Beethoven’s Fidelio Study Guide for Secondary Schools

BY CARLO DELFRATI 3

Study Guide for Secondary Schools

Introduction The plot This guide is intended to introduce students The plot of Fidelio is simple. Set in Spain, it to opera: its language, characteristics, and deals with an episode that some sources conventions. It’s designed for secondary report actually took place during the Jac- schools, whether upper or lower (or middle obin Reign of Terror (1793-94), but there are and high schools in the US) depending on strong doubts about its authenticity. It fol- the topic, and offers a variety of educational lows a genre cultivated in France and Italy suggestions that can be used by teachers in by other composers, such as Pierre Gaveaux, whatever manner works best for their ori- Ferdinando Paer, Simone Mayr, and Luigi entation, course work, or the educational Cherubini. The main theme of “rescue opera” scheme in which they work. or opéra à sauvetage was the rescue of the The historical and musicological essays con- protagonist from danger or even death, with tained in this volume and on the accompa- the inevitable happy ending that featured nying DVD-ROM explore a range of topics the triumph of the ideals of liberty. about the figure of Beethoven, including the At the beginning of the first of two acts into inevitable topic of his deafness, along with which Fidelio is divided, young Jaquino is the changing role of the composer in soci- wooing Marzelline, the daughter of Rocco, ety. They tell the complicated backstory of the jailer of a state prison. Its governor, the Fidelio, his only opera, from its conception tyrannical Pizarro, has unjustly imprisoned in 1803 and premiere in 1805 through its his own enemy in a secret underground dun- final version of 1814. These were years that geon. In order to learn whether the mysteri- dramatically changed world history, leaving ous prisoner is her own husband Florestan, unmistakable traces in Fidelio. his wife Leonore has come to offer her ser- In addition to these essays, others deal with vices as assistant to Rocco—dressed as a man historical and esthetic considerations, such and calling herself Fidelio. Adding to her dif- as the philosophical and literary reception ficulty in gaining access to the prisoner is the of Beethoven in Romanticism, while in the fact that Marzelline has fallen in love with this strictly musical arena the reciprocal “inter- newcomer whom everyone believes is a man, ference” among the theatrical traditions of and she refuses Jaquino’s advances. France, Italy, and Germany will be analyzed. Pizarro arrives and orders Rocco to murder Composed during the period of Napoleonic the prisoner. When Rocco refuses, he decides victories over the Austrians and staged while to carry out the murder himself. He orders Vienna was occupied by the French, Fidelio Rocco to descend into the secret dungeon offers the opportunity to enter into a close to dig a grave to hide the body. Leonore/Fi- study of the Napoleonic period and the reality delio manages to get the prisoners released of Viennese theatrical life during those years. for some fresh air, but Florestan isn’t among These are all valuable contributions that them. Then she convinces Rocco to allow her will allow us to pursue an interdisciplinary to go with him into the prisoner’s cell. course of study that begins with a reading The second act opens in the dark dungeon © 2015 Musicom.it S.r.l. and a collective reflection in class. where Florestan, in chains, deliriously imagines 4 • CARLO DELFRATI Study Guide for Secondary Schools • 5

that he sees his own Leonore beside him. After an, Adalgisa. There is also Gilda in Rigoletto, who die of nothing, just like that—of fear, From real life to opera she descends with Rocco, Leonore does indeed who takes the place of the rake she loves when or fright, or sadness, or anxiety. Those As we know, the events in the lives of artists recognize him. She doesn’t dare show it, though, she learns he is to be murdered. Puccini’s who die poisoned, gently; those who are inevitably affect the creation of their works. even to her long-lost husband, and continues Madama Butterfly also shows heroic qualities choked; those who fold in on themselves This is true for composers, as well as for po- peacefully. Violent deaths, lyrical deaths, the pretense. Only when Pizarro arrives to kill when she finds redemption from dishonor in ets, painters, or philosophers. In Leonore, gentle deaths, talkative or silent deaths. . Florestan does Leonore reveal herself, threat- suicide. Or might we consider these women Beethoven depicts his own feminine ideal: . . You could easily draw up a list of them. ening the tyrant with a pistol. Just when the sit- also as victims of the men in their lives, despite a being we might see as “asexual,” in whose uation is most dangerous, a trumpet signals the their courageous actions? The author, Catherine Clément, is especially story physical love takes second place to arrival of the government minister at the prison. In their way, the plots of these masterworks idealized situations, and is based on sublime attentive to the musical description of these Pizarro is dismayed when his criminal acts are can offer opportunities for deeper reflec- unfortunates who inhabit opera: sentiments and altruistic actions. As Bee- uncovered, and he is condemned by the minis- tions in class on the status of women, both thoven himself realized and mentioned in ter. He invites Leonore herself to remove her hus- in the society of the past and of today. On letters to his closest friends, Leonore was an The words are forgotten. An extraordinary band’s chains, and the prisoners are all liberated. this front, an abyss separates our civilization ideal figure for whom the composer yearned paradox: in a world where the unconscious Poor Marzelline returns to her suitor, Jaquino. from the fanaticism of certain criminal sects, takes up so little room, where so much is his entire life but never met. but we know that we can never let down our made of spoken words, as if they meant In Fidelio the only example of “garden-va- Study Topics guard, even in our own house—as we know what they said, with no past and no roots, riety” love appears right at the beginning: The idealization of women only too well from the daily news. If customs we have the opera, where the conscious Marzelline’s crush on Fidelio. But Beetho- Like any work of art, Fidelio also lends itself and conventions have changed with respect part, the part played by words, is forgot- ven’s attitude towards handling this love is to many interpretations. The most obvious, to those of a couple of generations ago, it is ten. No doubt it is because opera is the immediately evident: “any hint of a piquant repeated by every commentator, is the cele- due in large part to the educational system place for unformulated dreams and secret double entendre, which would have stimu- bration of conjugal love. Leonore is the wife that has made female students aware of the passions ... Consequently, the less one lated Mozart’s dramatic eros, is deliberate- hears the words, the greater the pleasure who risks her own life to save her husband’s. rights they have as compared to their male ly eliminated by the prudish Beethoven.”2 ... These women have the most beautiful The theme is the more powerful because here counterparts. Much more could be done in His very choice of a subject to set to music music; the glitter of spotlights is theirs. the woman fights for the man, contrary to the the classroom with further examples drawn Adoration and sublimation, a formidable confirms this prudishness, which is further most common situation in literature, in which from opera plots. love that must forever be conquered and underlined by his disdain for the other friv- the heroic man confronts the most arduous There are plots that can justly be viewed as danger that is absolute are theirs. And the olous plots that were submitted for his con- challenges in order to save his beloved. “the undoing of women,” as captured in the ti- act of falling, the final gesture is theirs as sideration. As much as he admired Mozart Leonore is a rare case of a heroic woman in a tle of a passionate and comprehensive review well—and the voice in its death agony.1 the composer, he strongly condemned the dramatic opera, alongside Matilda in Rossini’s of female characters in opera, an inexhausti- plots of operas such as The Marriage of Fi- Guillaume Tell (William Tell) or Puccini’s title ble source of material useful for setting up a Fidelio is one of the exceptions: here is truly a garo, Don Giovanni and Così fan tutte. As for heroine in La fanciulla del West (The Girl of didactic exploration on this topic: woman who fights and wins. Perhaps it is no Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), he would the Golden West), and in her own way, even coincidence that the author doesn’t mention never have set the flirtation between Pa- Strauss’s Elektra. In opera we usually encoun- Dead women, dead so often. There are it in her ample list of operas. Could it be that pageno and Papagena, let alone the childish ter a female victim, who is prey to some kind those who die disemboweled, like Lulu a “victorious” woman would somehow run magical business called for by the librettist. at the sacrificial knife of Jack the Rip- of masculine exploitation. counter to the list of “losing” women because A plot that other composers had already per, in a cruddy attic of smoggy Lon- she disguises herself as a man? A brief excursus along these lines might center don; there are those who die for having set to music, in which the heroine is ready to on the perception of other female “heroic” embodied too well the false identity of a give her life for her husband’s, appeared to leads in opera. Some examples include the title marionette-woman or for having simply be the only one that was worthy of his effort. character in Bellini’s Norma, who denounces affirmed that they are not there where Something else equally personal could help her own crime in order to save a young wom- the men are looking for them. . . . Those explain Beethoven’s dedication to his only 6 • CARLO DELFRATI Study Guide for Secondary Schools • 7

