The music of The Romance of the Rose is arranged for piano, flute, violins I and II, and cello. This complement of instruments was chosen with the goal of not only creating effective chamber music, but also drawing a blueprint for a future orchestrator to work from.
In addition to solos, duets and small ensembles, the score contains choral passages for up to five parts.
In the synopsis below, click on the underlined song titles to hear a short sample (mp3 format).
Act I
A lone Troubadour sings the opening lines of Jean Renart’s poem in the original language. A modern-day Scholar, studying the poem, begins to translate for us (Prologue) and we are transported back to the high middle ages.
In the old German Empire, where the succession to the throne is stormy and uncertain, we meet young Emperor Conrad, who, in the eyes of all his subjects, is The Perfect King. All his nobles are basking in the delights of his unparalleled largesse, with the exception of a few, who point out that Conrad is singularly un-marriage-minded, endangering the future of the empire. In a private moment, Conrad’s favorite minstrel, old Jouglet, bend’s the king’s ear with a ballad about an unusually beautiful maiden, in love with an unusually courtly knight. (The Ballad of Guillaume and Liénore) Though he admires the story, Conrad laments that such noble people are no longer to be found; if there were, he would summon them to his court at once. Au contraire, says Jouglet, he knows of an incredibly bold and courtly knight, Guillaume de Dole, living just over the border in France; and Guillaume’s sister Liénore is even more beautiful and virtuous than the fictional maiden. Smitten with Jouglet’s exquisite description of Liénore, Conrad extols the institution of courtly love, wherein the object of desire is admired from afar (A Little Bit Like Love). Practical Jouglet suggests that such love, fine as it is, will not solve the problem of producing a hereditary heir. Inspired, Conrad determines to send for this Guillaume de Dole right away, with an eye to winning his devotion and asking for Liénore’s hand in marriage. Excited, Conrad and Jouglet head back to the castle full of hope for future love. (When Flowers Die in Fall)
At Guillaume de Dole’s French manor house, we observe Liénore and her Mother making ready for Guillaume’s return from a tournament, and Liénore chides her Mother for fretting over the fragile economic state of the manor. (Retort) Guillaume, she says, will return with plenty of money won at the tournament. Nicole, a young messenger, arrives carrying Conrad’s invitation at almost the same moment as Guillaume himself. Guillaume’s supporters, gathered to feast his return and victories in the tournament, are disappointed to learn that Guillaume was bested by a Flemish knight and had to give up his helmet as ransom. (Guillaume’s Report) However, other victorious matches have indeed produced monetary rewards, which Guillaume shares with his eager vassals and retainers. Nicole impatiently delivers Conrad’s invitation for Guillaume to appear at the German court right away; and at his Mother’s behest, Guillaume agrees to make ready to ride for Germany in the morning with several companions. But not, he insists, before dinner, which is served promptly. At the feast, Guillaume extols his Mother’s and Liénore’s skill at weaving and embroidery, not to mention their talent for singing, which he begs them each to display. Liénore and her Mother graciously comply. (Chansons de Toile) After dinner, Guillaume bids Liénore and Mother a tearful farewell (In Your Hands) and we are transported back to the German court by lively Traveling Music.
Back in Germany, Conrad is beside himself with anticipation for Guillaume to arrive; he charges his Seneschal, or household steward, to see that everything is in order to receive their guests. Grudgingly, the Seneschal complies, but not before tending to a private matter: his infatuation with a young noblewoman, the Chatelaine of Dijon, whom he once saw from afar.
On another part of the stage, the Chatelaine is revealed, intrigued by the string of love letters she has received from the mysterious Seneschal. The Chatelaine’s Mother enters and intercepts the letter, protesting that the Seneschal is of low birth and unworthy of a Chatelaine, a mistress of a castle. She advises her daughter to wait for a more suitable (i.e. wealthy and high-born) match. (The Chatelaine of Dijon)
Guillaume de Dole and his companions finally arrive at the German court, and Conrad extends Guillaume a kingly welcome (What the Courtly Do), bestows on him a golden helmet to replace the one he lost, and promises many more lavish gifts. Guillaume, overwhelmed, states that his only desire is to win victories in Conrad’s name; Jouglet reminds Conrad that such an opportunity is approaching, the great tournament of Saint-Trond.
