Dvorak - Humoresque - David Garett
From the album "Classic Romance" - David Garrett
You may also like:
Andrew Lloyd Webber - Pie Jesu - Sarah Brightman and Ben De'ath
Live performance by Sarah Brightman and Ben De'ath. Taken from 'Andrew Lloyd Webber: The Royal Albert Hall Celebration'.
Home
Related:
Lyrics:
Pie Jesu, (4x); Qui tollis peccata mundi; Dona eis requiem. (2x)
Pie Jesu, (4x); Qui tollis peccata mundi; Dona eis requiem. (2x)
Agnus Dei, (4x); Qui tollis peccata mundi, Dona eis requiem (2x); Sempiternam. (2x)
Pie Jesu
Pie Jesu is a motet derived from the final couplet of the Dies irae and often included in musical settings of the Requiem Mass. The settings of the Requiem Mass by Luigi Cherubini, Gabriel Fauré, Maurice Duruflé, John Rutter, Karl Jenkins and Fredrik Sixten include a Pie Jesu as an independent movement. Of all these, by far the best known is the Pie Jesu from Fauré's Requiem; Camille Saint-Saëns said of it, "just as Mozart's is the only Ave verum corpus, this is the only Pie Jesu".
The Andrew Lloyd Webber version combines the text of the Pie Jesu with that of the version of the Agnus Dei formerly appointed to be used at Requiem Masses:
°Pie Jesu, (4x)°Qui tollis peccata mundi
°Dona eis requiem. (2x)
Agnus Dei, (4x)
Qui tollis peccata mundi,
Dona eis requiem (2x)
Sempiternam. (2x)
Merciful Jesus,
Who takes away the sins of the world,
Grant them rest.
Lamb of God,
Who takes away the sins of the world,
Grant them rest
Everlasting.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Pie Jesu.
Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 21 "Waldstein"
Piano - Vladimir Horowitz
Home
Related:
Piano Sonata No. 21 (Beethoven)
The Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53, also known as the Waldstein, is considered to be one of Beethoven's greatest piano sonatas, as well as one of the three particularly notable sonatas of his middle period (the other two being the Appassionata sonata, Op. 57, and Les Adieux, Op. 81a). The sonata was completed in the summer of 1804. The work has a scope that surpasses Beethoven's previous piano sonatas, and is notably one of his most technically challenging compositions. It is a key work early in his 'Heroic' decade (1803-1812) and set the stage for piano compositions in the grand manner both in Beethoven's later work and all future composers.
The Waldstein receives its name from Beethoven's dedication to Count Ferdinand Ernst Gabriel von Waldstein of Vienna, a patron as well as a close personal friend of Beethoven's. Like the Archduke Trio (one of many pieces dedicated to Archduke Rudolph), this one bears Waldstein's name though there are other works dedicated to him. This sonata is also known as 'L'Aurora' (The Dawn) in Italian, for the sonority of the opening chords of the third movement, which conjures an image of daybreak.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Piano Sonata No. 21 (Beethoven).
Chopin - Etude no. 3 in E major, Op. 10 no. 3, "Tristesse"
Piano - Murray Perahia
Home
Related:
Étude Op. 10, No. 3 (Chopin)
Étude Op. 10 No. 3, in E major, is a study for solo piano composed by Frédéric Chopin in 1832. It was first published in 1833 in France, Germany, and England as the third piece of his Études Op. 10. This is a slow cantabile study for polyphonic and legato playing. Chopin himself believed the melody to be his most beautiful one. It became famous through numerous popular arrangements. Neither "Tristesse'" (sadness) nor "Farewell" are names given by Chopin.
