At the Crossroads between Opera and Oratorio: Biblical Themes and 19ᵗʰ Century French Opera

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24193/subbmusica.2023.2.02

Keywords:

opera, oratorio, Bible, orientalism, fin de siècle.

Abstract

The present study aims to investigate the delicate border between oratorios and operas based on biblical subjects, focusing on French music. A brief analysis of the period prior to the 19th century reveals that the oratorio was not one of the most popular genres in France, allowing the genesis of various genres inspired by biblical subjects. The oratorio enjoyed a brief revival in the 18th century, leading in the 19th century to the composition of biblical operas and the dawn of genres that are at the crossroads between opera and oratorio: mystére, drame sacré, or légende sacrée, represented by works of Jules Massenet. Although traditionally referred to as oratorios, these works allowed for staged representation, due to the dramatic qualities of the librettos, which in turn allowed for the musical discourse to depart from the sobriety of the oratorio and to include certain features that are characteristic for opera. Gradually, biblical subjects began to be tackled in operas as well, as will be seen in the works of Camille Saint-Saëns and Jules Massenet, the two composers on whose works the present study mainly focuses. At the same time, biblical themes can be related to musical orientalism, but also to the fin de siècle decadent aesthetic (through their exploration of such themes as the opposition between sacred and erotic love), serving as mirror for the political, social, and religious context of the Third Republic.

Author Biographies

Noémi KARÁCSONY, Transilvania University of Brașov (Faculty of Music), Brașov, Romania, E-mail: noemi.karacsony@unitbv.ro

Noémi KARÁCSONY, PhD, is currently Lecturer at the Transilvania University of Brașov, the Faculty of Music. She completed her BA studies at the „George Enescu” University of Arts in Iaşi (2010–2014) and continued with MA studies at the Transilvania University of Braşov, the Faculty of Music (2015–2017). She obtained her PhD in music in 2020 at the Transilvania University of Braşov. She appeared in aria and lied recitals, as well as concerts, in Romania and abroad (Italy, Bulgaria, Serbia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan). Among the works she performed the following can be mentioned: Nisi Dominus RV 608 and Stabat Mater RV 621 by Antonio Vivaldi, Stabat Mater by G. B. Pergolesi, or the Cantata BWV 170 by J.S. Bach. She appeared as La Zia Principessa in the opera Suor Angelica by G. Puccini (Opera Brașov, 2016) and as Orfeo in the opera Orfeo ed Euridice by Ch. W. Gluck (Iași, Cluj-Napoca 2014). She was awarded first prize at the 8th edition of the Victor Giuleanu National Competition, the classical singing section (2017). In 2017 she won second prize at the 9th edition of the International Singing Competition “Città di Pisa — Omaggio a Titta Ruffo”, in Pisa, Italy. She participated in the masterclasses of the soprano Maria Slătinaru-Nistor (Iaşi), mezzo-soprano Liliana Bizineche (Braşov), soprano Cyrille Gerstenhaber (at the Summer University of the Early Music Festival in Miercurea Ciuc, 2016), soprano Mária Temesi (Brașov, 2018) and soprano Laura Niculescu (Italy, 2019).

Mădălina Dana RUCSANDA, Transilvania University of Brașov (Faculty of Music), Brașov, Romania, E-mail: m_rucsanda@unitbv.ro

Mădălina Dana RUCSANDA is Professor PhD within the Department of Performing Arts and Music Education at the Transilvania University of Brasov, the Faculty of Music. Currently she is dean of this institution. She graduated from the Faculty of Music in 1995 and obtained a PhD in music in 2004 at the National University of Music in Bucharest. Professor Rucsanda has ample research activity in the following domains: ethnomusicology, music education, music theory. This activity has resulted in the publication of numerous studies and books (9 books, 10 ISI articles, 30 BDI articles, 32 articles published in volumes related to the music field and in the proceedings of international conferences). She participated as president in the juries of national and international music competitions. She is senior editor of the Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov, series VIII – Performing arts, published by Transilvania University Press, Braşov, Romania and indexed in EBSCO and CEEOL. She is member of numerous professional and science associations and sits on the jury of specialist competitions in Romania and abroad.

References

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Scores:

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STUDIA UBB MUSICA, Volume 68 (LXVIII), No. 2, December 2023

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Published

2023-12-30

How to Cite

KARÁCSONY, N., & RUCSANDA, M. D. (2023). At the Crossroads between Opera and Oratorio: Biblical Themes and 19ᵗʰ Century French Opera. Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Musica, 68(2), 21–38. https://doi.org/10.24193/subbmusica.2023.2.02

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Volume 68, No. 2, December 2023

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