Galileo: The True Story
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Galileo: The True Story is a comic play, with overture and songs, written and composed by Sir Patrick Moore.
The play's premiere was at Torquay Boys' Grammar School, at which Moore (a patron of the school) was in attendance. It has since been performed in March 2002 at the Playroom, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge; later in June at Downing College, Cambridge, and later still in August at Chichester and Selsey, at Patrick Moore's home.
In almost every performance of this play, Moore has provided the onstage narration.
[edit] Plot
Galileo is a fictional account of the life of Galileo Galilei, set in the early 17th century, and concerns Galileo's efforts to make known his theory that the Earth goes round the Sun (as was previously noted by Copernicus), rather than the theory of geocentricity favoured by the Catholic Church. Galileo travels to Rome to confer with the new Pope, Urban VIII, who has recently been voted into office by dubious means. Pope Urban is unwilling to favour Galileo's theories, and proclaims him a heretic, and enlists the aid of the Grand Inquisitor and the Papal Astronomer to deliver Galileo to the Inquisition. Galileo, however, was childhood friends with the Pope, and knows of his inability to either speak or read Latin. Assuring him that, if this secret got out, Urban's reputation would be ruined and shame brought upon the Papacy, Galileo promises not to reveal the truth as long as the Pope agrees to publish his theories on a Universe with the Sun at its centre. They agree, and all ends happily.
[edit] Dramatis Personae
- Galileo Galilei, a scientist from Padua (tenor)
- Pope Urban VIII, formerly Paulo Barberini, the new leader of the Catholic Church (bass)
- Cardinal Bellarmine of the Catholic Church (bass-baritone)
- The Grand Inquisitor of the Holy Inquisition (baritone)
- Clavius, the Papal Astronomer (non-singing)
- Sarti, Galileo's housekeeper (soprano)
- Andrea, Sarti's son and Galileo's assistant (soprano)
- Virginia, Galileo's daughter (soprano)
- Sagredo, Galileo's friend (baritone)
- Marco, a guard of the Inquisition (baritone)
- Luigi, a pasta restaurant proprietor (baritone)
- Chorus of ladies and gentlemen
[edit] Song list
Overture
Scene I
- "When I turn toward the starlit sky" (Galileo, Virginia, Andrea, Chorus)
- "The Earth goes round the Sun" (Galileo, Sagredo, Sarti, Virginia, Andrea, Chorus)
- "Heedless man of sin ... Jupiter's Moons" (Bellarmine, Galileo, Chorus)
- "Father, father" (Virginia, Sarti, Galileo, Andrea)
Scene II
- "We are the Inquisition" (Pope, Marco, Chorus)
- "Round and round the Sun we go" (Luigi)
Scene III
- "The Leaning Tower of Pisa" (Galileo, Andrea)
- "I am the Grand Inquisitor" (Grand Inquisitor)
- "Down in the dungeon" (Grand Inquisitor, Galileo, Chorus)
Scene IV
- "I am the Pope of Rome" (Pope)
- "Of a crime of dreadful impact" (Grand Inquisitor, Galileo, Chorus)
- "When I was but a little boy" (Galileo, Pope)
- "When I became the Pope" (Pope, Galileo, Chorus)
- "The Earth goes round the Sun (reprise)" (All)
