Simplicius (operetta)
Encyclopedia
Simplicius is an operetta
by Johann Strauss II
. It was conceived from the work of HJC von Grimmelhausen
titled Der abenteuerliche Simplicissimus
or simply Adventurous Simplicissimus, which was opined by many to be the 17th century's greatest German
novel. The libretto for this work was furnished by Victor Léon who was one of Vienna
's promising talents of that era, with music by Johann Strauss II.
on 17 December 1887 and was nearly marred by a false fire alert in the theatre. The audience of the first night clearly remembered the theatre tragedy of the Ringtheater inferno in Vienna
six years earlier and the false alarm nearly triggered a stampede. Strauss' good friend Viktor Tilgner later recounted that the composer's quick thinking avoided a tragedy as he directed one of the actors to sing a popular number Ich denke gern zurück an mein entschwundnes Glück waltz romance song from the final Act again to divert the audience's attention. This waltz song was to later become the first waltz
theme of his popular "Donauweibchen
", Op. 427 ("Danube Maiden").
This operetta is largely forgotten today, although its music is still performed at length. Its music was also probably survived by the many individual pieces that Johann Strauss II produced from the original score among them Donauweibchen mentioned above as well as "Reitermarsch", Op. 428, and the polka-mazurka "Lagerlust", Op. 431.
Overview: When Wendelin von Grübben tells his younger brother Bruno that they both love the same woman, Bruno abandons the Catholic faith, joins the heretics and is killed in battle by Wendelin. Full of remorse, Wendelin sends his own son (Arnim) and wife (Countess von Vliessen) to a religious house, despite her having just borne Simplicius, their second son. Wendelin decides not to kill himself and Simplicius but to retreat into the forest with his son, vowing to protect him from worldly influences. The Countess dies. Her will declares that the Grübben family fortune can only be inherited with the betrothal of a Grübben and another Countess von Vliessen. Otherwise the entire estate goes to the Church. Arnim leaves the religious house, and with Wendelin and Simplicius missing, it is eventually assumed that the family has died out, though there is no firm proof.
The Hermit, Wendelin von Grübben, seeks peace of mind through prayer. The sound of trumpets can be heard as war rages in the distance. Wendelin's meditation is interrupted by the appearance of Melchior, an astrologer, and his Swedish female attendant, Ebba. Melchior declares that astrology never lets him down, and surprises Wendelin by claiming to be a descendant of the Grübben family and consequently entitled to marry one Hildegarde von Vliessen, thereby saving the Grübben fortune. He cannot prove that there are no remaining male descendants of the Grübben family, but he claims that astrologically speaking there is no evidence of any living descendants. In order to be left in peace, Wendelin hands over to Melchior the farewell letter that he wrote when initially planning to kill himself and Simplicius.
Their exchanges are interrupted by an agitated Simplicius who has seen iron men in the woods and who believes them to be devils. Several soldiers who have lost their way then arrive and assuming the wild and unkempt Simplicius to be a kidnap victim, they separate him from his father and order him to leave the woods. Wendelin remains behind, confused and broken.
While handing out double rations with her daughter Tilly to the troops before battle, Schnapslotte is drawn to an unknown
soldier. For the past twenty years, she has suspected in every stranger like Melchior, her long lost husband. Once again she is mistaken.
Meanwhile, Simplicius has been taken up by General von Vliessen's entourage. Seemingly incapable of comprehending the finer arts of war, he is constantly rebuked by the Sergeant-major. Tilly takes him under her wing, determined to make a real soldier out of him. With the expected arrival of a Baron von Grübben now imminent, General von Vliessen has summoned his daughter Hildegarde from the convent in Prague where she has spent most of her life. Hildegarde unsuccessfully pleads with her father not to be made to marry a stranger.
Arnim, now a student in Prague and in love with Hildegarde, has followed her to the camp where Simplicius takes him to be an enemy. In order to win Hildegarde over Arnim drops his studies and serves under the General. Hildegarde describes a dream in which two men vie for her heart and is rebuked by her father and offered bitter consolation from Schnapslotte.
Hildegarde tells Arnim that she has been promised to another, yet loses her heart to Arnim. The General is indignant when his daughter turns up on the arm of a stranger who has the audacity to ask for her hand in marriage. Arnim proudly points out his family heritage, calling himself the Baron von Grübben. Pleased at this unexpected turn of events, General von Vliessen announces their immediate engagement.
