Salammbô (Mussorgsky)
Encyclopedia
Salammbô [alternative title: The Libyan ] is an unfinished opera in 4 acts by Modest Mussorgsky
. The fragmentary Russian language
libretto
was written by the composer, and is based on the novel Salammbô
by Gustave Flaubert
(1862), but includes verses taken from poems by Vasily Zhukovsky
, Apollon Maykov
, Aleksandr Polezhayev, and other Russian poets.
Salammbô was Mussorgsky's first major attempt at an opera. He worked on the project from 1863 to 1866, completing six numbers before losing interest.
's Judith
, which premiered on 16 May 1863, and which shares with Salammbô an exotic setting and similar narrative details.
The unfinished vocal score consists of three scenes and three separate numbers:
Two numbers (No.2 and No.5) were orchestrated by the composer.
The chorus of priestesses and warriors (Act 2, Scene 2, Episode 3: "After the theft of the Zaïmph") is a reworking of the "Scene in the Temple: Chorus of the People", the only surviving number from Oedipus in Athens (1858-1861), Mussorgsky's earliest stage-work.
A portion of Mathô's monologue in the dungeon, "I shall die alone", borrows its text from the poem Song of the Captive Iroquois, by Aleksandr Polezhayev. The theme of this passage, set to a new text, was recycled in 1877 in the chorus Joshua [see Subsequent use of musical materials in this article for more details].
Mussorgsky's orchestration in Salammbô is quite ahead of its time. One example of a modern idea is, in the "Hymn to Tanit" (Act 2 Scene 2), the abundance and variety of percussion, in addition to a mixture of pianos, harps and glockenspiels of a sort which only reappeared fifty years later.
Modest Mussorgsky
Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky was a Russian composer, one of the group known as 'The Five'. He was an innovator of Russian music in the romantic period...
. The fragmentary Russian language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
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...
was written by the composer, and is based on the novel Salammbô
Salammbô
Salammbô may refer to:*Salammbô , the original novel by Gustave Flaubert*Salammbô , an unfinished opera, based on Flaubert's novel, on which Modest Mussorgsky worked between 1863 and 1866...
by Gustave Flaubert
Gustave Flaubert
Gustave Flaubert was a French writer who is counted among the greatest Western novelists. He is known especially for his first published novel, Madame Bovary , and for his scrupulous devotion to his art and style.-Early life and education:Flaubert was born on December 12, 1821, in Rouen,...
(1862), but includes verses taken from poems by Vasily Zhukovsky
Vasily Zhukovsky
Vasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky was the foremost Russian poet of the 1810s and a leading figure in Russian literature in the first half of the 19th century...
, Apollon Maykov
Apollon Maykov
Apollon Nikolayevich Maykov was a Russian poet.He was born into the artistic family of Nikolay Apollonovich Maykov, a painter and an academic. In 1834 the family moved to Petersburg. In 1837-1841 Maykov studied law at Saint Petersburg University. At first he was attracted to painting, but he soon...
, Aleksandr Polezhayev, and other Russian poets.
Salammbô was Mussorgsky's first major attempt at an opera. He worked on the project from 1863 to 1866, completing six numbers before losing interest.
Composition History
The Russian translation of Flaubert's 1862 novel was published serially in the Saint Petersburg journal Otechestvennïye zapiski in 1863, and was read with enthusiasm by the six members of the commune in which the composer was then living. Mussorgsky was likely influenced in his choice of subject by having recently heard Aleksandr SerovAleksandr Serov
Aleksandr Serov may refer to:*Alexander Nikolayevich Serov, Russian composer*Alexander Serov , Russian cyclist...
's Judith
Judith (Serov)
Judith , is an opera in five acts, composed by Alexander Serov during 1861-1863. Derived from renditions of the story of Judith from the Old Testament Apocrypha, the Russian libretto, though credited to the composer, has a complicated history . The premiere took place in 1863 in Saint Petersburg...
, which premiered on 16 May 1863, and which shares with Salammbô an exotic setting and similar narrative details.
