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Joseph Weigl / Luigi Prividali ― Il Sacrifizio / the Sacrifice

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Joseph Weigl / Luigi Prividali ― Il Sacrifizio / the Sacrifice Joseph Weigl / Luigi Prividali ― Il Sacrifizio / The Sacrifice Cantata pastorale a quattro voci e Cori per il Clavicembalo – Pastoral cantata for four voices and chorus for keyboard Vienna, February 12, 1806 – the birthday of Franz II./I.: At this time, Franz was still an Emperor twice over: that of the Holy Roman Empire of Germany, as well as of Austria. For the private celebration of his birthday, Joseph Weigl’s salon cantata Il Sacrifizio was premiered. Franz’s wife, the Empress Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, commissioned the work. The origin of this carefree piece took place just after one of the more dismal chapters in the Hapsburg story: the third Napoleonic War, Napoleon captured Vienna in 1805 and took up residence in the Palace of Schönbrunn. The court there fled to exile in Bohemia. On December 2, 1805, 15,000 soldiers fell in the battle at Austerlitz. As a direct result, the Treaty of Pressburg (todays Bratislava) was signed on December 26. This treaty was an incomparable humiliation for the monarch of the Danube, and led Franz to give up the German-Roman crown in June of 1806. From then on, he ruled as Emperor Franz I of Austria. This step led towards the development of nation-state principle, which would prove to be the leading political movement of the 19th century. The court returned to Vienna from exile shortly before the premiere of Il Sacrifizio. The exact location of the cantata’s premiere is unknown. The Plot: Il Sacrifizio is a jovial pastoral comedy. It is set in a mythological land, which is ruled by an Emperor. It is the Emperor’s birthday: Telaira and Silvio are planning a sacrifice of thanks on the occasion of the party. They discover that the requisite tools of sacrifice have been stolen. The resulting entanglement drives everyone to the edge of sanity. In the hope that the missing tools can still be found, Silvio calls out to Apollo. The God of Light and Music grants his wish. And since the cantata was composed for the Emperor’s birthday, the listener can rest assured that the missing tools will once again be found. On stage, the resumption of the interrupted sacrifice can be seen as a metaphor for the Emperor’s reality: after the Treaty of Pressburg was signed, and after Napoleon’s departure from Vienna. The Work: The salon cantata is written for four soloists, vocal ensemble (chorus) and continuo accompaniment. The action occurs in one act, and is clearly conceived with a theater space in mind; dramatic elements such as an offstage chorus and echo effects speak to such intent. The action takes place in two different locations. I Virtuosi ambulanti’s production of this Cantata pastorale has a cast of ten: the four vocal soloists are joined by a vocal quartet (the chorus). In addition, a cellist and pianist (in this case, also the conductor) provide the continuo accompaniment. In light of the rather dismal story surrounding the origin of Il Sacrifizio, the effortlessness and light-hearted tone of the music appear positively oppressive. Musical elements of both Opera seria and Opera buffa are humorously intertwined and parodied in the cantata. Weigl quotes (twice!) well-known opera titles in humorous fashion: Gluck’s Orfeo and Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Both pieces were on the program for Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily’s private academies. She loved the opera-parody style, and gave competent and witty suggestions for further such cantatas, which were to be composed under her patronage. The Emperor’s birthday, as well as the Emperor himself, was the motivation for the performance of the piece; then again, it was the premise for the fictitious account. The work is brought alive by the interaction between the real context – the birthday party – and the invented storyline (not to mention the resulting ambiguities). To wit: The performers operate as figures in a dramatic event, but also (as their figures), understand the real reasons for the occasion. This has the result of continually offering the performers the opportunity to step out of their roles – a humorous precursor to Bertolt Brecht’s Verfremdungseffekt (known in English as the V effect or the alienation effect). The surviving full-score manuscript of Il Sacrifizio is written for a continuo accompaniment. This fact is in accordance with the description “Cantata pastorale […] per il Clavicembalo” on the frontispiece. In one of the separately printed individual vocal scores, the amendment “Recitativo coi Stromenti” appears above