István, a király
Encyclopedia
István, a király is a Hungarian
rock opera
written by Levente Szörényi (music) and János Bródy (lyrics), based on the life of Saint Stephen of Hungary. The storyline was based on the play Ezredforduló (Turn of the Millennium) by Miklós Boldizsár, who co-wrote the libretto
.
The opera was first staged in 1983 on an open-air stage in Budapest
. This first performance was also made into a 1984 film, directed by Gábor Koltay, and its music released on an album. The musical became a smash hit and is still very popular in Hungary and among Hungarian minorities in neighboring countries.
, ruling prince (fejedelem) of the pagan
Magyar (Hungarian) people recognized that his people would not have a future if they did not found a Christian
state. He invited Catholic
missionaries to his lands and let his son Vajk be baptized István (Stephen
) and brought up as a Catholic.
Géza planned to have István take over the country after his death, as was custom in Western hereditary monarchies
. According to ancient Hungarian custom, however, the oldest male member of the family - in this case, a relative named Koppány - would have been the successor.
After Géza's death, Koppány started an uprising against István, but lost and was killed in battle. In order to deter the pagans from further uprising, his body was quartered
and the pieces exposed upon the walls of the main castles of the country.
In the year 1000 or 1001, István received a crown from the Pope
. He was crowned the first king of Hungary
.
The piece is set in Hungary, around the year 1000.
The ruling prince of Hungary, Géza, has invited Christian missionaries into the country (Veni lumen cordium/Töltsd el szívünk, fényesség). In order to strengthen ties with the West, his son István is marrying the Bavarian princess Gizella.
Súr, Solt and Bese, a group of opportunist noblemen, talk about human frailty - every man chooses the side that seems the most promising. Principles are unimportant (Gyarló az ember).
The daughter of István's relative Koppány, Réka, has also converted to Christianity and is praying to the new God. Laborc, a follower of her father's, tells her they don't need a foreign god - she should rather trust her father (Nem vagyunk még hozzád méltók/Nem kell olyan isten).
Géza has died, the country is in mourning (Géza fejedelem temetése - Kyrie eleison). István promises at his grave to be a good prince to his people, yet he is defied by Koppány, who claims to be the rightful successor of Géza's. The followers of both gather behind them and hail them (Nincs más út csak az Isten útja).
A group of singers hail István, yet they also sing about past glory (Üdvöz légyen Géza fia). István's tempestuous mother Sarolt is suspicious of such pagan attitudes.
Laborc arrives in Koppány's name, proposing Sarolt a marriage with his lord (Koppány küldött, jó úrnőm). Koppány hopes that by marrying Géza's widow, he may be accepted as his successor. Sarolt finds the proposal outrageous. Laborc is executed immediately.
The three noblemen start making fun of Koppány in front of István, describing him as uncivilized and stupid (Abcúg Koppány). István is disgusted with them and chases them away.
István is torn apart by the situation. His deep faith and his loyalty towards his family forbid him to fight, yet there don't seem to be any other possibilities. Sarolt admonishes him to be cunning. She tells him to prepare for war (István fiam!).
Gizella declares herself "bored with politics" and is upset with István: she would like them to have a baby. The German knight Vecellin is also rather unnerved by the fact that they have not yet started a war (Unom a politikát).
In triumph, István is elected to be the new ruling prince of the Hungarians. The people hail him as their new lord (Fejedelmünk István!).
After the feast, István goes away to be alone. He is sad and undecided and converses with God about what to do. Réka observes him. She is secretly in love with István - her father's arch-enemy -, yet has to keep her feelings secret (Oly távol vagy tőlem (és mégis közel)).
Koppány sits in his tent with his three pretty young wives. They extol his qualities as a husband and lover and express their desire for him (Te vagy a legszebb álmunk). Koppány is rather distracted and he is soon unnerved by their chattering. He sends them away.
