Werther Study Guide

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ESTHERNELSON,STANFORDCAL DERWOODGENERAL&ARTI STI CDI RECTOR DAVI D ANGUS,MUSI CDI RECTOR|JOHN CONKLI N,ARTI STI CDI RECTOR

TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome Letter from BLO Manager of Education

3

History of Opera: An Overview

4

Science of Sound from BLO and Museum of Science, Boston

8

Werther Synopsis

10

The Author and his Novel—A Cultural Icon

12

The Composer and his Opera

14

A Note About Place and Language

15

A History of Literary Inspiration

16

The Epistolary Novel

19

Listen Up!

20

General Questions to Guide your Listening

21

References

22

Pre- and Post-Performance Lesson Plans

23

Esther Nelson Stanford Calderwood General & Artistic Director David Angus Music Director John Conklin Artistic Advisor

March 1, 2016 Dear Educator, Boston Lyric Opera is pleased to invite high school and college students to attend Final Dress Rehearsals at the Shubert Theatre throughout the 2015/16 Season. We look forward to seeing you and your students at the theatre for this production of Massenet’s Werther, performed in a new, riveting production set in 1929 Paris.

The experience of seeing and hearing live, professional opera is second to none. And we encourage you to explore the world of the opera in your classroom as well. We are proud to offer this study guide to support your discussions and preparations for Werther. We’ve included special insights into this particular production, the opera’s history, and pre- and post-performance lesson plans for grades 9-12 with corresponding Massachusetts Curriculum Framework standards.

Boston Lyric Opera’s mission is to build curiosity, enthusiasm, and support for opera. This study guide is one way in which we support the incredible work of educators like you, who are inspired by this beautiful art form and introduce it to your students. As we continue to develop additional study guides this season, we do want your feedback. Please tell us about how you use this guide and how it can best serve your needs by emailing education@blo.org.

If you’re interested in other opera education opportunities with Boston Lyric Opera, please visit blo.org/education to discover more about our programs.

We look forward to seeing you at the theatre!

Sincerely,

Rebecca Ann S. Kirk Manager of Education Programs Boston Lyric Opera

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Opera was a creation of the Renaissance and its efforts to revive Classical antiquity. A group of Florentine intellectuals called the Camerata wanted to revive the tradition of Ancient Greek theater, particularly its practice of singing the text and using music to heighten the drama. In 1598, Jacopo Peri, one of the members of the Camerata, composed the world's first opera-Dafne, a fitting Renaissance revival of a Classic mythological tale.

Opera quickly became a very popular art form and swiftly spread to other cities in Europe.

The French composer Jean-Baptiste Lully adopted the new art form and produced distinctly French operas in Paris, while George Frideric Handel turned opera into London's most popular and sensational entertainment. The principal genre of opera during the Baroque era was opera seria or "serious opera," which portrayed epic, dramatic stories using a highly embellished style of singing and spectacular staging.

MAJOR COMPOSERS: CLAUDIO MONTEVERDI (1567-1643)

Monteverdi was the first great opera composer, and his operas were incredibly popular in Italy during his lifetime. Monteverdi took opera to the next level by expanding its scope and scale, escalating its drama with more sophisticated characterization, and writing far more complex, ornate music. His opera Orfeo, written in 1607, is often considered the first "great opera," and remains a part of the opera canon today.

GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL (1685-1759)

Handel, the great German-born British composer, was one of the most successful and soughtafter composers in 18th century England. Though Handel is best known for his ever-popular oratorio, Messiah (1742), he was also a prolific and influential opera composer--producing more than forty operas and fostering a love for opera among the English audience. Handel's operas display mature character development and dazzling vocal ornamentation, which are exemplified in his most famous operas, Rinaldo (1711) and Giulio Cesare (1724).