opera—it has to do with his deafness. Just a If we accept this interpretation of the opera, France between the Revolution Beethoven (work titles in italic type) year before discovering the subject by the then we can also overturn the current theo- and the Napoleonic Era French author Jean-Nicolas Bouilly that ry that Leonore was the hero/heroine with aroused his enthusiasm, he had come to the whom Beethoven identified himself. Per- 14 July 1789: uprising by the Parisian Born in Bonn in 1770, was 18 years old realization that the first faint symptoms of haps Beethoven felt closest to Florestan. He populace and the taking of the Bastille. at the outbreak of the Revolution. deafness, which he had noticed six years ear- “equated [Florestan’s] imprisonment with Attended university, where he studied lier, now foretold an inexorable degeneration. his own deafness. Just as Florestan is isolat- August: “Declaration of the Rights the works of Kant. of Man and of the Citizen” He was unable to hear the sounds of voices ed in darkness, Beethoven was imprisoned or instruments—a man who knew no oth- in silence.”5 er way to live. In 1802, this recognition led to 1790 Cantata on the Death of the dramatic document that has come down Revolutionary years Emperor Joseph II. to us as the “Heiligenstadt Testament,” in Through the composer’s poetics, however, 1791: Legislative Assembly which the composer confessed to thoughts Leonore and Florestan transcend their indi- of suicide. Fortunately for him and for us, he vidual characters to arrive at something high- 1792: War between France and allied Moved to Vienna, reacted by mobilizing his forces to continue er than individual actions or states of being— Austria and Prussia. where he studied with Haydn. doing the one thing that gave meaning to his something that has to do with the political life: to compose. The strength of his resolve and military events of those decades: the Arrest of Louis XVI. The national in fighting his deafness is attested not only in French Revolution and the Napoleonic era. Convention proclaims the republic Fidelio, but also in his great instrumental com- Fidelio is frequently interpreted as a celebra- and institutes the “Revolutionary positions, beginning with his third symphony, tion of liberty from the oppression of tyrants. Calendar.” the Eroica. Florestan’s suffering can thus be In the table below are summarized the preem- read as equivalent to Beethoven’s moral suf- inent events of this period in parallel with January 1793: Beheading of Louis XVI. Builds a network of amicable fering, Florestan’s triumph as a commitment Beethoven’s most significant works of those War with England, Holland, Spain. relationships among the Viennese to all-out war against his illness. Florestan is years: Followed by the War of the First aristocracy. the victim of tyranny, Beethoven of malevo- Coalition to “re-establish order” lent nature. “Pizarro, the cause of Florestan’s in France. Mass conscription of suffering, may well have represented to him the French populace. Committee for Public Safety. New constitution. the dramatic symbol for the cause of his own suffering.”3 Pizarro symbolizes deafness itself, while Leonore represents the utopian ideal of 1794: Robespierre unleashes “the Terror.” Studies with Albrechtsberger. his own liberation from disease. This interpre- The Convention reacts by condemning tation could explain Beethoven’s persistence him to death. Victories by the republican in retouching Fidelio for a great part of his life, troops. making profound changes, which extended to cutting or adding scenes. Eighteen times he 1795: Attempted insurrection in Paris First public concerts. Three Piano Trios. revisited Florestan’s aria that opens the sec- quelled by Napoleon. ond act. “It was only by an effort that his mind could concern itself with details of action or 1796: Victories by Napoleon in Italy. Concerts in Prague, Dresden, Berlin. Creation of the Repubblica Transpadana First signs of deafness. characterization that did not form part of the with Milan as its capital. larger ethical and musical plan of the work.”4 8 • CARLO DELFRATI Study Guide for Secondary Schools • 9

France between the Revolution Beethoven (work titles in italic type) France between the Revolution Beethoven (work titles in italic type) and the Napoleonic Era and the Napoleonic Era

1797: The Repubblica Cispadana, then Adelaide. Six String Quartets. 1807: French victories over Symphony n.o 5. the Repubblica Cisalpina replaced the Prussia and Russia. Repubblica Transpadana. 1808: Guerrilla war against Symphony n.o 6. 1798: Expulsion of Pope Pius VI and Friendship with Karl Amenda, France in Spain. proclamation of the Roman Republic. theologian and violinist. Second Coalition formed to fight the 1809: War of the Fifth Coalition. Concerto n.o 5 for piano. French. The French re-occupy Vienna.

1799: French defeats in Italy Sonata Pathétique for piano. 1810: Continental ports blockaded Incidental music to Egmont. and Egypt. Napoleon becomes Gives piano lessons to the young against English trade. First Consul (dictator). Countesses von Brunswick. 1811: English naval victory at Lissa. Archduke Piano Trio. 1800: New Napoleonic victories. Septet. Spring Sonata for violin. 1812: Napoleon’s disastrous Symphony n.o 7. Writes a passionate 1801: Peace between France and Austria. Studies with Salieri. Russian campaign. letter to “the Immortal Beloved,” Moonlight Sonata for piano. who has not been identified; during His deafness is now undeniable. his lifetime Beethoven never had a Falls in love with Countess companion. Giulietta Guicciardi. 1813: War of the Sixth Coalition. Takes on the custody of 1802: Italian Republic. Writes his will, the so-called The French are defeated at Leipzig. his nephew Karl, a relationship Napoleon proclaimed Consul for life. “Heiligenstadt Testament.” that was to bring him great sorrow.

1803: Napoleon plans the invasion Eroica Symphony. Kreutzer Sonata of England. for violin. Concerto n.o 3 for piano. 1814: Abdication of Napoleon, Final version of Fidelio. who retires to Elba. 1804: Napoleonic Code created Waldstein Sonata for piano. according to the principles Obliterates Napoleon’s name 1815: Napoleon returns to France. Wellington’s Victory. of the Revolution. in the score of the Eroica Symphony. Defeat at Waterloo by the Seventh Napoleon crowned emperor. Coalition.

1805: War of the Third Coalition. Fidelio. French forces occupy Vienna. Concerto n.o 4 for piano. Appassionata Sonata for piano. The taking of the Bastille is considered by criminals—not to mention that the king was historians to be the turning point for a new already planning to demolish it. But the im- 1806: War of the Fourth Coalition. Violin Concerto. course in European history. It was a sym- posing structure was a physical manifesta- French army enters Berlin. bolic event, given that, of the few prisoners tion of absolutist oppression. Its destruction incarcerated there, most were common meant an attack on the ancien régime, on 10 • CARLO DELFRATI Study Guide for Secondary Schools • 11