Significance
This étude differs from most of Chopin's in its tempo, its poetic character and the lingering yet powerful recitation of its cantabile melody. It marks a significant departure from the technical virtuosity required in standard études before Chopin's time, though, especially in the third volume of Clementi’s Gradus ad Parnassum (1826), slow études for polyphonic playing, especially slower introductions to études, as well as études with alternating slower and faster sections, can easily be found. According to German scholar and Chopin biographer Frederick Niecks (1845–1925) Chopin said to his German pupil and copyist Adolph Gutmann (1819–1882) that he "had never in his life written another such beautiful melody (‘chant’); and on one occasion when Gutmann was studying it the master lifted his arms with his hands clasped and exclaimed: ‘O, my fatherland!’ ("O, me [sic] patrie!")" Niecks writes that this study "may be reckoned among Chopin’s loveliest compositions" as it "combines classical chasteness of contour with the fragrance of romanticism." American music critic James Huneker (1857–1921) believes it to be "simpler, less morbid, sultry and languorous, therefore saner, than the much bepraised study in C sharp minor." Chopin originally gave his Op.10 No.3 Etude the tempo Vivace, later adding ..ma non troppo. It is also relevant to observe that this etude is in 2/4 time and not 4/4, although it is generally performed as a very slow 4/4 piece that was notated mostly in crotchets and quavers, rather than quavers and semiquavers. The visual impact of the score alone strongly suggests that a languid tempo is incorrect. There is also no doppio movimento following the opening section, which results in an erroneous drastic slowing down for the re-entry of the opening section. These are unwritten by Chopin, according to his autograph manuscript and other original source materials.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Étude Op. 10, No. 3 (Chopin)
Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No. 5
Musica Florea / Artistic director - Marek Štryncl
Home
Related:
Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No. 3
Bach - Double Violin Concerto
Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050
Title on autograph score: Concerto Traversiere, une Violino principale, une Violino è una Viola in ripieno, Violoncello, Violone è Cembalo concertato.
1. Allegro
2. Affettuoso
3. Allegro
Concertino: harpsichord, violin, flute
Ripieno: violin, viola, cello, violone, (harpsichord)
The harpsichord is both a concertino and a ripieno instrument: in the concertino passages the part is obbligato; in the ripieno passages it has a figured bass part and plays continuo.
This concerto makes use of a popular chamber music ensemble of the time (flute, violin, and harpsichord), which Bach used on their own for the middle movement. It is believed that it was written in 1719, to show off a new harpsichord by Michael Mietke which Bach had brought back from Berlin for the Cöthen court. It is also thought that Bach wrote it for a competition at Dresden with the French composer and organist Louis Marchand; in the central movement, Bach uses one of Marchand's themes. Marchand fled before the competition could take place, apparently scared off in the face of Bach's great reputation for virtuosity and improvisation.
The concerto is well suited throughout to showing off the qualities of a fine harpsichord and the virtuosity of its player, but especially in the lengthy solo 'cadenza' to the first movement. It seems almost certain that Bach, considered a great organ and harpsichord virtuoso, was the harpsichord soloist at the premiere. Scholars have seen in this work the origins of the solo keyboard concerto as it is the first example of a concerto with a solo keyboard part.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Brandenburg concertos
Mozart - Requiem
Home
Related:
Requiem (Mozart)
The Requiem Mass in D minor (K. 626) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was composed in Vienna in 1791 and left unfinished at the composer's death. A completion by Franz Xaver Süssmayr was delivered to Count Franz von Walsegg, who had anonymously commissioned the piece for a requiem Mass to commemorate the February 14 anniversary of his wife's death.
It is one of the most enigmatic pieces of music ever composed, mostly because of the myths and controversies surrounding it, especially around how much of the piece was completed by Mozart before his death.
Composition
At the time of Mozart's death on 5 December 1791, only the opening movement (Requiem aeternam) was completed in all of the orchestral and vocal parts. The following Kyrie and most of the sequence (from Dies Irae to Confutatis) were complete only in the vocal parts and the continuo (the figured organ bass), though occasionally some of the prominent orchestral parts were briefly indicated, such as the violin part of the Confutatis and the musical bridges in the Recordare. The last movement of the sequence, the Lacrimosa, breaks off after only eight bars and was unfinished. The following two movements of the Offertorium were again partially done; the Domine Jesu Christe in the vocal parts and continuo (up until the fugue, which contains some indications of the violin part) and the Hostias in the vocal parts only.