During the festivities, Simplicius arrives with a bound captive, Melchior, whom he had discovered in the camp and arrested as an enemy. Before Melchior can be hanged he announces that he too is the Baron von Grübben, and as proof presents Wendelin's letter. The confusion is deepened when an imperial dispatch arrives from Vienna claiming that suspect papers and documents have been discovered in the residence of one Baron von Grübben. These papers are linked to Sweden, and orders are given to place the Baron under arrest until further notice. Melchior, who we know is in fact involved with the Swede Ebba, denies the allegations. Both Arnim and Melchior are placed under arrest, and Simplicius is made an ensign. The troops set out to fight the Swedes.
As Wendelin despairs of ever being reunited with his son a group of angry peasants hunt down Simplicius for ever acting the
fool. Simplicius finds himself facing arrest under the orders of the Sergeant-major. Arnim and Melchior, still imprisoned, reach an understanding. Melchior agrees to give up his claim to Hildegarde on condition that the family fortune tied up in the marriage deal be handed over to him. Arnim agrees. Before being able to tell Hildegarde the good news, General von Vliessen receives a new order from Vienna: a wild young man named Simplicius must be found. Whoever should find him is honour- bound to treat him with respect as he is none other than the son of Baron von Grübben. The General immediately promotes Simplicius to the rank of lieutenant and orders him to marry Hildegarde. Arnim is overjoyed at meeting his long-lost brother again. Simplicius agrees to be married but is confused, especially as Tilly now demands to know his feelings towards her. Schnapslotte offers Tilly more homely advice as Simplicius and Tilly talk of love.
Melchior finds himself a victim of his own cunning: he had secretly given Tilly's mother a love potion to be administered to Hildegarde but Schnapslotte drank it herself. Tilly's mother enters Melchior's cell and again attempts to seduce him, claiming him to be her long lost husband. Melchior gives in, and admits that his own horoscope had indeed predicted something along these lines.
The General returns triumphant from battle against the Swedes and brings Ebba with him as his prisoner. She has been identified as the source of the suspect Swedish correspondence found in the Baron's residence, and is presented with both Arnim and Melchior. She identifies Melchior as the addressee of the letters, and Arnim is freed.
Simplicius brings in the other Swedish prisoners, who, at the command of the General, are to boost camp morale by singing. But the prisoners' destiny reminds all of their own sacrifices and losses during this war. Simplicius retreats into the forest. Others follow him. They meet with a peasant (Wendelin) who had all but given up hope of ever being reunited with his son. The fact that Wendelin is still alive negates the will made so many years before by his wife, the Countess von Vliessen. Finally, Tilly and Simplicius as well as Hildegarde and Arnim find their happiness in each other.
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
by Johann Strauss II
Johann Strauss II
Johann Strauss II , also known as Johann Baptist Strauss or Johann Strauss, Jr., the Younger, or the Son , was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed over 500 waltzes, polkas, quadrilles, and other types of dance music, as well as several operettas...
. It was conceived from the work of HJC von Grimmelhausen
Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen
Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen was a German author.-Biography:Grimmelshausen was born at Gelnhausen. At the age of ten he was kidnapped by Hessian soldiery, and in their midst tasted the adventures of military life in the Thirty Years' War...
titled Der abenteuerliche Simplicissimus
Der abenteuerliche Simplicissimus
Simplicius Simplicissimus is a picaresque novel of the Baroque style, written in 1668 by Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen and published the subsequent year...
or simply Adventurous Simplicissimus, which was opined by many to be the 17th century's greatest German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
novel. The libretto for this work was furnished by Victor Léon who was one of 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...
's promising talents of that era, with music by Johann Strauss II.
Performance history
The operetta received its premiere at the Theater an der WienTheater an der Wien
The Theater an der Wien is a historic theatre on the Left Wienzeile in the Mariahilf district of Vienna. Completed in 1801, it has seen the premieres of many celebrated works of theatre, opera, and symphonic music...
on 17 December 1887 and was nearly marred by a false fire alert in the theatre. The audience of the first night clearly remembered the theatre tragedy of the Ringtheater inferno 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...
six years earlier and the false alarm nearly triggered a stampede. Strauss' good friend Viktor Tilgner later recounted that the composer's quick thinking avoided a tragedy as he directed one of the actors to sing a popular number Ich denke gern zurück an mein entschwundnes Glück waltz romance song from the final Act again to divert the audience's attention. This waltz song was to later become the first waltz
Waltz
The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
theme of his popular "Donauweibchen
Donauweibchen
Donauweibchen , Op. 427, is a waltz composed by Johann Strauss II in December 1887. The composition features melodies from Strauss' operetta Simplicius. It was first performed in January 1888 at one of Eduard Strauss's Sunday concerts in the Musikverein....
