Die Maccabäer
Encyclopedia
Die Maccabäer (sometimes spelt 'Die Makkabäer') is an opera
in three acts by Anton Rubinstein
to a libretto
by Salomon Hermann Mosenthal. The opera is based on a play by Otto Ludwig
, which is itself based loosely on the biblical
story of the Maccabees
. Written in 1872-74, it was first performed on 17 April 1875 at the Hofoper, Berlin
. Censorship
problems prevented its performance in Russia
until January 1877 (in St.Petersburg).
, and after its Vienna
premiere in 1878, the critic Eduard Hanslick
believed it showed an alternative model for operatic development to the works of Richard Wagner
. Rarely performed since the 19th century, there was a production in Hebrew
in Jerusalem in 1925.
The rumour that the opera was to be premiered in Russia in the 1876/7 season aggravated the breach between the composer and Peter Tchaikovsky, who feared that it would displace his own opera Vakula the Smith
(which however was performed there in December 1876). Tchaikovsky wrote to his brother Modest Tchaikovsky:
resist the army of Syria under the leadership of the Maccabees, but Eleazar betrays the insurrection after falling in love with the Syrian king's daughter, Cleopatra. Juda is defeated and flees. After pleas from Lea, Antiochus agrees to spare the two younger brothers only if they renounce their religion - otherwise they will be burnt alive. Eleazar repents and joins them for their execution. At this point Juda, who has reignited the revolt, invades the palace. Antiochus is killed, but Lea also dies after witnessing her son's victory.
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...
in three acts by Anton Rubinstein
Anton Rubinstein
Anton Grigorevich Rubinstein was a Russian-Jewish pianist, composer and conductor. As a pianist he was regarded as a rival of Franz Liszt, and he ranks amongst the great keyboard virtuosos...
to a libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Salomon Hermann Mosenthal. The opera is based on a play by Otto Ludwig
Otto Ludwig
Otto Ludwig was a German dramatist, novelist and critic born in Eisfeld in Thuringia.His father, who was syndic of Eisfeld, died when he was twelve years old, and he was brought up amidst uncongenial conditions. He had devoted his leisure time to poetry and music, which unfitted him for the...
, which is itself based loosely on the biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
story of the Maccabees
Maccabees
The Maccabees were a Jewish rebel army who took control of Judea, which had been a client state of the Seleucid Empire. They founded the Hasmonean dynasty, which ruled from 164 BCE to 63 BCE, reasserting the Jewish religion, expanding the boundaries of the Land of Israel and reducing the influence...
. Written in 1872-74, it was first performed on 17 April 1875 at the Hofoper, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. Censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
problems prevented its performance in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
until January 1877 (in St.Petersburg).
Background
Die Maccabäer was Rubinstein's most successful opera, holding the German and Russian stages throughout his lifetime. The Berlin reviews of its premiere compared its success to that of Meyerbeer's L'AfricaineL'Africaine
L'africaine is a grand opera, the last work of the composer Giacomo Meyerbeer. The French libretto was written by Eugène Scribe. The opera is about fictitious events in the life of the real historical person Vasco da Gama...
, and after its 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...
premiere in 1878, the critic Eduard Hanslick
Eduard Hanslick
Eduard Hanslick was a Bohemian-Austrian music critic.-Biography:Hanslick was born in Prague, the son of Joseph Adolph Hanslick, a bibliographer and music teacher from a German-speaking family, and one of his piano pupils, the daughter of a Jewish merchant from Vienna...
believed it showed an alternative model for operatic development to the works of Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
. Rarely performed since the 19th century, there was a production in Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
in Jerusalem in 1925.
The rumour that the opera was to be premiered in Russia in the 1876/7 season aggravated the breach between the composer and Peter Tchaikovsky, who feared that it would displace his own opera Vakula the Smith
Vakula the Smith
Vakula the Smith , is an opera in 3 acts, 8 scenes, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, his Opus 14. The libretto was written by Yakov Polonsky and is based on Nikolai Gogol's story Christmas Eve . It was written for composer Alexander Serov, who died in 1871 leaving only fragments of an opera on the subject...
(which however was performed there in December 1876). Tchaikovsky wrote to his brother Modest Tchaikovsky:
[..]Tell Anton Rubinstein "My brother has instructed me to tell you that you are a son of a bitch, and you can go and stuff your mother". No one has wounded my self-esteem as much as this Peterhof resident. And now he comes creeping with his mangy operas[..] If it weren't for the penal code, I would go to Peterhof and happily burn his wretched villa to the ground[...].
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, April 17, 1875 (Conductor: ) |
|---|---|---|
| Antiochus Antiochus IV Epiphanes Antiochus IV Epiphanes ruled the Seleucid Empire from 175 BC until his death in 164 BC. He was a son of King Antiochus III the Great. His original name was Mithridates; he assumed the name Antiochus after he ascended the throne.... , king of Syria Syria Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest.... |
bass | |
| Cleopatra, his daughter | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
|
| Gorgias a military captain | baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... |
|
| Lea, mother of the Maccabees | contralto Contralto Contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above... |
|
| Juda Judas Maccabeus Judah Maccabee was a Kohen and a son of the Jewish priest Mattathias... a Maccabee |
baritone | |
| Eleazar a Maccabee | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
|
| Joarim a Maccabee | mezzosoprano | |
| Benjamin a Maccabee | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
|
| Noemi wife of Juda | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
|
| Boas Noemi's father | bass | |
| Joachim, a priest | bass | |
| Chorus: courtiers, Syrian and Hebrew soldiers, priests etc. | ||
Synopsis
Judaea: Modin and Jerusalem, 160 BC. The JewsJews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
resist the army of Syria under the leadership of the Maccabees, but Eleazar betrays the insurrection after falling in love with the Syrian king's daughter, Cleopatra. Juda is defeated and flees. After pleas from Lea, Antiochus agrees to spare the two younger brothers only if they renounce their religion - otherwise they will be burnt alive. Eleazar repents and joins them for their execution. At this point Juda, who has reignited the revolt, invades the palace. Antiochus is killed, but Lea also dies after witnessing her son's victory.
Sources
- Richard Taruskin.Maccabäer, Die in Oxford Music Online, accessed 17 April 2010
- Philip S.Taylor, Anton Rubinstein, A Life in Music, Indianapolis, 2007