The plot

Scene: A village on the Tuscan coast.

Time: When devils without horns still existed.

Prologue

Baldo the sailor has an appointment with Candida his sweetheart. The next day he has to set sail, and the lovers take leave in the darkness. The bitter-sweet farewell is disturbed by Candida’s father. Mirocleto, an old quack and disbarred pharmacist, is rolling home in his cups. Suddenly a strange figure appears: a devil with huge ears and a long tail, but no horns. There are mutual introductions: the devil is not even a simple devil, but Belfagor an arch-devil. He has been charged by the lords of Hell with investigating whether it is true why almost all the damned souls say, that marriage is the cause of all the troubles and sins. That is why he has come up to Earth; he has to contract a marriage and experience the truth. He has brought along a hundred thousand ducats. On bearing the sum, Mirocleto offers his own three daughters to Belfagor to choose from. When it turns out that starting with the following day Belfagor will have a normal human appearance, they strike a bargain. Dawn approaches; the cocks begin to crow. (Interlude.)

Candida and Baldo meet again. They make plans for their common future and swear eternal fidelity. There is only one thing Candida requests; before embarking in Leghorn; Baldo must go to the Montenero Madonna and ask for her help.

Act1

A room in Mirocleto's house: half a dining-room and half a chemist's office, but also a kitchen and reception room. The quack’s wife, Olimpia, is on stage with her three daughters, Fidelia, Maddalena and Candida. There is a knock on the door, and upon opening it they all stand dumbfounded: a golden sedan chair stands before the door accompanied by footmen in red livery. A gentleman dressed in gold and velvet steps out of the litter: Signer Ipsilonne, who bears a striking resemblance to Belfagor. He introduces himself as a wealthy merchant, tired of the hurly-burly of the world. He wants to settle down and marry, in this quiet village, to enjoy his properly. Fidelia and Maddalena at once start swarming around the wealthy suitor but Signor Ipsilonne chooses Candida. His courtship is cut short by a sound smack on the face from the girl. Yet her resistance is in vain, for Mirocleto has promised her hand to the devil. In the ensemble that follows, all the characters express their thought: Candida her grief, Belfagor, Mirocleto and Olimpia their joy, and the other two girls their envy.

Act II

A tower room in Signer Ipsilonne's palace: a balcony can he seen through one of the windows and a ballroom through a huge glass door. The marriage between Candida and Signor Ipsilonne has been contracted, but Candida has not allowed it to be consummated. Everything is topsy-turvy and everyone is irritable and querulous. Baldo appears and reproaches Candida's parents. Mother Olimpia only manages to calm him down by promising to arrange a meeting between Candida and Baldo. Ipsilonne is beside himself with rage. Not only is his pride offended, for the trouble is more serious: the devil has fallen in love. Upon learning of Baldo’s arrival, Candida suddenly changes. She becomes kind and wheedling towards her husband and asks for only an hour's patience. After that she will unlock the door of her bed chamber. When alone with her mother, Candida tells her she did not utter the words "I will" during the marriage ceremony and was praying at the time to the Montenero Madonna for a miracle. The miracle did take place, and the bells stopped ringing. Her marriage was therefore null and void. The two lovers meet and agree to elope over the balcony. The door of the ballroom opens and the guests throng in. The orchestra on stage plays dance music. (Respighi arranged a gagliarda and a saltarello by Fabrizio Carosa for this scene, taking them from a 1600 collection Nobiltà di Dame.) When the guests depart, a one-sided love duet between Candida and Signor Ipsilonne ensues: The devil’s words become increasingly heated, and the girl seems to be moved, but asks for more patience. Ipsilonne waits happily, but in vain: the voice of Candida and Baldo already sounds in the room from a distance.

Epilogue

The scene is the same as in the Prologue. Night; and a tramp lies on the church steps. Candida and Baldo appear, on their way to the presbytery to be married by the priest. Two more tramps appear, one old and one young. Their conversation turns to the devil. The first tramp who is none other than Belfagor, argues against the young tramp that there is no such thing as a devil. The person of whom they speak in the village was a wealthy gentleman, who did not dream of staying there. Getting tired of the girl, he left. Baldo overhears these last words of Belfagor which suggest that he deflowered the girl. This is too much for Baldo: he beats up the supposed tramp, who runs away, but once again in the guise of a devil.

Candida can only dispel Baldo's gloom by telling him of the miracle of the bell. She asks for another sign from the Madonna, and the bells are heard ringing again. The village people and the lovers, happy at last, rejoice together as the sun rises.

- Péter Várnai