MID- LATE 18TH CENTURY: THE CLASSICAL PERIOD Toward the mid-18th century, composers began to tire of the highly ornamented opera seria and its far-from-real-life stories and characters. Instead, they opted for a simpler, cleaner style of music, opening a new chapter in music history known to us as the Classical Period. It is important to note that the term "Classical Period" is different from "Classical Music"--"Classical Period" or "Classical Era" refers to a particular style and time period within the big umbrella genre of "Classical Music."

MAJOR COMPOSERS: CHRISTOPH WILLIBALD GLUCK (1714-1787)

Gluck was the leader of a major opera reform movement in mid-18th century Europe. He rejected the former superfluously ornamental style of opera, in which music and drama only existed as a vessel for star singers to show off their vocal power and technical agility. Instead, Gluck wrote operas in a non-virtuosic, simple manner, believing that words and music should work together to convey the story. His most famous opera, Orfeo ed Euridice (1762), illustrates Gluck's dedication to simplicity and natural beauty.

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756-1791)

To this day, the name Mozart is synonymous with musical genius. Mozart excelled in any musical genre he touched, whether it was a piano sonata, concerto, symphony or chamber music. Mozart also had a special gift for opera and was commissioned to write his first operatic work at the age of 14. Yet Mozart's brilliant gift was not just in his musical versatility, but also in his deep understanding of the dramatic nature of music. Mozart intuitively knew how to portray moods, situations and personalities through music, and could transport the audience into depths of emotion, moving easily from incredible sadness to overwhelming joy. Mozart's best operatic works include The Marriage of Figaro (1786), The Magic Flute (1791) and Don Giovanni (1787), which are still frequently performed staples of the repertoire.

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Bel Canto literally means "beautiful singing" in Italian. Like Baroque operas, bel canto operas put greater emphasis on the power of the human voice. Amidst stories of passion and romance, bel canto composers wrote incredibly ornate passages that truly showcased a singer's range, power, tone and technical mastery.

MAJOR COMPOSERS: GIOACCHINO ROSSINI (1792-1868)

Rossini was a precocious musical prodigy and became the leading composer in Italy by age 20. He is considered to be one of the most influential figures in opera history as he pioneered the bel canto style, which revolutionized and dictated the Italian operatic scene for the first half of the 19th century. Rossini wrote operas with extraordinary ease and speed, composing 39 operas within 20 years using his signature style--intricate vocal ornamentation with sparkling embellishments. While Rossini wrote everything from tragic to witty operas, he is best known to present-day audiences for his comic operas such as The Barber ofSeville (1816), and La Cenerentola (1817), which is Rossini's version of the classic fairy tale of Cinderella.

GAETANO DONIZETTI (1797-1848) Donizetti was another leading composer during the bel canto era. Unlike his peers, Donizetti was not born into a musical or an affluent family. Yet his evident musical talents did not go unrecognized. The German conductor and composer Simon Mayr took the young Donizetti under his sponsorship and provided the protege a full scholarship for his musical training. Donizetti received training with the same teacher as Rossini, and became one of the most prolific composers in opera history, producing a total of 75 operas. His most famous works include Lucia di Lammermoor (1835) and L'Elisir d'Amore (1832).

VINCENZO BELLINI (1801-1835)

Bellini followed the bel canto tradition of Rossini but also improved the art of beautiful singing by cutting down on some of the excessive ornaments and focusing on simpler but incredibly expressive and emotive singing lines. Many of Bellini's operas, such as I Capuleti e i Montecchi (1830)--the bel canto version of Romeo and Juliet--La Sonnambula (1831), and Norma (1831) are some of his most popular operatic works.

2012 production of The Barber o f Seville.

Photo by Eric Antoniou for Boston Lyric Opera.

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The dominant artisitc movement in the 19th century was Romanticism, which emphasized the artist's imagination, expression and emotion over structure and convention. Romantic music typically embodies passionate, flowing melodies with complex harmonies, creating a stirring emotional experience for listeners.

