A very slight correction: Bach did not "cut and paste" from "religious passages." The portions of his cantata and passion texts that were not chorales or scripture were actual intact librettos provided to him by (dreadful) Leipzig poets. So you're right about them being lousy poetry, but not quite for the right reason.IcedNote wrote: I don't mean those like JS Bach who just cut and pasted a whole bunch of religious passages together. I'm talking about the ones that wrote poems and whatnot and produced some great music to go along with it.
. One day, I will try again.On 20 January 1856, Richard Wagner visited Hector Berlioz in Paris.In [i]My Life[/i], Richard Wagner wrote:The fact that he was too conservative to benefit by my views was soon shown, more especially in his conception of the poem of Genoveva. It was clear that my example had only made a very transient impression on him, only just enough, in fact, to make him think it advisable to write the text of an opera himself. He afterwards invited me to hear him read his libretto, which was a combination of the styles of Hebbel and Tieck. When, however, out of a genuine desire for the success of his work, about which I had serious misgivings, I called his attention to some grave defects in it, and suggested the necessary alterations, I realised how matters stood with this extraordinary person: he simply wanted me to be swayed by himself, but deeply resented any interference with the product of his own ideals, so that thenceforward I let matters alone.
Ruggero Leoncavallo wrote most of his own libretti, and he also contributed to the libretto for Manon Lescaut by Giacomo Puccini. Pagliacci is Leoncavallo's only opera in the repertoire, and he claimed that the plot in his libretto was based on a criminal investigation led by his father, who was a judge.In [i]My Life[/i], Richard Wagner wrote:I now looked up my friend Berlioz, whose acquaintance I had recently renewed in London, and on the whole I found him kindly disposed. I informed him that I had only just come to Paris on a short pleasure trip. He was at that time busy composing a grand opera, The Trojans. In order to get an impression of the work, I was particularly anxious to hear the libretto Berlioz had written himself, and he spent an evening reading it out to me. I was disappointed in it, not only as far as it was concerned, but also by his singularly dry and theatrical delivery. I fancied that in the latter I could see the character of the music to which he had set his words, and I sank into utter despair about it, as I could see that he regarded this as his masterpiece, and was looking forward to its production as the great object of his life.
Nancy O. Chamness wrote:The literary development of the opera "Doktor Faust" (1925) by Ferruccio Busoni, including the libretto and other aspects related to interaction of text and music, is a fascinating story. A composer who uses words is creating in a different voice, creating literature yet also aware that these words are written to be sung. The critic who describes and responds to the text can treat it as literature with great reward, yet must keep in mind that a libretto is meant to be part of an opera and therefore it always exists in relation to music. Having heard an opera, it is nearly impossible for the critic to avoid interpreting language through musical sounds. For that reason it can be intriguing to begin research on the libretto before listening to a performance. After analyzing the text and designing an interpretation based on that material, inclusion of the musical element adds another dimension. As the object of a literary analysis, the libretto of "Doktor Faust" proves to be a good drama. Considered anew as part of the opera, it then carries a wealth of semantic and expressive potential that might otherwise have remained hidden.
The written record of an opera consists primarily of notated music and text, as well as stage directions. One of the most powerful effects of combining these two art forms is the ability to express several thoughts or actions simultaneously. Once achieved, the effect transcends the sum of the elements. Music is able to bear meaning, and words express more than they could in isolation. The interdisciplinary study of this complex, composite art form is fraught with paradox, elusive frames of reference, and difficulty in describing operatic effects that are either deliberately confusing or simply defy description in words because of their complete engagement with music. The interdisciplinary critic who undertakes an analysis of a libretto must consider aspects of the opera from several different perspectives: literary, musical and dramatic. Both music and literature can create drama, each in its own way.
The opera carries the subtitle, "Dichtung für Musik," a "poetic work for music," reflecting Busoni's interest in words: he was both composer and librettist for "Doktor Faust". Busoni published the libretto twice before completing the musical score, for reasons that were perhaps less than noble in operatic terms: he predicted that a performance "would demand so much of eyes and ears that no room could be left for the comprehension of the text." Normally such an opera would fail miserably on stage or, if it did succeed, would rely entirely on musical and visual elements. Busoni's prediction was too self-critical: in fact, the words are quite comprehensible in a good production.
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