Synopsis Patience (opera)

rapturous maidens await bunthorne

in front of castle bunthorne, group of lovesick maidens in love aesthetic poet bunthorne ( twenty lovesick maidens ). lady jane, oldest , plainest of ladies, informs them bunthorne, far returning affections, has heart set on simple milkmaid patience. patience appears , confesses has never loved anyone; thankful love has not turned miserable has them ( cannot tell love may ). soon, ladies old sweethearts, dragoon guards, appear ( soldiers of our queen ), led colonel calverley ( if want receipt popular mystery ), major murgatroyd, , droopy immensely rich lieutenant duke of dunstable. arrive ready propose, discover intendeds fawning on bunthorne, in throes of poetical composition, pretending ignore attention of ladies thronging around him ( in doleful train ). bunthorne reads poem , departs, while officers coldly rebuffed , mocked aesthetic ladies, turn noses @ sight of red , yellow uniforms. dragoons, reeling insult, depart ( when first put uniform on ).

sydney granville grosvenor

bunthorne, left alone, confesses aestheticism sham, , mocks movement s pretensions ( if re anxious shine ). soon, reveals patience that, her, not poetry, tells him not love him. later, lady angela, 1 of bunthorne s admirers, explores patience latter s childhood crush ( long years ago ). lady angela rhapsodises upon love 1 unselfish pursuit in world. impressed eloquence, patience promises fall in love @ earliest opportunity. opportunity provided arrival of archibald grosvenor, aesthetic poet turns out patience s childhood love. has grown infallible, loved poet known archibald all-right ( prithee, pretty maiden ). 2 declare in love brought short realisation grosvenor perfect being, patience love him selfish act, , therefore not true love; thus, must part.

passmore bunthorne curses lytton grosvenor

bunthorne, heartbroken patience s rejection, has chosen raffle himself off among lady followers ( let merry cymbals sound ), proceeds going charity. dragoons interrupt proceedings, and, led duke, attempt reason ladies ( maiden hearts, ah, not steel ), ladies busy clamouring tickets raffle listen ( come walk ). bunthorne handing bag unattractive jane, ready worst, patience interrupts proceedings , proposes unselfishly sacrifice herself loving poet ( true love must single-hearted ). delighted bunthorne accepts immediately, , followers, idol lost, return dragoons whom engaged ( hear soft note of echoing voice ). seems resolved until grosvenor enters , ladies, finding him poetic, aesthetic, , far more attractive bunthorne, become partisans instead ( oh, list while love confess ), dismay of dragoons, patience, bunthorne , grosvenor himself.

act ii

alice barnett lady jane

lady jane, accompanying herself on cello, laments passing of years , expresses hope bunthorne secure before late ( silvered raven hair ). meanwhile, grosvenor wearily entertains ladies ( magnet hung in hardware shop ) , begs given half-holiday cloying attentions. dragoons major, colonel, , duke attempt earn partners love through effort convert principles of aestheticism ( s clear mediaeval art ). patience confesses affection grosvenor bunthorne, naturally furious @ revelation.

confronting grosvenor, bunthorne threatens him dire curse unless undertakes become ordinary young man. grosvenor, intimidated, pleased @ excuse escape celebrity caused fatal beauty , agrees so. plot backfires, however, when grosvenor reappears ordinary man; ladies follow him ordinariness, becoming matter-of-fact young girls. patience realises grosvenor has lost perfection in eyes – , therefore not selfish marry him, undertakes without delay. ladies, following suit, return old fiancés among dragoons. in spirit of fairness, duke chooses plain lady jane bride, lack of appeal. bunthorne left vegetable love has claimed (falsely) desire of all. thus, echoing subtitle of piece, sings nobody [is] bunthorne s bride.