absolute power, and for the first time, the under Enlightenment censure. The French And it would be the bourgeoisie who would Finally, let’s consider a different interpreta- demonstration of the power of the people. Revolution was recognized by European assume power, although conceding a little tion about Fidelio from the musicologist Carl (To put this particular event into perspec- intellectuals as the symbol of the conquest to the renascent liberal aristocracy. In this Dahlhaus: “on the one hand, it reflects the tive, the building was sacked and razed of irrationality, finally overcome by ration- spirit Beethoven had composed the Cantata pressing reality of the historical moment to a to the ground a little at a time over many al thinking and open-mindedness, as de- on the Death of Joseph II, the imperial son degree that is unusual in opera, while on the years. The building contractor in charge of scribed by the great philosopher born in the of Empress Maria Theresa, and the inciden- other hand, the motive of the amazing rescue, its demolition had the idea to sell its stones same year as Beethoven, Friedrich Hegel, in tal music to Goethe’s Egmont, not to men- defying the laws of probability, is reminiscent as mementos, just as with the Berlin Wall his Lectures on the Philosophy of History. tion having dedicated his third symphony, of the ‘marvellous’. The ‘marvellous’ consti- over 200 years later and today as with the It was in this same spirit that Beethoven the Eroica, to Napoleon. This eliminates the tutes one of the fundamental concepts of outrageous destruction of the monuments wrote his opera (as an example of a realistic, possibility of viewing Beethoven as a Jac- aesthetic theories of opera precisely because of Middle Eastern art, torn apart by religious fact-based opera about this period, see Um- obin sympathizer. While Beethoven hoped it renders the criteria of everyday reality irrel- fanatics.) That the revolutionaries had a clear berto Giordano’s Andrea Chénier, set during for liberation from authoritarian oppression, evant to sung drama.”8 understanding of the historical rupture they the period of the Terror). The prisoners who it would certainly not have been through the had created is proven by their invention of are liberated at the end of the opera tran- Fourth Estate (the “proletariat”), but from Influences the French Republican Calendar. scend their given dramatic role to represent the Third, the bourgeoisie. The mere fact In order to become painters, what must we In Fidelio we will also find a kind of “taking of all humanity. One interpretation of Fidelio, that he had chosen for his target of oppres- look at? This question was put by art historian the Bastille”: the startling musical interrup- particularly the role of Leonore, avoids the sion a victim who presumably existed during Ernst Gombrich in his seminal essay Art and tion of the trumpets that heralds the arrival theme of conjugal love in favor of the victo- the Terror tells us a lot about the composer’s Illusion. The answer he gave relates to musi- of the noble minster of the king. ry of liberty over tyranny. Leonore’s critical political, pro-bourgeois leanings. cal education as well. Instinctively we would Like so many other contemporary men of role as liberator is at the heart of the action, “Beethoven was a rebel, but not a revolution- argue that to become painters, we should learning, Beethoven was galvanized by the “not in the deus ex machina of the absent ary,” writes another musicologist. “He judged look at reality: nature, people, and so on. His French Revolution and fell under its spell, minister (absent, that is, until the final scene) the laws and conventions of the society of his answer seems surprising: no, we only need even though the countries in which he was but in the ordinary human being, a persona day by a wholly subjective standard, that of his look at how others painted before us: “It is born and lived were continually at war with distinguishable from other persons neither own nature... . His passionate belief in Liberty easier to learn to draw ears from books than the French army. As was true in other works by rank nor by office but only by qualities of never faltered, though it changed in character; from reality.” “The virgin eye is a myth.”9 The of literature and art around the turn of the character .... The liberating action celebrated but it was in the first instance a wholly instinc- entire history of the arts, literature, and mu- nineteenth century, we also find strong emo- in the opera is generated not from above but tive, natural egoism, the emotional reaction sic demonstrate the necessity for derivations. tions, dramatic tensions, and warlike empires from below. Fidelio is a democratic opera in of a high-spirited, hugely talented youth in- Titian learned from Giovanni Bellini and Gior- in the music of these years: they satisfied the precisely the same sense that the French creasingly aware of his exceptional gifts and gione, and Virgil from Homer. None of them needs of the public. Revolution ... was democratic.... Leonore is irritated by the difficulties and frustrations... . would have existed, at least in those forms, if Even before the Revolution, there was some- the essential agent of the opera’s liberating But the young Beethoven’s unwillingness to the other poets and painters had not preced- thing in the wind that was to prepare the action, just as the Third Estate was the es- submit himself to any kind of external disci- ed them. It is inconceivable that the Beetho- ground for a new historical path: the spirit sential agent of the French Revolution. For pline; his passionate, instinctive rejection of ven we know could have existed without the of the Enlightenment, with its trust in the both Beethoven and the Revolutionaries his- the notion of equality; and his absorption in his models to whom he referred, and from whom light of reason against the utterly baseless tory is viewed from the bottom up.”6 Thus music together formed an effective bar to his he drew the lifeblood for his own music. dictates of irrational revelations and arbi- theorizes the musicologist Paul Robinson. ever becoming a revolutionary in the practi- The exploration of influences is one of the in- trary traditions. Absolute monarchy, legal The Third Estate: we must not forget that cal or political sphere... . [He] never believed in evitable topics in any historical study of the and economic structures, the church, and the French Revolution was a phenomenon Equality; but learned to find in the idea ofFra - work of an artist. And, as is well known, artists educational systems—anything that could of bourgeois society. Among the bourgeoi- ternity the emotional satisfaction which was aren’t the only ones who are influenced. It’s be considered a restraint upon liberty—fell sie were Diderot, D’Alembert, and Rousseau. denied him in its ordinary, personal forms.”7 a body of knowledge that should become 12 • CARLO DELFRATI Study Guide for Secondary Schools • 13

part of the cultural toolkit of every student, No less significant, however, are Beethoven’s How to listen illuminating if we base it on objective data, because an understanding of previous con- “borrowings” from the works of rescue genre Before listening to a piece from Fidelio—ex- on the nature of the piece, on its formal char- tributions and who made them is necessary if composers such as Gaveau, Paer, and espe- cerpts, or if we want, the entire opera—it would acteristics. The what a piece communicates we want to be constructive, and even original, cially Luigi Cherubini, whom Beethoven ad- be good to start with an exercise on how to ap- to us depends on how it is made, how it is con- in our life choices. mired so much that he called him the great- proach any piece of music. A discussion with structed. Discovering how a piece of music As we said at the outset, in Fidelio Beethoven est composer of the period. It is above all the the students can lead them to recognize that is made, or to know how to analyze it, opens took his cue primarily from the theatrical genre dramatic impetus of Cherubini that was to be there are many ways to listen to music: surprising vistas in our capacity to give sense in vogue in France in the late eighteenth cen- shared by his great admirer—an impetus that to what we are listening to. tury: opéra à sauvetage, or rescue opera. But broke dramatically with the serene outlook * Distracted listening, when the music stays Let’s start with a basic experience. Ask the even more important for understanding his of the eighteenth-century musical world. in the background, without paying much students: how can you explain that a piece music are the musical sources. Beethoven’s “The intense energy of Cherubini’s style, with attention to it; for example, while reading can have a certain effect on us, while having ethics were as far removed from the subjects its pounding rhythms, constant sforzandos, or studying. a complete opposite effect on others?11 of Mozart’s operas as Mozart’s stylistic modes cross-accents and dynamic contrasts, mas- * Relaxed listening, when we want to pass There are many factors, so many ingredients were critical for Beethoven’s own creations. sive treatment of the orchestra, and still per- the time agreeably; for example, while tak- composers can use to obtain the expressive Marzelline’s aria could fit well in The Mag- ceptible though partly transformed influence ing a car trip. results they seek. Let’s consider just the ele- ic Flute, which inspired Beethoven, just by of the Neapolitan opera buffa, left a palpable * Shared listening, when we listen to our fa- ments our students will be able to perceive changing the personality of the characters. mark on Fidelio.”10 vorite music with friends and talk about it most easily. Composers choose: We know that Beethoven copied out more Perhaps Beethoven would not be entirely dis- together. – the tempo, or speed: can be slowed down than a few pages of Don Giovanni and The pleased that the opening of Les deux journées * Dynamic listening, when we dance. or speeded up; in accelerando or rallentando; Magic Flute in preparation for his own opera. (The Two Days, better known in English as The * Inspirational listening, when the music is – the dynamics, loudness: from the most To demonstrate the Mozartean spirit that Water Carrier) by the half-French, half-Italian played in a civil or religious ceremony to quiet, or whispered to the most powerful, or wafts through the first act ofFidelio , let’s lis- maestro might appear to be one of his over- get us into the spirit of the occasion. fortissimo; ten to the aria in which Rocco celebrates to tures for Fidelio if he weren’t well aware of – the rhythm: can be irregular and unpredict- virtues of gold (as the title character in The the profound complexity of his own musical There’s still another different way to listen: try able as opposed to regular and pulsating; can Barber of Seville will do a few years later, but language as compared to Cherubini’s. This to understand what this piece has to say, what be organized in binary or ternary meters, etc.; with an entirely different spirit! We should is particularly true in thematic development: it can communicate, what it can suggest to our – the melody: can stay within a narrow range add that Beethoven could feel a certain sol- Cherubini may have begun “à la Beethoven,” sensitivity and our musical intelligence. At a of the musical scale, or else reach to the high- idarity with the good-natured jailer and his but he did not treat themes in the same way, basic level, music can suggest real sounds and est or lowest notes; interest in money.) With its delicious light- preferring instead a development technique noises, as when Vivaldi or Messiaen imitates – the mode: major or minor; or additional dif- ness, its quasi-folkloric tune, its jaunty and based, for example, on simple progressions. birdsong. At a high level, music can be under- ferent modes; sometimes naive alternation between 2/4 Let’s listen to the first five minutes: stood through anthropological, sociological, – the instruments: a guitar makes a different to 6/8 time, along with the strophic form of or philosophical perspectives, as the philoso- effect than a trumpet. the piece (AA), an unknowing listener might https://www.youtube.com/ pher Theodor Adorno did when he interpreted We can see these different mechanisms confidently attribute the piece to Papageno, watch?v=DsrYbDxFoiM the music of Mahler, Wagner, and Schoenberg. functioning by comparing two instrumental the comical bird catcher of The Magic Flute. Somewhere in between is the most common pieces from Fidelio, both from Act II. The first Teachers who want to explore the theme of type of musical interpretation: the emotional, is the introduction: ask the students to listen Mozart’s influence could compare the over- which leads us to speak of music’s gaiety or to the first two minutes or so; and then the ture to The Magic Flute with the second of melancholy, of tenderness or fury. instrumental introduction to the final chorus, the four overtures composed by Beethoven, Our experience in interpreting a piece will sung by the liberated prisoners. which can be heard on our CD. become richer, more rewarding, and more The most obvious differences are easy to 14 • CARLO DELFRATI Study Guide for Secondary Schools • 15

