Place: A village, in front of the magistrates house aside

Characters: The Magistrate (bass) - The Mother (alto) - Lisbeth (soprano) - Hermann (tenor) - Kauz (bass) - Martin (silent part)

A village magistrate is celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of his appointment. The absence of his missing son Hermann, however, casts a pall on the festivities. Also downcast is the magistrates ward Lisbeth, who is Hermanns betrothed and has been faithful to him for a very long time now. The shady peddler Kauz arrives on the scene and tries to make Lisbeth forget Hermann through all manner of intrigues. This is exactly the moment Hermann chooses to return secretly. At night, Hermann wants to awaken Lisbeth with a serenade, but is interrupted by Kauz, who has disguised himself as a night watchman. Kauz declares his love to Lisbeth but is caught by Hermann, who is now patrolling the streets himself. The magistrate wakes up and Hermann is obliged to let Kauz go. The following morning, all the misunderstandings are cleared up and everything ends with a festive song "in dulci jubilo. Mendelssohn wrote this work for his parents silver wedding anniversary. It is easy to see how the title relates to the composers own biography, since Mendelssohn himself returned from a stay of several months in England and Scotland in late 1829.