that the plot too closely resembled that of Il barbiere di Siviglia: "[U]nfortunately for the author, immediately after the Barbiere di Siviglia of Rossini, the characters and plot of which so nearly resemble it, that it received less applause than it would have done under circumstances which would not have suggested so immediate a comparison with this popular opera." (Evening Post, 4 March 1826) Another review commented that "The music is by Garcia Senior, and if not so striking as that of the Barber of Seville, has nevertheless many fine points, especially in the second act."  (American Athenaeum, 22 December 1825) Another review was more positive, mentioning that it was performed (at the premiere) to a "delighted audience" and that "the music is very fine, particularly that part which is intended as an imitation of the singing of birds. It is said to bear very well a comparison with other operas of established reputation". (New York Evening Post, 20 December 1825)

The similarity to the Barber of Seville was that the plot involved a young man who uses various disguises to work his way into the home of his lover, whose father has decided, against her will, that she should marry an elderly—and very wealthy—man. But there are important differences. In Il barbiere, Dr. Bartolo, Rosina's guardian, who keeps her under lock and key, wants to marry her himself. In L'amante astuto, the father, Anacleto, wants to have his daughter, the heroine Rosalia, marry someone else. He does this not completely out of selfishness, as with Dr. Bartolo, but out of concern for her welfare (thinking that it is for her good that she marry a wealthy man). So the father is not such a negative character as is Dr. Bartolo, although he does make the mistake of putting money before love. Also, whereas in Il barbiere, the hero, disguised as the poor Lindoro, is a mysterious character whose true identity (as the wealthy Count Almaviva) is not revealed to Rosina until towards the end of the opera, in L'amante astuto, the lover, Raimundo, is known to Rosalia and her father. In fact, originally, Anacleto approved of Raimundo as a husband for his daughter. But when the wealthy Don Cosme came on the scene, Anacleto saw him as a better choice. Another difference from Il barbiere is that, in L'amante astuto, there is a subplot of the two servants Chiara and Carletto: Carletto has his eye on Chiara, but she plays hard to get. This livens up the story so that it is not just about Rosalia and Raimundo, and it offers opportunities for some extra comedy.

After the 1825-26 season, García traveled to Mexico City where he thought he might possibly "end his days" (letter to Giuditta Pasta, 10 June 1826). He found that audiences in Mexico preferred hearing operas in Spanish translations rather than in the original language. Thus, L'amante astuto became El amante astuto and the characters' names were changed: Rosalia became Rosalía, Raimundo became Ramón, Chiara became Clara, Carletto became Paolino, Anacleto remained the same. In Mexico, El amante astuto became quite popular. It was chosen for a celebration of the fourth anniversary of the Constitution of the United States of Mexico on 5 October 1828. And a French diplomat, Eugène Ney, enjoyed a performance of El amante astuto that he attended in Havana, Cuba, in 1830 (Revue des Deux Mondes, Vol. 3/4 [1831], p. 454).

Actually, having the opera performed in Spanish made a lot of sense, because the story takes place in the south of Spain and features a scene in which the hero, Ramón, disguises himself as a gypsy and even speaks (or, rather, sings) in gypsy dialect. That is lost in the Italian version. Furthermore, the style of conversation throughout the opera, sometimes with a rather blunt repartée among the characters, also has a certain sharp Spanish flair.

There were, therefore, three versions of L'amante astuto that García produced: (1) The original version, with spoken dialogue in Italian and orchestra, performed in New York City in 1825; (2) The Spanish version, with orchestra, performed in Mexico City in 1827 and 1828, and (3) a chamber version prepared in 1832 for his students in Paris, which was in Italian, with piano accompaniment. In this version the music for Rosalia (originally composed for García's daughter Maria [later, Maria Malibran], a mezzo soprano) was altered to better suit the soprano voice of his student (perhaps Edwige Louis, a coloratura soprano who received excellent reviews even while she was a student). Also, for this version, García planned to have sung recitatives (as indicated by blank pages between the musical numbers in the manuscript), but he died before being able to complete them. This chamber version of L'amante astuto was probably the very last thing that García was working on when he died.

