an opera title

[ladorada]

What's the meaning of this opera title: The Three and the Deuce (1795) by Stephen Storace. Does it relate to playing cards or not? More about the musician here: Stephen Storace. My aim is to find a suitable translation for the title.

[kempie]

The Three and the Deuce is described as an Afterpiece. These take the conventional form of spoken dialogue alternating with dra�matically inessential music. Shorter and simpler than his six mainpiece operas, they are typically domestic comedies, so are relatively unaffected by literary fash�ion or other external influences.

Some of Storace's eight afterpieces are collaborations with his old friend Prince Hoare. Hoare wrote The Three and the Deuce, a comedy in three acts, apparently using the plot of a Spanish comedy Los tres mellizos (twins???).

It may be of some interest to note that in Charles Dickens' David Copperfield Mrs. Micawber sings a song from The Three and the Deuce titled Little Taffline.

[kempie]

Further to the above, I have found references to another credit as author, namely A Collalto (or Matiuzzi)...

http://www.worldcatlibraries.org/oclc/25493259 ?tab=details

This would be the Italian author and actor Antonio Cristoforo Colalto-Mattiuzzi (or Collalto-Mattiuci) and his work (for added confusion, an Italian Comedy in French) Les Trois jumeaux v�nitiens.

http://www.cesar.org.uk/cesar2/people/people.p hp?fct=edit&person_UOID=100221