The Standard Cantatas Part 5

Frithjof.

The story of the old Norse hero Frithjof is told with exceeding spirit and beauty in the "Frithjof's Saga" of Esaias Tegner, Bishop of Wexio, Sweden, which has been translated into almost every European language, and to which music has been adapted by Crusell, Hedda Wrangel, Boman, Sandberg, Zanders, Caroline Ridderstolpe, Panny, Silcher, and other Scandinavian and German composers. It was Bishop Tegner's Saga from which Bruch derived the incidents of his musical setting of this stirring Norse theme.[18]

To make the text of the libretto intelligible, the incidents leading up to it must be briefly told. Frithjof was the son of Thorstein, a friend of King Bele of Balders.h.a.ge, and was in love with Ingeborg, the king's daughter and his foster sister. Bele died, and left his kingdom to his two sons. When Thorstein pa.s.sed away, he bequeathed to his son his ship "Ellida" and his gold ring. Soon thereafter Frithjof sailed across the fiord to demand the hand of Ingeborg. Her brothers Helge and Halfdan scorned his suit, whereupon Frithjof swore they should never have help from him. King Ring, a neighboring monarch, hearing of the trouble between them, improved the opportunity to menace their kingdom. The brothers appealed to Frithjof for aid, but he turned a deaf ear; and when they took the field against Bele, he returned to Balders.h.a.ge and made love to Ingeborg, with whom he exchanged rings. Helge and Halfdan were defeated by Ring, and as part of the indemnity he demanded Ingeborg's hand. Finding upon their return that Frithjof had been there without their permission, they required him as a penalty to go to the Orkneys and collect the tribute which the islanders had neglected to pay since the death of Bele. Frithjof sailed away in "Ellida." Meanwhile the brothers resorted to witchcraft to raise a storm that should destroy his vessel, burned his barrow, and married the lamenting Ingeborg to Ring.

It is at this point that the text of the cantata begins. The first scene pictures the return of Frithjof and his joy at the prospect of seeing Ingeborg, whose hand the false brothers had promised him if he were successful. Learning what had occurred in his absence, Frithjof goes to the temple where the kings are sacrificing, hurls the tribute in Helge's face, fires the edifice, and hurries to the sea, pursued by his enemies.

The hero sails away again in "Ellida," and becomes a sea-rover. The text closes with this incident. In the Saga, after gaining great fame, Frithjof returns and goes disguised as a salt-burner to Ring's palace.

The king recognized him, and moved by his sad story became his friend and appointed him guardian of his heir. Ring died soon after, and Frithjof married Ingeborg. Helge and Halfdan made war against him, Helge was killed, and Halfdan became his va.s.sal.

The cantata opens with an animated instrumental introduction, "Frithjof's Return," leading to the barytone recitative and aria ("How bravely o'er the Flood so bright"),--a very expressive song, interspersed with the tender, graceful chorus of his companions ("O, 'tis Delight when the Land far appeareth"). The second scene is preluded with a wedding march, whose blithe measures are in marked contrast with the bridal chorus ("Sadly the Skald walks before the Train"), and Ingeborg's song ("My Heart with Sorrow overflowing"), which describes her grief over her unhappy destiny.

The third scene ("Frithjof's Revenge"), for barytone, chorus, and orchestra, is one of great power in its dramatic and descriptive character, as well as in its masterly instrumentation. It begins with a chorus of priests ("Midnight Sun on the Mountain burns"), gradually accelerating until it is interrupted by Frithjof's cry ("Go to Helas'

dark Abode"). Three bars of chorus intervene ("Woe! O wicked Deed"), when Frithjof, after a short recitative, sings a spirited aria ("Where my Father rests"). At its close, as he rescues Ingeborg's ring and fires the temple, the chorus resumes ("Woe! he tugs with all his Might at the Ring"). The choral finale of this scene, with its effective instrumentation, is a masterpiece of dramatic music, worthy to rank with the highest work of its kind in opera. After the storm, the calm. In that calm occurs a melodical episode of an extraordinary character. The melody itself is so unlike anything which precedes or follows it that it must have been interpolated. In grateful contrast with the revenge of Frithjof, the burning of the temple, and the curses of the infuriated priests, comes the fourth scene, "Frithjof's Departure from the Northland,"--a solo quartet for male voices ("Sun in the Sky now mounteth high"), of exquisite harmony, leading up to and accompanying a barytone solo which has rarely been surpa.s.sed in the tender beauty of its melody or the majestic sonority of its style:[19]--