grasp. First of all, the tempo: very slow (grave) are many interpretations possible, as always This is not a complete list: side from a predominantly symphonic an- in the first,allegro vivace in the second. Then when confronted with any work of art. This gle... the instruments have the main say with the dynamics: the first alternates continuous- observation can be made about any experi- Axis of meanings the voice-parts more or less superimposed ly between forte and piano, versus the “Ross- ence we have in our lives. We are constantly and unfolding over the orchestral harmony inian” crescendo of the second. Further: the interpreting in terms of our own personal | Philosophical in a horizontal direction. A good example of rhythmic structure: the introduction starts past experiences, our psychological state of | Logical this is the poco allegro section of Florestan’s with long notes and moves into a passage being, our culture, and many other factors. | Religious aria”:12 we will take this into account later in punctuated by staccato (detached) notes, We observed earlier the different meanings | Ethical the “portrait” of the characters. If we want to then moves into agitated figures, while the musicologists have attributed to Fidelio. | Historical enjoy and foster enjoyment in the richness of finale is based entirely on a dotted march They can be ethical (marital fidelity), so- | Political Fidelio, it is essential to draw attention to the rhythm. The melody: split between the high- ciological (the role of women), historical | Anthropological fundamental contribution of the orchestra. est notes of the chords, with an imposing (connections to the French Revolution), or | Sociological The most obvious example would be the passage marked by gruppetti beginning in philosophical, as suggested in the essay by | Evocative overtures. Beethoven must have been eager bar 11, like shivers of fear, against an obvious Giovanni Guanti on the philosophical recep- | Allegorical to exercise his symphonic vein by beginning series of notes in unison. The mode is minor tion of Beethoven in Romanticism in this vol- | Emotional Fidelio with what is in essentially a symphon- (F minor) in the first piece, major (C major) in ume. While some of these “high” concepts | Spatial ic movement. They had nothing to do with the second. Finally, the instruments: alternat- are accessible only to the upper-level stu- | Sensory the Italian overtures of the eighteenth centu- ing chords in the strings (piano) and winds dents, and perhaps the lower level, others | Kinetic ry. Beethoven’s are structurally complex, and (forte) at the beginning of the first piece, with are accessible even to the younger students. i Onomatopoeic in a certain way independent from the opera responses between the strings and oboe on We could describe the types of interpreta- that follows them; this is especially true of the “painful” descending half-steps; while the tion (the meanings attributed to a piece), The orchestra and the overtures the third and fourth overtures. It’s no coin- finale begins with full orchestra, becomespi - which would become more workable for the First, a reflection on the historical function of cidence that we often hear them in orches- anissimo for a few bars, and then gradually students when displayed along an axis, an the orchestra in Fidelio. It may be surprising tral concerts, perhaps if not to the extent adds instruments until the full orchestra plays. ordering that moves from the most concrete that this opera was not staged in Italy until reported by Berlioz. He would have been Each of these expressive devices (or struc- to the most abstract. At the concrete end 1927, a century after its premiere in Vienna. delighted had the conservatory repeated a tural factors, parameters, formal categories, of the graph are onomatopoeia and move- It was too removed from the tradition of Ital- concert by Mendelssohn’s Leipzig Gewand- or other terms analysts have used to denote ment: that a piece could suggest birdsong or ian opera to be widely accepted. The first, haus orchestra, in which all four overtures them) is approachable by the students, a storm is something a six-year-old child can macroscopic difference lies in the function were played in a single concert! depending on their complexity. Degrees understand. Music can also remind us of the of the instruments. The voice holds the place More active listening can help us discover of complexity: to distinguish the sound of gallop of a horse or the crawling of a turtle. of privilege in Italian opera, with the vocal strong expressive connections to the plot. In the clarinet from the timpani is something As students grow, we invite them to explore melody deployed in long phrases, while the the second overture, the relevant passage is a a three-year-old can do; to distinguish the the emotive dimensions of a piece, which orchestra fundamentally serves as a support, motive that is sung in Act II, in the aria where sound of the violin from the viola requires musicians used to term “the affections.” A with frequent interjections to illuminate the Florestan laments his loss of his liberty: “in a higher level of training. To distinguish be- progression of the possible interpretations vocal line. Beethoven, however, conceived of des Lebens Frühlingstagen ist das Glück von tween ascending and descending scales is could be presented thus, in a crescendo his music in orchestral terms. He constructed mir geflohn” (In the springtime of my life hap- less complicated than recognizing a modu- from the most concrete to the most abstract. the scenes of his drama as if they were move- piness has flown). lation to a related key, and so on. ments of a symphony or piano sonata. More generally, “the overtures, aside from Our ability to interpret a piece depends For Beethoven “symphonic thinking was the fourth, are not mere introductions to the on the varied combinations of expressive second nature... it is not surprising that even opera, but additional independent respons- means that we are able to recognize. There in his opera he approached its instrumental es to the same problem, a renewed effort 16 • CARLO DELFRATI Study Guide for Secondary Schools • 17

to translate the idea of the opera through heroic seriousness of the rest of the opera. Beethoven has not dawdled in the jailer’s evocative way of presenting the horror of symphonic means alone.” They are a kind of A first explanation for this might be Bee- household simply because he can think of imprisonment than by first showing free- summary, one could say, “a monument to this thoven’s intention to portray his characters nothing better to do, or because he must dom, not in forms of impossible splendor time of troubles and oppressed souls, and in socially, a strategy he picked up from Mozart. ‘set the scene’ for the significant actions but in the humble shape in which it pre- that follow, or even because he is adher- sents itself to the ordinary human being.17 his call for freedom a formidable crescendo, Mozart did this by using working-class lan- ing to the conventions of the rescue opera from suffering to joy, along the path of hope guage for the low comedians Leporello and The quartets genre. Rather, he is here creating the first and struggle; an ascent from the abyss to the Masetto when he has them dance the rustic term of his grand historical argument, the To understand the expressive tone of the 13 open sky.” This is true not only of the over- Ländler, while assigning the minuet for the lapsed world of imperfect beings and re- second act of the opera, let’s listen to its dra- ture, but the entire opera. aristocrats Donna Anna, Donna Elvira, and lationships that will be utterly transformed matic climax: the scene where Pizarro lunges Don Ottavio; Don Giovanni gets the bour- in the work’s conclusion. We can feel the with dagger in hand to murder Florestan. It The case of the first scene geois contra dance when he dances with power of that transformation only if the is Leonore who stops him and then reveals The opera unfolds on two levels, sharply op- Zerlina, a peasant girl. Beethoven followed old order is firmly established in our minds who she is: the wife of the prisoner. Here posed in every way. First of all, spatially: above, suit, although in a more restrained manner. as the terminus a quo of the opera’s trajec- Beethoven writes a quartet, with the voices the domestic story of the beginning; below, Let us compare the scene where Rocco extols tory. The sense of moving from an unre- entering one by one. Pizarro attacks with “Er constructed to a redeemed order is in fact the prison. It has a corresponding contrast of money with the opening of Act II, which intro- sterbe!” (Let him die!) and a convulsive vocal the single most powerful impression that light: brightness above, darkness below. The duces Florestan. Let’s just consider the way line that winds its way upward by continuous Fidelio conveys to its audience.16 contrast is also psychological: above, domes- each one is constructed. The first example is chromatic steps until it explodes in a fero- tic tranquility; below, fearful anguish. The con- in strophic form: the same popular form we The transition from the old to the new re- cious explosion of joy as he throws himself trast is also political: above, absolute power; find, for example, in some of the manyLieder gime is certainly not painless, as we hear in at his despised enemy. The trumpets, with below, the collateral of tyranny. The unfolding by Beethoven or Schubert. The second is cast the frequent expressions of anxiety and in their military calls, confirm his arrogance. At of the entire opera can be summarized as, “a in a form suitable for the courtly, aristocratic the climate of fear that underlie the decisive this point Florestan, Leonore, and Rocco en- descent into the abyss and the ascent from tradition. In particular, let’s observe how Rocco actions in the plot. The same two excerpts we ter in this order, each gripped by increasing night into full daylight.”14 Set designers typical- expresses himself “through a consonant, di- suggested above would work well for a so- anxiety, which becomes even more intense ly follow this duality of space and light. atonic tonal-harmonic language, a relatively ciological-historical discussion of this topic. after Leonore has revealed her true identity After the students have learned about the rapid, syllabic delivery of the text, frequent re- The contrast between the two expressive and pointed the pistol at Pizarro. This is the noble democratic idealism that guides Bee- liance on staccato or detached articulations in worlds of the opera, between the tragic nature climax of the opera, carried to its culmina- thoven’s opera, they might be dismayed by the orchestra and voice, and relatively short- of the second act and the lighthearted nature tion by the repeated trumpet fanfare that the lighthearted atmosphere at the opening— breathed vocal phrases; repeated tones, remi- of the first scene opens itself to a final inter- announces the arrival of the minister. The which is anything but heroic—enacted by two niscent of eighteenth-century patter, are quite pretation, which is disturbing, to say the least: agitated coda portrays the extreme distress characters, Marzelline and Jaquino, who ap- conspicuous in Rocco’s music. On the whole felt by all four characters. pear, quarreling, at the jailer Rocco’s dwelling. the members of Rocco’s household avoid the Those who find the opening scenes ofFi - Let’s compare this now with the quartet More than a few critics have reserved such kind of sustained, bel canto singing reserved delio disappointing might in any case ask from the first act, one of the most memo- dismay, and even a rebuke, for the compos- for the heroic characters,”15 which we will find themselves—did not everyday life con- rable numbers from Fidelio. Beethoven’s er: such a “low” tone to strike at the out- instead in Florestan’s aria. tinue apparently unchanged on the very construction of this one is radically differ- threshold of Auschwitz and Dachau? Are set of a music theater piece destined to The transition from the “low tone” of the be- ent: it’s in the form of a canon. Each of the there not doubtless today, prim rooms develop and to conclude, after fierce and ginning to the “noble tone” of all of the sec- four characters—Marzelline, Leonore, Rocco, with pots of geraniums in the windows even ferocious conflicts, on a very different ond act can be interpreted, from a social-his- and prison-officers’ daughters in love with Jaquino—comments on Marzelline’s obvious plane: epic and triumphal. Its “light” and ap- torical perspective, as a contrast between their father’s assistants, at the gates of con- love for Fidelio (in reality, Leonore dressed as parently “frivolous” atmosphere seems to the world of the ancien régime and the new centration-camps or optimistically named a man). Each of the four has very different strike a false note when compared to the world arising from the Revolution: ‘rehabilitation-centres’? There is no more words, and we would expect that, like the 18 • CARLO DELFRATI Study Guide for Secondary Schools • 19

