Mystery play
The mystery play ( Greek mysterion , secret) is a form of the representation of religious beliefs practiced since ancient times. The Osiris Mysteries are already documented in ancient Egypt . In the 14th century, forms of drama and musical theater had Christian- religious motifs. The term is usually a little wider than that of the liturgical drama , which still belongs in the context of the divine service and takes place in the church. The mystery play has mostly religious content, but can be performed independently of church ceremonies. The mystery play had its renaissance in France and England, among others .
Development since the Middle Ages
Popular entertainment by traveling showmen was popular in the Middle Ages , but was not held in high esteem by the church. On the other hand, there was something theatrical about church rituals themselves. The Easter Games emerged from the liturgical chant between the three women represented by the clergy and the angel at the empty tomb of Christ (see Quem-quaeritis-trope ). The alternating chant gradually developed into a regular act, and new people were introduced, for example Maria Magdalena or Herod . The games were also expanded with comical interludes, for example a race for the apostles to the grave.
Originally held in Latin , the scenes were increasingly provided with texts in the vernacular , and the church- related games became independent dramas. The oldest Easter game, written in German , comes from the Muri monastery in Switzerland ( 13th century ), but has only survived in fragments. The Redentiner Easter game from 1464 is also known.
The Easter plays evolved into passion plays by incorporating the entire story of suffering . Since the 14th century they were played first in a short form, then more and more extensively, until they often took several days to complete. The games were performed by citizens in the marketplace, albeit under spiritual direction. A distinction is made between several cycles, the St. Gallen Passion Play (since the 14th century), the Alsfelder (since 1501), or that of Bozen (since 1514). Low German games have also been handed down, for example from Hamburg and Hildesheim.
In the various forms of the mystery games, biblical stories, dances of the dead or the Last Judgment were presented outside the churches on marketplaces or in other public places. The roles were increasingly taken over by members of the medieval guilds , with each guild being responsible for a specific piece. They were gradually performed on all church holidays (compare for example the Oberuferer Christmas Games ). Due to their common origin, largely emerging from the spiritual game , the mystery play shows strong similarities with the miracle play in various aspects.
Mardi Gras games have also been demonstrable since the 15th century , also as popular entertainment and as a self-expression of the townspeople. The oldest surviving examples show how a disastrous event (for example winter) is brought to trial. Later other aspects of life, including political events, are also presented. About 150 such pieces have survived and were distributed all over Germany. While the initial pieces are still anonymous, individual poets are known from later years, such as Hans Rosenplüt and Hans Folz (both 15th century) and Hans Sachs ( 16th century ).
Today, mystery games in their medieval meaning are only performed occasionally, for example in Meckenheim-Lüftelberg. Every year around Corpus Christi there is a festival week in which an association performs the life of various saints.
Modern mystery games include the Salzburger Jedermann (1911) by Hugo von Hofmannsthal , the Totentanz (1934) by Hugo Distler or the opera The Burning Fiery Furnace (1966) by Benjamin Britten .
literature
- Rolf Bergmann : Catalog of the German-language spiritual games and Marian laments of the Middle Ages. Beck, Munich 1986, ISBN 3-7696-0900-X .
- Jan-Dirk Müller: Mimesis and ritual. To the spiritual game of the Middle Ages. In: Andreas Kablitz, Gerhard Neumann (Ed.): Mimesis and Simulation (= Rombach Sciences. Series: Litterae. Vol. 52). Rombach, Freiburg (Breisgau) 1998, ISBN 3-7930-9159-7 , pp. 541-571.
- Bernd Neumann: Spiritual drama in the testimony of time. For the performance of medieval religious dramas in the German-speaking area (= Munich texts and studies on German literature of the Middle Ages. Vol. 84–85). 2 volumes. Artemis-Verlag, Munich et al. 1987, ISBN 3-7608-3384-5 (Vol. 1), ISBN 3-7608-3385-3 (Vol. 2).
- Georg Rendl : The nameless one. Mystery play. Buchner, Munich 1948 (reproduced as a manuscript).
- Rainer Warning: Rite, Myth and Spiritual Play. In: Poetica. Journal for Linguistics and Literature Studies. Vol. 3, 1970, ISSN 0303-4178 , pp. 83-114.
