The Great Composers. No. XV. Gluck (Continued) Author(s): Christoph Willibald Gluck and Joseph Bennett Source: The Musical Times and Singing Class Circular, Vol. 25, No. 498 (Aug. 1, 1884), pp. 448-451 Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3357496 Accessed: 14-01-2016 13:02 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/ info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Musical Times Publications Ltd. is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Musical Times and Singing Class Circular. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 131.170.6.51 on Thu, 14 Jan 2016 13:02:35 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions THE MUSICAL TIMES.-AUGUST 448 I, 1884. meanwhileto "talk about the weather," like the The thirdAct openswith a grand scena forAlmna. youngladies in "The Piratesof Penzance." Alma's Trollbrings the real Ludmillato her,and thewaiting- father,who rejoicesin the peculiarname of Demoslav,maid, with the shrewdnessof her kind,plots a way thenenters, and insteadof rebukingthe young people of escape forherself and mistress. The Berggcistis fortheir breach of propriety, joins themin a Trio, for keptout of harm'sway by beingrequested to raise a the most part unaccompanied. This is a kind of cropof real earthlyflowers, to whichhe devotes his thingin whichSpohr is always successful,owing to energies. Ludmilla then promises Troll to be his his customof harmonisingevery note of his melodies, if he will conduct herself and her mistressabove and consequentlymaking always good part-writing.ground. The weak-mindedgnome consents. They It being necessary for the plot that Alma should set the Berggeistto the hopelesstask of countingthe be left alone, she now begs that the rest will flowershe has just raisedand take flight. The scene proceed to the church, whithershe will follow then changesto theexterior of the castle,as in ActI., aftershe has takena last farewellof the spot where and just as the fugitivesdeem themselvesin safety, she has spentsuch a happychildhood! Her fatherthey are pursuedand overtakenby the Berggeist. A and lover appear to thinkthis quite natural and long parleyensues, and finallythe spiritrecognises proper,and complywith her request. She accord- the fact-which he knewall along and told us at the inglybegins her necessaryscena. The Larghettoof beginning-thatlove is notfor the likes of him. He this is not particularlygood, the melodybeing too unites the lovers, blesses them,and returnsto his much brokenup, the Allegro,in E flat minorand nativesoil withTroll, bringing the Opera,which has major,is better,and worksup with some poweras many strongscenes, to a ratherfeeble conclusion. the chorus of approachinggnomes joins in with Treated in a less commonplacefashion this story increasingforce from below. Presentlythe Berggeistmight have been made really interesting,but in himselfappears. He is draggingoff the terrifiedthose days,even if any one ever looked forpoetry in younglady when Oscar,alarmed at the non-appear-an opera libretto,they never found it. ance ofhis bride,returns and fliesto her rescue. In (To be continued.) vain! The Berggeistfixes him where he stands, all storm is frightens the people with a (which THE GREAT COMPOSERS seeminglyonly dragged in to increase the confusion and terrorof the scene), and disappears with his BY JOSEPH BENNETT. prize. The music here is the same as the Allegro No. XV.-GLUCK (continued from page 392). of the overture. ON leaving London,towards the close of the year Act II. takes place in the bowels of the earth 1746, Gluck went to Germanyand enteredupon a again. The captured bride is disconsolate, and periodof his careerwhich has for us comparatively refusesto be comforted.To gratifyher the Berggeistlittle interest. We shall pass over it lightly. sends up to earth forsome flowers,which he gives The masterappears first to have settledat Dresden her,telling her thatif she throwsone intothe mist, in somecapacity connected with the Electoral Chapel, whichhides the back of the scene, she may summon but he remainedthere only a littlewhile. His father, theghost of anyof her formerfriends. She is pleased the old soldier-foresteron the bordersof Bohemia, at this,but on considerationdeems it desecrationto died at this period,leaving Gluck a small patrimony, play such trickswith eitherher fatheror lover,so by the aid ofwhich he was enabled to establishhim- summons firstLudmilla, and then all her female self in Vienna, after an absence of eleven years. chorus of attendants,who are commandedto frolic There he soon foundwork to