For me, one of the most interesting things about L'amante astuto is its contribution to a "vocal biography" of Maria Malibran: it reveals the skill of seventeen-year-old Maria that had resulted from her father's rigorous bel canto training. The range is from g (G below middle C) to a'' (two octaves higher). The musicianship required is considerable: precision sixteenth- and thirty-second-note runs, leaps, trills, complex ensembles, of which one includes extended a cappella singing. And, on top of all this, was the incredible endurance required: Rosalia is constantly on-stage and her voice leads in all of the ensembles. The first-act finale is 25 minutes long; the second-act finale is only 8 minutes long (6 minutes in the 1832 version; García wisely made some cuts), but Rosalia's music is extremely difficult in terms of agility and range. Apart from those finales, she has two demanding arias, one short song, two duets, a trio, a quintet; all this together with pages of rapid-fire recitative.

Since I personally favor using the Spanish text, I have made a fourth version of L'amante astuto (El amante astuto), taking the Spanish text from the Mexican version and adding it to the 1832 chamber version, and also including the Spanish recitatives used in Mexico. This version thus has sung recitatives as García had intended for the chamber version, but in Spanish.

The autograph manuscripts for both the orchestral and chamber versions of L'amante astuto are in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France:

        Orchestral version: MS 6365 (Act I) and MS 8373 (Act II).
        The chamber version (MS 8383) is available online: Gallica, L'amante astuto.

The published libretto (Italian/English) for the 1825 premiere is also available online: The Cunning Lover/L'amante astuto.

The cast:

Rosalia/Rosalía, the daughter of Anacleto and lover of Ramón.
Raimundo/Ramón, a young man of respectable means, the lover of Rosalía.
Anacleto, a lawyer, widower, the father of Rosalía.
Chiara/Clara, servant of Anacleto and confidante of Rosalía.
Carletto/Paulino, servant of Ramón who now is also working for Anacleto, as a means of secretly helping
    his master work his way into Anacleto's house.

The action takes place in Spain, at the home of Anacleto in the Andalusian city of Jerez.

Given my personal preference, I will discuss the plot using the Spanish names.

THE STORY

Act One

1. Overture.

2. Cavatina (Rosalía), "Plácido Amor":

The curtain rises on Rosalía, alone. She implores the help of "gentle love".  Wondering where her lover has gone, she declares that she can't live without him.

Recitative:

Rosalía laments that the sacrifice that her father demands—to marry a disgusting old man (Don Cosme) for love of gold—is beyond her strength. "No, my adorable Ramón," she resolves, "I will never abandon you!"

3. Song (Rosalía), "En vano se muestra contraria la suerte":

In a traditional Spanish song form (coplas/couplets), Rosalía sings, "In vain does fortune show herself against me, for only in death will my ardor cease. For you alone I die, and for you I live."

Recitative:

Clara enters. She sarcastically applauds Rosalía for her fidelity: she's not like girls these days who drop one lover for another. Rosalía finds Clara's attitude strange. Strange? Clara says that within four months she's had a half-dozen lovers without the least little sigh in between them. Now it's Rosalía's turn to be sarcastic as she "commends" Clara's "great example" of fidelity. "Fidelity, constancy?" Clara dismisses them as just words for the theater. Nonetheless, she tells Rosalía that she doesn't approve of what her father is doing. And the worst thing, she says, is that he's a lawyer! So if Rosalía wants to win her case against him, she'll need money. Regardless of the situation, Rosalía pledges to be more firm in her resolution not to marry her father's choice of husband, the elderly Don Cosme (who never appears in the opera).

4. Duet (Rosalía and Clara), "A quién mi amor he dado/Me ha dado la experiencia":

Rosalía swears that she will know how to be faithful to Ramón. Clara cynically retorts that constancy among women is rare. She says that Rosalía is a woman, just like the rest. Rosalía argues that not all women are the same. No, Clara insists that they're all the same, all born to deceive. Rosalía again affirms that she will be faithful to her "tender lover" and in him she'll find happiness. Clara dismisses Rosalía's faithfulness and states that "the poor man will not always have happiness".

Recitative:

Rosalía wonders whether Clara is a friend or foe. Clara changes her tune and swears to be Rosalía's faithful confidante. And she adds that she knows all the feminine arts and she beats all the other chambermaids when it comes to playing pranks in these romantic intrigues. Paulino now enters and tells Rosalía that he is Don Ramón's faithful servant and has maneuvered himself into a position in Anacleto's household in order help thwart Anacleto's plans. He says that he is counting on help from Señora Clara, who will school him in the business of amorous intrigues. Clara tells him to stop rambling and get to the point. Paulino tells them that his master (Ramón) has come up with a scheme in order to work his way into the house. Both Rosalía and Clara protest that that's impossible. Clara explains that Anacleto is so paranoid that he has devised a means whereby the doorman will only let in those to whom Anacleto has given one of the "tickets"  (pasaportes, passes) that he keeps in his pocket. Paolino explains how everything will be worked out: Don Bernardino, the brother of Anacleto, wrote him a letter, recommending to him a certain gypsy who would be coming to Jerez. Somehow that letter came into Paolino's hands and, as a "loyal servant", he passed it on to his master, Ramón. Ramón, in turn, imitating Bernardino's handwriting, wrote another letter, giving today as his time of arrival. And so, Ramón, disguised as a gypsy, will soon be knocking at the door. Rosalía bursts with joy and begs Clara and Paulino to help her.