The 19th century was also the golden age for opera. More popular than ever, opera was now the primary form of entertainment among not only the aristocracy, but also the growing middle class. Responding to surging public demand, more opera houses opened up, with bigger spaces to accommodate a vast number of opera-goers. Orchestras also became larger as the musical idiom became more dense, rich and "romantic." The change in orchestral texture also resulted in a new kind of opera singer - instead of the light, agile voices that were sought-after in earlier eras, the opera stage now required singers with powerful voices who could project over the thick sound of the orchestra. The plots of operas also became more diverse, as composers conveyed contemporary real-life stories, exotic tales from the East or local folklore.

MAJOR COMPOSERS: GIUSEPPE VERDI (1813-1901)

Verdi was one of most successful composers in the history of opera. Not only are Verdi's operas some of the most performed works today, he was also incredibly popular in his own time--thousands of Italians flooded the streets of Milan at his memorial, singing the famous chorus from his opera Nabucco. Verdi is known for his grand operas with huge casts, stunning sets, elaborate costumes, large orchestras, lush music, and intense drama. Many of Verdi's works also have a strong political undertone, but overall, they explore the timeless themes of passion, betrayal, love, power and death. Some of Verdi's most treasured operas are La Traviata (1853) and Rigoletto (1851).

GIACOMO PUCCINI (1858-1924)

Puccini is undoubtedly one of the most beloved opera composers, producing operas such as La Boheme (1896), Tosca (1900), Madama Butterfly (1904) and Turandot (1926). Puccini's universal appeal lies in his beautiful, lyric melodies with lush, romantic orchestral accompaniment. Puccini is also known For writing in the style of verismo, or "realism"-depicting real-life characters with their everyday struggles. Many of his operas capture the lives of beautiful contemporary heroines who often face tragic deaths in the end. The great theatricality and melodrama of Puccini's operas infused with poignant music emanate incredible emotional power, often bringing the audience members to tears.

RICHARD WAGNER (1813-1883)

Wagner is one of the most influential and controversial composers in music history. His music is deeply associated with German nationalism for his use of Nordic and German mythology.

Wagner also had a new vision For opera, which he called gesamtkunstwerk or "total work of art," one in which music, theater, poetry, and visuals came together with a single purpose of serving the drama of the story. Wagnerian operas are known For being incredibly lengthy (usually 4-5 hours long) and having large, thick, colorful orchestration that only the most powerful voices can cut through. Wagner's most famous operatic work is his epic Ring cycle (1876), which comprises four long and grand operas.

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Richard Wagner's opera, Tristan und Isolde (1865), is generally considered the first step towards Modernism. In its famous opening, the music seems to drift away from tonality--the musical idiom that had dominated the language of music for centuries. Tonality imposes a hierarchical structure on all notes in music with the tonic or the "home note" being the most important, central base. Inspired by Wagner's deviation from the tonal center, the Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg decided to abandon tonality completely, emancipating all notes from their tonal hierarchy and creating a new genre called atonal music.

Alban Berg, one of Schoenberg's pupils, brought the new language of atonality into the world of opera, using a haunting, expressionist sound to depict the deeply disturbed Freudian psyches of his characters. His operatic works, Wozzeck (1925) and Lulu (1935) are the most famous of the genre.

After World War II, the Western classical music world no longer had a prominent, leading musical idiom. Instead, composers sought to explore the boundaries of music and sound in their own unique ways, resulting in numerous avantgarde movements such as serialism, minimalism, electronic music, and chance music.

In America, while certain composers such as John Cage, Phillip Glass and John Adams continued to experiment with European modernism, other composers sought a uniquely American sound. George Gershwin achieved this by incorporating African-American music into his famous opera Porgy and Bess (1935), which is perhaps best known to us for its popular aria, "Summertime." Other composers such as Leonard Bernstein continued to blur the line between opera and popular entertainment, writing the highly entertaining operetta, Candide (1956), as well as one of America's most cherished musical dramas, West Side Story (1961).

