Apollo et Hyacinthus
Encyclopedia
Apollo et Hyacinthus is an opera
, K.
38, written in 1767 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
, who was 11 years old at the time. It is Mozart's first true opera (when one considers that Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebotes
is simply a sacred drama). It is in three acts. As is suggested by the name, the opera is based upon
Greek mythology
as told by Roman
poet
Ovid
in his masterwork Metamorphoses
. Interpreting this work, Rufinus Widl wrote the libretto
in Latin.
The opera was first performed on 13 May 1767 at the Great Hall, Salzburg University. The myth follows that Hyacinth
died accidentally from being struck on the head by a discus
thrown by Apollo
. However, another myth tells that it was the wind god Zephyrus who was actually responsible for the Hyacinth's death because Zephyrus, out of jealousy, blew the discus off course in order to injure and kill Hyacinth. When he died, Apollo made the hyacinth flower spring out from his spilled blood.
The librettist Rufinus Widl, a priest, modified Ovid's story (in which Apollo, Zephyrus, and Hyacinth clearly constituted a homosexual love triangle) to make it conform to the social standards of his own time, by changing the sexually desired character from Ovid's Hyacinth
to Melia, his sister.
. Apollo himself arrives to offer his friendship to young Hyacinthus and love to his sister, Melia. Melia's euphoria over the prospect of marrying a deity is shattered, however, when Zephyrus runs in to report that Apollo had killed Hyacinthus with a discus. But just as Zephyrus is finishing his story, Apollo himself blows in and sends the liar off with a blast of the west wind. The distraught Melia doesn't know what to believe and shuns the god as she leaves to find her brother.
As it turns out, Hyacinthus manages to identify Zephyrus as his killer to his father as he expires. Oebalus and Melia sing a duet of grief that so touches Apollo that he turns the boy's body into the flower hyacinthus (with its signature marking), and reaffirms his love for Melia who prise the power of Numen
.
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...
, K.
Köchel-Verzeichnis
The Köchel-Verzeichnis is a complete, chronological catalogue of compositions by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart which was originally created by Ludwig von Köchel. It is abbreviated K or KV. For example, Mozart's Requiem in D minor was, according to Köchel's counting, the 626th piece Mozart composed....
38, written in 1767 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
, who was 11 years old at the time. It is Mozart's first true opera (when one considers that Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebotes
Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebotes
Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots , K. 35, is a sacred musical play composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1767 when he was 11 years old. It is Mozart's first opera or, more specifically, sacred drama, as is suggested by the name...
is simply a sacred drama). It is in three acts. As is suggested by the name, the opera is based upon
Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
as told by Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
Ovid
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
in his masterwork Metamorphoses
Metamorphoses (poem)
Metamorphoses is a Latin narrative poem in fifteen books by the Roman poet Ovid describing the history of the world from its creation to the deification of Julius Caesar within a loose mythico-historical framework. Completed in AD 8, it is recognized as a masterpiece of Golden Age Latin literature...
. Interpreting this work, Rufinus Widl wrote the 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...
in Latin.
The opera was first performed on 13 May 1767 at the Great Hall, Salzburg University. The myth follows that Hyacinth
Hyacinth (mythology)
Hyacinth or Hyacinthus is a divine hero from Greek mythology. His cult at Amyclae, southwest of Sparta, where his tumulus was located— in classical times at the feet of Apollo's statue in the sanctuary that had been built round the burial mound— dates from the Mycenaean era...
died accidentally from being struck on the head by a discus
Discus
Discus, "disk" in Latin, may refer to:* Discus , a progressive rock band from Indonesia* Discus , a fictional character from the Marvel Comics Universe and enemy of Luke Cage* Discus , a freshwater fish popular with aquarium keepers...
thrown by Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
. However, another myth tells that it was the wind god Zephyrus who was actually responsible for the Hyacinth's death because Zephyrus, out of jealousy, blew the discus off course in order to injure and kill Hyacinth. When he died, Apollo made the hyacinth flower spring out from his spilled blood.
The librettist Rufinus Widl, a priest, modified Ovid's story (in which Apollo, Zephyrus, and Hyacinth clearly constituted a homosexual love triangle) to make it conform to the social standards of his own time, by changing the sexually desired character from Ovid's Hyacinth
Hyacinth (mythology)
Hyacinth or Hyacinthus is a divine hero from Greek mythology. His cult at Amyclae, southwest of Sparta, where his tumulus was located— in classical times at the feet of Apollo's statue in the sanctuary that had been built round the burial mound— dates from the Mycenaean era...
to Melia, his sister.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast 13 May 1767 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Oebalus, King of Lacedaemonia | 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... |
Mathias Stadler |
| Melia, daughter of Oebalus | boy soprano Boy soprano A boy soprano is a young male singer with an unchanged voice in the soprano range. Although a treble, or choirboy, may also be considered to be a boy soprano, the more colloquial term boy soprano is generally only used for boys who sing, perform, or record as soloists, and who may not necessarily... |
Felix Fuchs |
| Hyacinthus, son of Oebalus | boy soprano | Christian Enzinger |
| Apollo | boy alto | Johann Ernst |
| Zephyrus, friend of Hyacinthus | boy alto | Joseph Vonterthon |
| First priest of Apollo | bass | Joseph Bründl |
| Second priest of Apollo | bass | Jakob Moser |
Synopsis
King Oebalus of Lacedaemonia and his son, Hyacinthus are preparing a sacrifice to Apollo when their altar is struck by a bolt of lightningThunderbolt
A thunderbolt is a discharge of lightning accompanied by a loud thunderclap or its symbolic representation. In its original usage the word may also have been a description of meteors, or, as Plato suggested in Timaeus, of the consequences of a close approach between two planetary cosmic bodies,...
. Apollo himself arrives to offer his friendship to young Hyacinthus and love to his sister, Melia. Melia's euphoria over the prospect of marrying a deity is shattered, however, when Zephyrus runs in to report that Apollo had killed Hyacinthus with a discus. But just as Zephyrus is finishing his story, Apollo himself blows in and sends the liar off with a blast of the west wind. The distraught Melia doesn't know what to believe and shuns the god as she leaves to find her brother.
As it turns out, Hyacinthus manages to identify Zephyrus as his killer to his father as he expires. Oebalus and Melia sing a duet of grief that so touches Apollo that he turns the boy's body into the flower hyacinthus (with its signature marking), and reaffirms his love for Melia who prise the power of Numen
Numen
Numen is a Latin term for a potential, guiding the course of events in a particular place or in the whole world, used in Roman philosophical and religious thought...
.
External links
- Apollo et Hyacinthus:Libretto