quartet in the second act, the music would The quartet is like a great, independent art- Tableaux vivants This experience could be performed by different as well, both for the voices and the work, complete in itself and set within a mag- The procedure followed by Beethoven in his our students with the quartet or else with instruments. Instead, Beethoven has opted nificent altarpiece. The history of opera is full Act I quartet has an analogy in one of the other ensembles from the opera. Divided for a somewhat surprising solution: the form of episodes that freeze the action: ensemble practices in vogue in nineteenth-century into groups, they could perform one at a of the canon, which requires the characters pieces, although they’re not always canons. France: tableaux vivants, or living pictures. time or simultaneously. A procedure similar to express themselves in the same way mu- We find many of them in Rossini’s operas, In the theater, a group of singers or actors to the Neapolitan performances would in- sically. The story seems to come to a halt, like the most famous being “Mi par d’esser con la would be posed in groups to remind the audi- volve bringing on one character (in our case, a movie on pause. How can we explain Bee- testa in un’orrida fucina” that closes Act I of ence of real events, historical or mythological Marzelline), and then the others in their turn. thoven’s choice? The Barber of Seville. A comparison between subjects, and paintings. In modern times, Pier Unlike the re-creation of an existing painting, The most obvious answer for a composer the two would show one hand the dynamism Paolo Pasolini introduced tableaux vivants the music will suggest not only the timing of is that musical theater is not spoken theat- of Rossini’s ensemble, and on the other, the inspired by Pontormo’s painting Deposition the entrances, but especially the postures er, let alone cinema, where such situations contemplative spirit of Beethoven’s quartet. from the Cross in his film,La ricotta. Although and gestures, which the students will come would be unthinkable. Opera is its own form Before searching for a meaning on one of the following material is in Italian, the pictures up with on their own. of communication with its own set of rules: the upper levels of the “axis of meanings” alone can tell the story. Fidelio has other ensemble opportunities each piece is appreciated first and foremost above, let’s enjoy this piece for what it has to that would be suitable for additional tableaux for what it is as music. If there is an analo- offer our sensibilities, for the delicacy of the http://www.mediastudies.it/IMG/ vivants: in Act I, the trio that precedes the gous model, it would be in the visual arts. No atmosphere that surrounds all four charac- pdf/7._Corredo_Tableaux-2.pdf march; in Act II, the trio for Florestan, Rocco, one expects the figures inThe Last Supper ters and transcends the joys or worries that and Leonore, and the following quartet. Both to move around, or Degas’s dancers to whirl the words communicate. On a higher level, Not long ago the experience was given an finales, which include the chorus of prison- offstage. To help reinforce this obvious point, the quartet may appear to be a celebration evocative reprise in the theater at the Museo ers, could involve the entire class in a grand you can show the students some of the mas- of the joys of domestic tranquility. And on Diocesano (Diocesan Museum) of Naples in ensemble tableau. terpieces by painters from the eighteenth a still higher level, it may prefigure the joys 2015. Before the visitors’ eyes, the tableaux and nineteenth centuries, such as Greuze, of the world to come, as will be revealed in were gradually composed in flesh and blood Standing out from the crowd David, or Appiani: the finale of the opera: “It is a kind of musical by actors, who reproduced paintings by Ca- As we mentioned earlier, the quartet from Act promise, a down-payment, as it were, and ravaggio. Again, the pictures in the link below I shows the characters using identical music http://nga.gov.au/exhibition/ has the effect of alerting us near the start of will tell the story. (thanks to the canon) to express different frenchpainting/Detail.cfm?IRN= the opera that something much more sig- sentiments using different words: Marzelline 126562&ViewID=2 nificant is in store for us than we would be http://www.caffeinamagazine.it/ enamored, Leonore disconcerted, Rocco sat- inclined to expect from the trivialities of the lo-spettacolo/9353-tableaux-vivants- isfied, Jaquino exasperated: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ opening duet and Marzelline’s aria—the only le-opere-di-caravaggio-prendono-vita- File:Jacques_Louis_David_-_ two pieces we have heard up to this point.... davanti-agli-occhi-degli-spettatori Serment_de_l%27arm%C3%A9e_ The canon, in sum, must be bracketed off fait_%C3%A0_l%27Empereur_ from the numbers that surround it. It antici- The following resource in English suggests apr%C3%A8s_la_distribution_des_ pates the world in which Fidelio ends, but it ways to incorporate tableaux vivants into aigles,_5_d%C3%A9cembre_1804_-_ does not fundamentally disturb the opera’s your own teaching: Google_Art_Project.jpg bipolar structure—our sense of moving from a discredited past to a redeemed future.”18 http://artmuseumteaching. http://www.flickriver.com/photos/ com/2012/12/06/tableaux-vivant- magika2000/5974553544/ history-and-practice/ 20 • CARLO DELFRATI Study Guide for Secondary Schools • 21

MARZELLINE This is the usual procedure in operatic en- ready to take revenge on this hypocrite. (During Rocco’s praise of Leonore, sembles, with a few exceptions. The most Before listening to the music, try this inter- Marzelline watches with complete approval and throws famous is the quartet from Rigoletto by Ver- esting experiment: have groups of four speak Leonore increasingly loving glances; to herself) di. As always in teaching, comparisons work the text. Each group decides: well to deepen knowledge that might oth- Mir ist so wunderbar, It seems so wonderful, erwise fall on deaf ears. Here’s an exercise – the personality of each character; es engt das Herz mir ein; my heart is as full as it can be; to get the students involved in discovering – the register of the voice, its color, etc.; er liebt mich, es ist klar, he loves me, it’s clear, what’s so special about this quartet. – the order of the lines and interruptions; ich werde glücklich sein. I’m going to be happy. In this climactic scene we see an incurable – the potential places where the voices might Don Juan, the Duke of Mantua, flirting with overlap. the landlady of the inn where he plans to stay LEONORE the night. The woman, named Maddalena, Each group will perform its version. (to herself) doesn’t fall for it: she knows a “player” when Now let’s move on to listening to the char- she sees one. This scene takes place inside acters as they sing in Verdi’s opera, one at Wie gross ist die Gefahr, How great is the danger, the inn. Outside in the dark, another woman a time.19 wie schwach der Hoffnung Schein; how faint the ray of hope; named Gilda is peering through the window; Compare this with the students’ results. sie liebt mich, es ist klar, she loves me, it’s clear, she’s filled with sorrow by what she sees: the What does the music tell us about the char- o namenlose Pein! oh, indescribable pain! deceitful Duke had promised her his eternal acters? How is each one feeling? How are love, and she had believed him. Now she hears their personalities revealed? him sweet-talking another woman. Gilda’s fa- The answers can be found chiefly by listen- ROCCO ther, Rigoletto, stands next to her, furious and ing to the vocal lines. (who has meanwhile come downstage; to himself)