The three opportunists now appear in front of Koppány. They propose him different ways of assassinating István (Abcúg István). Koppány sends them away - he wants to fight honorably. He also confirms this in front of the shaman Torda and the people - he wants to stand "face to face" with István and his army (Szemtől szembe). Torda prays to the pagan gods for victory and sacrifices to them (Áldozatunk fogadjátok).
Réka has had a nightmare where she saw her father dead. She implores him not to pursue the conflict. István proposes Koppány the crown if he submits to the Church of Rome. But Koppány's hatred of priests and his determination to win the country are stronger. He tells them that it is "too late" for peace now (Elkésett békevágy).
Torda presents Koppány's followers the bloody sword, the symbol of war. If they win, Hungary will have a glorious future, he prophesies. The war breaks out and ends with István's victory (Véres kardot hoztam/Vezess minket, István!).
István is shattered and demands to be alone. He desperately prays to God (Oly távol vagy tőlem - reprise). Finally, he backs his mother's decision.
Koppány's body is quartered (Koppány felnégyelése/Gloria gloria). Finally, István is triumphally crowned king of Hungary (István a király).
party chief János Kádár
, who was still in power at the time István, a király was written.
On "another hand", the fact that the character of István was presented as a thoughtful man who nevertheless does "what a man gotta do", made the interpretation that he stood for Kádár who also "had to do what he'd gotta do" quite compelling for the regime. Though István's antagonist Koppány is presented as a noble, honest soul, he could also be seen as being somewhat "behind the times", as a person who does not understand what the country needs most. In such an allegorical interpretation, the German knights and the Catholic priests could be put into parallel with the Soviet army stationed in Hungary, and the vital connection of Hungary with the papacy with the country's relationship with the Soviet Union
.
On "a still another hand", however, the rock opera can also be read as a subversive piece that introduced daring themes such as an open uprising against the state or religion into a mainstream theater piece. Especially among the minority Hungarians in the neighboring countries, István, a király was understood as an expression of nationhood and patriotism, explicitly spelled out in the last words of its last song: "Szép Magyarország, édes hazánk." ("Beautiful Hungary, our sweet home.")
and Fonográf), chose to characterize every major character and group in the play by its own style of music. Thus, the music of the rock opera encompasses a great variety of styles, ranging from Gregorian chant
to hard rock
.
István's hopes and fears are expressed in melodious pop
songs, while Koppány's power and determination is shown through rock pieces. Réka is characterized by simple folk
tunes as a girl of the people (her part was sung by famous folk singer Márta Sebestyén
in the original version - she is best known internationally from the soundtrack of the movie The English Patient
and for her frequent collaborations with the well-known folk music ensemble Muzsikás
). The priests and missionaries sing music akin to Gregorian chant. The mass scenes of the election in Act II and the coronation in Act IV soar to symphonical heights at some moments.
The transition from the old to the new is often compellingly expressed musically, for example in the funeral scene where a traditional Hungarian folk melody is blended into and then vanishes behind a Gregorian "Kyrie eleison".
The wide range of musical styles also explains the large orchestra
that is needed for the opera - it has to encompass both most features of a classical orchestra and of a rock band
.
-y", yet finally determined man; Koppány as a passionate character who knows what he wants, yet is not power-hungry, but is rather led by his respect for tradition and the fear that tradition would disappear through the "foreigners" István is bringing into the land.
Bródy, himself a secular Jew, is especially subtle in his characterization of the Catholic Church. The rock opera can both be read as traditional "priest criticism", or as a piece that is deeply respectful of faith. In this way, directors are free to determine how to present and represent the priests and missionaries. The original version that was made into a 1984 film favored a neutral stance in this respect.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
rock opera
Rock opera
A rock opera is a work of rock music that presents a storyline told over multiple parts, songs or sections in the manner of opera. A rock opera differs from a conventional rock album, which usually includes songs that are not unified by a common theme or narrative. More recent developments include...
written by Levente Szörényi (music) and János Bródy (lyrics), based on the life of Saint Stephen of Hungary. The storyline was based on the play Ezredforduló (Turn of the Millennium) by Miklós Boldizsár, who co-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...