Some time later, in Saint-Trond, a well-dressed complement of lords and ladies are seen arriving at the tournament, brimming with anticipation of the knights’ displays of prowess, as well as the prospect of amorous interludes that the tournament will afford. (Faring Very Well) Guillaume makes a successful start in the tournament, much to the delight of the onlookers. The Chatelaine and her Mother arrive, and meet with the fat and lecherous old Count of Blois, with his attractive young son, Bernard, in tow. After a few pleasantries, the Chatelaine’s Mother and the Count announce their agreement for the Count to marry the Chatelaine, in one month on the first of May. Upset, the Chatelaine runs away, and Bernard chides his father for his amorous excesses. Bernard finds the Chatelaine in tears, and seizes the opportunity to tell her of his deep love for her, which began when he saw her at court some time earlier. Bernard, who has aspirations as a poet and has composed a whole volume of verse dedicated to her, persuades the Chatelaine to hear one of his poems; but hearing her Mother’s voice, the Chatelaine runs away in fear, leaving Bernard to despair. Conrad’s Seneschal finds him in a terrible state, and learns—with interest—of his love for the Chatelaine, and the obstacle of her terrible engagement to the Count. Urging Bernard to recite one of his poems (Bernard’s Love Song) and liking what he hears, the Seneschal persuades Bernard to let him have the poems delivered to the Chatelaine at Dijon, a service for which Bernard is most grateful. But the Seneschal, beginning to show his true character, instructs his squire to have the poems recopied and signed in his own name, then delivered to the Chatelaine, the better to sue for her hand himself. Guillaume and his companions achieve victory in the tournament over the French and Flemish knights, and in a courtly display of generosity, he frees all of his prisoners without ransom (to the chagrin of his retainers, who lament the loss of income.) Conrad, pleased with Guillaume’s performance, is certain that the sister of such a knight is worthy to become the Empress, whatever her social standing, and tells Guillaume of his project to marry Liénore. (If She Only Knew Me) Guillaume is affronted at this suggestion, thinking that Conrad is having a cruel joke on him. The daughter of a title-less landholder, he says, is no help meet for a king. But Conrad insists he is quite serious, and that the inner nobility displayed by Guillaume is more than sufficient to justify the match. Delirious with joy, Guillaume accepts, and he and Conrad go off to toast their future plans. The Seneschal, who has observed this exchange, concealed, bitterly voices the rejection he feels by Conrad, who he says used to lavish favor on him, and his hatred for Guillaume, whom he views as an opportunist and a usurper. Jouglet suggests that the Seneschal lives a charmed life at court and thus has no cause to complain, but this prompts the Seneschal to tell Jouglet about his life’s many trials, and we learn of his humble peasant origins and his rags-to-riches rise to the seneschalcy. (The Seneschal’s Story) Determined to seek revenge on Guillaume and spoil the emperor’s engagement, the Seneschal secures Conrad’s permission to be absent from court for a time, stating he has family matters to attend to. He then hatches a plan to ride straight to Dole and pay a visit to Liénore and her Mother, which he hopes will produce information he can use against Guillaume.
Act II
Arriving at Guillaume’s manor house in Dole, the Seneschal claims to be an emissary from the German court bringing news about Guillaume. Mother is delighted, ushering him into the house, where she provides him with bread and wine. When the Seneschal enquires about meeting Liénore, Mother is suspicious, and states that Liénore will remain in her chambers, according to Guillaume’s strict orders. The Seneschal counters with a gift of a gold ring, and in the course of several glasses of wine, persuades Mother to divulge a family secret: Liénore has a birthmark on her thigh in the perfect shape and hue of a rose. (There’s a Rose) Armed with the tidbit he came for, the Seneschal bolts out the door, leaving Mother stricken with remorse over her indiscretion. The Chatelaine of Dijon, a friend of Liénore’s, arrives at the manor deeply troubled, having fled Dijon at the prospect of marrying the Count of Blois. She finds Liénore at prayer (Stabat Mater: Liénore’s Prayer) and proceeds to ask her friend’s advice on the dilemma before her: bend to her mother’s will and settle for an advantageous but loveless marriage, or fly to the arms of the emperor’s Seneschal, whom she has never met, but knows to be a man of noble character, as evidenced by the many wonderful poems he has written to her of late. Liénore advises the Chatelaine that she should be true to her heart; that she can have both honor and true love, and that being a woman is no reason why she should not do Anything Under the Sun.
