Tarquin (opera)
Encyclopedia
Tarquin is a chamber opera
by Ernst Krenek
to an English
libretto
by Emmet Lavery. Written in 1940, it is Krenek's only unpublished opera (opus 90), though a premiere in German translation (by M.-C. Schulte-Strathaus & P. Funk rather than the composer) took place in 1950 in Cologne
.
Krenek, who was in Switzerland at the time of the Anschluss
, escaped to exile in the USA and a teaching position at Vassar College
, where Lavery (1902-86) was a newspaper editor in neighboring Poughkeepsie
(he would later run for Congress and write for Hollywood). The piece was designed for college workshops and used six instruments (violin, clarinet, trumpet, percussion and two pianos) but the twelve-tone music still proved beyond the reach of potential performers; only two scenes were given at Vassar on May 13, 1941.
If the title character in Der Diktator
and Agamemnon in Leben des Orest
were inspired by Benito Mussolini
, Tarquins title character can be seen as a caricature of Adolf Hitler
(albeit with a complicated inner life) as well as a modern incarnation of his namesake Sextus Tarquinius
. Lucretia
's counterpart is the devout Corinna. A prologue set in 1925 shows them as students, he the protegee of the Archbishop and still using his real name, Marius. The action resumes in an indefinite near future, when Tarquin has made himself dictator and Corinna has ties to a clandestine radio station. He is brought back to God only after tragedy has engulfed them both.
Stewart is harsh in his assessment of the text ("It would be charitable to suppose that Krenek was not yet sufficiently acquainted with English to appreciate the awfulness of such lines.") and Krenek may have been embarrassed for another reason, later writing: " It fitted in well to the line of religiously flavored political thinking that I had developed." In Karl V
, he had espoused a universal Catholicism as an antidote to fascist nationalism, but later scoffed at the idea of his having converted: "When the assassin is trying the front door lock, it's time to barricade oneself in the attic without asking how leaky the roof may be."
Tarquin was followed by three more "essays for an American music theatre" to Krenek's own libretti, but his McCarthy
opera, Pallas Athene weint, was commissioned by the Hamburg State Opera
and his late works were all written for European venues.
Chamber opera
Chamber opera is a designation for operas written to be performed with a chamber ensemble rather than a full orchestra.The term and form were invented by Benjamin Britten in the 1940s, when the English Opera Group needed works that could easily be taken on tour and performed in a variety of small...
by Ernst Krenek
Ernst Krenek
Ernst Krenek was an Austrian of Czech origin and, from 1945, American composer. He explored atonality and other modern styles and wrote a number of books, including Music Here and Now , a study of Johannes Ockeghem , and Horizons Circled: Reflections on my Music...
to an English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
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 Emmet Lavery. Written in 1940, it is Krenek's only unpublished opera (opus 90), though a premiere in German translation (by M.-C. Schulte-Strathaus & P. Funk rather than the composer) took place in 1950 in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
.
Krenek, who was in Switzerland at the time of the Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
, escaped to exile in the USA and a teaching position at Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
, where Lavery (1902-86) was a newspaper editor in neighboring Poughkeepsie
Poughkeepsie (city), New York
Poughkeepsie is a city in the state of New York, United States, which serves as the county seat of Dutchess County. Poughkeepsie is located in the Hudson River Valley midway between New York City and Albany...
(he would later run for Congress and write for Hollywood). The piece was designed for college workshops and used six instruments (violin, clarinet, trumpet, percussion and two pianos) but the twelve-tone music still proved beyond the reach of potential performers; only two scenes were given at Vassar on May 13, 1941.
If the title character in Der Diktator
Der Diktator
Der Diktator is a tragic opera in one act with words and music by Ernst Krenek, his opus 49 and the first of three one-acters which premiered on May 6, 1928 in Wiesbaden...
and Agamemnon in Leben des Orest
Leben des Orest
Leben des Orest is a grand opera in five acts with words and music both by Ernst Krenek. It is his opus 60 and the first of his own libretti with an antique setting. The score is inscribed with the dates of composition: August 8, 1928 – May 13, 1929, and includes indications of recommended cuts...
were inspired by Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
, Tarquins title character can be seen as a caricature of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
(albeit with a complicated inner life) as well as a modern incarnation of his namesake Sextus Tarquinius
Sextus Tarquinius
Sextus Tarquinius was a Roman prince, the third and youngest son of the last king of Rome, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus . He is primarily known for his rape of Lucretia, daughter of Spurius Lucretius Tricipitinus, wife of Collatinus....
. Lucretia
Lucretia
Lucretia is a legendary figure in the history of the Roman Republic. According to the story, told mainly by the Roman historian Livy and the Greek historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus , her rape by the king's son and consequent suicide were the immediate cause of the revolution that overthrew the...
's counterpart is the devout Corinna. A prologue set in 1925 shows them as students, he the protegee of the Archbishop and still using his real name, Marius. The action resumes in an indefinite near future, when Tarquin has made himself dictator and Corinna has ties to a clandestine radio station. He is brought back to God only after tragedy has engulfed them both.
Stewart is harsh in his assessment of the text ("It would be charitable to suppose that Krenek was not yet sufficiently acquainted with English to appreciate the awfulness of such lines.") and Krenek may have been embarrassed for another reason, later writing: " It fitted in well to the line of religiously flavored political thinking that I had developed." In Karl V
Karl V
Karl V is an opera, described as a Bühnenwerk mit Musik by Ernst Krenek, his opus 73. The German libretto is by the composer....
, he had espoused a universal Catholicism as an antidote to fascist nationalism, but later scoffed at the idea of his having converted: "When the assassin is trying the front door lock, it's time to barricade oneself in the attic without asking how leaky the roof may be."
Tarquin was followed by three more "essays for an American music theatre" to Krenek's own libretti, but his McCarthy
Eugene McCarthy
Eugene Joseph "Gene" McCarthy was an American politician, poet, and a long-time member of the United States Congress from Minnesota. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1949 to 1959 and the U.S. Senate from 1959 to 1971.In the 1968 presidential election, McCarthy was the first...
opera, Pallas Athene weint, was commissioned by the Hamburg State Opera
Hamburg State Opera
The Hamburg State Opera is one of the leading opera companies in Germany.Opera in Hamburg dates back to 2 January 1678 when the "Opern-Theatrum" was inaugurated with a performance of a biblical Singspiel by Johann Theile...
and his late works were all written for European venues.
Roles
- Marius (baritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
) - Corinna (sopranoSopranoA 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...
) - Cleon (tenorTenorThe 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...
) - Der Erzbischof (bassBass (voice type)A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
) - Der Kanzler (tenor)
- 4 speaking roles and ensemble
Sources and footnotes
- Nils Grosch: "Ideen vom neuen amerikanischen Operntheater": Versuch über Ernst Kreneks Tarquin op. 90 in Von Jonny zu Jeremia ed. F. Geiger (PFAU Verlag, Saarbrücken 2001)
- Krenek: Circling My Horizons (in Horizons Circled: Reflections on My Music Univ. Calif. Press 1974)
- J. Stewart: Ernst Krenek: The Man and His Music Univ. Calif. Press 1991
- Claire Taylor-Jay: ‘Ist politische Oper heute noch möglich? Kreneks Der Diktator und Tarquin’, in Der zauberhafte, aber schwierige Beruf des Opernschreibens’: Das Musiktheater Ernst Kreneks , ed. Claudia Maurer Zenck (Schliengen: Edition Argus, 2006)