do. He composedan and raise theirmistress's spirits. In orderto supply opera," Semiramidericonosciuta," to the words of the light comedy, which is necessary by way of Metastasio,for the f&teof Maria Teresa, obtaineda contrast,Troll flirts with the ghostof Ludmilla, who, markedsuccess, and foundhimself at once a favourite however,behaves very oddly,declaring that she is in the " greatworld." Accordingto thebest authori- only a flowerand has no heart; she cannot love, ties Gluckwas at this time a presentableman, and only dance. Their duet begins thus, in three-barnot as afterwardsdescribed by Dr. Burney. He had rhythm-- expressivefeatures, while his manner was full of A ndantino. vivacityand frankgaiety. It naturallyfollowed that he becameentangled in an affairof the heart,but his love ran at firstin a troubledcurrent, owing to the obduracyof a father,who, though he liked Gluck verymuch as an artist,rejected him as a son-in-law. Herr Josef Pergin, having made money by trade, entertainedthe usual contemptfor people who pos- The enamouredTroll determines to make an expedi- sessed none and were followersof art to boot. His tion to earth on his own account and capture the wife,on the other hand, favouredGluck's claim to real Ludmilla. the hand of their elder daughter,Marianne. She Scene 2. Oscaris roamingabout in themountains, possessed a woman's sympathywith true affection, seekinga road to Alma. He has a ratherpoor Aria. but unfortunatelythe powerof decidingits fatewas Demoslavcomes to tell him that Ludmilla has now in the hands of her unsentimentalhusband, and also been carriedoff, and imploreshim to leave this he said "No" in a tone so positive that Gluck dangerousplace. Duet. This scene is dramaticallyfled despairingfrom the Imperialcity, scarcely per- and musicallyweak and unnecessary. mittinghimself to halt till he reachedCopenhagen. Scene 3. Again downbelow. The Berggeistsum- The little Danish capital was at this time en fitc, mons all the spiritsof the fourelements to do him consequentupon the birthof a CrownPrince, and the homage and dance at his wedding,and good use is royal familywere glad to welcome a distinguished made of the sopranos, altos, tenors,and basses as musician into their midst. Gluck even had apart- fourseparate choirs. The ballet music is graceful,ments in the Palace. On March 12 (1749) he gave but does not call forespecial notice. It comes to an an evening Concert of Italian music; on April 9 unexpectedend; the flower-ghostsraised by Alnmatook place a gala performanceof his two-act piece fade and die, causing her great alarm,and breaking "Tetide," and ten days later he finishedup with a up the party in confusion. This is the scarcely " benefit,"at whichthe master performed a solo upon satisfactoryend ofthe secondAct. musical glasses. There can be no doubtconcerning This content downloaded from 131.170.6.51 on Thu, 14 Jan 2016 13:02:35 UTC All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions THE MUSICAL TIMES.-AUGUST I, 1884. 449 thisfact, since extant copies ofthe Pest-Rytter contain the highestquarter came recognitionin the formof the followingadvertisement: " Saturday,April 19, a Papal decree nominatinghim Chevalier of the the ChapelmasterGluck will give a Concertat the GoldenSpur, an honourbestowed fifteen years later Italian Theatre,Charlottenbourg, composed of vocal upon the boy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. From and instrumentalmusic-a Concert brilliant and this date till 1762 nothingof special importancein mostremarkable (worthy of plaudits) in whichhe will the career of Gluck calls for detailed notice. The introduce,to the great satisfactionof his audience, masterspent part of his timein Vienna,composing an instrumentof glass hithertounknown." Gluck, music suitedto the taste ofthe Court-mostlyworks we have reason to believe, did not make his firstof the opera-comiqueclass-and the other part in appearanceon this occasion in connectionwith the Italy, producinglyric dramas essentiallyItalian in musical glasses. An advertisementin a London character,and differingonly in greaterfulness of paper shows that he performedupon them in the orchestrationfrom the ordinarytype. Britishmetropolis, also having,it is surmised,taken Comingdown to 1762,we findGluck travellingto lessonsin the art from an Irishmannamed Puckeridge, Bologna forthe purposeof openinga new theatre. who was an acknowledgedmaster. As it chances, everythingconcerning that event is From Copenhagen the composer proceeded to known,the masterhaving as companiona Boswell Rome, producedthere his Opera "Telemaco,"