An expression I haven't seen before

I have come across the expression "Allons du bruit" in an Offenbach libretto: I assume it means something like "Let's make a noise" but I want to check. Can anyone be more precise.

0 members like this

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Marc Vonhalmen on July 18, 2009 at 7:01pm

Is it "Allons du bruit" or "Allons, du bruit" ?
"Allons du bruit" doesn't make any sense to me (and my native tongue is French). But I guess this would mean "Let's make a noise", as you said.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by David Parry on July 18, 2009 at 8:28pm

Hello Marc! Thanks for the reply. It is very odd. The punctuation isn't clear. There are two lines of libretto: Allons du bruit chantez criez
Allons du bruit cassez brisez
They only occur once and are not in the printed libretto, only in the score without punctuation. I suspect that Offenbach added them to pad out musical material. They are sung by the whole company. Could there be an extra exclamation mark maybe, as: Allons! Du bruit! Chantez, criez! Not much better really... David

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Marc Vonhalmen on July 18, 2009 at 9:00pm

Hi David,

Allons! Du bruit! Chantez, criez! makes perfectly sense. But it doesn't without punctuation ;)
--> Come on! Make a noise!

"Du bruit!" is synonymous to "Faites du bruit!"

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by David Parry on July 19, 2009 at 1:19am

Hi Marc! Thank you so much for this. I have been saved from looking dumb!!! David