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Embodiment of Love in Handel´S Opera Giulio Cesare

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Embodiment of Love in Handel´S Opera Giulio Cesare Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Music & Emotion (ICME3), Jyväskylä, Finland, 11th - 15th June 2013. Geoff Luck & Olivier Brabant (Eds.) EMBODIMENT OF LOVE IN HANDEL´S OPERA GIULIO CESARE Marjo Suominen Department of Philosophy, History, Culture and Art Studies, Institute of Musicology, University of Helsinki, Finland [email protected] Abstract By studying metaphors of love in Handel´s opera Giulio Cesare in Egitto, I will introduce how it is depicted by the protagonists´ arias; via Cleopatra´s and Caesar´s musical relations, as a prevailing message. The atmos- pheric tone paintings set to the musical highlights of the protagonist arias answer the questions: how is love defined in Giulio Cesare? What kind of musical signs of love are there to be found and what will they tell us? Love is an essential theme in the work because the arias` foci are interlocked by the affectual tensions. These have encouraged various performance views of the work, for instance: ENO´s “epoch” depiction in 1984; Sel- lar´s “satirical” version in 1990; and Glyndebourne`s “colonialist” perspective in 2005. I apply the theory of af- fects in music appearing in the writings by Handel´s colleague Johann Mattheson (Das Neu=Eröffnete Orches- tre, 1713) grounded on Classic Aristotelian and Cartesian ideals (Aristotle´s Rhetoric, Descartes´ es passions de l e) (Suominen, July & September 2010). It also relates to so called Hippocratic-Galenic four elements, temperaments or humours theory by which I will show the different representations of the opera´s characters as a cathartic (ethic, Lutheran based) implication by Handel. Keywords: 18th century opera, musical rhetoric, theory of affects 1. Introduction: the topic In my doctoral dissertation as well as in this during his lifetime and it was the most success- paper I am studying affects, rhetorical (French, ful opera by him also after his death. Italian and German) applications of emotive Love and revenge are the main themes in musical systems appearing in Georg Frideric Giulio Cesare, that will be revealed, defined Handel´s opera Giulio Cesare in Egitto (Julius and established musically as well as in the Caesar in Egypt), which was first performed in drama narratively, and love wins over revenge, 1724 in London at the King´s Theatre. Giulio this is also why I have chosen love into my dis- Cesare was Handel´s fifth work for the Royal sertation title. Academy of Music (which was established in Handel was influenced by Italian, German 1719 in London for promoting and advancing and French (rhetoric) philosophies (especially Italian opera there). Handel by then was only Descartes´ ideas on human passions as well as 39 years old yet had reached his peak of fame Greek physician Hippocrates´ and Galen of as an opera composer in London. His operas Pergamon´s theory on humours / tempera- gained more performances than any other ments). These features are shown in my disser- Royal Academy composers´, he had an annual tation analysis on Giulio Cesare´s performanc- payment from the king, was royal princesses´ es. music teacher, and appointed as composer for the Chapel Royal. Handel´s Giulio Cesare was the most often performed of all of his operas Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Music & Emotion (ICME3), Jyväskylä, Finland, 11th - 15th June 2013. Geoff Luck & Olivier Brabant (Eds.) 2. Previous research with an emphasis on a definition of a beauty by Italian rhetoric ways); 2) American stage direc- There has been a vast range of musicological tor Peter Sellar´s modern, politically aware research done by many scholars on Handel and ”satirical” / hunting version fro 1990 (which is his works in general, for instance by such great an instance of the Ciceronian irony, making names as: Donald Burrows, Terence Best, Su- ridiculous out of tyranny and stressing effec- zanne Apsden, Graydon Beeks, Hans Dieter tiveness by French rhetoric means); and 3) Clausen, Winton Dean, Ellen Harris, Anette Glyndebourne´s festival performance produc- Landgraf, Anthony Hicks, Lowell Lindgren, tion from 2005, which I have named here as a Hans Joachim Marx, Martha Ronish, Ruth “colonialist” / ilitary perspective of the work Smith, Dorothea Schröder, Steffen Voss et alii. (which is an example of morally universal ideas These have been mostly manuscript based and ideals giving an emphasis on rationality by studies. German rhetoric views). These three perfor- Dr. Johanna Ethnersson from the University mances are seen as thinking models for later of Stockholm has published a research article recent interpretations of the opera. on Giulio Cesare in Svenska Samfundet för Musikforskning. She studied the changing 3.1. On the study roles of manhood and womanhood of the pro- tagonists via musical analysis by utilizing gen- As already mentioned previously here, I have der theory as a framework. Dr. Bettina Varwig chosen to study how love is