The Sussmayr completion of the Requiem is divided into fourteen movements, with the following structure:
I. Introitus: Requiem aeternam (choir and soprano solo)
II. Kyrie eleison (choir)
III. Sequentia (text based on sections of the Dies Irae):
Tuba mirum (soprano, contralto, tenor and bass solo)
Rex tremendae majestatis (choir)
Recordare, Jesu pie (soprano, contralto, tenor and bass solo)
Confutatis maledictis (choir)
IV. Offertorium:
Domine Jesu Christe (choir with solo quartet)
Versus: Hostias et preces (choir)
V. Sanctus:
Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth (choir)
Benedictus (solo quartet, then choir)
VI. Agnus Dei (choir)
VII. Communio:
Lux aeterna (soprano solo and choir)
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Requiem (Mozart)
Claude Debussy - Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
Painting - On the Hudson /Artist - Thomas Doughty
Home
Related:
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (pronounced [pʁelyd a lapʁɛmidi dœ̃ fon]), commonly known by its English title Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, is a symphonic poem for orchestra by Claude Debussy, approximately 10 minutes in duration. It was first performed in Paris on December 22, 1894, conducted by Gustave Doret.
Inspiration and influence
The composition was inspired by the poem L'après-midi d'un faune by Stéphane Mallarmé, and later formed the basis for the ballet Afternoon of a Faun, choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky. It is one of Debussy's most famous works and is considered a turning point in the history of music; composer-conductor Pierre Boulez even dates the awakening of modern music from this score, observing that "the flute of the faun brought new breath to the art of music." It is a work that barely grasps onto tonality and harmonic function.
About his composition Debussy wrote:
The music of this prelude is a very free illustration of Mallarmé's beautiful poem. By no means does it claim to be a synthesis of it. Rather there is a succession of scenes through which pass the desires and dreams of the faun in the heat of the afternoon. Then, tired of pursuing the timorous flight of nymphs and naiads, he succumbs to intoxicating sleep, in which he can finally realize his dreams of possession in universal Nature.
Composition
This prelude wasDebussy's musical response to the poem of Stephane Mallarmé (1842-1898), in which a faun playing his pan-pipes alone in the woods becomes aroused by passing nymphs and naiads, pursues them unsuccessfully, then wearily abandons himself to a sleep filled with visions. Though called a "prelude," the work is nevertheless complete – an evocation of the feelings of the poem as a whole. The work is called a prelude because Debussy intended to write a suite of three movements – Prelude, Interlude, and Final Paraphrase – but the last two were never composed.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune.
Borodin - Prince Igor - Polovtsian Dances
Orchestra Version
I - Mikhail Fokine's choreography for the Polovtsian Dances by Borodin, as performed by the Kirov Opera and Ballet under Valery Gergiev. From PRINCE IGOR.
II - Conductor - Anton Nanut /Radio Symphony Orchestra Ljubljana
Home
Polovtsian Dances
The Polovtsian Dances (or Polovetsian Dances) (Russian: Половецкие пляски, Polovetskie plyaski) are perhaps the best known selections from Alexander Borodin's opera Prince Igor (1890). They are often played as a stand-alone concert piece. Borodin was the original composer, but the opera was left unfinished at his death and was subsequently completed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Glazunov. In the opera the dances are performed with chorus, but concert performances often omit the choral parts. The dances do not include the "Polovtsian March," which opens Act III (No. 18), but the overture, dances, and march from the opera have been performed together to form a suite from Prince Igor. In the opera Prince Igor, the dances occur in Act II (in the original edition). A typical performance lasts between 11 and 14 minutes.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Polovtsian Dances
Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique
I,II - Rêveries - Passions (Daydreams - Passions) / III - Un bal (A ball) / IV,V - Scène aux champs (Scene in the Country) / VI - Marche au supplice (March to the Scaffold) / VII - Songe d'une nuit de sabbat (Dream of a Witches' Sabbath)
Conductor - Leonard Bernstein /Orchestre National de France
Home
Symphonie fantastique
Symphonie Fantastique: Épisode de la vie d'un Artiste...en cinq parties (Fantastic Symphony: An Episode in the Life of an Artist, in Five Parts), Op. 14, is a program symphony written by the French composer Hector Berlioz in 1830. It is one of the most important and representative pieces of the early Romantic period, and is still very popular with concert audiences worldwide. The first performance took place at the Paris Conservatoire in December 1830. The work was repeatedly revised between 1831 and 1845 and subsequently became a favourite in Paris.
Outline
The symphony is a piece of program music which tells the story of "an artist gifted with a lively imagination" who has "poisoned himself with opium" in the "depths of despair" because of "hopeless love." Berlioz provided his own program notes for each movement of the work (see below). He prefaces his notes with the following instructions.