5. Trio (Rosalía, Clara and Paulino) "No temáis, no temáis":

Paulino tells Rosalía not to fear, while Clara promises to do everything she can, and Rosalía pledges always to be faithful and grateful to these two friends. The orchestra (piano in the 1832 version) drops out as the three sing, a cappella, a prayer to Love: "Give us your help, kind Love. And bless, today, our fervent vows of friendship."

Singing a cappella was a favorite device that García employed to impress his audiences with the fine musicianship of his singers. In New York he would strike a chord, have his family sing, and then strike the chord again to prove that the pitch had not wavered.

Recitative:

Rosalía asks Paulino, what will they do if her father (Anacleto) recognizes Ramón? Time is running out and Anacleto insists that she must be married as soon as Don Cosme arrives. And so, Anacleto also insists that they practice this "miserable quintet" that he has chosen to be sung at the wedding. Paolino assures her that Don Ramón is smart and he will have a solution for everything. He'll soon arrive (in his gypsy disguise) and then they'll find out what he plans to do. Paulino says that the important thing now is to practice the quintet. Clara says that she and Paolino know their parts. The problem is that there are only four of them (Rosalía, Clara, Anacleto, Paolino). Who will sing the tenor part? Paolino answers that Anacleto has already thought of that and he said he'll grab any musician available who can sing—and that will be good enough.

Anacleto enters, calling for Rosalía and Clara. Clara mutters, "Ay, here comes the old man". Anacleto berates them for idling: they should be in the music room, practicing. Clara tells him they already know their parts, so what's he shouting for? Always shouting. How much they suffer from his shouting. She says all the court cases he loses put him in a bad mood. Anacleto snorts that lawyers always win—it's the one who pays who's in a bad mood. He tells her to shut up before he brings a case against her. She tells him "the truth hurts" and he does things just because he feels like it, not for any good reason. In the case of the quintet, it's just to save some money on the night of the wedding. The argument is cut short by a knock at the door. Anacleto tells them to go see who it is so he can know whether or not to give him a pass to come in. Then, alone with Rosalía, he tells her that if it's Don Cosme, she has to show him her appreciation. Appreciation? How can she show someone she doesn't love her appreciation? She cries to Anacleto that she would be unhappy with Don Cosme. Anacleto dismisses her complaint: nonsense, how can anyone who's rich be unhappy? Rosalía protests, what is the use of wealth while her heart is aching within her breast? How can she give her hand to one to whom she could never give her heart? Anacleto counters, "Why not?" Rosalía declares that her heart already belongs to another—Don Ramón. And she reminds Anacleto that he himself had promised her to Don Ramón. Anacleto acknowledges that yes, that's true. But then Don Cosme came along—and he's wealthier than Don Ramón. Rosalía cries, "Ah, Father, for pity's sake, have mercy on your daughter! Don't try to bend my will!"

6. Arietta (Rosalía):

In one of the finest numbers of the opera, Rosalía pleads with her father to have pity on her. Can't the pain that she feels soften his heart? Might not this fierce pain cause him, finally, to have pity?

Recitative:

Anacleto tells Rosalía that he's sorry, but she has no experience. After a couple of weeks she'll be mad with joy over marrying Don Cosme. Paulino enters and tells Anacleto that there's a man outside, poorly dressed, who has a note for him. But the porter won't let him in without seeing one of Anacleto's "tickets". Anacleto is happy to see that his security system is working—lest someone try to sneak in with a note (for Rosalía) from Ramón. "No, Rosalía", he says, "your dear lover will not trick me, no matter how clever and sharp-eyed he is!"

7. Bolero (Ramón):

Ramón enters, dressed as a gypsy, and he sings, in gypsy dialect. He greets Anacleto with obsequious courtesy and offers to tell his fortune. Then he turns to Rosalía and he prays that fate may deliver her from a suitor—whom she knows—who is old and overstuffed. For it isn't right that such a pearl should be cast before swine.