OPERA TODAY The culture of opera and its place in society has significantly changed over the past 50 years. Opera is viewed by some as a genre of the past, but it remains a vibrant and evolving art form. Present-day composers, musicians, singers, and directors endeavor to keep opera alive and fresh by producing not only masterworks from the past but also new and contemporary operas that grapple with various political and social issues of modern-day society. Opera companies also now play a central role in determining the trajectory of opera's future by being the prime commissioners of new operas. Many opera companies also make bold artistic choices in their productions of traditional operas, making them not only more interesting but also more relevant and relatable for the modern audience.

Scenes from the 2011 production of The Emperor of Atlantis, or Death Quits, 2012 production of The Lighthouse, 2013 production of The Magic Flute. Photos by Eric Antoniou for Boston Lyric Opera.

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Sound is a form of energy. It can be generated, be moved, do work, dissipate over time and distance, and carry tremendous amounts of energy. Sound will continue only as long as there is energy in the system to keep it going.

Sound is defined as something that can be heard. It is a wave and is a series of vibrations traveling through a medium, especially those within the range of frequencies that can be perceived by the human ear. Sound can travel through many types of mediums, for example: air, liquids and solids. The compressions and rarefactions that move through the atmosphere are compressing and stretching the molecules of nitrogen and oxygen all around us. Sound cannot be heard in a vacuum, like outer space.

WHAT IS HEARING? Unlike the senses of smell or taste, which rely on chemical interactions, hearing is a mechanical process in which the ear converts sound waves entering the ear into electrical signals the brain can understand. The process of hearing begins with sound. An object produces sound when it vibrates in matter. This could be through something solid, liquid, or gaseous. Humans mostly hear sound that travels through the air.

For example, when a bell is struck, it vibrates. This vibration is actually the metal flexing in and out. This physically moves the air particles next to the metal. Those particles, in turn, move the particles next to them and so on. In this way, the vibration moves through the air.

HOW YOU HEAR To hear the sound traveling through the air, three things have to happen.

1. The sound has to be directed into the hearing part of the ear.

2. The ear has to sense the fluctuations in air pressure.

3. The fluctuations have to be translated into electrical signals that the brain can understand.

The pinna, or outer/visible part of the ear, catches the sound waves.

In humans, the pinna is pointed forward. It helps to determine where the sound is coming from. The direction of the sound is determined by the way the sound wave bounces off the pinna. The brain can distinguish the subtleties in the sound reflection and tell where the sound came from. The horizontal position of the sound is determined by comparing the information from both ears. If a sound is coming from your right, it will enter your right ear slightly sooner than your left and will be slightly louder. Humans cannot really focus in on a sound because the pinnae do not move. Some mammals, such as dogs, have large movable pinnae and so can focus in on a sound.

;

/Auditory Nerves

Middle Ear (Outer Ear)

Eardrum

HOW THE VOICE WORKS Singing is actually a simple mechanical process. Here's what's happening in your body that allows you to produce sound to talk and sing: BREATH: Breathe in through your nose to take air into your lungs. You'd be surprised at just how much air you can take in.

Place your hands at the bottom of your rib cage--your lungs extend all the way from the top of your rib cage near the collar bones to the very bottom.

EXERCISE: Singing uses your whole body, and so it's really important for singers to be fit and have good posture. Try this: while slouching with bad posture, take in a long, slow and steady breath, and then hold your breath. See how long you can hold it. Now, standing up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart, your spine stretched, and your hands by your side, do the same thing. Did your posture affect the way you breathe?

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VIBRATION: As you breathe out, the air passes through your voice box called a larynx (Lair-inks) where pitches are made. You can see this bump best on grown men known as the Adam's apple. You can feel your own larynx by lifting your chin and gently feeling along the front of your neck. Around the middle, you should feel a slight bump. Keeping your hand there, try swallowing and Feel the larynx move. The larynx is home to tiny muscles known as the vocal folds. The air rushing over the muscles creates a "buzz" that travels up into the mouth.