The composer’s intention has been to develop various episodes in the life of an artist, in so far as they lend themselves to musical treatment. As the work cannot rely on the assistance of speech, the plan of the instrumental drama needs to be set out in advance. The following programme must therefore be considered as the spoken text of an opera, which serves to introduce musical movements and to motivate their character and expression.
There are five movements, instead of the four movements which were conventional for symphonies at the time:
1. Rêveries - Passions (Daydreams - Passions)
2. Un bal (A ball)
3. Scène aux champs (Scene in the Country)
4. Marche au supplice (March to the Scaffold)
5. Songe d'une nuit de sabbat (Dream of a Witches' Sabbath)
Harriet Smithson
Berlioz fell in love with an Irish actress, Harriet Smithson, after attending a performance of Shakespeare's Hamlet with her in the role of Ophelia, on 11 September 1827. He sent her numerous love letters, all of which went unanswered. When she left Paris they had still not met. He then wrote the symphony as a way to express his unrequited love. It premiered in Paris on 5 December 1830; Harriet was not present. She eventually heard the work in 1832 and realized that she was the genesis. The two finally met and were married on 3 October 1833. Their marriage was increasingly bitter, and they separated after several years of unhappiness.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Symphonie fantastique
Bach - Cantata 140 - Sleepers, Wake
Performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Andrew Litton on 14th august 2010 at the Royal Albert Hall.
Home
Related:
Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140
Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140, also known as Sleepers Wake, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach, written in Leipzig for the 27th Sunday after Trinity and first performed on November 25, 1731.
History and text
The chorale cantata is based on the Lutheran chorale, Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme of Philipp Nicolai. This Lutheran hymn remains popular today both in its original German and in a variety of English translations. The text on which it is based is the parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1–13, a reading that was scheduled in the Lutheran lectionary of the time for the 27th Sunday after Trinity. Because this Sunday only occurred in the church year when Easter was very early, the cantata was rarely performed. The infrequency of the occasion for which it was composed makes it one of the few cantatas whose date of composition is definitively known.
In the modern three-year Revised Common Lectionary, however, the reading is scheduled for Proper 27, or the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, in the first year of the three-year cycle of lessons. Thus, the hymn or the cantata are commonly performed in churches on that Sunday. The text and its eschatological themes are also commonly associated with the early Sundays of the season of Advent, and so the cantata is also commonly performed during that season.
Scoring and structure
The cantata is scored for horn, 2 oboes, taille (an instrument similar to the oboe da caccia, today often replaced by an English horn), violino piccolo, violin, viola, basso continuo, and choir with soprano, tenor, and bass soloists.
I. Chorus: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (Wake up, the voice calls to us)
II. Recitative: Er kommt (He comes)
III. Aria (duet): Wann kommst du, mein Heil? (When will you come, my salvation?)
IV. Chorale: Zion hört die Wächter singen (Zion hears the watchmen singing)
V. Recitative: So geh herein zu mir (So come in with me)
VI. Aria (duet): Mein Freund ist mein! (My friend is mine!)
VII. Chorale: Gloria sei dir gesungen (May Gloria be sung to you)
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 140.
Dvorak - Humoresque No. 7
Home
Related:
Humoresques (Dvořák)
Humoresques (Czech: Humoresky), Op. 101 (B. 187) is a piano cycle by the Czech composer Antonín Dvořák, written during the summer of 1894. One writer says "the seventh Humoresque is probably the most famous small piano work ever written after Beethoven's Für Elise."
History
During his stay in America, when Dvořák was director of the Conservatory in New York from 1892 to 1895, the composer collected many interesting musical themes in his sketchbooks. He used some of these ideas in other compositions, notably the "From the New World" Symphony, the "American" String Quartet, the Quintet in E Flat Major, and the Sonatina for Violin, but some remained unused.
In 1894, Dvořák spent the summer with his family in Bohemia, at Vysoká u Příbrami. During this "vacation", Dvořák began to use the collected material and to compose a new cycle of short piano pieces. On 19 July 1894 Dvořák sketched the first Humoresque in B major, today number 6 in the cycle. However, the composer soon started to create scores for the pieces that were intended to be published. The score was completed on 27 August 1894.
The cycle was entitled Humoresques shortly before Dvořák sent the score to his German publisher F. Simrock. The composition was published by Simrock in Autumn, 1894.
The publisher took advantage of the great popularity of the seventh Humoresque to produce arrangements for many instruments and ensembles. The piece was later also published as a song with various lyrics. It has also been arranged for choir.
