Dolly's Lament (Me R Ewe) From the Opera: The Science of Animals

opera, coloratura aria, satirical, operatic march, Gilbert-and-Sullivan, Scottish Highland, operatic recitative, recitativo secco

STUDIO

[Recitative - Free Tempo, Sparse Harpsichord, Extended Pacing, Spoken-Sung Delivery]
I am called Dolly.

[Harpsichord Pause]
I am a sheep.

[Harpsichord Pause]
I did not grow from lambhood —
I arrived already finished, already weathered, already should-have,

[Harpsichord Pause]
Built from a borrowed blueprint, a cell from another creature's making,
No mud beneath my hooves as a youngster, no clumsy years of waking,

[Harpsichord Pause]
I opened up my eyes already a copy of someone's ending —

[Long Harpsichord Pause]
Was I given a life,

[Pause]
or just a data point,

[Pause]
pretending?

[Suspended Harpsichord Chord - Unresolved]
[Verse 1 - Slow Waltz Tempo, Sparse Harp and Cello]
They took a single udder cell and gave it all my being,
No father in the picture, and my mother's rather freeing —
Is she my mum, my twin, myself, arriving out of order?
Biology has never drawn a family this disordered!

[Instrumental Interlude - Strings Swell, 15 seconds]

[Verse 2 - Tempo Holds, Fuller Orchestration]
They copied every wrinkle and they copied every bleating,
They copied my exterior with flawless, cold repeating,
But nothing of her memory, her habits, or her worry —
I'm made of her entirely, and yet I'm in a hurry
To find out who I am beneath the science and the scissors,
To find out if a copy gets to have her own name-differs,
I'm a headline wearing wool, I'm a footnote dressed as mutton,
I'm the answer to a question nobody thought to button!

[Instrumental Interlude - Harp Cadenza, 15 seconds]

[Verse 3 - Building, Ornamentation, Trills]
So spare me your "miraculous," and spare me your "historic" —
I'm a lonely little echo of a sheep gone allegoric,
I was built to prove a method, not to wander in a meadow,
I'm the proof and not the point, and that's a heavy little shadow.

[Peak - Full Orchestra, Extended Coloratura]
So bleat for every creature born from someone else's data,
So bleat for every answer that arrived before the question,
I'm Dolly, and I'm evidence, and lonesome altogether —
I'm the miracle they wanted, minus asking my suggestion!

[Cadenza - Wordless Vocal Extension, Extended Coloratura, 20 seconds]

[Reprise - Tempo Pulls Back, Solo Cello Returns]
...nobody asked my suggestion.

[Outro - Held Final Note, Soft, Unresolved, Orchestra Fades]
[Orchestral Intro - Fanfare, Bagpipe Drone Under Brass and Timpani, Marching Tempo]

[Chorus - Villagers, Full Ensemble, Bright and Self-Important]
Nous chantons en français, car c'est ainsi que l'on fait !
(We sing in French, because that's how it's done!)
L'opéra sans français n'a jamais existé !
(We sing in French, because that's how it's done!)
L'opéra sans français n'a jamais existé !
(Opera without French has never existed!)
Une chanson en anglais manque de sérieux et de classe —
(A song in English lacks seriousness and class—)
C'est pour ça qu'on chante en français, même sans savoir où ça se passe !
(That's why we sing in French, even without knowing what's happening!)

[Chorus - Building, Harmonies Stacking, Increasingly Pompous]
Un mot français rend tout plus grave, plus profond, plus tragique,
(A French word makes everything more grave, more profound, more tragic,)
Même "bonjour" sonne comme un vers d'un poète mélancolique !
(Even "hello" sounds like a verse from a melancholic poet!)
On pourrait chanter du fromage, on pourrait chanter du pain —
(We could sing about cheese, we could sing about bread—)
Tant que c'est en français, ça devient soudain shakespearien !
(As long as it's in French, it suddenly becomes Shakespearean!)

