Der krumme Teufel
Encyclopedia
Der krumme Teufel Hob.
29/1a, was Joseph Haydn
's first opera
. This German-language comic opera in the genre of Singspiel
was commissioned by its librettist, leading comic actor Johann Joseph Felix Kurz. It was forbidden after two acclaimed performances in Vienna
due to "offensive remarks in the text", but later revived and probably revised as Der neue krumme Teufel ("The Return of the Lame Devil", ca. 1757), Hob. 29/1b. The music is lost, though a libretto survives for each version.
The opera was in the genre of Singspiel
, with spoken dialogue rather than recitative
. The music was intended as a vehicle for Johann Joseph Felix Kurz, who wrote the text. Under the stage name "Bernardon", Kurz was a leading comic actor at the time in Vienna
, whose troupe performed at the Kärntnertortheater.
The text is often seen as a satire of the limping Italian Giuseppe Affligio (1722–1788, sometimes d'Affligio, Afflisio, d'Afflisio, Afflissio, d'Afflissio), a shady adventurer who established himself in Vienna as impresario and theater director (later involved with Mozart, then arrested for forgery in 1778 and condemned to life imprisonment in 1779), but others dispute that he was already in Vienna around 1751 and also consider unlikely that the revised version's 1770 performance was about him.
, Haydn was maintaining a precarious existence as a freelance musician. One way he supplemented his income was as a street serenader, which was how he came to get his first operatic commission. The story is told as follows in the early biography of Haydn by Georg August Griesinger
(1810), who based his account on Haydn's reminiscences in old age:
Another contemporary biographer who interviewed Haydn was Albert Christoph Dies
(1810). His version of the tale (in which Haydn is said to be 21, not 19) characteristically embellishes that of Griesinger, giving details of how the comic actor conducted the interview:
Peter Branscombe reconstructs the musical ensembles from the surviving libretto, indicating it was a fairly ambitious work: there were "32 arias as well as a duet, a trio, three choruses and one ambitiously large-scale ensemble movement". The opera also included a pantomime.
James Van Horn Melton suggests that Haydn went on to compose further works for Kurz, all now lost:
Der krumme Teufel, and the collaboration with Kurz more generally, helped the early career success of Haydn, who by 1757 was no longer a struggling freelancer but a Kapellmeister
with his own orchestra to direct; see Count Morzin
.
Hoboken-Verzeichnis
The Hoboken-Verzeichnis is the catalogue of over 750 works by Joseph Haydn as compiled by Anthony van Hoboken.Unlike Ludwig von Köchel's catalogue of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's works, or Otto Erich Deutsch's catalogue of Franz Schubert's works, which are both arranged chronologically by date of...
29/1a, was Joseph Haydn
Joseph Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...
's first opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
. This German-language comic opera in the genre of Singspiel
Singspiel
A Singspiel is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera...
was commissioned by its librettist, leading comic actor Johann Joseph Felix Kurz. It was forbidden after two acclaimed performances in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
due to "offensive remarks in the text", but later revived and probably revised as Der neue krumme Teufel ("The Return of the Lame Devil", ca. 1757), Hob. 29/1b. The music is lost, though a libretto survives for each version.
Description
The title Der krumme Teufel is often translated as "The Lame Devil", "The Limping Devil", or "The Crooked Devil", and has at times been rendered as "The Stooped Devil" or "The Deceitful Devil".The opera was in the genre of Singspiel
Singspiel
A Singspiel is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera...
, with spoken dialogue rather than recitative
Recitative
Recitative , also known by its Italian name "recitativo" , is a style of delivery in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms of ordinary speech...
. The music was intended as a vehicle for Johann Joseph Felix Kurz, who wrote the text. Under the stage name "Bernardon", Kurz was a leading comic actor at the time in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, whose troupe performed at the Kärntnertortheater.
The text is often seen as a satire of the limping Italian Giuseppe Affligio (1722–1788, sometimes d'Affligio, Afflisio, d'Afflisio, Afflissio, d'Afflissio), a shady adventurer who established himself in Vienna as impresario and theater director (later involved with Mozart, then arrested for forgery in 1778 and condemned to life imprisonment in 1779), but others dispute that he was already in Vienna around 1751 and also consider unlikely that the revised version's 1770 performance was about him.
Composition
Haydn wrote the opera at a very early stage of his career. Having recently lost his soprano voice, and hence his job as a chorister at St. Stephen's CathedralSt. Stephen's Cathedral
St. Stephen's Cathedral may refer to any of the following:-France:*Agde Cathedral*Auxerre Cathedral*Bourges Cathedral*Châlons Cathedral*Limoges Cathedral*Meaux Cathedral*Metz Cathedral*Sens Cathedral*Toulouse Cathedral*Toul Cathedral...