.
The opera was first staged in 1983 on an open-air stage in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
. This first performance was also made into a 1984 film, directed by Gábor Koltay, and its music released on an album. The musical became a smash hit and is still very popular in Hungary and among Hungarian minorities in neighboring countries.
Historical background
The opera is based on actual historical events, yet treats them quite freely. In the late 10th century, GézaGéza
Géza can refer to any of the following:* Géza of Hungary, Grand Prince of the Magyars* Géza I of Hungary, King of Hungary* Géza II of Hungary, King of Hungary...
, ruling prince (fejedelem) of the pagan
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
Magyar (Hungarian) people recognized that his people would not have a future if they did not found a Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
state. He invited Catholic
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
missionaries to his lands and let his son Vajk be baptized István (Stephen
Stephen
Stephen or Steven is a masculine first name, derived from the Greek name Στέφανος meaning "crown, garland", in turn from the Greek word "στέφανος", meaning "wreath, crown, honour, reward", literally "that which surrounds or encompasses". In ancient Greece a wreath was given to the winner of a...
) and brought up as a Catholic.
Géza planned to have István take over the country after his death, as was custom in Western hereditary monarchies
Hereditary monarchy
A hereditary monarchy is the most common type of monarchy and is the form that is used by almost all of the world's existing monarchies.Under a hereditary monarchy, all the monarchs come from the same family, and the crown is passed down from one member to another member of the family...
. According to ancient Hungarian custom, however, the oldest male member of the family - in this case, a relative named Koppány - would have been the successor.
After Géza's death, Koppány started an uprising against István, but lost and was killed in battle. In order to deter the pagans from further uprising, his body was quartered
Hanged, drawn and quartered
To be hanged, drawn and quartered was from 1351 a penalty in England for men convicted of high treason, although the ritual was first recorded during the reigns of King Henry III and his successor, Edward I...
and the pieces exposed upon the walls of the main castles of the country.
In the year 1000 or 1001, István received a crown from the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
. He was crowned the first king of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
.
Dramatis personae
- István, Hungarian prince, later ruling prince of Hungary
- GizellaGiselle of BavariaBlessed Gisela of Hungary was the first queen of Hungary.- Biography :Gisela was a daughter of Henry II, Duke of Bavaria and Gisela of Burgundy....
, his wife, a Bavarian princess - Sarolt, István's mother
- Asztrik, bishop
- Hont \
- Pázmány German knights
- Vecellin /
- Koppány, a paganPaganismPaganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
relative of István's - Réka, Koppány's daughter, a ChristianChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
- Laborc, a follower of Koppány's
- Torda, a pagan shaman
- Picur \
- Enikő Koppány's wives
- Boglárka /
- Súr \
- Solt Hungarian noblemen, opportunists
- Bese /
- people, followers, soldiers, priests
The piece is set in Hungary, around the year 1000.
Act I, Az örökség (the heritage)
A singer sings about good leadership for the country and asks "Whom would you choose?" (Te kit választanál?)The ruling prince of Hungary, Géza, has invited Christian missionaries into the country (Veni lumen cordium/Töltsd el szívünk, fényesség). In order to strengthen ties with the West, his son István is marrying the Bavarian princess Gizella.
Súr, Solt and Bese, a group of opportunist noblemen, talk about human frailty - every man chooses the side that seems the most promising. Principles are unimportant (Gyarló az ember).
The daughter of István's relative Koppány, Réka, has also converted to Christianity and is praying to the new God. Laborc, a follower of her father's, tells her they don't need a foreign god - she should rather trust her father (Nem vagyunk még hozzád méltók/Nem kell olyan isten).
Géza has died, the country is in mourning (Géza fejedelem temetése - Kyrie eleison). István promises at his grave to be a good prince to his people, yet he is defied by Koppány, who claims to be the rightful successor of Géza's. The followers of both gather behind them and hail them (Nincs más út csak az Isten útja).