The Seneschal arrives back at court just in time for Conrad’s wedding announcement, which he effectively undermines by claiming to have slept with Liénore. As evidence, he cites a rose birthmark on her thigh, which he says he has seen with his own eyes. Distraught, Conrad tells Guillaume, who vows to kill the Seneschal. But it is Liénore, one of Guillaume’s retainers suggests, who should die for her carnal sins. In deep despair and anger, Guillaume allows him to leave to carry out this bloody mission. He and Conrad lament the betrayal by Liénore, noting that she held the future of an empire In Her Hands. Left alone, Conrad sadly admits that Jouglet’s story hasn’t had the happy ending he envisioned. (A Little Bit Like Love—Reprise)
The retainer arrives at the manor house and announces his intention to kill Liénore for her dalliance with the Seneschal; Mother pleads that he must be mistaken, since her daughter has been under lock and key since Guillaume’s departure; and Liénore cries out to God for mercy, asking him to clear her name of this false charge. (Trio) Realizing what must have happened, Mother confesses that she told a visitor from the German court, an “emissary from the Seneschal,” about the rose birthmark. Suspecting that the visitor was in fact the Seneschal himself, Liénore vows to make her way to Maience for Conrad’s plenary court on the first of May, to do whatever is necessary to regain her honor and marry Conrad, a betrothal she only just learned of from the retainer sent to kill her. (Little Miss Metaphor) The formerly murderous retainer agrees to protect her on the journey, pointing out that “it should be an interesting trial.” Liénore constructs an ingenious solution to trap the Seneschal in his own lie. Writing a letter as the Chatelaine of Dijon, she sends him tokens—a ring, a brooch, a scarf—and instructs him to wear them as proof of his love for her, until she comes to him in person. Thinking that the stolen poetry has done its work and that the Chatelaine has softened to him, the Seneschal gladly dons the tokens.
The day before the plenary court, at an inn in the imperial city of Maience, nobles discuss the scandalous news about Conrad’s intended bride. (Gossip) The Chatelaine of Dijon arrives after a long journey, and takes rooms for herself and a small retinue. A short time after, Liénore arrives, decked out like a queen, much to the awe of the townspeople. (Liénore’s Entrance) Posing as the Chatelaine of Dijon (much to the innkeeper’s confusion), she requests lodging at the same inn, but she learns it is full. A townsman offers to escort her to an inn with accommodations befitting such a noble lady, a service for which she pays him handsomely. The townspeople, entranced by her beauty, follow behind her in a solemn procession.
The next morning on the first of May, at Conrad’s court, Liénore presents herself before Conrad, stating that she is the Chatelaine of Dijon, and alleging that the Seneschal has raped her. As evidence, Liénore claims that the Seneschal stole three tokens from her, the better to remember their brief encounter; when the tokens are found on the Seneschal exactly as she describes, everyone is flabbergasted. Shocked at this revelation, Conrad subjects the Seneschal to the infamous trial by water to determine his guilt or innocence. As an old lady gleefully points out, “If he sinks, he’s innocent, and if he floats, he dies!” (Trial By Water) The Seneschal sinks in the water, and is thus exonerated from the charge of rape. It is then, having proven beyond doubt that she has never known the Seneschal carnally, that Liénore reveals her true identity, entreating Conrad to restore her to her rightful place as his fiancée. Beguiled by her ingenuity and her great beauty, Conrad agrees to proceed with the wedding as planned, to the relief of his nobles. At that moment the real Chatelaine, concealed in the crowd, reveals herself, reclaiming her name and bemoaning the true character of the Seneschal, whom she can certainly not marry now. (The Chatelaine of Dijon—Reprise) The Chatelaine’s mother arrives, having pursued her daughter from Dijon, and states that she has the solution to the marriage problem: she has summoned the Count of Blois to appear at Maience that very day, so the wedding can be performed as they agreed. The Chatelaine despairs as the Count is announced; but Bernard enters the audience chamber alone. His father, it seems, has perished in a drunken stupor after one final gluttonous meal. This makes Bernard the Count of Blois, and he states his intention to fulfill all his late father’s contractual obligations: including marrying the Chatelaine! The Chatelaine’s mother is placated, since the late Count’s fortune will still be entering the family. As a wedding present, Bernard presents the Chatelaine with his original volume of verses written for her; confused, the Chatelaine tells him she is sure she has seen the same poems in another hand. A brief glance confirms that these are the poems she had thought to be the work of the Seneschal. Incensed, Bernard reclaims authorship, and declares that the Seneschal is worse than a liar and a traitor: he is a plagiarist! The two couples give voice to their joy at finally being together, tempered with the uncertainty inherent in the fact that they don’t really know each other at all; but they are confident that the process of discovery will be a joy unto itself. (Discovering You) Their rapturous expressions are interrupted by an outcry that the Seneschal is escaping, and attention returns to deciding his fate. Conrad calls for him to be hanged immediately, but Liénore begs for mercy on his behalf. And death, she argues, is too good for him. She instead calls for his banishment to the farthest corner of France, there to ponder his treachery for the rest of his life. (France, she points out, is punishment enough!) Conrad honors her wishes, and the company sing the praises of the perfect queen, whom God has marked with the sign of the rose. (Finale: The Perfect King—Reprise)