, Haydn was maintaining a precarious existence as a freelance musician. One way he supplemented his income was as a street serenader, which was how he came to get his first operatic commission. The story is told as follows in the early biography of Haydn by Georg August Griesinger
Georg August Griesinger
Georg August von Griesinger was a tutor and diplomat resident in Vienna during the late 18th and 19th centuries. He is remembered for his friendships with the composers Joseph Haydn and Ludwig van Beethoven, and for the biography he wrote of Haydn....
(1810), who based his account on Haydn's reminiscences in old age:
- "Once he went to serenade the wife of Kurz, a comic actor very popular at the time and usually called Bernardon. Kurz came into the street and asked for the composer of the music just played. Hardly had Haydn, who was about nineteen years old, identified himself when Kurz urged him strongly to compose an opera for him."
Another contemporary biographer who interviewed Haydn was Albert Christoph Dies
Albert Christoph Dies
-As painter:He was born at Hanover , and began his studies there. For one year he studied in the academy of Düsseldorf, and then he started at the age of twenty with thirty ducats in his pocket for Rome, studying briefly on the way in Mannheim and Basel. In Rome he lived a frugal life till 1796;...
(1810). His version of the tale (in which Haydn is said to be 21, not 19) characteristically embellishes that of Griesinger, giving details of how the comic actor conducted the interview:
- " ‘You sit down at the Flügel {said Kurz} and accompany the pantomime I will act out for you with some suitable music. Imagine now Bernardon has fallen into the water and is trying to save himself by swimming.’ Then he calls his servant, throws himself flat on the stomach across a chair, makes the servant pull the chair to and fro around the room, and kicks his arms and legs like a swimmer, while Haydn expresses in six-eight timeTime signatureThe time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
the play of waves and swimming. Suddenly Bernardon springs up, embraces Haydn, and practically smothers him with kisses. ‘Haydn, you're the man for me! You must write me an opera!’ So began Der krumme Teufel {The Lame Devil}. Haydn received twenty-five ducats for it and counted himself rich indeed."
Reception
According to Dies, "This opera was performed twice to great acclaim, and then was forbidden because of offensive remarks in the text." However, the work was performed again in 1752, and a revised version, Der neue krumme Teufel ("The Return of the Lame Devil", lit. "The New Limping Devil"), Hob. 29/1b, was successfully performed in 1757 or 1758.Peter Branscombe reconstructs the musical ensembles from the surviving libretto, indicating it was a fairly ambitious work: there were "32 arias as well as a duet, a trio, three choruses and one ambitiously large-scale ensemble movement". The opera also included a pantomime.
James Van Horn Melton suggests that Haydn went on to compose further works for Kurz, all now lost:
- "It is now generally believed he composed the music for numerous other Kurz burlesques as well. Extant scores from Kurz's stage point to Haydn as composer of at least three other farces, Bernardon auf der Gelseninsel (Bernardon on the isle of mosquitoes, 1754), Der auf das neue begeisterte und belebte Bernardon (Bernardon revived, 1754), and Leopoldl, der deutsche Robinson (Leopoldl, the German Robinson Crusoe, 1756?), since they contain passages similar to those found in other Haydn works. The finale of Haydn’s keyboard sonata in A major (HobokenHoboken-VerzeichnisThe Hoboken-Verzeichnis is the catalogue of over 750 works by Joseph Haydn as compiled by Anthony van Hoboken.Unlike Ludwig von Köchel's catalogue of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's works, or Otto Erich Deutsch's catalogue of Franz Schubert's works, which are both arranged chronologically by date of...
XVI. 5), for example, has as its theme an almost literal quotation from the aria "Wurstl, mein Schatzerl, wo wirst Du wohl seyn" in Leopoldl, der deutsche Robinson."
Der krumme Teufel, and the collaboration with Kurz more generally, helped the early career success of Haydn, who by 1757 was no longer a struggling freelancer but a Kapellmeister
Kapellmeister
Kapellmeister is a German word designating a person in charge of music-making. The word is a compound, consisting of the roots Kapelle and Meister . The words Kapelle and Meister derive from the Latin: capella and magister...
with his own orchestra to direct; see Count Morzin
Count Morzin
Count Morzin was an aristocrat of the Austrian Empire during the 18th century. He is remembered today as the first person to employ the composer Joseph Haydn as his Kapellmeister, or music director...
.