ARTICULATION : As the air comes out, it passes by three articulators--tongue, lips, and the soft palate. IF you slide your tongue along the roof of your mouth, about halfway back, it gets softer. This soft palate can be raised and lowered. Can you raise your soft palate? Here's a tip--think about yawning. The secret to good operatic singing is keeping your soft palate up!

DIFFERENT VOICE TYPES Voices come in all shapes and sizes. To make it easier for singers and casting directors, voices are placed into different categories. There are several main categories for men's and women's voices. Determining whether someone is a soprano or a mezzo-soprano, or a tenor or baritone depends on the range, which is called the tessitura, and the timbre of the singer's voice.

Timbre (tam-ber) refers to the tone of the voice, and tessitura (tess-eh-Too-rah) refers to the distance from the highest note to the lowest note a singer can produce. Tenors and sopranos will be able to sing high notes more comfortably than baritones and mezzo-sopranos, while baritones and mezzo-sopranos will be more comfortable on lower notes.

SOPRANO (suh-PRAN-oh): The soprano is the highest female voice. Sopranos typically play leading ladies. At the end of the opera, you can often expect the soprano character to get married or die, depending on whether the opera is a comedy or a tragedy.

Range: C4-C6.

Famous roles: Cio-Cio San, Madama Butterfly, Puccini, and Fiordiligi, Così Fan Tutte, Mozart.

Try listening to ... "Der Hölle Rache" from Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute).

MEZZO-SOPRANO (MET-soh-suh-PRAN-oh): middle-low range female voice. Mezzo-sopranos are usually cast as sultry women, evil witches, or sometimes even young men. They play characters that suit their earthy voices and are often the supporting roles in operas, though not always. Carmen is a famous opera with a mezzo-soprano main character.

Range: A3-A5.

Famous roles: Cherubino, The Marriage of Figaro, Mozart, and Dorabella, Così Fan Tutte, Mozart.

Try listening to ... "Habanera" from Carmen.

TENOR (TEN-er): A high male voice. Tenors typically sing leading male roles. They are usually the heroes of the story. Tenor characters are often the love interest of the soprano characters.

Range: C3-C5.

Famous roles: Tamino, The Magic Flute, Mozart and The Duke of Mantua, Rigoletto, Verdi.

Try listening to ... "La donna è mobile" from Rigoletto.

BARITONE (BAIR-ih-tohn): A middle-range male voice. Baritones are known for their rich tone in the middle of their range.

In comic operas, they often play humorous characters, but in serious, dramatic operas, they are often cast as the villain.

Range:F2-F4.

Famous roles: Figaro, The Barber of Seville, Rossini, and Papageno, The Magic Flute, Mozart.

Try listening to ... "Largo al factotum" from The Barber of Seville.

With contributions from the Museum of Science, Boston.

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WERTHER SYNOPSIS

CHARACTERS

Act One: In an outer Charlotte: A 20-year-old woman, mezzo-soprano arrondissement of Paris during the summer, the region’s bailiff, a civil Werther: A young poet, age 23, tenor officer of the court, is teaching his Sophie: Charlotte’s younger sister, age 15, soprano children a Christmas carol in the garden of their home. His Albert: Charlotte’s fiancé, age 25, baritone neighbors, Schmidt and Johann, watch the unseasonal rehearsal The Bailiff: Charlotte’s father, a widower, bass with amusement. They ask about his oldest daughter, Charlotte, engaged to Albert, who is currently out-of-town for an extended period. The bailiff tells his friends that Charlotte will be escorted to the ball that night by a family acquaintance — a young poet by the name of Werther.

Werther arrives to escort Charlotte to the ball. He is a romantic, and rhapsodizes on the beauty of the evening. He watches her admiringly as she prepares her younger siblings’ supper, just as her late mother did. Leaving her younger sister Sophie in charge, Charlotte and Werther depart for the ball, and her father goes to join his friends at the local tavern. Albert unexpectedly returns home early and is disappointed to find that Charlotte is not there.

