The opera is set in legendary mediaeval times. Its composition was begun during the notorious "hungry winter" of the war years 1916/17, and completed on the day of the proclamation of the republic in Vienna on the 12th of November 1918.

SYNOPSIS

Prologue: King - Fool [Jester]

The Queen is ill because the magic jewels that lend her beauty and fertility and eternal youth have disappeared. The King urgently needs an heir. All attempts to replace or regain the jewels have come to nothing. He therefore asks the Fool to help. The Fool knows about Elis, a remarkable treasure-seeker, who travels the land as a wandering minstrel His magic lute points out all hidden treasure to him. As a reward, the Fool himself is to receive the wife of his choice.

Act 1: Els - A young nobleman - Albi

Els, an innkeeper's daughter, is to be married off by her father, the landlord of a tavern: she is to wed a brutal but rich young nobleman whom she loathes. She therefore has him murdered by Albi, her servant on the eve of the wedding, just like her two earlier wooers. Albi is to steal the Queen's necklace which was to be her wedding present from the nobleman. She has acquired all of the Queen's jewels already and feels herself growing more beautiful daily. She longs to escape from her menial existence.

Els - Elis - The bailiff

Elis, the minstrel, enters: he is to entertain the wedding party, but his songs please no one except Els. He presents her with the necklace which he has found near the corpse of the young nobleman, without seeing it. Now the moon becomes covered over. The bailiff wants to possess Els: he therefore arrests Elis who stands in his way, for Els has fallen in love with the young minstrel.

Act 2: Els - Fool [Jester]

In the village square, Els tells the jester that Elis, the minstrel is to be hanged. Then Els encounters the king's fool, who has been vainly searching for the minstrel. The Fool promises to save Elis, although he too has fallen in love with Els and she now cannot be taken as his wife.

The time

Elis is to sing a last ballad at the gallows in order to gain time. His song is so provocative, however, that the spectators call for sentence to be carried out immediately. Only at the last moment is the King's messenger able to stop the execution. When Els learns that Elis is to search for the jewels, she is horrified, for he will find them with her and expose her. She therefore instructs Albi to steal the lute which reveals treasure to Elis.

Act 3: Elis - Els

Els waits for Elis, who is in despair because without the lute he cannot carry out his task. But in a night of love Els shows herself to him in the full beauty of the jewels. Out of love she hands over the jewellery to him. She asks only one thing of him: never to ask her about their provenance and always to trust her. Will he meet the demands of her love?

Act 4: Queen - Elis

The queen has recovered her jewellery: the court therefore holds a magnificent celebration. But Els is broken-hearted;

The music

Elis has to explain how he found the jewels. Instead, he sings a ballad, whose music reminds him of his wonderful night of love with Els. Enraged, he demands that the queen's jewels be given back to El as he says that they are rightfully hers.

Fool - Els

Then the bailiff intervenes. He has arrested Albi and under torture, has extorted a confession for both the murders and the theft of the jewels. He demands the immediate execution of Els. But the Fool reminds the king of his promised reward: he chooses Els as his wife and so saves her from the scaffold.

The breach of faith

Els implores Elis to forgive her crimes because she says she has only done it for love but he turns away from her in silence.

Epilogue: Loneliness [A year later]

Els is dying. Only the Fool has remained with her. He fetches the minstrel, and Elis sings a last ballad to ease Els's death. All his art has failed. In the afterlife, their love will flourish untrammelled by moral constraints