Act II, Esztergom
Réka, Gizella, the priests and the people are saddened and pray for peace (Adj békét Uram/Da pacem, Domine).A group of singers hail István, yet they also sing about past glory (Üdvöz légyen Géza fia). István's tempestuous mother Sarolt is suspicious of such pagan attitudes.
Laborc arrives in Koppány's name, proposing Sarolt a marriage with his lord (Koppány küldött, jó úrnőm). Koppány hopes that by marrying Géza's widow, he may be accepted as his successor. Sarolt finds the proposal outrageous. Laborc is executed immediately.
The three noblemen start making fun of Koppány in front of István, describing him as uncivilized and stupid (Abcúg Koppány). István is disgusted with them and chases them away.
István is torn apart by the situation. His deep faith and his loyalty towards his family forbid him to fight, yet there don't seem to be any other possibilities. Sarolt admonishes him to be cunning. She tells him to prepare for war (István fiam!).
Gizella declares herself "bored with politics" and is upset with István: she would like them to have a baby. The German knight Vecellin is also rather unnerved by the fact that they have not yet started a war (Unom a politikát).
In triumph, István is elected to be the new ruling prince of the Hungarians. The people hail him as their new lord (Fejedelmünk István!).
After the feast, István goes away to be alone. He is sad and undecided and converses with God about what to do. Réka observes him. She is secretly in love with István - her father's arch-enemy -, yet has to keep her feelings secret (Oly távol vagy tőlem (és mégis közel)).
Act III, Koppány vezér (Koppány, the chief)
Koppány convokes his followers. He promises a glorious future to them and prepares them for the fight. The people respond enthusiastically (Szállj fel, szabad madár).Koppány sits in his tent with his three pretty young wives. They extol his qualities as a husband and lover and express their desire for him (Te vagy a legszebb álmunk). Koppány is rather distracted and he is soon unnerved by their chattering. He sends them away.
The three opportunists now appear in front of Koppány. They propose him different ways of assassinating István (Abcúg István). Koppány sends them away - he wants to fight honorably. He also confirms this in front of the shaman Torda and the people - he wants to stand "face to face" with István and his army (Szemtől szembe). Torda prays to the pagan gods for victory and sacrifices to them (Áldozatunk fogadjátok).
Réka has had a nightmare where she saw her father dead. She implores him not to pursue the conflict. István proposes Koppány the crown if he submits to the Church of Rome. But Koppány's hatred of priests and his determination to win the country are stronger. He tells them that it is "too late" for peace now (Elkésett békevágy).
Torda presents Koppány's followers the bloody sword, the symbol of war. If they win, Hungary will have a glorious future, he prophesies. The war breaks out and ends with István's victory (Véres kardot hoztam/Vezess minket, István!).
Act IV, István a király (István, the king)
Koppány's side has lost, he has died in battle. A singer laments the dead (Gyászba öltözött csillagom). István's followers celebrate at his court. Everyone demands his due (Hála néked, fejedelem!). Finally, Réka appears and asks István to give her her dead father's body. He is moved by her sorrow and beauty, but Sarolt brutally chases her away: Koppány would be quartered, as a deterrent for potential rebels (Halld meg uram, kérésem/Felnégyelni!).István is shattered and demands to be alone. He desperately prays to God (Oly távol vagy tőlem - reprise). Finally, he backs his mother's decision.
Koppány's body is quartered (Koppány felnégyelése/Gloria gloria). Finally, István is triumphally crowned king of Hungary (István a király).
Political background and interpretation
The choice of a theme that was both strongly connected with national history and with the Christian religion seemed rather daring in the Hungary of the early 1980s. Furthermore, the topic of a fight between two antagonists for the country harkened back to the Hungarian revolution of 1956 which had been crushed by CommunistCommunism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
party chief János Kádár
János Kádár
János Kádár was a Hungarian communist leader and the General Secretary of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party, presiding over the country from 1956 until his forced retirement in 1988. His thirty-two year term as General Secretary makes Kádár the longest ruler of the People's Republic of Hungary...