Long after nightfall, Charlotte and Werther return from the ball. During their evening together they have fallen deeply in love, but his declaration to her is cut short when her father arrives to announce Albert’s return. Charlotte explains to Werther how she promised her dying mother she would marry Albert. Even though this news brings him great despair, Werther encourages Charlotte to keep her promise.

Costume rendering for the character of Charlotte by Deborah Newhall

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Act Two: Three months have passed since the ball, and Charlotte and Albert are newly married. They walk happily together on their way to celebrate the mayor’s 50th wedding anniversary. A sullen Werther joins them. Albert offers him compassion and understanding in regard to his unrequited love. When Werther sees Charlotte, she explains it would be best for them both if he keeps his distance, at least until Christmas. Finding him alone at the festivities, Sophie asks Werther to dance, which he rudely refuses. He tells her he is leaving and will be gone

forever. This distressing behavior worries Sophie so she recounts to her sister what he said.

Witnessing her reaction, Albert suddenly realizes that it is Charlotte who Werther loves.

Act Three: On Christmas Eve, Charlotte is rereading the passionate letters Werther has written to her in his absence. She feels bitter remorse at sending him away and confides in Sophie that she is still in love with him. Sophie tries to cheer her as Charlotte cries silently by the window. Werther suddenly appears, pale and distraught. Startled, Charlotte invites him in and asks him to read to her from his translations of poetry by Ossian that he sent her. He chooses a passage where the poet foresees his own death and she begs him to stop reading.

He then realizes she still has feelings for him too, and they embrace. Pushing him away, Charlotte quickly bids Werther goodnight, saying they can never see each other again.

Albert returns and finds Charlotte distraught. He asks Charlotte what has upset her, but she evades his question. A message arrives from Werther explaining that he is leaving on a long, unexpected journey, and requests to borrow Albert’s pistol. Albert agrees. Charlotte suddenly realizes Werther’s heartbreaking plan and hurries to find him before it is too late.

Act Four: Charlotte finds Werther lying in a pool of his own blood. He begs her not to call for help. She tearfully confesses her love for him as Werther dies in her arms. In the distance, the children are singing the Christmas carol.

A rendering of John Conklin’s set design for Werther, featuring projections by designer Greg Emetaz.

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THE AUTHOR AND HIS NOVEL—A CULTURAL ICON Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was born in Frankfurt, Germany in 1749. The son of a wealthy tailor turned inn-keeper, he was given a comprehensive education and showed an artistic propensity at an early age. As a young scholar, he chose to study law in Leipzig and Strasburg. Upon hearing the work of William Shakespeare, and creatively unsatisfied with his legal career, he was inspired to begin writing. In 1773, he published his first work, a play, Goetz von Berlichingen, that garnered much attention. The following year, at age 25, Goethe published The Sorrows of Young Werther. He based the story on his own experiences of unrequited love with a betrothed woman named Charlotte. He expressed his strong emotions through the cathartic writing of letters, the most common form of communication at the Goethe, by Joseph Karl Stieler, 1828. time, never mailing them, but instead turning them into his first novel. He also used his experience of the death of an acquaintance who committed suicide following rejection of a love interest and had borrowed Charlotte’s fiancé’s pistol to do so. Taking him only six weeks to write, the epistolary novel brought Goethe instant international acclaim.

In fact, it was so popular that The Sorrows of Young Werther became a cultural phenomenon, perhaps the world’s first “blockbuster.” Goethe became something of a literary celebrity with high-profile fans such as Napoléon Bonaparte and Carl August, Grand Duke of Saxe-WeimarEisenach, for whom Goethe later became chief advisor. The story spoke personally to many who had experienced the anguish of unrequited love that Werther was glorified as a tragic hero. Details in the novel began influencing fashion trends and popular culture, and fans began to dress like Werther in yellow pants and a blue jacket. There was even a Werther perfume and Werther china. This “Werther Fever” also influenced copycat suicides where forlorn young lovers emulated the character’s desperate actions, something that brought Goethe much distress and caused the book to be banned for a period. It also inspired many imitations and parodies, including one called The Joys of Young Werther by Friedrich Nicolai.