Recitative:

Anacleto marvels at the gypsy's fortune-telling: How could he have known? But Anacleto reasons that probably his brother Bernardino told him about Rosalía's upcoming marriage. It doesn't matter: soon the marriage will be over and, with it, Anacleto's worries. Ramón, as the gypsy, tells Anacleto that he knows how to tell fortunes and he predicts that he will win the lawsuit about which he's come to seek help from Anacleto. The latter explains to the others that his brother has asked him to defend the gypsy and to lodge him in his house—with the understanding that the gypsy will pay Anacleto what is reasonable. The "gypsy" tells him that both "food and lawyer" will be well paid. But then he tells Anacleto that he sees a vein in his forehead which tells of some worry going around in his head that will cost him plenty if he doesn't think it through slowly—at least two months (he's trying to delay the imminent marriage to Don Cosme). Anacleto says he understands, but not for that will he delay the marriage. Then the "gypsy" approaches Rosalía: "What do I see, unhappy one? Come, don't be afraid. Take my hand. I don't eat people—even though I'm a gypsy!"

8. Act One Finale:

Ramón, as the gypsy, tells Rosalía's fortune: "Ay! Unhappy girl, a bad fate awaits you... This unjust father wants to marry you against your will, just to give you such barbaric pain. Ay!" Anacleto mutters, "The scoundrel has the devil in him. How does he know about this?" Paolino tells him, "The gypsies know as much as the devils—and sometimes more!" Anacleto is confused and fearful. A concerted ensemble follows: Ramón declares his love for Rosalía, his "sweet treasure", Rosalía tells him that he is her only joy, Paolino continues telling Anacleto about the gypsies, and Clara cautions Ramón and Rosalía: "By Bacchus, be careful! Don't lose your mind!"

Anacleto changes the subject: "Enough, enough of this "admirable science", Señor Astrologer—which doesn't know how to predict anything favorable." He tells Paulino to keep an eye out for the musician when he arrives. Paulino asks if he means the musician who's blind in one eye, and Anacleto  tells him, "Yes, the one who is blind in one eye!" Then he tells Clara to get the music for the quintet so that the musician can see the show that is being prepared. Ramón asks, "What show?" Clara answers, "The Señora is getting married!" To himself Ramón says, "Yes, if it (i.e. his marriage to Rosalía) could only be right away". Anacleto retires to his study. He tells the "gypsy" to keep Rosalía company and cheer her up. Ramón, the "gypsy", says, "I will put all my desire into serving her!" (A double-entendre, of course—there will be many throughout the opera). Anacleto leaves and the others all sing: "He's gone, thank God, and left us in freedom." Clara and Paulino tell Rosalía and Ramón that they will leave them alone to talk about their troubles, and they'll go outside to keep watch. Rosalía and Ramón sing a tender duet, reaffirming their love and exulting in their peace and joy—"which cannot be put into words". Suddenly a loud noise is heard. Rosalía cries, "What is that?" Clara rushes in and cries that the noise, which sounds like thunder, announces "a fierce and fatal storm!" Rosalía guesses that her father has figured out what's going on, Ramón wonders if perhaps his rival (Don Cosme) has arrived. Clara restates her fear that the thunderous noise foretells "a severe and fatal storm"; Rosalía and Ramón join her and repeat the same phrase.

Paolino rushes in: something terrible has happened, "No worse misfortune could have befallen us!" The others express their fear. Paolino collapses, out of breath. The other three start badgering him: "What's happened?" Paolino gasps: "He has arrived!" The other prompt him: "Don Cosme"? "The musician?" "The devil!" No, Paulino answers. Then the other three demand, "Enough, you fool, tell us who it is!" Paolino tells them, "The real gypsy has shown up—he's waiting at the door!"

There follows a very lengthy ensemble expressing everyone's confusion, repeating over and over the following words:

Qué lance crítico,                            What a terrible blow!
qué atroz desastre.                           What a horrible disaster!
Yo estoy estático/estática,                I'm dumbfounded,
yo estoy sin mi.                                I'm beside myself.

Corro, paro.                                      I run, I stop,
Voy y vuelvo.                                   I come and go.
No sé qué hacer,                               I don't know what to do,
infeliz.                                              Unhappy wretch that I am!               .

Act Two

Recitative:

Paulino is telling Clara that luckily they were able to get rid of the real gypsy. "How could that be?" she asks. Paulino explains, "The fake gypsy went out and talked with the real gypsy. And, with the hint of a little money, he told him to wait at our house [i.e. Ramón's], where my master needed to talk to him about some business before he could see the lawyer. And so, we got out of that one!"