Sie liebt ihn, es ist klar, She loves him, it’s clear duca di mantova duke of mantua ja, Mädchen, er wird dein; yes, my girl, he’ll be yours; Bella figlia dell’amore, Beautiful daughter of love, ein gutes junges Paar, a good young couple— schiavo son dei vezzi tuoi. I’m a slave to your charms. sie werden glücklich sein. they’ll be happy. Con un detto sol tu puoi With a single word you can le mie pene consolar. console my sufferings. Vieni e senti del mio core Come and feel the rapid beating JAQUINO il frequente palpitar. of my heart. (while eavesdropping has come closer and closer, standing on the side and somewhat behind the others; to himself) MADDALENA maddalena Ha, ha. Rido ben di core, Ha, ha! That’s a good laugh— Mir sträubt sich schon das Haar, My hair is standing on end; ché tai baie [tali sciocchezze] costan poco. that kind of foolishness comes cheap. der Vater willigt ein; her father is consenting; Quanto valga il vostro gioco, What your flirtation’s worth, mir wird so wunderbar, I feel so dumbfounded— mel credete, so apprezzar. believe me, I know only too well. mir fällt kein Mittel ein. I can’t think of any solution. Sono avvezza, bel signore, I’m accustomed, handsome sir, ad un simile scherzar. to that kind of joking. 22 • CARLO DELFRATI Study Guide for Secondary Schools • 23

GILDA GILDA on the other hand, “are types rather than much greater dimension than in Italian op- Ah, così parlar d’amore Ah, that monster talked about love individual characters, more abstractions era, which delivers its expressive message a me pur l’infame ho udito! the same way to me! than human beings of flesh and blood, and through the voice. It is primarily this extra di- Infelice cor tradito, Unhappy, betrayed heart, ultimately the mouthpiece for ideas of good mension—which critics called a “symphonic per angoscia non scoppiar. don’t break with anguish. and evil, loyalty and villainy, suffering and treatment” of the opera—that disconcerted heroic will. Beethoven paints his principal the public that attended the first performanc- RIGOLETTO RIGOLETTO characters in black-and-white.”20 es of Fidelio. We only need parenthetically to Taci, il piangere non vale [non serve]: Hush, your weeping is useless; We’ll look at these in the order they appear cite this outraged critic from a newspaper in ch’ei mentiva or sei sicura. now you’re certain he was lying. onstage. The best way to stimulate the 1806: “All of the impartial experts are com- Taci, e mia sarà la cura Hush, and I’ll avenge students’ listening is to propose questions pletely in agreement that never has there la vendetta d’affrettar. you soon. about the ideas we want them to consider. been written anything so chaotic, so unpleas- Pronta fia, sarà fatale: It will be quick and deadly: For example, in order to understand the way ant, so confused, so repugnant to the ears. io saprollo fulminar! I know how to kill him. characters feel and how they change, listen One distasteful modulation follows another first of all to the way they sing; second, listen in an abominable cacophony.”21 Now here comes the surprise. Verdi doesn’t strumental accompaniment, their emotions, to what the instrumentation has to tell us. Shortly before the duet finishes, Beethoven let us hear the parts separately, one at a time: their intentions, and even their social class. gives Marzelline one of the few melismas in the they enter gradually, overlapping each other We can only get vague information from the Marzelline, Jaquino and Rocco opera, which Beethoven uses to delineate the in counterpoint. This is because this is how words (and if the students can’t speak Ger- The first two are Marzelline, daughter of the simple nature of an exuberant young woman. people really talk: they don’t wait for one man, don’t think of it as an obstacle, rather jailer Rocco, and Jaquino, her suitor. They While Beethoven doesn’t grant Jaquino his person to finish before they start talking, but an opportunity to focus on the music). The appear together in a playful duet, as befits own aria, the next number sees Marzelline overlap their words with the other characters. most important thing by far, in listening to an a lover’s quarrel. As in the quartet, in a duet alone, exulting in her new-found love for Fi- Now listen to the original version. In spoken opera, is what we can learn from the music. like this it’s the magic of the music, as we re- delio. The minor mode with which the aria theater it would be unthinkable to have four In class we can go back to the ideas stimu- mind our students, that gives the composer begins could be read as regret for poor characters speaking at once. Music has an lated by the tableaux vivants. Unlike portrait options: to sing one after the other (and here Jaquino (a little exercise: make sure the stu- expressive component that is unavailable to painting, which literally fixes the personality we must distinguish between the moments dents hear the difference between the mi- spoken language! of the subject, a musical portrait, by its very where one echoes the other using the same nor mode, C minor, in the beginning and its Along the way we’ve come to notice that nature, follows a psychological development. melody, and those in which the two voices relative major mode halfway through each the orchestra is supporting the role of one The video excerpts in the handsome “Vox overlap in counterpoint). The sunny atmos- verse). Then the major mode (C major this particular member of the quartet: Gilda. By Imago” dvd can serve as your examples. phere of this duet is also confirmed by the time) resolutely interjects at the words “Die this choice Verdi is letting us know that at We should also add that the musical portrait onomatopoeia Beethoven uses to imitate the Hoffhung schon erfüllt die Brust” (Hope is the heart of this episode is the victim of the of the characters changes gradually over the sound of knocking at the door through grace already filling my breast), with Marzelline’s tragedy that is about to strike: Gilda. This is course of the opera as it responds to events. notes in the strings. But the role assigned to joyous melody echoed by the oboe. The little different from Beethoven, who had no ex- If we listen to an opera by Mozart, such as Le the orchestra goes far beyond these light cloud of the opening is quickly dissipated by pressive hierarchy in his quartet. nozze di Figaro or Don Giovanni or perhaps touches of color. In its own right it becomes the happy and naive dream of a young girl: an opera by Verdi, such as Rigoletto or Il tro- a true interlocutor with the two characters. that love lasts forever. The strophic form of Portraits vatore, the nuances and the “colors” of the Sometimes it underlines their melodic ideas, the aria (AA) is another trait of the “Mozarte- The preceding exercise can also introduce voice and the instrumental accompaniment but more often it introduces new melodic ide- an” simplicity of the character. another crucial issue that applies every time make us feel that we are in the presence of as in counterpoint. In short, we realize right Rocco’s aria, in which he extols his materialis- we listen to a piece of music: to recognize, well-defined characters: people with strong from the beginning the great and decisive tic ideals, immediately follows the quartet. It from the way characters sing and by the in- personalities. The protagonists in Fidelio, importance of the instruments in Fidelio: a is in strophic form, as we saw earlier. There’s 24 • CARLO DELFRATI Study Guide for Secondary Schools • 25