"World's grandest region, thou mighty North!

From thy dominions I am driven forth; Within thy border I lov'd to dwell; Midsummer sun, farewell, farewell.

Thou mighty North, farewell.

My love is foiled, my roof-tree rent, Mine honor soiled, I in exile sent!

Cheerless is my soul within me, Hopeless I must bear my lot.

Ye rugged mountains, where heroes dwell, And Thor commandeth clouds and winds; Ye azure lakes, that I love so well, Ye woods and brakes, farewell."

The fifth scene is Ingeborg's lament for her lost lover ("Storms wildly roar"),--a soprano solo, which, if not as dramatic as the music a.s.signed to Frithjof, is nevertheless full of beautiful sentiment. The work closes with a delightful chorus, with short phrases for Frithjof ("Now he crosseth the Floods of the salt desert Waste"), supposed to be sung on board the hero's good ship "Ellida" as they sail off for conquest and the enjoyment of the booty he has promised his companions.

[18] An admirable translation of the Saga was made by George Stephens, published in London and Stockholm in 1839. It includes besides the Saga, a life of Tegner, by Bishop Franzen of Hernosand, Sweden; the Frithjof literature; description of Ingeborg's Arm Ring, by Hildebrand, the Royal Antiquarian of Sweden; Crusell's songs; and numerous notes and ill.u.s.trations.

[19] In the original Saga the "Farewell" has six verses, the first, second, and sixth of which are thus literally translated:--

"Heimskringla's forehead, Thou lofty North!

Away I'm hurried From this thine earth.

My race from thee goes, I boasting tell; Now, nurse of heroes, Farewell! Farewell!

"Farewell, high-gleaming Walhalla's throne, Night's eye, bright-beaming, Midsummer's sun!

Sky! where, as in hero's Soul, pure depths dwell, And thronging star-rows, Farewell! Farewell!

"My love insulted, My palace brent, My honor tarnished, In exile sent, From land in sadness To the sea we appeal, But life's young gladness, Farewell! Farewell!"

Salamis.

"Salamis, Triumphal Hymn of the Greeks" was written in 1862. It is a composition mostly for male chorus, and is admirably adapted for festival purposes. The poem, which celebrates the defeat of Xerxes, is by H.

Lingg, and runs as follows:--

"Adorn the ships with Persian trophies!

Let the purple sails be swelled!

Joy floats about the masts!

Evoe, the mighty foe, is vanquished!

We broke, O sea, we broke the bond, Which the Persian Prince threw around thy neck.

Thou rollest now unfettered, no longer embittered By the hateful trampling of the horses, Which thy waving surface, Thy bridge-fettered wrath, bore reluctantly.

Fate overtook Xerxes And achieved a h.e.l.lenic victory on the waves.

To the tyrant, to the arbitrary master, Did not succ.u.mb the people that dwell by the sea, For the old ruler of the sea filled his beloved race With boundless courage for the sea-fight.

All around, the waves with delight Hear many an Ionic song; They roar and join the paean After the splendid struggle There arise dithyrambic days of liberty!"