The unfinished vocal score consists of three scenes and three separate numbers:
| No. | Completed | Scene | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1864-08 | Act 1 | Song: "Song of the Balearic Islander" | |
| 1866-04-10 | Act 1 | Chorus: "War Song of the Libyans" | |
| 1863-12-15 | Act 2, Scene 2 | Scene: The Temple of Tanit in Carthage | |
| 1864-11-10 | Act 3, Scene 1 | Scene: The Temple of Molokh | |
| 1864-11-26 | Act 4, Scene 1 | Scene: The Dungeon of the Acropolis | |
| 1866-02-08 | Act 4, Scene 2 | Chorus: [Chorus of Priestesses] |
Two numbers (No.2 and No.5) were orchestrated by the composer.
The chorus of priestesses and warriors (Act 2, Scene 2, Episode 3: "After the theft of the Zaïmph") is a reworking of the "Scene in the Temple: Chorus of the People", the only surviving number from Oedipus in Athens (1858-1861), Mussorgsky's earliest stage-work.
A portion of Mathô's monologue in the dungeon, "I shall die alone", borrows its text from the poem Song of the Captive Iroquois, by Aleksandr Polezhayev. The theme of this passage, set to a new text, was recycled in 1877 in the chorus Joshua [see Subsequent use of musical materials in this article for more details].
Mussorgsky's orchestration in Salammbô is quite ahead of its time. One example of a modern idea is, in the "Hymn to Tanit" (Act 2 Scene 2), the abundance and variety of percussion, in addition to a mixture of pianos, harps and glockenspiels of a sort which only reappeared fifty years later.
Publication history
1939, Vocal Score, in M.P. Mussorgsky: Complete Collected Works, Muzgiz, MoscowRoles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| The Balearic Islander | baritone | |
| Salambo (Salammbô), Hamilcar Hamilcar Barca Hamilcar Barca or Barcas was a Carthaginian general and statesman, leader of the Barcid family, and father of Hannibal, Hasdrubal and Mago. He was also father-in-law to Hasdrubal the Fair.... 's daughter, chief priestess of Tanit Tanit Tanit was a Phoenician lunar goddess, worshipped as the patron goddess at Carthage. Tanit was worshiped in Punic contexts in the Western Mediterranean, from Malta to Gades into Hellenistic times. From the fifth century BCE onwards Tanit is associated with that of Baal Hammon... |
mezzo-soprano | |
| Mato (Mathô), leader of the Libyan mercenaries | bass | |
| Spendiy (Spendius), a freed slave, a mercenary leader | tenor | |
| High Priest | baritone | |
| Aminakhar (Aminachar) | bass | |
| 1st Pentarch | tenor | |
| 2nd Pentarch | bass | |
| 3rd Pentarch | tenor | |
| 4th Pentarch | bass | |
| Libyan mercenaries, warriors, priestesses of Tanit Tanit Tanit was a Phoenician lunar goddess, worshipped as the patron goddess at Carthage. Tanit was worshiped in Punic contexts in the Western Mediterranean, from Malta to Gades into Hellenistic times. From the fifth century BCE onwards Tanit is associated with that of Baal Hammon... , priests of Moloch Moloch Moloch — also rendered as Molech, Molekh, Molok, Molek, Molock, or Moloc — is the name of an ancient Semitic god... , women, children, old men, people of Carthage Carthage Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC... |
||
Synopsis
Setting- Time: 241 to 238 B.C., before and during the Mercenary RevoltMercenary WarThe Mercenary War — also called the Libyan War and the Truceless War by Polybius — was an uprising of mercenary armies formerly employed by Carthage, backed by Libyan settlements revolting against Carthaginian control....
. - Place: CarthageCarthageCarthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
(in what is now TunisiaTunisiaTunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
).
Subsequent use of musical materials
Mussorgsky reused much of the music from Salammbô in later works:- The "Song of the Balearic Islander" was included by the composer in a collection of his juvenilia composed between 1857 and 1866 called Youthful Years (, Yunïye godï, 1866). The song is No. 17 in the series of manuscripts consisting of 17 songs and one duet.
- Several measures of Salammbô's dialogue with the crowd were used in Night on Bald MountainNight on Bald MountainNight on Bald Mountain is a composition by Modest Mussorgsky that exists in, at least, two versions—a seldom performed 1867 version or a later and very popular "fantasy for orchestra" arranged by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, A Night on the Bare Mountain , based on the vocal score of the "Dream Vision...
(1867). - Several musical themes from this project were recycled and played important roles in the composer's subsequent opera Boris GodunovBoris Godunov (opera)Boris Godunov is an opera by Modest Mussorgsky . The work was composed between 1868 and 1873 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is Mussorgsky's only completed opera and is considered his masterpiece. Its subjects are the Russian ruler Boris Godunov, who reigned as Tsar during the Time of Troubles,...