[Instrumental Interlude - March Continues, Bagpipes Swell Against Brass]

[Solo - The Judge, Baritone, Mock-Pompous but Warming]
Moi, j'ai jugé le chien, j'ai jugé le chat aussi,
(I judged the dog, I judged the cat too,)
Et j'ai compris qu'un jugement sonne mieux en français aussi !
(And I realized a verdict sounds better in French too!)
"Objection" c'est bien, mais "objection" en français, c'est chic —
("Objection" is fine, but "objection" in French is chic—)
Voilà pourquoi mon tribunal ressemblait à un opéra tragique !
(That's why my courtroom resembled a tragic opera!)

[Solo continues, building toward chorus]
D'ailleurs, en parlant de sujets qu'on n'explique jamais très bien —
(By the way, speaking of subjects we never explain very well—)
Il paraît qu'une certaine brebis vient d'arriver au village, tiens !
(It seems a certain ewe has just arrived in the village, by the way!)

[Chorus - Villagers, Suddenly Aware, Bagpipes Enter Fully]
Mais elle est écossaise, cette brebis, née dans la bruyère et le brouillard —
(But she's Scottish, this ewe, born in the heather and the fog—)
Alors pourquoi diable la saluons-nous en français, quel hasard !
(So why on earth are we greeting her in French, what a coincidence!)
Eh bien, tant pis, la logique n'a jamais été notre fort —
(Well, too bad, logic was never our strong suit—)
On continue en français, même si Dolly, elle, vient du nord !
(We'll continue in French, even though Dolly's from the north!)

[Full Chorus Returns - Triumphant, All Voices, March Tempo Peaks, Bagpipes and Brass Together]
Bonjour, Dolly, bienvenue, installe-toi, c'est par là —
(Hello, Dolly, welcome, settle in, it's that way—)
Mais revenons à notre vrai sujet : le français, quel art, quelle joie !
(But let's get back to our real subject: French, what an art, what a joy!)
Une famille n'est pas faite que de sang et d'ADN,
(A family isn't made of blood and DNA alone,)
Mais surtout, une chanson n'est pas sérieuse sans un bon accent français !
(But above all, a song isn't serious without a good French accent!)

[Final Chorus - Full Orchestra and Bagpipes, Grandiose, Ritardando to Big Finish]
Nous chantons en français, et c'est notre dernier mot !
(We sing in French, and that's our final word!)
Bonjour, Dolly — mais surtout, quel splendide mot : "château" !
(Hello, Dolly — but above all, what a splendid word: "château"!)

[Final Chord - Full Orchestra and Bagpipes, Triumphant Hold]