, who was still in power at the time István, a király was written.
On "another hand", the fact that the character of István was presented as a thoughtful man who nevertheless does "what a man gotta do", made the interpretation that he stood for Kádár who also "had to do what he'd gotta do" quite compelling for the regime. Though István's antagonist Koppány is presented as a noble, honest soul, he could also be seen as being somewhat "behind the times", as a person who does not understand what the country needs most. In such an allegorical interpretation, the German knights and the Catholic priests could be put into parallel with the Soviet army stationed in Hungary, and the vital connection of Hungary with the papacy with the country's relationship with the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
On "a still another hand", however, the rock opera can also be read as a subversive piece that introduced daring themes such as an open uprising against the state or religion into a mainstream theater piece. Especially among the minority Hungarians in the neighboring countries, István, a király was understood as an expression of nationhood and patriotism, explicitly spelled out in the last words of its last song: "Szép Magyarország, édes hazánk." ("Beautiful Hungary, our sweet home.")
Music
Composer Levente Szörényi, who had already worked together with János Bródy (lyrics) for more than two decades when they wrote István, a király (most famously in the bands IllésIllés
Illés was a Hungarian rock/beat band , and was one of the biggest groups of the 1960s and early 1970s rock boom in Hungary...
and Fonográf), chose to characterize every major character and group in the play by its own style of music. Thus, the music of the rock opera encompasses a great variety of styles, ranging from Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant
Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic liturgical music within Western Christianity that accompanied the celebration of Mass and other ritual services...
to hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
.
István's hopes and fears are expressed in melodious pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
songs, while Koppány's power and determination is shown through rock pieces. Réka is characterized by simple folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
tunes as a girl of the people (her part was sung by famous folk singer Márta Sebestyén
Márta Sebestyén
Márta Sebestyén is a Hungarian folk vocalist, as well as a composer and actress.Sebestyén's mother is a composer, and was a music student of Zoltán Kodály. Her father was an economist and author. When Sebestyén was seven years old, her father, returning from a trip to the U.S...
in the original version - she is best known internationally from the soundtrack of the movie The English Patient
The English Patient (film)
The English Patient is a 1996 romantic drama film based on the novel of the same name by Sri Lankan-Canadian writer Michael Ondaatje. The film, written for the screen and directed by Anthony Minghella, won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture...
and for her frequent collaborations with the well-known folk music ensemble Muzsikás
Muzsikás
Muzsikás is a Hungarian musical group playing mainly folk music of Hungary and other countries and peoples of the region. Established in 1973, it has also played works by classical composers, especially Béla Bartók, who himself collected folk tunes...
). The priests and missionaries sing music akin to Gregorian chant. The mass scenes of the election in Act II and the coronation in Act IV soar to symphonical heights at some moments.
The transition from the old to the new is often compellingly expressed musically, for example in the funeral scene where a traditional Hungarian folk melody is blended into and then vanishes behind a Gregorian "Kyrie eleison".
The wide range of musical styles also explains the large orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
that is needed for the opera - it has to encompass both most features of a classical orchestra and of a rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
.
Lyrics
János Bródy has been acknowledged as one of the most talented lyrics writers of Hungary and István, a király was certainly written in his prime. His subtlety of characterization makes a one-sided interpretation difficult and contributes to the credibility of the characters. Especially the main characters István and Koppány appear as complex figures: István as a pious, deeply affected, somewhat "HamletHamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
-y", yet finally determined man; Koppány as a passionate character who knows what he wants, yet is not power-hungry, but is rather led by his respect for tradition and the fear that tradition would disappear through the "foreigners" István is bringing into the land.
Bródy, himself a secular Jew, is especially subtle in his characterization of the Catholic Church. The rock opera can both be read as traditional "priest criticism", or as a piece that is deeply respectful of faith. In this way, directors are free to determine how to present and represent the priests and missionaries. The original version that was made into a 1984 film favored a neutral stance in this respect.