Praise dance
| Work data | |
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| Title: | Praise dance |
Title page of the libretto, around 1900 |
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| Shape: | Stage play in three acts, spoken dialogues |
| Original language: | German |
| Music: | Ludwig Thuille |
| Libretto : | Otto Julius Bierbaum |
| Premiere: | February 6, 1898 |
| Place of premiere: | Karlsruhe Court Theater |
| Playing time: | approx. 1 ½ hours |
| Place and time of the action: | Germany, Middle Ages |
| people | |
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Lobetanz is an opera (original name: "Bühnenspiel") in three acts by the composer Ludwig Thuille ; for the libretto drew Otto Julius Bierbaum responsible. The work had its world premiere on February 6, 1898 in the court theater in Karlsruhe .
action
first act
Blooming flower garden with arbor and fountain
A group of young girls are scattering roses and singing a dance song ("It is looped in rows"). Then the traveling singer Lobetanz appears on the garden wall and listens to them. He jumps boldly into the garden and joins the young women. But since he soon notices that he attracts attention with his old fiddle and his shabby clothes, he wants to say goodbye again. He is stopped and he learns that the beautiful young daughter of the king has suddenly fallen ill (song “In the castle where our king lives”). No doctor knows how to cure them and so the king has ordered a singing day . With song and cheerfulness, the king hopes to have a chance of healing his daughter.
Now all the musicians and singers in the kingdom are busy devising funny ways. The young women ask Praise Dance to stay and try their luck. They also promise him to adorn his clothes with the royal roses. A procession is already approaching, led by the king and his sick daughter. By order of the king, the princess greets all those who appear (song “On all branches the pure white”). Actually, the competition between artists should now begin. But everyone wants to be the first and everyone gets into a terrible argument about it. Suddenly, from the arbor where Lobetanz was hiding, a gentle melody sounds. The princess listens and the dance of praise must appear.
Although the musicians and singers present protest, the king's daughter demands a song from Lobetanz ("Shall I sing to you?"). The princess is so gripped by this song that she passes out on the floor. A riot began and the king was asked to perform a praise dance as a magician. But this can flee and the princess comes to.
Second act
Forest meadow with a forester's house and a linden tree with a high seat
Lobetanz visits the old forester deep in the forest and sings the song “Lenz, your miracles are deep” in his honor. He is sitting in a linden tree in which years ago the princess had an arbor built. Lobetanz tells the forester about his adventure and that a raven stole his cap. According to the forester, the raven brought the cap to the executioner at the place of execution. When the forester goes back to work, Lobetanz in the linden tree dreams of his mother (song “Will my boy have apples”) and of the princess (song “Blue like the water in the lake”).
The princess appears alone and is completely in her thoughts. When both recognize each other (duet “The world is sinking world wide”) she becomes happy and healthy again. She sings his favorite song of praise (“Sit in the saddle, ride!”) And the king's daughter becomes more and more cheerful. The tête-à-tête is disturbed by the king, who is on a hunting trip with his entourage. He has Lobetanz arrested to try him as a magician. The princess has fallen back into her former state in shock.
Third act
Dungeon
The chained prisoners lie in the individual compartments of the dungeon; including two beggar women. They mock the praise dance with his Fidel because he fell in love with the king's daughter (song “Are you a young journeyman”). In response, he wants to sing them a song, a funny way of saying about death ("Turn off the clock, friend Hein"). After an initial silence, the others join in the chorus and some even mime this sad and gruesome ballad. Suddenly the executioner appears and interrupts Lobetanz's game. He unties him and leads him to the place of execution.
Bare meadow with a gallows. Dawn
The curious onlookers pour in and a young man starts the song “Before the sun lifted the fog”. Praise dance is led by the executioner before the judge and the judge pronounces the verdict: death by the rope Because of sorcery perpetrated on the princess, he must die, and the spell of the king's daughter is to be released with his blood.
The princess is brought on a stretcher and the praise dance is supposed to speak his last words. At his (and the people's) request, he may play his fiddle one last time. At the first sounds of the song "Do you still know how the birds sang us", the patient slowly stands up and looks at Lobetanz in love. The king promises to show mercy if his daughter gets well.
Praise dance now starts a dance song (“The wind chases petals”) and enchants everyone present. The onlookers begin to dance happily, and even the hangman and the judge dance with them. When the king and his daughter join in this dance, a raven drops the stolen hat on the gallows. With jubilation one clarifies the praise dance that according to old tradition this means an upcoming wedding. With this jubilation the curtain falls.
Instrumentation
The orchestral line-up for the opera includes the following instruments:
- Woodwinds : three flutes (3rd also Piccolo ), two oboes , English horn , two clarinets , bass clarinet , two bassoons , contrabassoon
- Brass : four horns , three trumpets , three trombones , bass tuba
- three timpani , percussion : bass drum , snare drum , cymbal , triangle , tambourine , xylophone , castanets , tam-tam
- harp
- Strings
- Incidental music: six horns
Work history
The first performance on February 6, 1898 in the Hoftheater Karlsruhe was conducted by Felix Mottl . Directed by Mathias Schön. Emil Gerhäuser , Princess Henriette Mottl and King Fritz Plank sang the praise dance .
literature
- Otto J. Bierbaum: Praise dance. A Singspiel . Pan Cooperative, Berlin 1895.
- Leo Melitz: Guide through the operas . Globus-Verlag, Berlin 1914, pp. 165-167.
- Ludwig Thuille: Praise dance. A stage play . Schott, Mainz 1900.
Web links
- Praise Dance : Sheet Music and Audio Files in the International Music Score Library Project
- Libretto as a digitized version in the digital collections of the Badische Landesbibliothek
- Work data for Lobetanz based on MGG with discography at Operone
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Hans-Joachim Bauer: Lobetanz. In: Piper's Encyclopedia of Musical Theater . Volume 6: Works. Spontini - Zumsteeg. Piper, Munich / Zurich 1997, ISBN 3-492-02421-1 , pp. 294-296.