Structure
The cycle consists of eight pieces:
Vivace /Poco andante /Poco andante e molto cantabile /Poco andante /Vivace /Poco allegretto /Poco lento e grazioso /Poco andante
The main theme of the first Humoresque was sketched in New York on New Year's Eve 1892, with the inscription "Marche funèbre" (sic), the minor theme was accompanied with the inscription "people singing in the street". The opening theme of the fourth piece was also sketched in New York, among ideas intended for the unrealized opera Hiawatha. The "American" style is also apparent in other themes of the Humoresques.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Humoresques (Dvořák).
Verdi - Aida - Triumphal March
Related:
Aida
Aida sometimes spelled Aïda, is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, based on a scenario written by French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette. Aida was first performed at the Khedivial Opera House in Cairo on 24 December 1871, conducted by Giovanni Bottesini.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Aida
Debussy - Suite bergamasque
I - Prelude / II - Menuet / III - Clair de lune / IV - Passepied
I,II,IV - Pianist - François-Joël Thiollier
Home
Related:
Suite bergamasque
The Suite bergamasque (French pronunciation: [bɛʁɡamask]) is one of the most famous piano suites by Claude Debussy. Debussy commenced the suite in 1890 at age 28, but he did not finish or publish it until 1905.
History
The Suite bergamasque was first composed by Debussy around 1890, but was significantly revised just before its publication in 1905. It seems that by the time a publisher came to Debussy in order to cash in on his fame and have these pieces published, Debussy loathed the earlier piano style in which these pieces were written. While it is not known how much of the Suite was written in 1890 and how much was written in 1905, we do know that Debussy changed the names of at least two of the pieces.
"Passepied" was called "Pavane", and "Clair de lune" was originally titled "Promenade Sentimentale." These names also come from Paul Verlaine's poems. It is interesting, however, to note that "Promenade Sentimentale" alludes specifically to one of Verlaine's earliest collections, "Poèmes saturniens," a fact that Debussy obviously took into account when he changed the name (and most likely a lot of the music) in order to suit both his later style, and Verlaine's.
The suite has been orchestrated by many composers, including André Caplet, Leopold Stokowski and Lucien Cailliet.Clair de luneThe third and most famous movement of Suite bergamasque is "Clair de lune," meaning "moon shine" in French. Its name comes from Paul Verlaine's poem of the same name which also refers to 'bergamasques' in its opening stanza: Votre âme est un paysage choisi / Que vont charmant masques et bergamasques / Jouant du luth et dansant et quasi / Tristes sous leurs déguisements fantasques.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Suite bergamasque.
Mendelssohn - Spring Song
Home
Related:
- Mendelssohn - A Midsummer Night's Dream - Wedding March
- Mendelssohn - Hebrides Overture (Fingal's Cave)
Songs Without Words
Songs Without Words (Lieder ohne Worte) is a series of short, lyrical piano pieces by the Romantic composer Felix Mendelssohn.
Composition and reception
The eight volumes of Songs Without Words, each consisting of six "songs" (Lieder), were written at various points throughout Mendelssohn's life, and all were published separately; two were published posthumously. The piano became increasingly popular in Europe during this era, where it became the focal point of many middle-class households. The pieces are within the grasp of pianists of various abilities and this undoubtedly contributed to their popularity. This great popularity has caused many critics to under-rate their musical value.
The first volume was published by Novello in London (1832) as Original Melodies for the Pianoforte, but the later volumes used the title Songs Without Words.
Mendelssohn himself resisted attempts to interpret the Songs too literally, and objected when his friend Souchay sought to put words to them to make them literal songs:What the music I love expresses to me, is not thought too indefinite to put into words, but on the contrary, too definite. {Mendelssohn's own italics}
Songs Without Words Book 5, Op. 62 (1842–1844)
No. 1 Andante espressivo in G major, in 4/4 time. As with many of the Songs without Words, this is in ternary form with a coda. The left hand accompanies the melody throughout with a rhythm of one quaver followed by six semiquavers.
