Saint Ludmila (oratorio)
Encyclopedia
Antonín Dvořák
composed his oratorio
Saint Ludmila (Czech
: Svatá Ludmila for soloists
, choir
and orchestra
, between September 1885 to May 1886. The oratorio (Op. 71, B. 144) was written to a text by the Czech
writer and translator Jaroslav Vrchlický
. Saint Ludmila is Dvořák's third oratorio, and is considered one of his foremost works.
The work was commissioned by the publisher Littleton during Dvořák's first visit to England
. It was intended for the Leeds Festival
, and Dvořák, well acquainted with the English festival tradition, was attracted by the idea. He was also impressed by the high standard of English orchestras and choirs, and particularly by their performances of oratorios. On the other hand, he was also inspired by his own religiousness; he composed many works to Christian
religious texts, as well as Hussite Overture, a "protestant" instrumental work.
Chronologically Saint Ludmila follows the Symphony No.7 in D Minor
(finished in March, 1885), and both works are influenced by the actual historical events of that time. The year 1884 was restless for the Czechs; they organized demonstrations and patriotic manifestations of solidarity in the fight for freedom, the Austrian police had forbidden the singing of Czech songs, and the social situation was very tense. Dvořák turned to typical Czech and Slavonic themes during this time in order to support the national movement, although he was approached by his German publisher Simrock
to depart from patriotic themes and instead create works based on world famous literary works. Dvořák, however, refused in one of his letters to Simrock saying, "... an artist also has a country for which he must have firm faith and a fervent heart." The work is thus of a national rather than religious character, which is apparent mainly in the choral scenes.
The first performance was not well received; the work was criticised for its length, its Czech theme and also for its alleged musical dependence on Händel, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Wagner
, Haydn
and Beethoven
. Dvořák later rewrote and reduced several parts of the composition. Saint Ludmila was premiered in Prague
in 1901, and the first performance with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
took place on 3 April, 1904. However, Dvořák was seriously ill and didn't attended this performance.
Saint Ludmila has a long performance tradition on Czech concert stages. It was given at the third Prague Spring International Music Festival in 1948, conducted by Rafael Kubelík
. It was Kubelík's last public performance in his native country for many years.
In November 1954 the Czech Philharmonic with Karel Šejna
performed the work at two concerts in the Smetana Hall of the Municipal House
in Prague. In 1987 another concert took place, this time with the conductor Václav Neumann
. The first performance in the 21st century was given in 2004, one hundred years after Dvořák's death, with the Czech Philharmonic and conductor Jiří Bělohlávek
.
of Great Moravia
asked the brothers Cyril and Methodius
of Thessalonica to spread Christianity in his country. In 863 they came bringing the Glagolitic alphabet
which laid the foundation of Slavonic literature. During this time, Great Moravia came under the influence of the Byzantine Empire
. Later, this cultural and political influence spread also to Bohemia
and in 874, Bořivoj I, Duke of Bohemia and his wife Saint Ludmila
were baptised.
The story is set at the beginning of this era. The hermit Ivan accepts the task of missionary, his eloquence winning over Ludmila, the Bohemian princess. She meets Prince Bořivoj and they are then married. Bořivoj is baptised under the influence of the new teaching and becomes Christian.
The libretto consists of three parts. The situation in the first part is tense as Ivan comes into conflict with the pagans. Ludmila intervenes. In the second part Dvořák applied his talent for melody and ability to express feelings of love. The finale is festive and pompous with a statement of the ancient Czech chorale "Hospodine, pomiluj ny" (Mighty Lord, have mercy upon us) which dates from about the eleventh century. The composition has been appreciated for its melodiousness and colourful instrumentation.
Part I.
Part II.
Part III.
