Zampa at once falls a victim to the _beaux yeux_ of Camilla, and demands
her hand as the price of her father's safety. Camilla loves Alfonso, a
Sicilian officer, but is prepared to sacrifice herself to save her
father. At the marriage feast, Zampa, recognising the statue of the
betrayed Alice, jokingly puts his ring upon her finger, which
immediately closes upon it. The opera ends by the statue claiming Zampa
as her own, snatching him from the arms of Camilla, and descending with
him into the abyss.
It would be in vain to look in Herold's score for an echo of the passion
and variety of Mozart, but much of the music of 'Zampa' is picturesque
and effective. Herold's tunes sound very conventional after Weber, but
there is a good deal of skill in the way they are presented. His
orchestration is of course closely modelled on that of his German
prototype, and if it is impossible to say much for his originality, we
can at any rate admire his taste in choosing a model.
'Le Pre aux Clercs' is more popular at the present moment than 'Zampa,'
though it is far inferior in musical interest. If 'Zampa' showed the
influence of Weber, 'Le Pre aux Clercs' is redolent of Rossini. The
overture, with its hollow ring of gaiety, strikes the note of Italianism
which echoes throughout the opera. The plot is full of intrigues and
conspiracies, and is decidedly confusing. Mergy, a young Bernese
gentleman, aspires to the hand of Isabelle, who is one of the Queen of
Navarre's maids of honour.
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