a recitative. Neither additional details nor parts for the other instruments have been found. At this junction, historical fact might give way to speculation: did Weigl inadvertently neglect to orchestrate the cantata for chamber orchestra (as was his habit for the majority of the salon cantatas that he wrote for Maria Theresa) as a result of the French occupation of Vienna and the resulting sudden return of the court from their Bohemian exile just before the premiere? The Viennese court enjoyed a vibrant salon-music culture under Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily: for years, the Empress put on frequent musical Accademie in her chambers. Together with the most renowned interpreters of the time, she presented musical works of every variety, up to and including fully-staged operas. In addition, in celebration of the Emperor’s name day and birthday each year, she would grant commissions for small dramatic pieces and masses. She even participated in many of the pieces: she was a trained singer, and played cello and piano. In addition to Joseph Weigl, composers such as Michael Haydn and Ferdinando Paër enjoyed her patronage. Some roles were written expressly for her: in 1801 she sang the female lead in the world premiere of Weigl’s opera L’uniforme in Schönbrunn. The composer writes: “I had the pleasure of receiving the most utter satisfaction, and had to, from then on, conduct from the piano for all of the chamber concerts, and at several different opportunities, […] to create multiple cantatas and small ballets for the Emperor’s birthday and name day celebrations of H.M. 1” Weigl thus became the director of imperial chamber music, and composed at least ten cantatas, chamber operas and divertissements for various private imperial events. These performances have a special claim to authenticity, as the composer himself musically led them. With the death in 1807 of the 35-year-old Empress, these cultural events ceased abruptly. For Weigl, an entire world suddenly disappeared: “I was suddenly struck by the greatest, most painful blow, the most unexpected of its kind. Maria Theresa, my mother, my benefactress, had died. The thousands who cared for her mourn with me. […] With her death I lost everything, and since then, I am no longer who I used to be. That lively and active joy in art, that great excitement, that she brought to life […], is, with her death, lost; I am unqualified for that which the world asks of me […] 1” __________________________ 1 Angermüller, Rudolf: Zwei Selbstbiographien von Joseph Weigl (1766-1846), in: Deutsches Jahrbuch der Musikwissenschaft 16 (1971), pp. 46-85 * * * Joseph Weigl (1766-1846), born in Eisenstadt, wrote operas and secular dramatic cantatas that today commemorate a largely-forgotten bridge between the First Viennese School and the Italian operatic culture of the early 19th century. He is therefore Austria’s most important contribution to Bel canto’s history. Weigl was the son of Joseph Franz Weigl, a cellist in the Prince Esterházy’s court orchestra. He was also the godchild of Franz Joseph Haydn. His mother, Anna Maria Josepha, the daughter of the Esterházy’s chief bookkeeper, was a “chorus and chamber singer” in the Prince’s service. Weigl studied under Salieri in Vienna. He functioned as Mozart’s assistant for the world premiere of Le Nozze di Figaro and for the Viennese premiere of Don Giovanni, and conducted later performances of both operas at the Burgtheater (the Imperial Court Theater). His musical heritage, passed on to him by his teacher and role models, soon made an impact: he began to compose comedic operas in Italian. He had particular success with La principessa d'Amalfi (Vienna, 1794) and L'amor marinaro (Vienna, 1797): in 1803, both pieces were premiered to great acclaim at La Scala in Milan, and from there went on to triumphant bows at all of the important Italian opera houses. As a result of this success, he received commissions for additional operas for La Scala. Four of them were realized: the operas Cleopatra (1807), Il rivale di se stesso (1808) and L'imboscata (1815) as well as the cantata Il ritorno d'Astrea (1816) – an additional homage to Emperor Franz I of Austria. All four proved to be blockbusters: in the years leading up to 1818, Cleopatra was performed 41 times and Il rivale di se stesso a total of 111. The latter was presented at La Scala more than any other contemporary opera. Weigl figured in with names such as Johann Simon Mayr, Ferdinando Paër and Gioacchino Rossini as a Compositore di prima classe, and he was one of the best-paid composers engaged by various Milanese impresarios. * * * Translated by Jennifer Curry ____________________________ © Nicolas Trees, 2012 .
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