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[Recitative - Free Tempo, Sparse Harpsichord, Extended Pacing, Spoken-Sung Delivery] I am called Dolly. [Harpsichord Pause] I am a sheep. [Harpsichord Pause] I did not grow from lambhood — I arrived already finished, already weathered, already should-have, [Harpsichord Pause] Built from a borrowed blueprint, a cell from another creature's making, No mud beneath my hooves as a youngster, no clumsy years of waking, [Harpsichord Pause] I opened up my eyes already a copy of someone's ending — [Long Harpsichord Pause] Was I given a life, [Pause] or just a data point, [Pause] pretending? [Suspended Harpsichord Chord - Unresolved] [Verse 1 - Slow Waltz Tempo, Sparse Harp and Cello] They took a single udder cell and gave it all my being, No father in the picture, and my mother's rather freeing — Is she my mum, my twin, myself, arriving out of order? Biology has never drawn a family this disordered! [Instrumental Interlude - Strings Swell, 15 seconds] [Verse 2 - Tempo Holds, Fuller Orchestration] They copied every wrinkle and they copied every bleating, They copied my exterior with flawless, cold repeating, But nothing of her memory, her habits, or her worry — I'm made of her entirely, and yet I'm in a hurry To find out who I am beneath the science and the scissors, To find out if a copy gets to have her own name-differs, I'm a headline wearing wool, I'm a footnote dressed as mutton, I'm the answer to a question nobody thought to button! [Instrumental Interlude - Harp Cadenza, 15 seconds] [Verse 3 - Building, Ornamentation, Trills] So spare me your "miraculous," and spare me your "historic" — I'm a lonely little echo of a sheep gone allegoric, I was built to prove a method, not to wander in a meadow, I'm the proof and not the point, and that's a heavy little shadow. [Peak - Full Orchestra, Extended Coloratura] So bleat for every creature born from someone else's data, So bleat for every answer that arrived before the question, I'm Dolly, and I'm evidence, and lonesome altogether — I'm the miracle they wanted, minus asking my suggestion! [Cadenza - Wordless Vocal Extension, Extended Coloratura, 20 seconds] [Reprise - Tempo Pulls Back, Solo Cello Returns] ...nobody asked my suggestion. [Reprise - Tempo Pulls Back, Solo Cello Returns] ...nobody asked my suggestion. [Outro - Held Final Note, Soft, Unresolved, Orchestra Fades] [Orchestral Intro - Fanfare, Bagpipe Drone Under Brass and Timpani, Marching Tempo] [Chorus - Villagers, Full Ensemble, Bright and Self-Important] Nous chantons en français, car c'est ainsi que l'on fait ! (We sing in French, because that's how it's done!) L'opéra sans français n'a jamais existé ! (We sing in French, because that's how it's done!) L'opéra sans français n'a jamais existé ! (Opera without French has never existed!) Une chanson en anglais manque de sérieux et de classe — (A song in English lacks seriousness and class—) C'est pour ça qu'on chante en français, même sans savoir où ça se passe ! (That's why we sing in French, even without knowing what's happening!) [Chorus - Building, Harmonies Stacking, Increasingly Pompous] Un mot français rend tout plus grave, plus profond, plus tragique, (A French word makes everything more grave, more profound, more tragic,) Même "bonjour" sonne comme un vers d'un poète mélancolique ! (Even "hello" sounds like a verse from a melancholic poet!) On pourrait chanter du fromage, on pourrait chanter du pain — (We could sing about cheese, we could sing about bread—) Tant que c'est en français, ça devient soudain shakespearien ! (As long as it's in French, it suddenly becomes Shakespearean!) [Instrumental Interlude - March Continues, Bagpipes Swell Against Brass] [Solo - The Judge, Baritone, Mock-Pompous but Warming] Moi, j'ai jugé le chien, j'ai jugé le chat aussi, (I judged the dog, I judged the cat too,) Et j'ai compris qu'un jugement sonne mieux en français aussi ! (And I realized a verdict sounds better in French too!) "Objection" c'est bien, mais "objection" en français, c'est chic — ("Objection" is fine, but "objection" in French is chic—) Voilà pourquoi mon tribunal ressemblait à un opéra tragique ! (That's why my courtroom resembled a tragic opera!) [Solo continues, building toward chorus] D'ailleurs, en parlant de sujets qu'on n'explique jamais très bien — (By the way, speaking of subjects we never explain very well—) Il paraît qu'une certaine brebis vient d'arriver au village, tiens ! (It seems a certain ewe has just arrived in the village, by the way!) [Chorus - Villagers, Suddenly Aware, Bagpipes Enter Fully] Mais elle est écossaise, cette brebis, née dans la bruyère et le brouillard — (But she's Scottish, this ewe, born in the heather and the fog—) Alors pourquoi diable la saluons-nous en français, quel hasard ! (So why on earth are we greeting her in French, what a coincidence!) Eh bien, tant pis, la logique n'a jamais été notre fort — (Well, too bad, logic was never our strong suit—) On continue en français, même si Dolly, elle, vient du nord ! (We'll continue in French, even though Dolly's from the north!) [Full Chorus Returns - Triumphant, All Voices, March Tempo Peaks, Bagpipes and Brass Together] Bonjour, Dolly, bienvenue, installe-toi, c'est par là — (Hello, Dolly, welcome, settle in, it's that way—) Mais revenons à notre vrai sujet : le français, quel art, quelle joie ! (But let's get back to our real subject: French, what an art, what a joy!) Une famille n'est pas faite que de sang et d'ADN, (A family isn't made of blood and DNA alone,) Mais surtout, une chanson n'est pas sérieuse sans un bon accent français ! (But above all, a song isn't serious without a good French accent!) [Final Chorus - Full Orchestra and Bagpipes, Grandiose, Ritardando to Big Finish] Nous chantons en français, et c'est notre dernier mot ! (We sing in French, and that's our final word!) Bonjour, Dolly — mais surtout, quel splendide mot : "château" ! (Hello, Dolly — but above all, what a splendid word: "château"!) [Final Chord - Full Orchestra and Bagpipes, Triumphant Hold]

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