Antonín Dvorák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák was a Czech composer of late Romantic music, who employed the idioms of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia. Dvořák’s own style is sometimes called "romantic-classicist synthesis". His works include symphonic, choral and chamber music, concerti, operas and many...
composed his oratorio
Oratorio
An oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
Saint Ludmila (Czech
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
: Svatá Ludmila for soloists
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
, choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
and orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
, between September 1885 to May 1886. The oratorio (Op. 71, B. 144) was written to a text by the Czech
Czech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...
writer and translator Jaroslav Vrchlický
Jaroslav Vrchlický
Jaroslav Vrchlický was one of the greatest Czech lyrical poets. He was born Emil Frida, Vrchlický being a pseudonym.He also wrote epic poetry, plays, prose and literary essays and translated widely from various languages, introducing e.g. Dante, Goethe, Shelley, Baudelaire, Poe, and Whitman to...
. Saint Ludmila is Dvořák's third oratorio, and is considered one of his foremost works.
Background
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was intended for the Leeds Festival
Leeds Festival (classical music)
The Leeds Festival was a classical music festival which took place between 1858 and 1985 in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.The first festival celebrated the opening of Leeds Town Hall by Queen Victoria on 7 September 1858...
, and Dvořák, well acquainted with the English festival tradition, was attracted by the idea. He was also impressed by the high standard of English orchestras and choirs, and particularly by their performances of oratorios. On the other hand, he was also inspired by his own religiousness; he composed many works to Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
religious texts, as well as Hussite Overture, a "protestant" instrumental work.
Chronologically Saint Ludmila follows the Symphony No.7 in D Minor
Symphony No. 7 (Dvorák)
Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70, B. 141, by Antonín Dvořák was first performed in London on April 22, 1885 shortly after the piece was completed on March 17, 1885.-Compositional structure:Allegro maestosoPoco adagio...
(finished in March, 1885), and both works are influenced by the actual historical events of that time. The year 1884 was restless for the Czechs; they organized demonstrations and patriotic manifestations of solidarity in the fight for freedom, the Austrian police had forbidden the singing of Czech songs, and the social situation was very tense. Dvořák turned to typical Czech and Slavonic themes during this time in order to support the national movement, although he was approached by his German publisher Simrock
Fritz Simrock
Friedrich August Simrock, better known as Fritz Simrock was a German music publisher who inherited a publishing firm from his grandfather Nicolaus Simrock...
to depart from patriotic themes and instead create works based on world famous literary works. Dvořák, however, refused in one of his letters to Simrock saying, "... an artist also has a country for which he must have firm faith and a fervent heart." The work is thus of a national rather than religious character, which is apparent mainly in the choral scenes.
The first performance was not well received; the work was criticised for its length, its Czech theme and also for its alleged musical dependence on Händel, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, 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...
, 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...
and Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
. Dvořák later rewrote and reduced several parts of the composition. Saint Ludmila was premiered in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
in 1901, and the first performance with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
The Česká filharmonie is a symphony orchestra based in Prague and is the best-known and most respected orchestra in the Czech Republic.- History :...
took place on 3 April, 1904. However, Dvořák was seriously ill and didn't attended this performance.
Saint Ludmila has a long performance tradition on Czech concert stages. It was given at the third Prague Spring International Music Festival in 1948, conducted by Rafael Kubelík
Rafael Kubelík
Rafael Jeroným Kubelík was a Czech conductor and composer.-Early life:Kubelík was born in Býchory, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary, today's Czech Republic. He was the sixth child of the Bohemian violinist Jan Kubelík, whom the younger Kubelík described as "a kind of god to me." His mother was a Hungarian...
. It was Kubelík's last public performance in his native country for many years.
In November 1954 the Czech Philharmonic with Karel Šejna
Karel Šejna
Karel Šejna was a Czech double bassist and conductor, the principal conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in 1950.-Life and career:...
performed the work at two concerts in the Smetana Hall of the Municipal House
Municipal House
The Municipal House is a major civic landmark and concert hall in Prague, and an important building in architectural and political history in the Czech Republic. It stands on the Náměstí Republiky....
in Prague. In 1987 another concert took place, this time with the conductor Václav Neumann
Václav Neumann
Václav Neumann was a Czech conductor, violinist and viola player.Neumann was born in Prague where he studied at the Prague Conservatory, with Josef Micka , and with Pavel Dědeček and Metod Doležil . He co-founded, and played 1st violin in, the Smetana Quartet, before holding conducting posts in...