Anacleto enters. He wants to know what's been going on. He's been waiting in his study for someone to tell him who was doing all the banging on the door. Paulino tells him that it was a man who wanted to know if the doctor lived here, because his wife was in labor. Paulino says he didn't tell Anacleto because he didn't think Anacleto offered those services. Anacleto accepts the lie and wants to know what happened to the gypsy. Clara offers another fib: "He went to get his luggage."

Anacleto wants to know what Rosalía is doing. Clara snaps, "What should she be doing! She's in her room crying inconsolably over her misfortune. And the truth is, the poor thing doesn't deserve a father who is so tyrannical, so ambitious, harsh, and inhuman!" Anacleto confronts Clara on her brazenness, and demands: "What are you saying?" Clara retorts, "The simple truth! Who but a despotic miser would marry his daughter to a sickly and detestable old man, just because he's rich. As if Don Ramón, a fine young man, were some beggar! To make the girl happy, fulfilling her needs is enough, nothing more." Anacleto tells her to shut up and get out. Clara bitterly tells him that, yes, she's going. But before she does, she again lets him have it!

9. Song (Clara), "Ah, por Baco, Señor mío":

In a fiery tone, Clara declares that if Rosalía were her daughter, she would neither make a mockery of love nor let ambition for wealth prevail. She would rather die than let such a fine girl be taken by that old codger, yes, that old geezer! Clara prays for wisdom, because she wants to triumph against this madman.

This lively song, in a true Spanish style (including the use of a hemiola rhythm (the alternation between a meter of two beats and of three), was startling to the audience in New York, accustomed to the squareness of Protestant hymns and simple songs such as "Home Sweet Home".

Recitative:

Anacleto is shocked by Clara's insolence. Paulino enters and in an aside to the audience he snickers, "Now it's my turn to trick him!" He consoles Anacleto and tells him not to listen to that chatterbox who doesn't know to appreciate a rich man. Solemnly he declares that even if Don Cosme were just a donkey full of defects, his wealth would make up for everything. According to Anacleto, Don Cosme is the richest man in Spain. "Therefore, the most lovable," Paulino suggests. Anacleto goes on to gush over the marvels of Don Cosme's treasure: jewels, pearls, diamonds, garnets, amethysts, rubies, emeralds (etc.)! And as for his gold, that itself is a great treasure. Paulino tells Anacleto that it's making his mouth water. But then (in a ruse to delay the marriage), he suggests that as a precaution, given that Don Cosme is at death's door, Anacleto should make sure that Clara is provided for in a will before she and Don Cosme marry. That's a good idea, as far as Anacleto is concerned, but he doesn't want the marriage to be delayed, and drawing up the will would take some time. Paulino argues, "What difference does a little more time make if it means guaranteeing diamonds, gold and silver?" Winning over Anacleto, he exults, "Gold, my Lord, is the only pleasure of pleasures, joy of joys, (etc.) With it, one can do everything. Without it, one can do nothing." Anacleto, beaming, gives Paulino a hug (abrazo) and praises such advice that has put him at ease.

10. Duet (Anacleto and Paulino), "El oro, amigo, todo lo alcanza":

In a humorous duet, perhaps inspired by Rossini's "All'idea di quel metallo" (in Il barbiere di Siviglia), Anacleto and Paulino rhapsodize, back and forth, over the pleasures of gold: "Gold, my friend, can get you everything, It gains everyone's confidence. No one can resist that chíquichi, chíquichi, chíquichi (clinkety, clinkety, clinkety) sound that gold makes!"

Recitative:

