About the work
Singspiel in two acts by Antonio Salieri to a libretto by Georg Friedrich Treitschke, first performed on 10 November 1804 at the Theater an der Wien – Salieri's last work for the stage before he withdrew from opera. He composed most of the score in 1802, though the premiere followed two years later.
Plot
On a colonised Caribbean island, Lord Falkland, falsely accused by his rival Lord Bedford, returns in disguise as a Black servant named Jack. When Governor Dellwill uncovers evidence of Falkland's innocence, Bedford orders Jack to poison him – but Jack substitutes the poison with a harmless draught and reveals his true identity. Bedford is brought to justice, clearing the way for Falkland to marry Fanny, while a second couple, Betty and John, also find each other.
Cultural significance
Despite a title offensive to modern ears, the libretto grants its Black characters unusual dignity and lets the plot culminate in an interracial marriage unusual for 1804. Viennese audiences nonetheless stayed away: after just four unenthusiastic performances, the Theater an der Wien dropped the piece. A revival followed in 1805 in Breslau under the young Carl Maria von Weber; librettist Georg Friedrich Treitschke, who later co-wrote Beethoven's 'Fidelio', drew partly on the same singers for that opera's premiere.