. The first performance in the 21st century was given in 2004, one hundred years after Dvořák's death, with the Czech Philharmonic and conductor Jiří Bělohlávek
Jirí Belohlávek
Jiří Bělohlávek is a Czech conductor. His father was a barrister and judge. In his youth Bělohlávek studied cello with Miloš Sádlo and was later a graduate of the Prague Conservatory and the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague...
.
Structure
The verses of the libretto are based on historical fact. Prince RastislavRastislav
Rastislav or Rostislav was the second known ruler of Moravia . Although he started his reign as vassal to Louis the German, king of East Francia, he consolidated his rule to the extent that after 855 he was able to repel a series of Frankish attacks...
of Great Moravia
Great Moravia
Great Moravia was a Slavic state that existed in Central Europe and lasted for nearly seventy years in the 9th century whose creators were the ancestors of the Czechs and Slovaks. It was a vassal state of the Germanic Frankish kingdom and paid an annual tribute to it. There is some controversy as...
asked the brothers Cyril and Methodius
Saints Cyril and Methodius
Saints Cyril and Methodius were two Byzantine Greek brothers born in Thessaloniki in the 9th century. They became missionaries of Christianity among the Slavic peoples of Bulgaria, Great Moravia and Pannonia. Through their work they influenced the cultural development of all Slavs, for which they...
of Thessalonica to spread Christianity in his country. In 863 they came bringing the Glagolitic alphabet
Glagolitic alphabet
The Glagolitic alphabet , also known as Glagolitsa, is the oldest known Slavic alphabet. The name was not coined until many centuries after its creation, and comes from the Old Slavic glagolъ "utterance" . The verb glagoliti means "to speak"...
which laid the foundation of Slavonic literature. During this time, Great Moravia came under the influence of the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
. Later, this cultural and political influence spread also to Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
and in 874, Bořivoj I, Duke of Bohemia and his wife Saint Ludmila
Saint Ludmila
Saint Ludmila is a Czech saint and martyr venerated by the Orthodox and the Roman Catholics. She was born in Mělník as daughter of a Slavic prince Slavibor...
were baptised.
The story is set at the beginning of this era. The hermit Ivan accepts the task of missionary, his eloquence winning over Ludmila, the Bohemian princess. She meets Prince Bořivoj and they are then married. Bořivoj is baptised under the influence of the new teaching and becomes Christian.
The libretto consists of three parts. The situation in the first part is tense as Ivan comes into conflict with the pagans. Ludmila intervenes. In the second part Dvořák applied his talent for melody and ability to express feelings of love. The finale is festive and pompous with a statement of the ancient Czech chorale "Hospodine, pomiluj ny" (Mighty Lord, have mercy upon us) which dates from about the eleventh century. The composition has been appreciated for its melodiousness and colourful instrumentation.
Part I.
- Introduzione e coro (Tmy vrátily se v skrýše skal a lesů / The dusk departs to gloomy caves and forests)
- Recitativo — tenore solo (Vesno smavá, Vesno snivá / Merry Springtime, dreamy Springtime)
- Coro (Květy, jimiž Vesna vábí / Blossoms, with which Spring allures us)
- Coro (Svaté jitro jest / Holy dawn and holy night)
- Coro (Tříhav, který patří trojí tváří / Triglaw, thou with three-fold countenance)
- Recitativo — soprano solo (Mé srdce chví se tlukem bouřným dnes / My heart is beating wildly)
- Aria — soprano solo (Od dětství ku oltáři mne vodil svatý cit / When young it was the altar I ever held most dear)
- Coro (Vždyť bozi s námi jsou, kam bludný krok se šine / The gods are close at hand, where´er we stray and falter)
- Tenore solo (Sem rychle Vesny květ, ať sochu ověnčíme / Festoon with flowers gay the statue of great Vesna)
- Coro (Ký v pozadí to hluk? / What causes all that noise?)