Praising him as an "Aristotle", Anacleto asks Paolino to give him another amplexus ("embrace"; Anacleto likes to pepper his speech with Latin). Then he asks whether the music teacher has arrived yet. Paolino tells him he hasn't and asks why, with all the music teachers around, did he choose the one who's blind in one eye? Simple: he was the cheapest! But someone is knocking at the door and Anacleto sends Paolino to see who it is. Alone, Anacleto muses over what Clara was telling him. If only Rosalía's source of happiness (love) could be combined with his (gold and silver). But, no: money comes first! Paulino announces that the musician has arrived. Anacleto gives him a pass and tells Paulino to have him come in. Then he calls Clara and Rosalía and tells them the musician has arrived. Clara sarcastically mutters "Big deal: and for this he bothers us?" Rosalía asks her father if she can be excused from singing. He rejects her request: "Come on, silly, have some fun." Now Ramón, disguised as the one-eyed musician, makes an ostentatiously grand entrance: "Most meritorious, sublime, distinguished, illustrious, splendid, most lawyerful (etc.!): at your feet prostrates himself, your humble, devoted and obliged servant, Juan Crisóstomo de Aróstegui, Machete, Girifalte, Tricolete, Grand Maestro of Music (etc.). Anacleto counters with, "Oh, Señor Girifalte, I am your servant, usque in aeternum (for all eternity). Clara whispers to herself, "Unless my eyes are deceiving me, the gypsy and the musician must be twins." Rosalía, who is shaking with fear, hushes her up. Ramón equally ostentatiously greets Rosalía and asks to "imprint on that ivory hand all the quintessence" of his "most respectful respect". Now Anacleto turns to the "Maestro" and asks him if he really is any good, because he's known a lot of so-called "maestros" who know nothing. Ramón, as the Maestro, pompously presents himself as taken aback. Anacleto knows nothing about him: "Listen closely and I will tell you of my wonders. You will be amazed!"

11. Aria (Ramón/Maestro), "Soy de música maestro, tan enorme y estupendo!":

In a majestic and florid introduction the "Maestro" declares that his talents are so great and stupendous that no one can beat him. Among sopranos and tenors he can satisfy. When he sings bass, his voice can resonate over thirty other basses. The tempo picks up and the Maestro excitedly tells how when he plays the piano with bravura, he is a wonder, when he performs before Clementi, Spontini, Rossini, Sacchini, or Piccini (whose names he incessantly repeats with a patter), he makes their jaws drop!

Recitative:

Anacleto applauds the Maestro ("Señor Girifalte") and invites him to sing the tenor part in the quintet. "Isn't Señor Girifalte excellent?" he asks Rosalía and she agrees that he is "Excellent, Papa" (another double-entendre). Clara chuckles to herself that "the old man" has swallowed Ramón's act. Anacleto suggests that the Maestro might look over his part in the quintet and he goes to get the music. Rosalía asks how on earth Ramón dares to show himself "like this". Ramón says that it was the only way. He asks her if she was able to soften up her father to which she replies, "On the contrary, he's more resolved than ever that I marry Don Cosme." Ramón, extremely worried, says that the only thing they can do now is carry out his plan. "What plan?" Rosalía asks. Ramón tells her that he has a friend with connections in various courts. He has already taken charge of getting the marriage license. But Ramón tells Rosalía that it's absolutely necessary for her to leave this house and move to his. Rosalía is shocked at the idea and says that that's impossible: what would people say about her? So she refuses. Ramón insists that there's no other solution: it's either Don Cosme or Ramón. Rosalía says that, even if she agreed to leave, it's impossible (she could never get away with it). Ramón tells her, "Leave everything to me!"

Paulino warns them that "the old man" is coming—in a rush. Anacleto hands out the music for the quintet and invites Señor Girifalte to join them, to which Ramón, rising to the occasion, responds, "Servitore umilissimo!" ("Your most humble servant").

12. Quintet (Rosalía, Clara, Ramón, Anacleto, Paulino), "O, cuan dulce es de mañana":

Rosalía begins with a solo, "Oh, how sweet it is in the morning to enjoy the fresh dawn. And to listen, among the flowers, to the birds warble." As Ramón takes up the same line and melody, Rosalía punctuates with bird sounds: "Cuckoo, cuckoo, pampará, pampará, chiu, chiu, chiu (etc.)". Now Rosalía and Clara take up the melody and Ramón sings the bird sounds. Paulino and Anacleto play the role of an audience and  exclaim, "What harmony! What a blend! What pleasure! What melody! Rosalía and Ramón go on to comment on the singing of the nightingale and the flight of the partridge. "One couldn't ask for anything more!" Clara joins in with the "cuckoo", Anacleto and Paulijno continue to applaud with their "Bravos" and "Buenos". Everyone joins in with "One couldn't ask for anything more!"

Recitative:

Anacleto is in ecstasy and brags to the "Maestro" that their beautiful singing is as good as anyone's. The Maestro (Ramón) says that, nevertheless, the señorita (Rosalía) needs a few pointers. Anacleto tells him that, if she does, you'll find that she's very docile and obedient. "Isn't that right, Rosalía?" She dryly answers, "If you so command, Señor." Anacleto snaps, "I do so command!"

