MARTHA - The Spinning Quartet

From the Bel Canto Opera production, Lionel and Plunkett command their "maids", Martha and Julia, to demonstrate their skill at spinning. As they are really upper class ladies pretending to be servants, Lady Harriet and Nancy have no idea how to use a spinning wheel. To their amusement, Plunkett and Lionel attempt to teach them.
PLUNKETT: Now lets see how skillful you can be...at spinning
HARRIET: Spinning? Spinning?
NANCY: Her and me?
LIONEL: It's expected!
PLUNKETT: Naturally! Now let's start at the beginning.
HARRIET: Ha ha ha ha ha ha Spinning!
NANCY: Ha ha ha ha ha ha Spinning!
PLUNKETT: (mocking) Ha ha ha ha ha ha Spinning!
What's this game that you play?
You're not here on holiday!
Stop that imbecilic grinning!
Get the spindles!
NANCY & HARRIET: Hold your temper!
LIONEL: You will frighten them away!
PLUNKETT: Hush) Now let's see how you do it!
HARRIET: Can't do!
NANCY: Can't do!
LIONEL: What?
PLUNKETT? What? So... Sit there!
HARRIET & NANCY: Yes, Sir!
PLUNKETT: Turn the spindle, twist, turn, twist, turn
NANCY: I don't know how!
HARRIET: I don't know how!
PLUNKETT: Turn, turn, turn, turn,
twist twist, twist, turn!
LIONEL: Tease the fleece and gently pull
the fibres out from the wool
HARRIET & NANCY: We're much too thick to ever learn it!
LIONEL & PLUNKETT: Turn it!
HARRIET & NANCY: Help us! We're hopeless! Useless!
LIONEL & PLUNKETT: Turn it! Draw! Turn it! Faster!
HARRIET & NANCY: No!
PLUNKETT: (demonstrating) Like so!
HARRIET & NANCY: I'm trying, I'm trying.
LIONEL: Are you trying? Are you trying?
HARRIET & NANCY: Show us how! Show us how!
PLUNKET: I'll show you how.
Turn the wheel round to begin it
Draw the yarn and feed it in
Twist the fibre as you spin it
Even dolts can learn to spin
HARRIET: How amusing, Ah!
NANCY: How amazing, watch him spin it
How he twists the yarn so thin
Spinning faster every minute
I'm too nervous to begin
LIONEL & PLUNKETT: Can you do it?
HARRIET & NANCY: Heaven knows!
LIONEL & PLUNKETT: Then get to it!
HARRIET & NANCY: Well, here goes!
LIONEL & PLUNKETT: You have watched us demonstrate it
Now let's see you imitate it!
ALL: Ha ha ha ha!
HARRIET: It's bemusing! So confusing!
Were I home in bed and snoozing!
ALL: Turn the wheel round to begin it
And draw the yarn to spin it
Get faster every minute
HARRIET & NANCY: I cannot twist it thin!
I will never learn to turn it while I feed the fibre in
I will never ever learn to spin!
LIONEL & PLUNKETT Why can't you twist it thin!
Why can't you learn to turn it while you feed the fibre in?
You will never ever learn to spin!

words © Tom Boyd

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Bel
• Canto
• Opera
• Martha
• Flotow
• Amanda
• Boyd
• Lionel
• Stephen
• Crook
• Nancy
• Sue
• Black
• Plunkett
• Wells

[Goethefemme]

I wish someone would put the Goodnight quartet out. It's wonderful. But, please, in German.

[hughdrover]

Wolfgang Strietzel, of Muenchen, Germany writes: Congratulations! I enjoyed Tom Boyd's English adaption of the libretto; in my opinion Tom Boyd has created a text which fits much better than the German original.

[cocochanelleke]

In those ages, this was a funny past-time for those who had plenty of servants.

The ones who where really at the wheel daily, servants, had a lot less left to be energetic and funny about at the end of the day/of their life. I wish someone would compose something about them.

[hughdrover]

An opera about drudgery with unenergetic, humourless exploited servants? Sounds more like a Marxist tract. Who besides you would want to sit through it?

[marseilletarot]

Bravo! Who lets these rabid Bolshies on here, anyway?

[abnerwagner]

WOW!!! This music is beautiful!!!

Plunkett is SOOOO beautiful toooo..... XD XD XD XD

[KatherineXIX]

This is such a cute quartet! In about a month I'm going to sing Nancy in this scene (auf Deutsch), and I'm pretty excited.

[traubloch]

what fun!