- Aria (basso solo) e coro (Do prachu s vámi! Jeden jest Bůh! / Now kiss the dust all! One God there is!)
- Coro (Kdo onen muž, jejž nestih's nebe blesk? / What man is this whom lightening will not fell?)
- Aria — soprano solo (Ó dovol abych zlíbat směla tvých nohou prach / I beg thee, only thy dusty feet My lips I would lay)
- Recitativo — basso solo (Vstup v nitro své, mým domem není země / Upon this earth thy search would be a vain quest)
- Coro (Vše láme se a bortí v chaos tmavý / Now everything is crumbling, all is chaos)
Part II.
- Introduzion, recitativo ed aria alto solo (Ó, v jaké šeré lesní stíny / Oh, in the fearful forest shadows)
- Duetto — soprano ed alto solo (Teď ptám se tě: co najít chceš? / Pray tell me now, what do you seek?)
- Aria — basso solo (Já neklamal se, buď vítána, dcero! / No error made, I welcome you, daughter!)
- Recitativo — soprano solo (Ó dopřej, ať se v pokoře dál cvičím / Oh tell me, for humility I long now) attaca
- Terzetto — soprano, alto e basso solo (Tam Kristův kříž! / Behold Christ's Cross!)
- Terzetto — (soprano, alto e basso solo) e coro (Vesele hvozdem, vesele polem / Gaily we pass through field and through forest)
- Tenore solo e coro (Ó jaký obraz oku mému se v stínu lesním otvírá! / Oh, what a sight there in the shadows, and one that causes me to fear!)
- Recitativo — basso solo (Já bludné duše světlu vracím / I led the lost souls out of darkness)
- Coro (Ó neklamu se, chápu juž / I think, the truth I now infer)
- Recitativo — tenore e basso solo (Ach, ona, po níž srdce moje prahne / Ah, it is she for whom my heart is yearning)
- Aria — tenore solo (Ó, cestu ukaž mi, jak jí mám dobýt / Oh, show to me the way that I must win her)
- Recitativo — soprano solo (Ó, kterak mohu zvednout k tobě zraku / How is it possible to raise my eyelids)
- Coro (Ó běda, nechce slyšet jeho lkání! / Oh, heavens! She'll not listen to his pleading!)
- Recitativo — tenore e basso solo (Jak z krásného snu náhle procitlý / I rudely awake from a perfect dream)
- Quartetto e cori (Já hledala jsem září toho jitra / For this new shining dawn I am now searching)
Part III.
- Introduzione e coro (Hospodine, pomiluj ny! / Mighty Lord, have mercy on us!)
- Recitativo — tenore e basso solo (Nuž přistupte, mnou víře vyučení / Come forward all to whom I've taught the new creed!)
- Duetto — soprano e tenore solo (Ó, nech juž skanout nad našimi čely / Anoint our foreheads with the holy water)
- Recitativo — soprano e basso solo (U cíle stojím snahy své a tužby / Here on the threshold of my aspirations)
- Basso solo e coro (Duchu svatý, sestup v nachu / Holy Ghost in royal purple)
- Alto e basso solo e coro (Ó zněte, písně, zněte k nebes báni / Now let the heavens echo with our anthem)
- Soli e choro (Hospodine, pomiluj ny! / Mighty Lord, have mercy on us!)
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, October 15, 1886 (Conductor: Antonín Dvořák) |
|---|---|---|
| Ludmila | 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... |
|
| Svatava | mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above... |
|
| Bořivoj | 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... |
|
| Peasant | tenor | |
| Ivan the Hermit | bass | |