Paulino now enters and tells Anacleto that his neighbor, Don Fernando, has a note that he wants to give to Anacleto himself. Anacleto says he'll go see. He then advises the Maestro, "You can tell Rosalía what you need to tell her so that you can get the result you desire."

Now that Paulino is seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, he turns his attention to Clara: "So, Clara, Ramón and Rosalía are just about hitched. And I really think we should follow their example..." She cuts him off, " I've already told you, Paulino, that I don't know how to love." He assures her that if she just takes the plunge, she'll learn! But she just says she's tired (the age-old feminine excuse!) and thus in a bad mood. Paulino insists, but Clara declines and tells him to stay and keep watch because, if the old man comes, they'll have to sneak out. She exits and Paulino is left alone in a state of euphoria: "She still plays hard to get, Clarita. But that's not a problem. I'll soften her up!"

13. Aria (Paulino), "¿Qué me importa, qué me importa?:

Paulino, in a triumphantly rollicking tune, declares his victory: "What do I care what that spitfire says to me now? I know how to win! Let her be as stubborn as she wants. I'm sure the conquest will be mine. If I talk to her again, she'll fall dead at my feet. There's no way she can resist my attacks. Without fail, she'll be mine. She can't resist!"

Recitative:

Anacleto enters in a rage: "By the horns of Judas, that damned fellow will pay for his little prank!" He asks Paulino if he will be faithful to "his master" (i.e. Anacleto). Paulino assures him, "Until death!" So Anacleto thereby asks Paulino to help him get revenge. "Against whom?" Paulino asks. "Against that little rascal, Ramón, who is stubbornly in love with my daughter, Rosalía". Paulino asks, "Where will we find him?" Anacleto shouts, "Here inside!".

He then goes on to tell how his neighbor Fernando saw Ramón going into the real one-eyed musician's house and later leave it with the latter's clothes and even wearing his patch over his eye. Then he went into his own house and after a while left, coming here in disguise. "So now we know," he say, "that the good Don Juan Crisóstomo, Machete, Girifalte" is actually our dear Ramón himself!" Paulino asks what Anacleto plans to do. Anacleto answers, "To give him a hundred whacks!" So, he tells Paulino to go to the shoemaker's house and tell him and his son to come here, each armed with a good club.

Wily Paulino thinks fast and tells Anacleto that that's a good plan—but, first, it would be good to have Rosalía leave the house. Why? Because, when the shoemaker and his son come to beat up Ramón, she would start screaming and people might come running and free Ramón from Anacleto's little caper. Anacleto agrees, but how can Rosalía leave the house alone? "Nana Cristina," Paulino excitedly says, "Clara's grandma, is in the kitchen. She can accompany Rosalía." Anacleto is about to go get Nana Cristina himself, but Anacleto stops him: "No, Señor, I'll go myself—and very discreetly." Anacleto tells him to go then, and to be careful so that no one gets wind of what they've been talking about. Paulino exits.

In a tirade, Anacleto promises that he'll settle the score with that little son-of-a-gun! Now Ramón's triumph ends and Anacleto's begins.

14. Aria (Anacleto): "Yo te juro por mis barbas, que no seguirás tu intento!"

In a "rage" aria, Anacleto swears that he will not let Ramón follow through with his scheme. And he will inflict on him the most terrible punishment imaginable. Then, with a change of subject, Anacleto muses about marriage. Why would any poor young man want to bear on his shoulders the burden of a woman? When he was married, the only thing he got out of it was troubles. Women are all fakes, all lies. They manipulate their husbands. They make up fantasies that would deceive the devil himself!

Mexican composer, José Antonio Gómez y Olguín (1805-1876), as a young man, impressed García (who was auditioning pianists to be accompanists/directors) by his sightreading of the handwritten score of El amante astuto (see Francisco Sosa, Biografías de Mexicanos Distinguidos [1884], pp. 414-17). He made a piano reduction and published this aria (the Spanish version) in 1843 (available online: Periódico Semanario Musical [1843], p. 16).

Recitative:

Grandma Cristina now enters the room and Anacleto effusively greets her, "Oh, Señora Cristina! Please do me the favor of taking my daughter for a walk so that she can get a little exercise. I turn her over to you, confident that she'll be in good hands. Isn't that right?" And now Ramón, the "clever lover" plays his final card: Grandma Cristina is Ramón in yet another disguise! He (she!) tells Anacleto, "I assure you that I will treat Rosalía as if she were my own" (another good double-entendre!). She says she has a lot of experience with the ways of women, and she even laughs at old women like herself. There is no one better for taking care of and entertaining young ladies. Rosalía will be safe walking by Grandma Cristina's side (of course!). Anacleto applauds Grandma Cristina, but then asks why she laughs at old women. "Because many of them", she says, "with all their silliness, deserve it!

