[1] The ‘opérette’ was first performed on 1 May 1879 as part of an evening's entertainment organized by the ‘Cercle international’ in the Boulevard des Capucines, with piano accompaniment by Chabrier himself.

There is evidence that the Vitale Italian Operetta Company (Italy) prepared the work around 1904, and gave the first Buenos Aires performance at the Teatro Politeama on 12 September 1904 (as Tuono provvidenziale) and again in 1905.

[3] The 1924 Paris production by Diaghilev, designed by Juan Gris and conducted by André Messager, had recitatives by Darius Milhaud to replace the spoken dialogue.

Scene 1 and 2 Arriving directly from their (teenage) wedding, the young Count Gontran and his wife Hélène, are both expecting some adult advice from their relations.

Then Pausanias explains although Hélène's aunt is ready to see her, as Gontran's grandfather is ill he can't come to talk to the young man, but has sent a letter instead.

In a buffo duo “Après vous avoir saturé d’hébreu”, Pausanias rejects this, insisting that he has taught Gontran Hebrew, Hindu, algebra, chemistry, Greek, trigonometry, metaphysics, therapeutics, mechanics, dialectics, aesthetics, statistics, mythology, metallurgy, ...and so on.