", Op. 427 ("Danube Maiden").
This operetta is largely forgotten today, although its music is still performed at length. Its music was also probably survived by the many individual pieces that Johann Strauss II produced from the original score among them Donauweibchen mentioned above as well as "Reitermarsch", Op. 428, and the polka-mazurka "Lagerlust", Op. 431.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 17 December 1887 (Conductor: Johann Strauss II ) |
|---|---|---|
| The Hermit/Wendelin von Grübben | 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... |
|
| Simplicius, his younger son | 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... |
|
| General von Vliessen | baritone | |
| Hildegarde, 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... |
|
| Arnim von Grübben, brother of Simplicius | tenor | |
| Melchior, an astrologer | baritone | |
| Ebba, a Swedish spy | 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... |
|
| Schnapslotte, owner of the travelling canteen | soprano | |
| Tilly, her daughter | soprano | |
| Haidvogel | baritone | |
| Sergeant-major | baritone | |
| Officers, Soldiers | ||
Synopsis
- Time: In the final years of the Thirty Years' WarThirty Years' WarThe Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
(1618—1648).
Overview: When Wendelin von Grübben tells his younger brother Bruno that they both love the same woman, Bruno abandons the Catholic faith, joins the heretics and is killed in battle by Wendelin. Full of remorse, Wendelin sends his own son (Arnim) and wife (Countess von Vliessen) to a religious house, despite her having just borne Simplicius, their second son. Wendelin decides not to kill himself and Simplicius but to retreat into the forest with his son, vowing to protect him from worldly influences. The Countess dies. Her will declares that the Grübben family fortune can only be inherited with the betrothal of a Grübben and another Countess von Vliessen. Otherwise the entire estate goes to the Church. Arnim leaves the religious house, and with Wendelin and Simplicius missing, it is eventually assumed that the family has died out, though there is no firm proof.
Act 1
In a dense wood in the foothills of the Sudeten MountainsThe Hermit, Wendelin von Grübben, seeks peace of mind through prayer. The sound of trumpets can be heard as war rages in the distance. Wendelin's meditation is interrupted by the appearance of Melchior, an astrologer, and his Swedish female attendant, Ebba. Melchior declares that astrology never lets him down, and surprises Wendelin by claiming to be a descendant of the Grübben family and consequently entitled to marry one Hildegarde von Vliessen, thereby saving the Grübben fortune. He cannot prove that there are no remaining male descendants of the Grübben family, but he claims that astrologically speaking there is no evidence of any living descendants. In order to be left in peace, Wendelin hands over to Melchior the farewell letter that he wrote when initially planning to kill himself and Simplicius.
Their exchanges are interrupted by an agitated Simplicius who has seen iron men in the woods and who believes them to be devils. Several soldiers who have lost their way then arrive and assuming the wild and unkempt Simplicius to be a kidnap victim, they separate him from his father and order him to leave the woods. Wendelin remains behind, confused and broken.
Act 2
In a camp at Olmütz (Olomouc)While handing out double rations with her daughter Tilly to the troops before battle, Schnapslotte is drawn to an unknown
soldier. For the past twenty years, she has suspected in every stranger like Melchior, her long lost husband. Once again she is mistaken.
Meanwhile, Simplicius has been taken up by General von Vliessen's entourage. Seemingly incapable of comprehending the finer arts of war, he is constantly rebuked by the Sergeant-major. Tilly takes him under her wing, determined to make a real soldier out of him. With the expected arrival of a Baron von Grübben now imminent, General von Vliessen has summoned his daughter Hildegarde from the convent in Prague where she has spent most of her life. Hildegarde unsuccessfully pleads with her father not to be made to marry a stranger.
Arnim, now a student in Prague and in love with Hildegarde, has followed her to the camp where Simplicius takes him to be an enemy. In order to win Hildegarde over Arnim drops his studies and serves under the General. Hildegarde describes a dream in which two men vie for her heart and is rebuked by her father and offered bitter consolation from Schnapslotte.
