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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 1905)
main W6eJ?mple f ; - 4 OltlZZOcli Ola & sriQJ vzii gjnzcu6icy tsi-y I, i i i in l i 1 i " I IK. ins scan i-.'-l. .J! OR many weeks Paris has been mystified by the discovery of a comic opera In real life, where peasants, villagers, fishermen, and tailor wore the Impossible but picturesque costumes famil iar to the comic opera of the stage where even the names of the villagers were those of characters from the libretto and where all the young men not only looked the parts but could sing them. The discoverers of this comic opera In real life were Gas ton d'Armand and Henri de la Croix, two young artists who sre Just beginning to become known In the salons of Paris. For weeks Paris society refused to believe their story how they traveled to Normandy on a sketohlng tour, how they discovered the village of the comic opera how they heard even peasant girls and fishermen sing the famlHar adrs and sing them better than the average chorus on the Paris comic opera stage. Finely, however, the key to the mystery was revealed and now the society Journals and the Illustrated magazines are full of the story. Artists and photographers were sent to the village in question and trained writers of the press went along to catch with the pencil what the camera could not reveal. It Is the most unique caprice of mystery that has delighted Paris for months. Gaston d'Armand and Henri de la CYolx., during a pede trtan tour of Normandy last August, came upon a pretty little village nestling at the foot of a cliff which was sur mounted by a chateau. The houses of the village were pic turesque, although there were scarcely a dozen or more of them. " I don't know what village this Is." said D'Armand to his .friend; "but I'm going to sketch It. More than that. I'm going to stay here two or three days If there Is an Inn." There ought to be an Inn," said De la Croix. " From the looks of the village there should be an inn with a little table and a chair In front of It, and a fat. Jolly faced landlord In red knickerbockers, white hose, and a green Jacket, with a white apron, standing In the door, rubbing his hands with a smirk of welcome on his face. At least." De la Croix added, 11 the place looks like a comic opera village, and that Is the kind of a landlord you always see In a comic opera," First the Landlord Appears. Well, here's your landlord," said D'Armand, " red trou sers, white hose, green Jacket, rosy cheeks, smirk, and all. Let's see what he has to offer." " Walt a moment," replied De la Croix. " With a comic opera landlord there ought to be a comic opera notary with thin legs, clad In black, Wg silver buckles on his shoes, and a tall hat He ought to wear a wig and spectacles and dance like a clown. They always do," he added. "As I live," declared D'Armand, "there's the village notary Just as you describe him. And there's the girl with short skirts and a saucy little apron who sets your wine on the table for you in front of the Inn and. see." continued D'Armand excitedly, " there's a whole troop of village lads and maidens They all look as if they had stepped out of the wings of a stage in a theater. "And, see here," he continued, "here comes a fisherman, with his nets over his arm and singing, too. Listen!" 'On billows rocking, at tempest mocking. O! gallant sailor boy,' ocean's thy home! Calmly thou'rt sleeping, tho' gale be sweeping All the blue desert of waters to foam!" Tho tenor voice of the fisherman rang out sweet and clear a he approached the two artists. " By George," said D'Armand to himself, " he sings and looks the part. Now, if his name only happens to be Grenl cheux I'll swear we have struck the village of Cornvllle at the grand hiring fair!" " See here, my fine fellow," he called to the young fisher man, " what's going on In the village today?" The fisherman approached with a curious look In his face. Then he burst out laughing. " Why," said he, " where have you come from in Nor mandy not to know that today is the yearly hiring fate where maid servants, coachmen, and domestics choose new master ' and sign the notary's book?" D'Armand and De la Croix looked at each other In silent amazement. Never had they heard of a grand hiring fair except In comic opera. " Thanks, my man," said D'Armand, " and what may be the name of this village?" The young fisherman seemed to be more surprised than yer. " Why, what village should It be, messeurs, except Corn ville?" " I knew It, I knew It." muttered De la Croix to himself. " And In his next breath the fellow Is going to say bis name if Grenlcheux," "Cornvllle. eh?" said D'Armand. "Then, by everything right, your name ought to be Jean Grenlcheux." " It Is." said the fisherman. " What else should It be?" Mixing in the Comic Opera. D'Armand and De la Croix were welcomed at the inn by the comic opera landlord. X pretty serving girl brought them wine and as they sat at the little table In front of the inn regaled them with the village gossip and she talked with a pert eagerness. " Come, pretty one," hazarded De la Croix, after listen ing awhile to her prattle, " I'll wager a 5 franc piece I can guess your name the first time. It's Serpolette." " Tes, messeur," said the girl, dropping him a true comio opera courtesy. " And." continued De la Croix, " yon pretty girl who looks so haughty In spite of her village dress, is Germalne." '" She's Oermaine," replied Serpolette, with a toss of her head. " but as for calling her pretty " By this time quite a company of young men had gathered under the trees before the Inn some talking In little groups, others apparently watching for an opportunity to talk to the girl who was called Germalne. " It's a pity these husky village lads are not In Paris." said D'Armand, who had taken up his portfolio and was sketching rapidly. "They could all get places In the chorus dressed Just as they are. Did you ever dream of such a vil lage? It's enough to make old Planquette get up out of his grave and dance. "There's the chateau, too," he continued. "It looks rather modern, but there ought to be a legend about It. Isn't there a story of some kind ahout the chateau?" he asked, turning to the girl who called herself Serpolette. " Germalne there has made up a song about It the Billy! I dare say she'll sing It for you If you care to hear It." With a little urging the girl called Germalne came forward and began to sing. Tes! that castle old by wizard Is enchanted; For tho' knight and baron slumber on their bier. By their ghosts In mall, the corridors are haunted And at night we've