OPERA SEARCH
Schach dem König
(God Save The Queen) (1970)Libretto by Bernard Thieme after "Die sechste Frau" by Max Christian Feiler (G)
S,A,4Bar,BBar,B; chorus;
2.1.1.1-1.3.3.0-perc-drums-gtr-strings
Abbreviations (PDF)
B&B
Prague
unknown
| HENRY VIII, King of England | Baritone |
| KATHERINE PARR, his sixth wife | Alto |
| MARY SUFFOLK, her niece | Soprano |
| GERALD, Earl of Surrey, writer and jester | Bass Baritone |
| THOMAS SEYMOUR, captain | spoken role |
| WRIOTHESLEY, chancellor | spoken role |
| CRANMER, archbishop | spoken role |
| NORFOLK, marshal | spoken role |
| ANN ASKEW, chambermaid | spoken role |
| COCU and COCO, natives of the Catherine Islands | Bass, Baritone |
| HOBBY and LOBBY, two torturers | Baritone |
| PRINCESS ELIZABETH, the later Queen Bess | spoken role |
| A COMEDIAN | spoken role |
| A GUIDE | Bass |
| LINGARD, personal physician | spoken role |
| CHIEF COURT COOK | spoken role |
| LIEUTENANT | spoken role |
| PRISONERS |
England during the Tudor period
Henry VIII, King of England, likes playing the role of a renaissance ruler. His greed for women is insatiable, but he does not like the idea of a harem. What is possible at the same time in Constantinople has to be done in neat order in London. Since Catholic belief does not permit divorce, Henry has converted to Protestantism. An unnessecary step perhaps, for he has his wives executed anyway when he has had enough of them. The head of his sixth wife, Katharine Parr, is not too secure, either. She, however, is cleverer than her predecessors and keeps a tight rein on her dragon. She even succeeds in cheating on her cute little darling. Eventually she stakes everything on one chance. At a royal garden party she arranges that comedians perform the play about the old fat lecher 'Sir John Falstaff'. When the king becomes aware that a mirror is being held up to him he suffers a stroke. Even before he has died, Princess Elizabeth, the future queen of England, stands the folk free beer.
Comic