(1869–1872). The borrowings concern the orchestral accompaniments only, which are fitted to new vocal lines. The correspondence in narrative detail, mood, or atmosphere in each case is often quite close:Scene Salammbô Scene Boris Godunov (Revised Version) Act 2, Scene 2 Salammbô: "Gentle Tanit" ("Ritual scena") Act 4, Scene 1 Boris: "From empyrean unassailable heights" (Prayer) Act 2, Scene 2 Chorus: "Go down to the dark meadow and forest" (in the "Hymn to Tanit") Act 3, Scene 2 Dimitriy: "Tis you alone, Marina" Act 2, Scene 2 Mathô: "Divine, wondrous singing" Act 3, Scene 2 Dimitriy: "You wound my heart, cruel Marina" Act 2, Scene 2 Salammbô: "Away! Away from me!" (Salammbô's curse) Act 4, Scene 2 Vagabonds: "Gaida! Choke them! Suffocate them!" (The lynching of the Jesuits) Act 3, Scene 1 High Priest: "Our sacred city is besieged" Act 2 Boris: "Heavy is the right hand of the awesome judge" (Boris's arioso) Act 3, Scene 1 People: "Repel the daring foes from our walls" Act 2 Boris: "In vain the astrologers foretell" (Boris's arioso) Act 3, Scene 1 Priests and people: "Glory to Moloch!" (Processional music) Act 4, Scene 2 Vagabonds: "Glory to the Tsarevich" (Processional music) Act 4, Scene 1 Mathô: "You were under my heel" (describing Narr'Havas's treachery) Act 4, Scene 1 Shuysky: "Pale, bathed in a cold sweat" (describing Boris's hallucination) Act 4, Scene 1 Four priests of Moloch: "Glory to thee, all-powerful one!" Act 4, Scene 1 Orchestral introduction Act 4, Scene 1 The pentarchs sentence Mathô to execution Act 4, Scene 1 The boyars pass sentence on the Pretender - The War Song of the Libyans from Act 1 became the basis of the chorus Iisus Navin ' onMouseout='HidePop("32863")' href="/topics/Nikolai_Rimsky-Korsakov">Rimsky-KorsakovNikolai Rimsky-KorsakovNikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...
in 1883). The theme of the middle section of Joshua, a solo for alto and a brief women's chorus, "The women of Canaan weep", said to be of Jewish origin by Vladimir Stasov and Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, is based on part of Mathô's monologue in the dungeon, "I shall die alone" (Act 4, Scene 1). - The "Chorus of Priestesses" (Act 4, Scene 2) was orchestrated by Rimsky-KorsakovNikolai Rimsky-KorsakovNikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...
(1884), and published and performed as an independent piece after Mussorgsky's death (1881).
Performing editions
Zoltan Pesko was the first to orchestrate the rest of the numbers. Pesko claims to have found a Mussorgsky orchestration of no. 1 in the library of the Paris Conservatory. But this version has disappeared.Recordings
- 1980, Zoltan Pesko (conductor), Orchestra Sinfonica e Coro di Milano della Radiotelevisione Italiana, Ludmilla Shemchuk (Salammbô), Georgiy Seleznev (Mathô), William Stone (Balearic Islander, Spendius, Aminachar), Giorgio Surjan (Priest), Giorgio Tieppo (Pentarch 1), Eftimios Michalopoulos (Pentarch 2). CD: CBS Masterworks, Cat: CB272.
- 1991, Gergiev, Valery (conductor), Orchestration by Vyacheslav NagovitsynVyacheslav NagovitsynVyacheslav Lavrent'yevich Nagovitsin is a Russian composer born in Magnitogorsk . He was a student of Dmitri Shostakovich at the Leningrad Conservatory that he graduated in 1966 . In 1963-1964 he worked in Ulan-Ude Opera and Ballet Theater...
(1989–91), Kirov Ballet, Chorus and Orchestra Saint Petersburg, Olga Borodina (Salammbô), Bulat Minzhilkiev (Mathô), Vassily Gerello (Balearic Islander), Valery Lebed (Spendius), Vladimir Ognovienko (Priest), Vladimir Solodovnikov, Nicolai Gassiev Sergei Alexashin and Evgeni Fedotov (Pentarchs). [TRES IN S.A. 1991]