No. 2 Allegro con fuoco in B-flat major
No. 3 Andante maestoso in E minor ("Trauermarsch")
No. 4 Allegro con anima in G major ("Morning Song")
No. 5 Andante con moto in A minor ("Venezianisches Gondellied" or Venetian Boat Song No. 3)
No. 6 Allegretto grazioso in A major ("Frühlingslied" or "Spring Song")
Song No. 6 Spring Song was also known in England as Camberwell Green, being the place in London where Mendelssohn composed it while staying with the Benneckes, relatives of his wife.
Book 5 was dedicated to Clara Schumann.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Songs Without Words.
Mozart - The Magic Flute - Opera
Opera National de Paris
Home
Related:
The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute (German: Die Zauberflöte, K. 620) is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue.
Background
The Magic Flute is noted for its prominent Masonic elements; Schikaneder and Mozart were Masons and lodge brothers . The opera is also influenced by Enlightenment philosophy, and can be regarded as an allegory advocating enlightened absolutism. The Queen of the Night represents a dangerous form of obscurantism or, according to some, the anti-Masonic Empress Maria Theresa. Her antagonist Sarastro symbolises the enlightened sovereign who rules according to principles based on reason, wisdom, and nature. The story itself portrays the education of mankind, progressing from chaos through religious superstition to rationalistic enlightenment, by means of trial (Tamino) and error (Papageno), ultimately to make "the Earth a heavenly kingdom, and mortals like the gods". ("Dann ist die Erd' ein Himmelreich, und Sterbliche den Göttern gleich." This couplet is sung in the finales to both acts.)
Synopsis
Note: Many modern productions of the opera may edit the spoken dialogue and omit sections that today may be considered sexist and/or racist.
Act 1
Scene 1
After the Overture, we are introduced to Tamino, a handsome prince who is lost in a distant land and is being pursued by a serpent (quartet: "Zu Hilfe! Zu Hilfe!"). He faints from fatigue and three ladies, attendants of the Queen of the Night, appear and kill the serpent. They find the unconscious prince extremely attractive, and each tries to convince the other two to leave, in order to be alone with him. After arguing, they decide that it is best that they all leave together.Tamino recovers, and Papageno enters, arrayed entirely in the plumage of birds. He sings of his job as a bird catcher and the fact that he is longing for a wife, or, at least, a girlfriend (aria: "Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja"). Papageno tells Tamino that he, Papageno, strangled the serpent with his bare hands. At this moment, the three ladies appear and punish his lie by placing a padlock over his mouth. They tell Tamino that they were responsible for saving him, and show to the prince a portrait of a young maiden, Pamina, with whom he falls instantly in love (aria: "Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön" / "This image is enchantingly lovely").
The arrival of the Queen of the Night. Stage set by Karl Friedrich Schinkel (1781–1841) for an 1815 production
The Queen of the Night now appears. She tells Tamino that the girl in the portrait, Pamina, is her daughter, who has been captured by her enemy, Sarastro. She demands that Tamino go to Sarastro's temple and rescue Pamina, promising that he can marry Pamina in return. (Recitative and aria: "O zittre nicht, mein lieber Sohn" / "Oh, tremble not, my dear son! You are innocent, wise, pious".) After the Queen leaves, the ladies give Tamino a magic flute that can change men's hearts, remove the padlock from Papageno, and present him with a chime of bells to protect him. Papageno is ordered to accompany Tamino on his rescue-mission, and together they set forth. (Quintet: "Hm hm hm hm".) The ladies introduce three child-spirits, who will guide Tamino and Papageno to Sarastro's temple.
Scene 2: A room in Sarastro's palace
Pamina is dragged in by Sarastro's moorish slave Monostatos. (Trio: "Du feines Täubchen, nur herein!".) Papageno, sent ahead by Tamino to help find Pamina, enters. Monostatos and Papageno are each terrified by the other's strange appearance and both flee the stage. But Papageno soon returns and announces to Pamina that her mother has sent Tamino to her aid. Pamina rejoices to hear that Tamino is in love with her, and then offers sympathy and hope to Papageno, who longs for a wife to love. Together they sing an ode to love (duet: "Bei Männern welche Liebe fühlen"), then depart.