Hildegarde tells Arnim that she has been promised to another, yet loses her heart to Arnim. The General is indignant when his daughter turns up on the arm of a stranger who has the audacity to ask for her hand in marriage. Arnim proudly points out his family heritage, calling himself the Baron von Grübben. Pleased at this unexpected turn of events, General von Vliessen announces their immediate engagement.
During the festivities, Simplicius arrives with a bound captive, Melchior, whom he had discovered in the camp and arrested as an enemy. Before Melchior can be hanged he announces that he too is the Baron von Grübben, and as proof presents Wendelin's letter. The confusion is deepened when an imperial dispatch arrives from Vienna claiming that suspect papers and documents have been discovered in the residence of one Baron von Grübben. These papers are linked to Sweden, and orders are given to place the Baron under arrest until further notice. Melchior, who we know is in fact involved with the Swede Ebba, denies the allegations. Both Arnim and Melchior are placed under arrest, and Simplicius is made an ensign. The troops set out to fight the Swedes.
Act 3
Six months later in a castle courtyard in HanauHanau
Hanau is a town in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 25 km east of Frankfurt am Main. Its station is a major railway junction.- Geography :...
As Wendelin despairs of ever being reunited with his son a group of angry peasants hunt down Simplicius for ever acting the
fool. Simplicius finds himself facing arrest under the orders of the Sergeant-major. Arnim and Melchior, still imprisoned, reach an understanding. Melchior agrees to give up his claim to Hildegarde on condition that the family fortune tied up in the marriage deal be handed over to him. Arnim agrees. Before being able to tell Hildegarde the good news, General von Vliessen receives a new order from Vienna: a wild young man named Simplicius must be found. Whoever should find him is honour- bound to treat him with respect as he is none other than the son of Baron von Grübben. The General immediately promotes Simplicius to the rank of lieutenant and orders him to marry Hildegarde. Arnim is overjoyed at meeting his long-lost brother again. Simplicius agrees to be married but is confused, especially as Tilly now demands to know his feelings towards her. Schnapslotte offers Tilly more homely advice as Simplicius and Tilly talk of love.
Melchior finds himself a victim of his own cunning: he had secretly given Tilly's mother a love potion to be administered to Hildegarde but Schnapslotte drank it herself. Tilly's mother enters Melchior's cell and again attempts to seduce him, claiming him to be her long lost husband. Melchior gives in, and admits that his own horoscope had indeed predicted something along these lines.
The General returns triumphant from battle against the Swedes and brings Ebba with him as his prisoner. She has been identified as the source of the suspect Swedish correspondence found in the Baron's residence, and is presented with both Arnim and Melchior. She identifies Melchior as the addressee of the letters, and Arnim is freed.
Simplicius brings in the other Swedish prisoners, who, at the command of the General, are to boost camp morale by singing. But the prisoners' destiny reminds all of their own sacrifices and losses during this war. Simplicius retreats into the forest. Others follow him. They meet with a peasant (Wendelin) who had all but given up hope of ever being reunited with his son. The fact that Wendelin is still alive negates the will made so many years before by his wife, the Countess von Vliessen. Finally, Tilly and Simplicius as well as Hildegarde and Arnim find their happiness in each other.
Recordings
- EMI Classics (2000): Conductor Franz Welser-MöstFranz Welser-MöstFranz Welser-Möst is an Austrian conductor who is currently the music director for the Cleveland Orchestra and the Vienna State Opera.- Biography :...
and the Zürich Opera Orchestra and ChorusZurich OperaOper Zürich is an opera company based in Zurich, Switzerland. The company gives performances in the Opernhaus Zürich which has been the company’s home for fifty years.-History:...
. Michael Volle, Elizabeth Magnuson, Martin Zysset, Oliver Widmer, Cheyne Davidson, Piotr BeczalaPiotr BeczalaPiotr Beczała is a Polish operatic tenor.Piotr Beczała was born in southern Poland and initially trained in Katowice. His first engagements were with the Landestheatre in Linz, after which he became a regular member of Zurich Opera. Between 2004-2006, Beczała made several major international house...
, Liliana Nikiteanu, Martina JankováMartina JankováMartina Janková is a Czech operatic soprano. She has been successful in a number of important opera contests, including winning first prize at the Neue Stimmen in Gütersloh. She has been a member of the Zürich Opera since 1998...
, and Louise Martini.