defined in the from the King´s College London has studied work. Also, this can be applied to the overall rhetorical principles of musical forms and his- musical structure of the opera, which again, is torical modes of analysis and listening in the seen via French, Italian, and German musically th 17 Century. Professor Dietrich Bartel from defined rhetoric ideals. Canadian Mennonite University Winnipeg The Ouverture, which is in A major, is seen Manitoba pursues research in the area of Ger- as reflecting the affect of impressiveness, and man Baroque music theory, doctrine of musi- because of this it represents the French typed cal-rhetorical figures. His book Musica Poetica of musical rhetoric thinking, while the finale (1997) has become as a standard work, a text- starting in Bb major, and basicly in G major, book in the field of musical rhetoric. stands for that of grand and brilliant, i.e. joyful A proceedings article based on my interna- affects, within those representing both the tional conferences´ speeches has been pub- Italian and German rhetoric musical ideals th lished online in internet on December 12 2011 (please, see table no. 1: the overall structure of titled as “Signs and Messages of ove in Per- the opera). forming Handel´s Giulio Cesare”. The article is found from the Sibelius Academy´s proceed- ings database. During 2013 a peer-reviewed Table 1. The Overall structure (Handel: Giulio Cesare, 1724): conference proceedings book will be appear- ing containing also an article by me on this same theme. Overture Finale A ( Bb) G 3. My research aims (arias) Main themes of Giulio Cesare, love and re- venge, are interlocked by the affectual ten- impressive (grand / brilliant) joyful sions in arias. These have encouraged various performance views of the work. By examining the theatricality (poetic / sce- I will utilize them as basic instances of the nic and musical levels), as seen by the charac- opera: 1) English National Opera´s “epoch” / terization of the personages of the work, I am pastoral depiction from 1984 (which is an ex- studying the protagonist and the other charac- ample of a brilliant, sublime manner having ters of the opera via the Hippocratic / Galenic Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Music & Emotion (ICME3), Jyväskylä, Finland, 11th - 15th June 2013. Geoff Luck & Olivier Brabant (Eds.) theory of the four (basic) humours / tempera- 3.2. On the object of my analysis ments (sanguine, choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic) and as temperamental / humoural Handel was a creator of skillfully set musical types of heroic and sensual, which is related to moods. He merged traditional German firm rhetoric by its connections with the affect (ie. contrasting harmonic ideas with Italianate- emotional) tensions (Goltz, 1992). In Handel´s French musical rhetoric usage of affects, which Giulio Cesare, this agential duality is modified he formulated into his inventive expression. I as a counter-forcible embodiment of the main examine Handel´s rhetoric based affectual mu- theme (of love and vengeance) of the opera, sical methods occurring in his Giulio Cesare appearing as a positive vengeance (manifested which function as opera´s alternatives giving by Caesar) and as negative vengeance (by hidden narrative clues for different perfor- Ptolemy), as a positive love (by Cleopatra), and mance views. as a negative love (by Ptolemy and Achilla). I According to Aristotelian cathartic (soul pu- study the appearance of Cleopatra´s figure in rifying) ideal, in his Giulio Cesare, Handel puts her different roles as a feminine character ex- forward, the quest for a virtuous rulership (Ar- changing with that of Caesar´s masculinity istotle, 1997 [2012], 17). The opera´s characters which is questioned as well as seeing Cleopatra have been defined by Platonian, Aristotelian, turning into a hero instead of merely being a and Empedoclean atomistic proportions (Par- heroine. I study how this has been handled in ry, 2005) of opposite pairs (Parsons, 2006). The the three performance instances mentioned personages can be grouped along classic (ge- already above. (Please, see table no. 2: the ometrical) elements, which were furthered roles of the opera). into a medical-psychological theory of hu- mours by Hippocrates-Galen-Avicenna (Goltz, 1992); and Aristotle´s syllogistic square of op- Table 2. Roles of Giulio Cesare position (Parsons, 2006). This relates to the Aristotelian thesis of substantiating, and find- Role Voice type Premiere Cast, ing a way of narrating a story by allowing its 20 February 1724 listeners to participate in a “true” argu ent Giulio Cesare alto castrato Senesino (Julius Caesar) (Aristotle, 1997 [2012]). Cleopatra, Queen soprano Francesca Cuz- of Egypt zoni 4. On the performance analysis of the Tolomeo, her alto castrato Gaetano Beren- brother and hus- stadt opera band, King of Egypt Handel applies the square of opposition in Giu- Cornelia, widow contralto Anastasia Robin- lio Cesare, and though being an opera seria, it of Pompey son contains ironical elements.
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