From the church comes the sound of a fragment of a motet, begun by the
sopranos and swelling out afterwards in a six-part chorus. Tigrana
sits on the table outside the inn and jeers at the piety of those
peasants who, not being able to find room in the church, kneel outside
and join in the devotion. To her dembal she sings a quaint and springy
sort of tune which is thoroughly impudent in character. With a murmur
of disapproval, which afterwards grows into a demand, the peasants
indignantly ask her to desist from her frivolity. As she proceeds with
her melody the peasants threaten to take stronger measures to stop
the interruption to their prayers, and Edgar, coming out, rushes at
once to Tigrana's defence. This open devotion to her cause apparently
surprises the villagers greatly, and Edgar finds himself called upon at
once to make up his somewhat vacillating mind. With rather curious and
certainly sudden access of ardour, he rails against his lot, and curses
the home of his fathers. Egged on to a species of frenzy, he rushes
into the house and comes out bearing an ember from the hearth. In spite
of the efforts of the villagers to restrain his mad impulse he flings
the brand into the house, and clasping Tigrana to him, announces his
intention of fleeing with her. Frank then rushes on to prevent their
departure, and the two young men draw their daggers. A lull in the fray
is caused by the entrance of Gualtiero and Fidelia from the church; and
the old man's counsel for peace backed up by pious ejaculations from
the crowd, seems likely at first to prevail. But Tigrana puts an end
to Edgar's hesitation, and he attacks Frank with fury. Frank is badly
wounded, and falls in his father's arms as the chorus curse Edgar for a
reprobate, and the curtain falls as the house, now well ablaze, lights
up the scene with its lurid glare.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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