no holding back here in aria that celebrates would soon be turned upside down by events Third section: cabaletta money. The melody based on chord tones larger than themselves, Leonore instead in- Ich folg dem Innern Triebe, I follow my internal drive, illustrates the self-confident resolution of carnates exactly the kind of grand idea that ich wanke nicht, I will not falter, the character, changing from major to minor Beethoven envisaged for all humankind. In mich stärkt die Pflicht I’m strengthened by the duty when confronting the idea of the troubles life the opera she has a presence far superior to der treuen Gattenliebe! of true conjugal love! has in store for us (and that money will alle- all the others. The piece that best represents O du, für den ich alles trug, Oh you, for whom I’ve endured everything, viate). As in Marzelline’s aria, Rocco’s moves her character is her extraordinary aria from Act könnt ich zur Stelle dringen, if only I could force my way into the place from a section in moderate tempo to a livelier I, which follows Pizarro’s barbarous scene. wo Bosheit dich in Fesseln schlug, where evil cast you in irons, allegro: with money, he sings, you can control The aria is in three parts, according to tra- und süssen Trost dir bringen! and bring you sweet comfort! your own fate. ditional classical opera tradition: recitative, aria, and cabaletta. Each part gives scope to Leonore one of three emotions, of which the words This scene magnificently captures the scope Florestan While Marzelline, Jaquino, and Rocco repre- us offer us only a pale shadow: outrage over of Leonore’s emotion, her high moral ideas, Florestan appears onstage for the first time sent a “commonplace” world, secure in their the wicked Pizarro’s plan, confidence in the and her great energy. The tension that ex- only at the beginning of Act II. By now Bee- instincts and emotions, insubstantial in their successful outcome of her own mission, and plodes in the recitative is due to the vocal line, thoven has left behind the ease of domestic ideals, and representative of a society that the impulse driving her to undertake it: angular and broken up by frequent rests, as life and the world it represents to transport well as by the exclamations from the orchestra. us abruptly into the heart of the drama—into The recitative, in which the instruments are as the dungeon where the deuteragonist (in important as the voice, leaves the accompa- ancient Greek drama, the second-most im- First section: recitative nied recitatives of the eighteenth century far portant character) of the action languishes Abscheulicher, wo eilst du hin? Monster, where are you running? behind. It imparts an energy to the action that near death. He also stands for the historical was hast du vor in wildem Grimme? What are you planning in your wild fury? even Fiordiligi’s aria “Come scoglio” from Mo- world he incarnates: an oppressed people, Des Mitleids Ruf, der Menschheit Stimme, Compassion’s call, humanity’s voice—, zart’s Così fan tutte (a parallel often made by as well as the composer’s own personal tor- rührt nichts mehr deinen Tigersinn? does nothing move your tiger’s soul? critics) was never able to achieve. mentor—deafness. Doch toben auch wie Meereswogen Although like waves at sea The aria itself takes us far away from the “From the first bar, one feels that the un- dir in der Seele Zorn und Wut, wrath and fury rage in your soul, previous mood. The hope evoked in the text happy man locked in this prison has had to so leuchtet mir ein Farbenbogen, a rainbow shines on me suggests to Beethoven a picture of heav- abandon all hope when he entered.”23 The der hell auf dunklen Wolken ruht; that brilliantly rests on the dark clouds: enly tranquility; it is expressed through the prelude that introduces the scene, which we der blickt so still, so friedlich nieder, it looks so calmly, so peacefully down, tenderness of the voice, introduced and have analyzed above in comparison with the der spiegelt alte Zeiten wieder, it reflects old times, wrapped in a warm mantle of three horns, march, is a small poem that in itself reveals und neu besänftigt wallt mein Blut. and my blood flows peacefully once again. which accompany it to the end. Beethoven’s symphonic vocation, which The horns return to the foreground in the al- leads from the symphonies to Fidelio. “The Second section: aria legro finale, proclaiming on the notes of the power and originality of this piece stem major chord (B E B E G# E, the notes of a bu- chiefly from the fusion of the purely instru- Komm, Hoffnung, lass den letzten Stern Come, hope, keep a glimmer alive gle call), the heroic fervor Leonore will bring mental prelude and the aria and recitative der Müden nicht erbleichen; for the tired; to her plan. “Significantly, her part contains that follow it ... it is the first time in the histo- o komm, oh come, wide-spread arpeggios with tremendous ry of opera that such a fusion, which leads erhell mein Ziel, sei’s noch so fern, illuminate my goal, not matter how far away leaps from high to low that contrast strongly to unforeseen heights of dramatic intensi- die Liebe, sie wird’s erreichen. love will attain it. with the predominantly step-wise progres- ty, has been realized.”24 The unequivocally sion in the lyrical section that preceded it.”22 painful and dark tone of the instrumental 26 • CARLO DELFRATI Study Guide for Secondary Schools • 27

prelude imperceptibly flows into the sud- trust in God’s will.”25 Florestan “is like a dumb “In this tremendous piece, the ferocious joy of that the wives, daughters, and friends of the den cry, “Gott!” “Florestan is, dramatically man who struggles to speak, to whom every a villain about to take his revenge is depicted prisoners were coming to meet them (in speaking, an anti-hero. He takes no active word is a battle and sharp pain, yet who does with the most shocking verisimilitude.... Here, actuality, in his score Beethoven indicated part whatsoever in the action.... Yet from the speak, first spasmodically, then steadily, with for the first time, the orchestra unleashes ... “Chorus of Prisoners” and “Chorus of the moral point of view, the point of view that self-denying heroism.”26 shuddering, agitation, shouting, and blows.”27 People.”) The listener who pays attention mattered most to Beethoven, Florestan is a As usual, the orchestra plays an important The motive of the character can be explained to the music doesn’t need a rationale for hero bearing, with despairing fortitude, his role, in particular with the counter melody in in psychological terms: this: the addition of female voices allows unmerited fate, in the knowledge of having the oboe that accompanies the entire aria. Beethoven not only to enrich the harmonic done his duty in denouncing Pizarro.” The It is like a comfort from outside that eases As this century has cause to know, the variety of the ensemble, but to replace the aria that Beethoven dedicated to him reveals the suffering of Florestan in his decision to most fearful tyrant is the psychopath prevailing dark sonority of the male chorus a “fine psychologist in that he tones down accept his fate. whose vindictiveness is thinly disguised, with the brightness of the female sound. It so whose self-control is fragile, whose out- the heroic element to an imperceptible lev- aptly expresses the change, not only in the bursts are unpredictable. Thus Pizarro. el of which we are only subliminally aware, Pizarro physical, but above all the spiritual environ- His inner agitation is expressed, in the except for the phrase in the adagio, ‘und Returning to Act I, Pizarro’s appearance time honoured way, by the orchestra: the ment in which the work ends. die Ketten sind mein Lohn’ where Florestan moves the linguistic style of the entire opera ominous drum roll, the twisting string fig- Again, comparison is a valuable didactic breaks out into a more forceful lament over from comedy to intense drama, which con- ure ... the stabbing accents, the blaring tool: this time between the two ways Bee- his fate.... After an initial feeling of desola- tinues until the end of the opera. We hear brass. His own line begins with the angu- thoven chose to handle the chorus. In the tion and anguish Florestan’s mood alters to him after he has read the message that an- lar interval B flat – C sharp, and it is char- finale of Act I, the prisoners climbing up from one of resigned acceptance of his lot and nounces the coming of the minister: acterized throughout by short phrases the darkness of their underground cells into whose irregular outlines and leaps seem the light of the courtyard is realized at the to be intent on breaking the bounds of opening by the line in the strings that grad- normal musical restraint. The transition ually ascends. Again, Beethoven’s symphon- Ha, welch ein Augenblick, Ah, what a moment, from minor to major as he gloats in an- ic vocation leads him to create a texture in die Rache werd ich kühlen, I’ll slake my revenge, ticipation of his revenge is a travesty of which the ecstatic song of the male voices dich rufet dein Geschick! your fate is calling! the meaning the progression generally is interwoven with the contrasting threads In seinem Herzen wühlen, To tear out his heart— conveys in Beethoven’s music. And the cowed murmurings of the chorus serve of the bassoons and the other winds, one by o Wonne, grosses Glück! oh rapture, the greatest happiness! to emphasise his invulnerability.28 one. The painstaking care Beethoven took Schon war ich nah, im Staube, Once I was nearly—in the dust with this score is evidenced through many dem lauten Spott zum Raube, prey to open ridicule— The prisoners details, upon which musicologists have writ- dahin gestreckt zu sein! laid so low! While the minster who arrives at the end ten entire books. One small example: have Nun ist er mir geworden, Now it has fallen to me serves as the capstone of the action, en- the students observe how the polyphonic den Mörder selbst zu morden! to murder the murderer! suring the happy ending with his procla- singing at the beginning is melded into a uni- Ha, welch ein Augenblick u.s.w. Ah, what a moment, etc. mation—the liberation of Florestan and de- son at the words “der Kerker ist eine Gruft” Nun ist er mir u.s.w. Now it has fallen to me, etc. nunciation of Pizarro—an independent and (the prison is a tomb). in seiner letzten Stunde, in his last hour, essential role is played by the prisoners, who The final chorus opens with an orchestral den Stahl in seiner Wunde, with my steel in his wound, form the chorus. In the first chorus in Act I introduction. Marked by an almost Rossin- ihm noch ins Ohr zu schrein: to cry into his ear: only tenors and basses sing, while in the Act ian crescendo, it is based on typical military Triumph, der Sieg ist mein! Triumph, victory is mine! II finale sopranos and altos are added. This march music, energetically moving. When seems contradictory: there are no women in they enter, the voices join in this rhythm, the prison! A stage director might imagine but the expansion of the sound palette to 28 • CARLO DELFRATI Study Guide for Secondary Schools • 29

