Der Vampyr (Lindpaintner)
Encyclopedia
Der Vampyr is an opera
(designated as a Romantische Oper
) in three acts by Peter Josef von Lindpaintner
. The German libretto
by Cäsar Max Hegel was based on a work by Heinrich Ludwig Ritter, based in turn on a French melodrama by Charles Nodier
, Pierre Carmouche
and Achille de Jouffroy, ultimately traceable to the short novel The Vampyre
(1819) by John Polidori
.
Other early 19th-century operas on the same theme were Silvestro de Palma's I vampiri (1812), Martin-Joseph Mengal
's Le vampire (1826), and Heinrich Marschner
's Der Vampyr
of the same year as Lindpaintner's opera (1828).
on 21 September 1828
. It proved the most successful of the composer's operas.
Lindpaintner made a revised version of the opera in 1850, when he put recitatives in the place of the originals spoken dialogue.
(not Scotland), though in general it follows the same story as Marschner's Der Vampyr.
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...
(designated as a Romantische Oper
Romantische Oper
Romantische Oper was a genre of early nineteenth-century German opera, developed not from the German Singspiel of the eighteenth-century but from the opéras comiques of the French Revolution...
) in three acts by Peter Josef von Lindpaintner
Peter Josef von Lindpaintner
Peter Josef von Lindpaintner was a German composer and conductor.Born in Koblenz as the son of a tenor, he studied with Peter Winter and Joseph Graetz. From 1819 onwards he was based in Stuttgart...
. The German 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...
by Cäsar Max Hegel was based on a work by Heinrich Ludwig Ritter, based in turn on a French melodrama by Charles Nodier
Charles Nodier
Jean Charles Emmanuel Nodier , was a French author who introduced a younger generation of Romanticists to the conte fantastique, gothic literature, vampire tales, and the importance of dreams as part of literary creation, and whose career as a librarian is often underestimated by literary...
, Pierre Carmouche
Pierre Carmouche
Pierre-François-Adolphe Carmouche was a French playwright. He wrote more than 200 successful plays, comedies, vaudevilles and texts for opéras comiques, in collaboration with diverse collaborators - Brazier, Dumersan, Mélesville, de Courcy, etc.In 1824 he married the actress Jenny Vertpré.He also...
and Achille de Jouffroy, ultimately traceable to the short novel The Vampyre
The Vampyre
"The Vampyre" is a short story or novella written in 1819 by John William Polidori which is a progenitor of the romantic vampire genre of fantasy fiction...
(1819) by John Polidori
John Polidori
John William Polidori was an English writer and physician of Italian descent. He is known for his associations with the Romantic movement and credited by some as the creator of the vampire genre of fantasy fiction. His most successful work was the 1819 short story, The Vampyre, the first vampire...
.
Other early 19th-century operas on the same theme were Silvestro de Palma's I vampiri (1812), Martin-Joseph Mengal
Martin-Joseph Mengal
Martin-Joseph Mengal , was a Belgian composer and instructor.Mengal came from a musical family and received horn and violin lessons as a child, and by the age of 13 played first horn at the Ghent opera...
's Le vampire (1826), and Heinrich Marschner
Heinrich Marschner
Heinrich August Marschner , was the most important composer of German Romantic opera between Carl Maria von Weber and Richard Wagner, and is remembered principally for his operas Hans Heiling , Der Vampyr , and Der Templer und die Jüdin...
's Der Vampyr
Der Vampyr
Der Vampyr is a Romantic opera in two acts by Heinrich Marschner. The German libretto by Wilhelm August Wohlbrück is based on the play Der Vampir oder die Totenbraut by Heinrich Ludwig Ritter, which itself was based on the short novel The Vampyre by John Polidori...
of the same year as Lindpaintner's opera (1828).
Performance history
The first performance took place at the Hoftheater in StuttgartStuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
on 21 September 1828
1828 in music
-Events:*March 9 – The Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire gives its first concert, including music by Beethoven, Rossini, Meifreid, Rode and Cherubini.*November 3 – Composer Ferdinand Hérold is awarded the Légion d'honneur.-Popular music:...
. It proved the most successful of the composer's operas.
Lindpaintner made a revised version of the opera in 1850, when he put recitatives in the place of the originals spoken dialogue.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 21 September 1828 (Conductor: -) |
|---|---|---|
| Ignerand, Count Port d'Amour | bass | |
| Isolde, Ignerand's 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... |
|
| Hypolit, Count Damartin, Isolde's bridegroom | 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... |
|
| Count Aubri, the vampire | bass | |
| Balbine, Isolde's maid | 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... |
|
| Etienne, gardener to Port d'Amour | bass | |
| Morton | bass | |
| Lorette, Morton's daughter | soprano | |
| Lavigne, her bridegroom | tenor | |
Synopsis
The scene of the action is in the south of FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(not Scotland), though in general it follows the same story as Marschner's Der Vampyr.
Sources
- Amadeus Almanac accessed 6 November 2008
- Brown, Clive (1992), 'Vampyr, Der' in The New Grove Dictionary of OperaNew Grove Dictionary of OperaThe New Grove Dictionary of Opera is an encyclopedia of opera, considered to be one of the best general reference sources on the subject. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes....
, ed. Stanley Sadie (London) ISBN 0-333-73432-7
External links
- Manuscript and vocal score at IMSLP.
- Libretto