The instrumental introduction to the work is written in ma.s.sive style, its grand chorus being elegantly interwoven with runs by the wood instruments, preparing the way for the festive adorning of the ships,--a very beautiful allegro movement. This is followed by a slower movement which pictures the breaking of the bond, the rolling of the sea, and the trampling of the horses with all that vividness for which the composer is famous. It is succeeded by a pa.s.sage which is very stately, particularly in the ba.s.ses ("Fate overtook Xerxes"), leading up to the grand climax ("All around, the Waves with Delight"), when the orchestra and voices are in splendid accord. After a short repet.i.tion of the opening allegro the hymn closes. It would be hard to find a more admirable musical setting of a poem than this, whether in the strength and beauty of its vocal parts, or in the color, vigor, and general effectiveness of the instrumentation.

Fair Ellen.

The heroic defence of Lucknow by its British garrison in 1857, during the Sepoy rebellion, is one of the most memorable events in the English administration of India. The world is familiar with the story of the disaffection of the native troops, the failure of Sir Henry Lawrence, who was in command, to overcome the mutiny, the stubborn defence which the brave little garrison made against the repeated a.s.saults of the native troops, their temporary a.s.sistance from Outram and Havelock, who cut their way into the city, and the final relief which was brought to them by Sir Colin Campbell. Of all the stirring incidents of the siege, however, not one has made such a strong impression as the fanciful story of the Scotch girl who heard the slogan of the MacGregors far away and knew the Highlanders were coming to their rescue.

It is this incident which Bruch has used as the theme of his cantata "Schon Ellen" ("Fair Ellen"). The story is identical with the one so often told in prose and poetry, but the _dramatis personae_ differ.

Instead of General Lawrence we have Lord Edward, and instead of familiar Jessie Brown we have "Fair Ellen." The text of the libretto is weak and spiritless as compared with that of the poetical versions. The salient point of the story is thus versified in the former:--

"The Campbells are coming, I told you true; I hear the bugle blowing: The pibroch is borne adown the wind, The tones on the breezes quiver; 'Neath the tread of battalions that hurry along Afar the plains do shiver."

Compare the above with the corresponding verses from Robert Lowell's fine poem:--

"The Highlanders! O dinna ye hear The slogan far awa?

The MacGregors? Ah! I ken it weel; It's the grandest of them a'.

"Then Jessie said, 'The slogan's dune, But can ye no hear them noo?

The Campbells are comin'! It's nae a dream; Our succors hae broken through."

Weak as the text may be, the strong healthy music of the cantata makes ample compensation. It is quite brief, there being but two solo parts, "Fair Ellen" (soprano) and Lord Edward (barytone), and five short chorus numbers. The former are vigorous and somewhat declamatory in style, but the choruses are very melodious and stirring. The instrumentation is unusually effective, and a fine point is made in the climax by the interweaving of the familiar air, "The Campbells are Coming," with the orchestral score. It lends spirit and color to the finale, and closes up the work with a fine burst of powerful effect. Short as it is, "Fair Ellen" will always be a favorite with popular audiences.

Odysseus.

The cantata of "Odysseus," like that of "Frithjof," is made up of detached scenes, in this case selected from the Odyssey and arranged by William Paul Graff. The work was first produced in 1872, and has met with great success in Germany, England, and the United States. It is divided into two parts, the first containing four, and the second, six scenes.

The characters are as numerous as those of a grand opera, and include Odysseus, barytone; Penelope, alto; Alcinoos, King of the Pheaces, ba.s.s; Arete, his consort, alto; Nausicaa, their daughter, soprano; the Helmsman, ba.s.s; Pallas Athene, soprano; Leucothea, soprano; Spirit of Tiresias, ba.s.s; Spirit of Anticlia, Odysseus' mother, alto; and Hermes, tenor. In performance, however, the parts of Arete and the Spirit of Anticlia, as well as of Nausicaa and Pallas Athene, are usually doubled.

The choruses, which are a very important feature of the work, are a.s.signed to Odysseus' companions, Spirits of the Departed, Sirens, Tritons, Nymphs of the sea, Pheaces, Rhapsodes, boatmen and people of Ithaca.

