The leprechaun
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| Title: | The leprechaun |
| Original title: | The goblin or rodent in fairy service |
| Genus: | Magic posse with singing in four acts |
| Original language: | German |
| Author: | Johann Nestroy |
| Literary source: | Plot based on Jules Perrot's fairy ballet "The Goblin" |
| Music: | Adolf Müller senior |
| Publishing year: | 1838 |
| Premiere: | April 19, 1838 |
| Place of premiere: | Theater an der Wien |
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The Kobold or Staberl in the fairy service is a parodying magical farce with singing in four acts by Johann Nestroy . The play was written in 1838 and was premiered on April 19 of this year in the Theater an der Wien as a “benefit performance” for Nestroy.
content
Mrs. Margarethe wants to marry off her foster daughter Thekla as soon as possible to Peregrinus, because only as a wife she is safe from Brennroth's evil plans, because Undine, Thekla's real mother, has announced to her:
- “As long as the love flame can still glow freely in your heart, my opponent's power can have a corrupting effect on you. Only when the bond of marriage embraces her is she saved. " (Act I, Scene 8)
Brennroth wants to kidnap Thekla in revenge against his enemy Undine in his underground kingdom of fire. That's why he sends his son, the bad-ass Folletterl, up to earth to lure them into the underworld. Both Folletterl and Undine ask Peregrinus' friend, the always jolly Staberl, for help, which he finally promises Undine, as she promises him the higher wages.
- "I believe that. A so a Wassernix is generous. " (Act II, Scene 5)
Now Undine Staberl enters a magic potion that transforms him externally and internally into Thekla and at the same time makes it silent while she hides her daughter in a safe place.
Folletterl tries to seduce Thekla / Staberl, which because of their speechlessness is only possible in dance / pantomime. But he actually falls in love with her and Thekla / Staberl also takes a liking to him. After the reconversion, neither the real Thekla nor Staberl can remember what happened, only Folletterl absolutely wants to conquer the girl, although he would then have to stay on earth forever. After long hesitation, as she is now in love with Folletterl on the one hand, and fears his magical powers on the other, Thekla decides for him. Brennroth has to admit defeat, Folletterl becomes an earthly farmer and Staberl is rewarded by Undine with the drink of eternal happiness.
- “I'm going to start drinking right now! Oh, that tastes delicious! " (IV. Act, 10th Scene)
Factory history
Since director Carl Carl had had such great public success with his stepping in for a sick actor in Nestroy's previous play " Glück, Abuse und Returns " , he commissioned his resident poet to write a " Staberliade " as quickly as possible , a genre that Carl had been in for years had always received great applause. Nestroy wrote the work under great time pressure, which therefore only remained a quickly written game, an occasional work of no significance.
The template was a fairy ballet, choreographed and danced by the famous Jules Perrot , in which he appeared together with his wife Carlotta Grisi from March 3, 1838 in the theater next to the Kärnthnerthore . The content tells the story of the goblin Follet, who falls in love with a peasant girl and therefore renounces his immortality. Perrot received great applause and excellent reviews in the Viennese press for his dance performance. The Vienna Telegraph wrote on March 5th:
- However, the masterful execution of the main part (Follet) by Mr. Perrot himself is so unsurpassable that it gives the work a charm that it would have to be without in any other instrumentation.
Even before Nestroy, Franz Xaver Told wrote a comical stage version of the ballet for the Leopoldstädter Theater , which was also performed on April 17th under the title "The Goblin" . However, as a mere imitation it met with little approval. Therefore, and since Perrot's guest appearance came to an end on April 18th, Nestroy was forced to hurry. Nevertheless, his play did not appear in the Theater an der Wien until after the end of the Gatspiel. On the one hand, the ballet should be parodied, on the other hand, for Director Carl, the Staberl figure should definitely appear in it. This mixture was not well received by the public or in the press reviews after the premiere. In the Wanderer of April 21, one could read:
- “[...] the Kobold's ballet motif doesn't go with any parody. We don't mean to say that there is nothing good about the piece in question, it doesn't have to be written by Mr. Nestroy, but an ungrateful subject paralyzes every talent. "
The criticism in the April 24th collector was even sharper :
- "But what is even more strange, especially with a talent like Nestroy, is the lack of humor of this product, the lack of wit and satyrical flashes, and the unruly disconnectedness of the scenes, the setting aside of all effect economics!"
The length of individual scenes, which was tiring for the audience, was particularly criticized, so a shortened version appeared from the second performance onwards, which was judged a bit more favorable, but the work did not stay in the program for too long.
It was also Nestroy's final turn away from the old Viennese magical fairy tale, which was parodied here with uncompromising irony ( “avec une ironie d'où est absente toute aménité” ). He himself played the Folletterl, Carl Carl the Staberl and Marie Weiler the Thekla. Nestroy wrote a Quodlibet duet for himself and his partner Weiler, which was well received by the audience .
A renewed treatment of the material by Josef Kilian Schickh in September 1838, “Another goblin, but probably the last” , found, in contrast to Told's and Nestroy's pieces, a thoroughly approving reception ( “[…] every impartial person is quietly added the addition have: And so far the best! " )
literature
- Helmut Ahrens : I'm not auctioning myself off to the laurel. Johann Nestroy, his life. Societäts-Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1982, ISBN 3-7973-0389-0 .
- Fritz Brukner / Otto Rommel : Johann Nestroy, Complete Works. Historical-critical complete edition, second volume, Verlag von Anton Schroll & Co., Vienna 1924.
- W. Edgar Yates (Ed.): Johann Nestroy; Pieces 14. In: Jürgen Hein / Johann Hüttner : Johann Nestroy, Complete Works, Historical-Critical Edition. Jugend und Volk, Vienna / Munich 1982, ISBN 3-7141-6966-0 ; Pp. 91-150, 257-302.
Web links
- Table of contents in nestroy.at/nestroy-stuecke (accessed on February 25, 2014)
- Review in the Allgemeine Musical Zeitung, August 22nd, No. 34, Breitkopf und Härtel publishing house, 1838; P. 571. (accessed February 25, 2014)
Individual evidence
- ^ W. Edgar Yates: Johann Nestroy; Pieces 14. p. 108.
- ^ W. Edgar Yates: Johann Nestroy; Pieces 14. P. 127.
- ^ W. Edgar Yates: Johann Nestroy; Pieces 14. S. 150.
- ↑ Helmut Ahrens: I am not auctioning myself off to the laurel. Pp. 200-201.
- ^ W. Edgar Yates: Johann Nestroy; Pieces 14. p. 259.
- ^ A b W. Edgar Yates: Johann Nestroy; Pieces 14. pp. 267-273.
- ^ Roger Bauer: La réalité royaume de Dieu: études sur l'originalité du théâtre viennois dans la première moitié du 19ème siècle. Max Hueber, Munich 1965; P. 208.
- ↑ Handwritten manuscript of the entire score by Adolf Müller in the music collection of the Vienna Library in the City Hall , MH 721.
- ^ The collector of September 22, 1838