15. Canzoneta (Ramón/Grandma Cristina), "Una vieja por la calle":

In a brief and simple strophic song, Grandma Cristina gives an example of what she's talking about.

An old woman, walking down the street, elegant and poised.
If some young man glances at her figure, she becomes presumptious—pretending to be young.

His attention aroused, the bon vivant wants to follow her.
She, behind her veil, leads the young man on—pretending to be young.

The lover finally realizes how old she is.
He runs away, but she continues her charade—pretending to be young.

Recitative:

And so Rosalía and "Grandma Cristina", with their parasols, stroll out of Anacleto's house arm-in-arm.

Anacleto, gloating over his imminent victory, urges Paulino, "Now, to get my revenge! Run to the shoemaker, and don't forget the clubs. Now run!"

Talking to himself, Anacleto mockingly wonders, now who will come to the aid of that scoundrel? Does he really think that he can outsmart a lawyer like Anacleto? Now the little "brat" is about to learn a lesson from Anacelto.

Clara enters and in an aside mutters, "Here I am playing the role of a fool." She confronts Anacleto: "Where the devil is the Señorita?" Anacleto retorts, "What do you care? What's important is that you don't leave our 'dear musician' alone!" Clara sniffs, "Okay, but it was he who left me alone." "Then where is he?" Anacleto cries.  "How should I know?" snaps Clara. Anacleto asks, "So, he wasn't in the room with you?" "Hmph! He left ages ago!"

Anacleto protests that that couldn't be, since he's been there all the time and only Grandma Cristina and Rosalía have passed by. Clara scoffs, "Are you dreaming? My grandma is in the kitchen at her spinning wheel!" Increasingly anxious as the truth starts to dawn on him, Anacleto demands: "What are you saying? I might as well hang myself!" "I said what I said," says Clara, "and Grandma even said that the musician asked to borrow some of her clothes, because he wanted to disguise himself to amuse the girl—as you had asked him to do."

Anacleto is beside himself and collapses in remorse: "Enough, enough, for God's sake! Now I understand everything. Curse Ramón, your grandmother, the doorman, the devil and myself. Now I know how unjust I have been, I know now how much he loved her. Good heavens! How could I have so stubbornly resisted his just desires?" Anacleto acknowledges that he originally wanted Rosalía to love Ramón, but then... but then! Now he fears that he might never see his beloved Rosalía again. At that moment, however, Rosalía enters with Ramón and tells him that, yes, he will see her again; now, at his feet, she implores his pardon for her boldness. Anacelto, with tears of joy, cries, "Come to my arms, my cruel daughter, who caused your father so much grief and worry!" Ramón steps forward and asks that Anacleto might also pardon him. But Anacleto refuses: Ramón doesn't deserve it because he made a fool of Anacleto and deceived him. Rosalía begs Anacleto not to be stingy with his forgiveness, but Anacleto insists, "He doesn't deserve my pardon!"

Now Paulino enters the conversation and begs his "dear Master" to think that now all the fears, cares and worries are over. He won't have to take care of Rosalía—and Anacleto will finally have peace and happiness. Clara adds that, above all, the new couple will be here and Rosalía will remain Anacleto's daughter in this house. Rosalía urges Anacleto to give in. He asks, "And so they're not going to take her away from me?" Ramón assures him, "No, never. As I live, she must be at your side." Anacleto yields: "Come then, to my arms, beloved Ramón!

16. Finale (Rosalía, Clara, Ramón, Anacleto, Pauino), "Y es cierto, Padre amado"/"El alma plácida feliz es ya"

In an extremely demanding aria-with-quartet, Rosalía tells Anacleto that his assent—that she had longed for—at last returns peace to her heart. She invites her friends to rejoice with her and tells Ramón, now her "beloved husband", to come to her arms. At last love crowns their fidelity. No longer is she miserable without him, her soul is filled with joy. The joy is real, not a dream. Her soul, now serene, is filled with joy. The others join in, singing "Her soul, so serene, is now filled with joy!", while Rosalía executes brilliant obbligato lines above them, bringing the finale to a stunning conclusion.




I have transcribed the Spanish version with piano accompaniment. If anyone would be interested in performing it I can make the score available.

I also have the scores of the original Italian version with orchestra, the Spanish version with orchestra, and the Italian chamber version with piano and without recitatives.