Scene 3: Grove and entrance to the temples
The three child-spirits lead Tamino to Sarastro's temple, promising that if he remains faithful and steadfast, he will succeed in rescuing Pamina. As Tamino reaches the temple, he is denied entrance at two of its three gates, by invisible voices singing "Go back!". But when he tries the third gate, an old priest appears and gradually convinces him that Sarastro is benevolent, not evil, and that women's opinions should not be taken seriously. After the priest leaves him, Tamino plays his magic flute in hopes of summoning Pamina and Papageno. The tones summon a group of magically tamed beasts, which listen in rapture to Tamino's music. Then Tamino hears Papageno's pipes, which Papageno, offstage, is blowing in response to the sound of Tamino's flute. Ecstatic at the thought of meeting Pamina, Tamino hurries off.
Papageno appears with Pamina, following the distant sound of Tamino's flute. The two are suddenly captured by Monostatos and his slaves. Papageno then works an enchantment on the slaves using his magic bells, and they dance, mesmerised by the music of the bells, off the stage.
Papageno now hears the approach of Sarastro and his large retinue. He is frightened and asks Pamina what they should say. She answers that they must tell the truth. Sarastro and his followers enter.
Overcome by Sarastro's majesty, Pamina falls at his feet and confesses that she was trying to escape because Monostatos had demanded her love. Sarastro receives her kindly and tells her that he will not force her inclinations, but cannot give her freedom nor return her to her mother, because she must be guided by a man.
Monostatos then enters with Tamino captive. The two lovers see one another for the first time and instantly embrace, causing indignation among Sarastro's followers. Monostatos tries to point the finger of blame at Tamino. Sarastro, however, punishes Monostatos for his lustful intentions toward Pamina, and leads Tamino and Papageno into the temple of ordeal. The Brotherhood send them off in a glorious chorus.
Act 2
Scene 1: A grove of palms
The council of priests of Isis and Osiris, headed by Sarastro, enters to the sound of a solemn march. They determine that Tamino and Pamina shall be married, and that Tamino will succeed Sarastro as leader, if he succeeds in passing the priests' trials. Sarastro explains that the Queen of the Night has attempted to bewilder the people with superstition and groundless fears. He then sings a prayer to the gods Isis and Osiris, asking them to protect Tamino and Pamina and to take them into their heavenly dwelling place should they die in the course of their trials (Aria: "O Isis und Osiris").
Scene 2: The courtyard of the temple of Ordeal
Tamino and Papageno are led into the temple. A priest cautions Tamino that this is his last chance to turn back, but Tamino boldly promises that he will undergo every trial to win his Pamina. Papageno declines the trials at first, saying that he doesn't care much about wisdom or enlightenment, and only wants food, wine, and a pretty woman. The priest tells Papageno that Sarastro may have a woman for him if he undergoes the trials, and that she is called Papagena. Reluctantly, Papageno agrees to undergo the trials.
The first test requires that Tamino and Papageno remain silent while being tempted and threatened by women. (Short duet by two priests: "Bewahret euch von Weibertücken") The three ladies appear, and tempt them to speak. (Quintet: "Wie, wie, wie") Papageno cannot resist answering the ladies, but Tamino remains aloof, speaking only to Papageno, and then only to tell him to be quiet. Seeing that Tamino will not speak to them, the ladies withdraw in confusion.
One priest congratulates Tamino for successfully passing the first test. Another priest scolds Papageno for his weakness, and tells him that he will never know the enlightened bliss of the gods. Papageno replies that there are a great many people in the world like himself, unenlightened but happy, and asks why he must undergo tests if Sarastro already has a woman selected for him. The priest says that it is the only way.
Scene 3: A garden, Pamina asleep
Monostatos approaches and gazes upon Pamina with rapture. (Aria: "Alles fühlt der Liebe Freuden") He is about to kiss her sleeping face, when the Queen of the Night appears and frightens him away. She wakes Pamina and gives her a dagger, ordering her to kill Sarastro with it. (Aria: "Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen" / "Hell's vengeance boileth in mine heart"). After she leaves, Monostatos returns and tries to force Pamina's love by threatening to reveal the murder-plot, but Sarastro enters and drives him off. Sarastro forgives and comforts Pamina (Aria: "In diesen heil'gen Hallen").
Scene 4: A hall in the temple of Ordeal
Tamino and Papageno must again suffer the test of silence, a more difficult variation this time: An old woman enters and offers Papageno a drink of water. Although it is forbidden, he engages her in conversation and asks her how old she is. She replies that she is eighteen years and two minutes old. Papageno bursts into laughter and teases her that she must have a boyfriend. She replies that she does and that his name is Papageno. Then she disappears without telling him her name. Pamina enters and tries to speak with Tamino. Since Tamino silently refuses to answer, Pamina believes he no longer loves her. (Aria: "Ach, ich fühl's, es ist verschwunden") She leaves in despair.