include the brighter female voices is strik- means, although in the Ninth Symphony Bee- celebration, in which all humanity, ennobled it to music in his Ninth Symphony, Beetho- ing. From here we can go on to point out thoven wanted to make his ideals more explicit by culture, participates by dancing. This ven used a military setting: one of the var- many details, such as the brief parenthesis by setting verses by his favorite poet, Schiller, piece has the flavor of an occasional piece iations which make up the last movement amidst the rejoicing on the same image of drawn from his Ode to Joy. destined for a not-too-demanding public, of the Ninth was inscribed Alla marcia (like the tomb, “Grabes,” that seemed to seize the The students could listen to the salient and for which the composer did not want to a march). To clarify his reference to a war—a frightened prisoners in the first chorus. movements of one or more symphonies. In waste too much effort. But in his hands the moral war—Beethoven added instruments With the quasi-religious solemnity of their each case, the story told in the opening alle- theme is not mere inert material, abandoned that would have sounded warlike to the audi- singing, from, shall we say, the miserere of gro movement has a heroic finish in the last by the way after being developed. ences of the early nineteenth century. These the first chorus to thealleluia of the second, movement. The opening allegro movements It is more like an idea to be explored, ana- colorful percussion instruments—bass drum, the prisoners come to embody all humani- are characterized by continuous, intense lyzed for its assets, for its potential. This is cymbals, triangle—were introduced into the ty. It is this humanity with which Beethoven, conflict. The finalallegro movements are vic- demonstrated by his many compositions orchestra in the late eighteenth century in im- apostle of the ideals of the French Revolu- torious over the conflict in ways that often in the form of theme and variations, where itation of the military bands of the Janissar- tion, celebrates liberation from the darkness achieve an apotheosis, glorification, and cel- the theme may well be a humble little tune ies, the ferocious corps of the Turkish army. of social and spiritual oppression. ebration. Between the first and last scenarios, you might whistle around the house, but on Bass drum, cymbals, and triangle came to be the plots unfold in surprisingly different ways. which the inexhaustible fantasy of Beetho- known as “Turkish music,” and when a com- From opera to symphony The Symphony n.o 3 visits one of those deso- ven builds a storyline of events in sound. On poser used them, the allusion to the military As we have seen several times now, the spir- late abysses in Beethoven’s world, the funer- his theme from Prometheus Beethoven built world was clear. Joyful like a hero to battle. it of the symphony pervades Fidelio to the al march, which begins softly and arrives at 15 variations for piano, followed by a fugue. Here, as in the previous symphonies and in extent that, in certain cases, it is a more im- an overwhelming emotional tension caused This composition can be considered a pre- Fidelio, the bellicose tumult that defeats evil portant character than the voice. By paying by the overlapping of motives until the final paratory study for the finale of theEroica and suffering leads to the achievement of attention to what the instruments have to appearance of the opening theme. Here the Symphony. Here too, for the glorious conclu- justice and happiness. To listen to the hero- tell us, we can understand the entire mean- violins that play the theme seem overcome sion Beethoven uses the Prometheus theme, ic moments of these symphonies (and we ing of this theatrical work. by emotion; the rhythm is disrupted, and the rendered even more heroic than at its first could add other compositions, such as the But the opposite can also apply: Fidelio, with theme dissolves. appearance, through the stentorian state- concertos for piano and violin) is to shine the semantic denotations we have uncovered, The march is followed by a brisk return to ments of the trumpets. a searchlight on the deep comprehension allows us to help the students grasp meanings vitality, which even seems to erase the mem- To round off the drama we hear the impet- of Beethoven’s message, just as Fidelio in in Beethoven’s symphonies that otherwise ory of the preceding tragic atmosphere. The uosity of a military march, not a funeral one. its turn will allow the students to listen with might have remained obscure. First of all, let’s third act of the drama is the shortest and “Freudig wie ein Held zum Siegen” (Joyful like greater awareness to the drama underlying examine the entire series, seen from above, most compact, marked by a persistent gal- a hero to battle) says Schiller’s text. Setting purely instrumental compositions. so to speak. We can encapsulate this with an loping rhythm. oft-quoted line Beethoven wrote to Countess The finale of the Third Symphony has a long Erdödy on 10 October 1815, “durch Leiden history that can shed light on Beethoven’s Freude,” joy achieved through suffering. This compositional processes, his method of con- motto would represent the spirit of Beetho- structing the grand arcs of his musical dra- ven even better—the spirit that pervades the mas. He had come up with the main theme a Symphony n.o 3 (Eroica), as well as the Fifth couple of years earlier for the conclusion of and the Ninth—if we were to interpolate, “joy the ballet The Creatures of Prometheus. The achieved through victory over suffering.” Like choreographer intended to celebrate the Fidelio, these symphonies enact a struggle no Enlightenment’s belief in human reason and less heroic. They do it purely through musical science. The tale concludes with a splendid Translated by Elizabeth Parker 30 • CARLO DELFRATI Study Guide for Secondary Schools • 31

NOTES

1. Catherine Clément, Opera, Or, The Undoing of Wom- 3. Mosco Carner, Major and Minor, London, Duck- Massenet’s tender Meditation and the Napoleonic 16. Robinson, Ludwig van Beethoven, 83. en, Minneapolis, University of Minnesota, 1988, 59 worth, 1980, 194. Salute to the Eagle. 17. Cooper, Ideas and Music, 48. The author compares and 30-31. Teachers of history or literature who are 4. Donald Jay Grout - Hermine Weigel Williams, A Short 12. Carner, Major and Minor, 208. Florestan’s circumstances to those described by interested in delving more deeply into this topic History of Opera, 4th ed., New York, Columbia Uni- 13. Romain Rolland, Beethoven: les grandes époques Silvio Pellico in Le mie prigioni. will find an inexhaustible trove of material in the en- versity, 2003, 351. créatrices. De l’“Héroïque” à l’“Appassionata”, Par- 18. Robinson, Ludwig van Beethoven, 91-92. cyclopedic History of Women in the West, edited 5. Paul Robinson, Ludwig van Beethoven: “Fidelio,” is, Sablier, 1928, 235 and 243. 19. The voices can be heard separately in the discogra- by Georges Duby and Michelle Perrot, Cambridge, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1996, 70. 14. Rolland, Beethoven, 249. The writer Romain Rol- phy of the textbook by Carlo Delfrati, I colori della MA, Harvard University, 1992. The five-volume set, 6. Robinson, Ludwig van Beethoven, 96. land, “a wounded witness to the bloody catastro- musica, Milano, Principato, 2003, 196-197. spanning antiquity to the twentieth century, be- 7. Martin Cooper, Ideas and Music, London, Barrie & phe of our Europe” and courageous opponent of 20. Carner, Major and Minor, 196. longs in every scholastic library. The sole drawback Rockliff, 1967, 45-46. France’s entry into World War I in 1914, finds in 21. This report, together with others of similar tone, in from our perspective is that there is no mention 8. Carl Dahlhaus, Ludwig van Beethoven: Approaches Fidelio “a monument to the anguish of the peri- Rolland, Beethoven, 231. of music amongst the vast entries on literature. to His Music, Oxford, Oxford University, 1991, 181-182. od, to the soul of the oppressed, and his call for 22. Carner, Major and Minor cit., 216. Only the fifth volume on the nineteenth century 9. Ernst H. Gombrich, Arte e illusione, Torino, Einaudi, freedom: a formidable crescendo from suffering 23. Hector Berlioz, À travers chants, Paris, Lévy, 1862, 82. has the briefest of discussions about opera, begin- 1965, 198 and 361. into joy, a journey through hope and struggle. An 24. René Leibowitz, Histoire de l’opéra, Paris, Bu- ning with La traviata; however, only the libretti are 10. The Beethoven Companion, edited by Denis Ar- ascent from the abyss into heaven” (243). More chet-Chastel, 1957, 95. discussed, and Fidelio does not appear. It is a lim- nold and Nigel Fortune, London, Faber, 1971, 374. broadly, the author saw in Beethoven the incar- 25. Carner, Major and Minor, 217 and 219. itation that shows once again the difficulty of the 11. This exercise is suggested in this author’s textbook nation of his own humanitarian and pacifist ideals. 26. Paul Henry Lang, The Experience of Opera, New cultural elites in understanding the contributions All’opera insieme/online (Milano, Principato, 2011), Seven volumes and fifty years of his life were de- York, Norton, 1973, 107-108. that musical works can bring to the understanding where the comparison is made between a prelude voted to writing his biography. 27. Berlioz, À travers chants, 76-77. of society and its history. by Chopin and Wolverine Blues by Jerry R. Morton; 15. Michael C. Tusa, “Music as drama: Structure, style 28. Basil Deane, “Fidelio: An operatic marriage,” in Fi- 2. Giovanni Carli Ballola, Beethoven, Milano, Acca- and in the textbook Concerto (Milano, Principiato, and process in Fidelio,” in Robinson, Ludwig van delio, English National Opera Guides 4, London, demia, 1977, 406. 2015), where the comparison is suggested between Beethoven, 108. Calder, 1986, 20.