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Opera Music Plot Synopsis
Massenet: Le Jongleur de Notre Dame
The story of "Le Jongleur de Notre Dame" (The Juggler
of Notre Dame) is based
upon the old medieval Miracle plays that flourished up to
the middle of the
Sixteenth Century and which consisted of a quaint admixture
of the purely
mundane, with the supernatural.
ACT I
The people of one of the suburbs of Paris--Cluny, are celebrating
May Day on the
Square in front of the Monks' Abbey. An itinerant Juggler,
--Jean arrives. The
crowd is not impressed and they laugh at Jean's old, worn
out tricks. The crowd
demans a drinking song and, as it is the only way Jean can
earn a penny, he
agrees. First, Jean asks for the pardon of the Holy Virgin
for the song he is
about to sing, then leads the crowd in a rousing chorus singing
the glories of
wine! The Prior interrupts the merriment and singing, scattering
the crowd of
revelers and sternly threatens Juggler Jean with hell-fire
if he does not mend
his ways. The Prior questions the juggler and asks him to
consider becoming a
monk instead of a juggling vagabond. Jean pleads for his liberty.
Just then,
Boniface, the cook of the Abbey comes by with his donkey laden
with provisions
and mounds of food. An empty stomach gnawed with hunger by
the sight of so much
good food makes Jean come to a sudden resolution. For the
sake of food and
security Jean decides to follow in the religious life of a
monk and enters the
abbey.
ACT II
Inside the abbey each Monk is working at their avocations.
The Musician Monk is
rehearsing a new Cantata for the Feast of the Virgin. Jean
regrets that he
cannot praise the Virgin, too, because he doesn't know Latin
and she wouldn't
understand him in his vulgar French. The monks get in a disagreement
over the
comparative superiority of their respective arts. The Sculptor
Monk says his is
the greatest art. The painter contends his is the noblest
of arts. The Poet and
the Musician join in the dispute and nearly come to blows
when the Prior orders
them all to the chapel to practise humility. Jean deplores
his ignorance to the
abbey cook Boniface complaining that he can do nothing artistic
to please the
Virgin. Boniface tells him a story how once the most humble
of flowers, sage,
saved the life of Jesus when pursued by the King child-killer.
Boniface also
confides that his cooking is his offering to the Virgin. Jean
is convinced, at
last, that his humble prayers--even in French--may reach as
high as those of the
proudest.
ACT III
The Painter Monk is taking a satisfied glance at his picture
of the Virgin, over
the high altar, when he sees Jean enter dressed in his juggler's
costume.
Puzzled, the monk goes to notify the Prior. Jean tells the
Virgin that, as he
know nothing else, he will go through his whole performance
in her honor. Now
and then he interrupts himself to tell her that some of his
songs are hardly
appropriate for her ears, but that he means to be entirely
respectful. The Prior
comes in unseen by Jean and watches his performance. He is
greatly scandalized
but is restrained from interfering by Boniface. The other
monks come in and,
when they See Jean going through his dance, cry Sacrilege!
Just as they can
contain themselves no longer the face of the Virgin in the
painting is seen to
grow animated and her arms are extended toward Jean, now deep
in prayer.
Miracle! They all cry and as the kneel about Jean a great
light envelops the
figure of the Virgin, angels surround her and celestial voices
are heard. Jean,
murmuring that, at last he understands Latin, dies in the
Prior's arms.
contributed by Jeffrey A. Klingfuss; © 1998
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