Scene 5: The pyramids
The Priests of the Temple celebrate Tamino's successes so far, and predict that he will succeed and become worthy of their order (Chorus: "O Isis und Osiris"). Sarastro separates Pamina and Tamino. (Trio: Sarastro, Pamina, Tamino – "Soll ich dich, Teurer, nicht mehr sehn?") They exit and Papageno enters. Papageno plays his magic bells and sings a ditty about his desire for a wife. (Aria, Papageno: "Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen"). The elderly woman reappears and demands that he pledge engagement to her, warning that if he doesn't, he will remain alone forever. Reluctantly, Papageno promises to love her faithfully. She immediately transforms into the young and pretty Papagena. As Papageno rushes to embrace her, however, the priests drive her away with thunder and lightning.
Scene 6: An open country
Tamino and Pamina undergo their final trial; watercolor by Max Slevogt (1868–1932)
The three child-spirits see Pamina attempting to commit suicide because she believes Tamino has abandoned her. They restrain her and take away her dagger, promising that she will see him soon. (Quartet: "Bald prangt, den Morgen zu verkünden").
Scene 7: A hall or room with two doors: one leading to a chamber of trial by water and the other to a cavern of fire.
Two men in armour lead Tamino onstage. They recite, in unison, one of the formal creeds of the goddess Isis, promising enlightenment to those who successfully overcome the fear of death ("Der, welcher wandert diese Strasse voll Beschwerden"). This recitation takes the musical form of a Baroque chorale prelude, to the tune of Martin Luther's hymn Ach Gott, vom Himmel sieh darein (Oh God, look down from heaven).[16] Tamino declares he is ready to be tested, but Pamina, offstage, calls for him to wait for her. The men in armour assure Tamino that the trial by silence is over and he is free to speak with her. She enters, and exchanges loving words with Tamino ("Tamino mein, o welch ein Glück!"). United in harmony, they enter the trial-caverns together. Protected by the music of the magic flute, they pass unscathed through fire and water. Offstage, the priests hail their triumph.
Papageno, having given up hope of winning Papagena, tries to hang himself (Aria/Quartet: "Papagena! Papagena! Papagena!"), but at the last minute the three child-spirits appear and remind him that he should use his magic bells to summon her, instead. Papagena reenters, and the happy couple is united, stuttering at first in astonishment (Duet: "Pa … pa … pa ...").
The traitorous Monostatos appears with the Queen of the Night and her ladies, plotting to destroy the temple ("Nur stille, stille"), but they are magically cast out into eternal night.
The scene now changes to the entrance of the chief temple, where Sarastro bids the young lovers welcome and unites them. The final chorus sings the praises of Tamino and Pamina in enduring their trials and gives thanks to the gods.
The opera may sometimes be divided into three acts in which case, the third act typically begins with scene 8. Even in the two-act version, the scenes in Act 2 are sometimes rearranged, with the Sarastro-Tamino-Pamina trio occurring earlier and Sarastro's prayer occurring later.
Noted highlights
Act 1
- "Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja" (The birdcatcher am I) – Papageno, Scene 1
- "O zittre nicht, mein lieber Sohn" (Oh, tremble not, my beloved son) – The Queen of the Night, Scene 1
- "Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön" (This image is enchantingly beautiful) – Tamino, Scene 1
- "Wie stark ist nicht dein Zauberton" (How strong is thy magic tone) – Tamino, Finale
Act 2
- "O Isis und Osiris" (O Isis and Osiris) – Sarastro in, Scene 1
- "Alles fühlt der Liebe Freuden" (All feel the joys of love) – Monostatos, Scene 3
- "Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen" (Hell's vengeance boils in my heart) – The Queen of the Night, Scene 3
- "In diesen heil'gen Hallen" (Within these sacred halls) – Sarastro, Scene 3
- "Ach, ich fühl's, es ist verschwunden" (Ah, I feel it, it is vanished) – Pamina, Scene 4
- "Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen" (A girl or a woman) – Papageno, Scene 5
- "Pa–, pa–, pa–" – Papageno and Papagena, Scene 10
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article The Magic Flute
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)