In the first scene Odysseus is discovered on Calypso's enchanted island longing for home. Hermes, the messenger of the G.o.ds, appears to him and announces that the Immortals, touched by his sorrow, will rescue him and restore him to Penelope. In the next scene the wanderer has reached the abysses of Erebus, "where, loud thundering, the flood of Cocytus pours its black wave into Acheron's tide." Here he invokes the world of shades.

The spirits of children, brides, youths, and old men successively appear to him and narrate their mournful stories. Then Tiresias the bard warns him of the Sirens, and Anticlia his mother bids him hasten to Penelope.

In the third scene he pa.s.ses the isles of the Sirens, and escapes their wiles through the firmness of his companions. The fourth scene describes the storm at sea, the wreck of the vessel, and Odysseus' rescue by Leucothea, who gives him the veil the Immortals have woven, and bids the Oceanides and Tritons guide him safely to land; and the first part closes with our hero peacefully sleeping on the flowery sh.o.r.e of the island of Pheacia.

The second part opens with the lament of Penelope and her prayer to the G.o.ds to restore her husband to her. The sixth scene changes to the island again, and discloses Odysseus awakened from his slumbers by the sports and dances of Nausicaa and her joyful maidens. He appeals to her for help and refreshment, and is bidden to partake of their hospitality. In the next scene a sumptuous banquet is spread for him, at which he reveals his ident.i.ty and asks that he be allowed to return to his home. The fair Nausicaa, though suddenly enamoured of the handsome stranger, conceals her pa.s.sion and expedites his departure. The eighth scene gives us a sketch of Penelope weaving the garment, the _ruse_ by which she kept her suitors aloof.

"This garment by day I weave in my sorrow, And ravel the web in the still hour of night; Thus wearying long, yet my tears greet the morrow, Hope vanishes as the long years take flight."

The ninth scene opens with the arrival of Odysseus at Ithaca. The sleeping wanderer is borne ash.o.r.e by his comrades, and upon awaking from his slumbers fails to recognize his own country until Pallas Athene appears to him. The G.o.ddess convinces him that he is at home once more, and then discloses the plot of the suitors, who are revelling in his palace, to compel Penelope to select one of them that day in order that they may gain possession of his property, as well as their conspiracy for his destruction, from which she promises to protect him. The final scene describes the glad acclamations of the people as they recognize Odysseus, and the joy of Penelope as she welcomes him home once more.

The orchestral introduction is very free and flowing in character, and its themes are taken from the duet of Odysseus and Penelope, which occurs later on. The opening chorus of Calypso's nymphs ("Here, O Hermes, in midst of the Island") is very graceful in its movement and is set to a most delightful accompaniment. It is followed by Odysseus' lament ("Flow, ye Tears, since Days are hateful"), at first tender in its character, then changing to pa.s.sionate utterances as the remembrance of Penelope comes to him, and closing with a hopeful strain after the promise of help from Zeus. In the second or Hades scene the music changes from its bright color to a gloomier minor tone. It opens with a male chorus ("The Bounds we have reached of the deep flowing Ocean"), pianissimo, gradually increasing in intensity and accompanied by remarkable effects in tone-color as the orchestra describes "the thundering of the flood Cocytus" and "the surging aloft of the shadows of the departed." It is followed by semi-choruses of the shades, and closes with a very spirited and dramatic male chorus ("Dread on Dread! Lo, surging aloft, the numberless Hosts of Departed"). The third scene opens with a fresh and characteristic male chorus ("Our Sails to the Breezes"), followed by the graceful and alluring chorus of the sirens ("Come, great Odysseus, Hero of Might"). The last scene is almost entirely choral and very dramatic in its effect, especially the opening number for the Oceanides and Tritons ("Hark! the Storm gathers from afar"), with its vigorous instrumental description of the tempest, and the closing number for full chorus ("Yonder beckons the wood-crested Harbor"), which in its tenderness and joyousness forms a striking contrast to the earlier part of the scene.

The second part is introduced with a dignified and sombre recitative ("Thou far-darting Sun"), followed by an aria of the same character ("Oh!