seen the awful shades appear. For their last descendant's coming, watch they're keeping In the Ivied belfry, when the world Is sleeping. There's a ghostly watchman who the bell will toll." Peasants Sing the Chorus. If the artists' friends were astonished at the beauty of the girl's voice they were still more surprised to hear -the young men around them strike Into a chorus, while a dozen or more of village girls seemed to appear like magic to add their voices to the song. D'Armand and his friend De la Croix remained at the Inn .for a week In an effort to solve the mystery. For it was a mystery. At first they concluded that some provincial comic opera company was there In the village for a holiday, or a vacation; but In two days they were compelled to give up this theory. They found by undlsputable proof fiat old Gaspard had kept that same inn for more than twenty years and that he had never been out of Normandy but once. Jean Grenlcheux actually was a fisherman and a lazy one at that. Serpolette was old Gaspard's niece and Ger iraine was his daughter. This the village priest proved to the artists by the parish records of births. Every day for a week D'Armand and De la Croix pur sued their Inquiries, and every evening the villagers would assemble around the Inn and sing the old familiar airs of " The Chimes of Normandy." The wondering artists ques tioned the villagers closely and none of them had ever seen a comic opera or heard of " The Chimes of Normandy." " But how comes It you know all the songs so well?" per sisted D'Armand, with eager questioning. " Surely. Grenlcheux, some one must have taught you to sing 'On billows rocking?" " No, messeurs. I Just picked it up, somehow," replied Grenlcheux. " But Isn't there a marquis of Cornvllle who has returned from his long exile to reclaim the old chateau?" persisted D'Armand. " I never heard of a marquis of Cornvllle," Grenlcheux would reply. "This village is Cornvllle, of course, but there never was a marquis. There's a young man who visits at the chateau often, but he's no marquis. He's an artist like your selves, only he doesn't come from Paris." Ah, I see," said D'Armand. " And does this artist sing, too?" " O, yes," replied Grenlcheux. " When he is here we all go up to the chateau and sing in the great ball. He sings ! with list Tou should hear him sing,' O, see their good brands ' notched In battle.' " jj " It runs like this, doesn't it?" said De la Croix, and he j sang: " O, re their good brands notched in battle Their armor dimmed on many a field.' " " Why, yes," said Grenlcheux, in astonishment, " but how did you know it?" Again They Hear the Chorus. De la Croix sang the stirring song to the end. the villagers crowding around as his rich baritone voice swelled through 1 the deep cadences of the song. Then, without being asked, they burst Into the chorus: 1 " Silent heroes, from out the mighty past. Still over your line keeping watch and ward. Lo! here your child, sole of his race and last! Last of the line they own as lord!" "We have grand times at the chateau when Its owner are at home," explained Grenlcheux. " The young lady has us all up there. There Is a great hall with armor In the cor ners and curious old banners, swords, and battle axes on the walls. It's like a game. Old Gaspard there takes a part, and so do I, and so do Serpolette and Germalne, and the notary." " What Is your part In the game?" asked D'Armand of Oaspard. " Why, I play the part of an old miser," laughed' Gaspard only I'm far from being a miser," and his fat sides fairly shook with good nature. " They dress Serpolette there In silk and satin, and put Grenlcheux In livery. It rather spoils Serpolette, though, for so much finery turns her head." D'Armand and De la Croix returned to Paris. The only thing they learned of the chateau Itself was that It belonged to a wealthy perfumery manufacturer of Paris, who had a daughter who was betrothed to an English artist. The wealthy perfumery manufacturer had purchased the old chateau, rebuilt and modernized tt. He had also rebuilt many of the cottages In the village, as they belonged to his. estate. D'Armand told the story, but at first all his friends In Paris laughed at him. Then one day at the salon of Mme. X he met, by chance, the daughter of the perfumery manu facturer, and after some earnest entreaty learned the key to the whole mystery Here's the Key to the Mystery. " It Is the simplest thing In the world." said the young woman with a gay laugh. " When papa bought the estate and had rebuilt the chateau we went there for our drat sum mer. That was four years ago. Naturally I took much in terest In the villagers they were our own tenants, you know. " One day I discovered that the landlord's name was Gaspard and that his daughter was Oermaine, his niece Ser polette. There is nothing strange about that. All are com mon names In Normandy. And there is no name more com mon than that of Jean Grenlcheux. When M. Planquette wrote his opera he made no effort to think of fanciful names for his characters. There are Gaspards, Jean Grenlcheux, Serpolettes. and Germalnes In half the villages in Nor mandy.' " But the coincidence of the names struck my fancy, espe cially when I learned that young Grenlcheux was a passably fair tenor singer and that the girls could sing, too. I taught the girls the songs myself. Jean Grenlcheux learned the barcarole from Serpolette and was ashamed to tell you of tit. All the girls and young men of the village gradually picked up the songs and choruses. " When M. Mordaunte visited us I let him Into the secret To Induce the villagers to wear the costumes was easy. I made Serpolette and Germalne presents of the first ones and all the other girls envied them so much that they copied them and they all wear them every day. " One night three years ago I gave a festival in the village nnd called it the hiring fair. M. Mordaunte was there and after the fair in the village we had all the villagers up to the chateau, where we gave a real performance of ' The Chimes ol Normandy,' M. Mordaunte taking the part of Henri, the lost marquis. " Since then the hiring fair Is a village custom. Bless you, the villagers don't know It's all a play. They look for ward to It as the happiest holiday of the year. " That is the whole mystery. The villagers have sung1 the songs from ' The Chimes of Normandy ' so often that It Is natural to them. It's all a part of their life so please do not undeceive them." D'Armand and De la Croix, however, let the story of the real comic opera village get out, and now all Paris is enjoy ing the novelty of it 1 I . STTJ-irUJJ ft LAJ tt