(Imagine Stephen Colbert creating a parody of Werther for The Late Show!)

Many other writers, artists, and composers have been influenced by Goethe’s novel both during his lifetime and since. The Sorrows of Young Werther is seen as one of the first novels

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of the Romantic period in literature, although specifically Goethe was a member of the Sturm und Drang movement, a precursor to what we now refer to as Romanticism. Mary Shelley referenced The Sorrows of Young Werther in her celebrated Romantic novel Frankenstein; the monster learns what it is to be human by reading Goethe’s novel. Werther is often referred to as the seminal work that describes, in detail, adolescent turmoil and angst.

Goethe continued to publish for the remainder of his life, his most notable novel in addition to Werther being Faust, published in 1808. He traveled extensively in Italy where he studied the natural sciences and published Metamorphosis of Plants in 1788 along with several other scientific treaties including a theory on color. His work heavily influenced many ideas that became prevalent throughout the nineteenth century in both the sciences and literature. He died at the age of 82.

DISCUSS: Why do you think that Goethe’s novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther, was met with such instant, international fame? What circumstances are necessary to create such a strong cultural reaction?

Werther and Lotte, Wikimedia Commons.

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THE COMPOSER AND HIS OPERA A leading operatic composer of his generation, Jules Massenet began his music studies at the Paris Conservatoire while still finishing high school. At age 20, he won the prestigious Prix de Rome, a competitive artistic scholarship from the French government, that subsidized his study in Rome for three years. He worked as a professional musician—a percussionist, music professor, and private piano and composition teacher in Paris in addition to composing operas, oratorios, ballets, and other orchestral works.

Massenet decided to use Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther as the basis for an opera after visiting Germany, touring Goethe’s home, and reading his novel. He was originally planning on writing an opera using his friend’s novel, Scénes de la vie de bohème (later used by Puccini), but was inspired by Goethe’s story instead. He completed Jules Massenet, pictured in European the opera in 1887, but the Opéra-Comique in Paris, Reminiscences, Musical and Otherwise by Louis Charles Elson, published 1891. where Massenet had debuted several other works, was uninterested in producing Werther, calling it depressing.

Meanwhile, he completed another opera, Manon, for the opera house in Vienna and it was met with such success at its debut in 1890 that they asked for another opera. Massenet seized this opportunity to debut Werther. It was translated into German and premiered in Vienna in 1892.

The original French version premiered in Geneva later that year. Today it is regarded as one of Massenet’s most famous operas.

As a working musician and composer, Massenet was a contemporary during the era known as the Belle Époque. This period, 1871-1914, was full of optimism, economic prosperity, and scientific innovations. The Belle Époque is characterized by the prolific artistic expression that flourished

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Werther poster by Eugène Grasset. Public domain.

throughout Europe, but centered in Paris. Many works of music, theater, dance, literature, visual arts, and poetry have become masterpieces in the classical canon and greatly influenced all the artists that followed. Many of the artist contemporaries of the Belle Époque were colleagues and even close friends, cultivating creative collaboration, innovations, and influencing each other’s work. For example, the composers Poulenc and Debussy were classmates at the conservatory where Massenet was a professor. Both were strongly influenced by Massenet’s compositions, although Debussy never actually studied with him.

Artists included Matisse, Picasso and other post-impressionists, while poets of the day included Baudelaire, Rimbaud, and Verlaine. This cultural richness is depicted in the ease and fullness of Massenet’s composition even though the subject of Werther is darkly dramatic.

DISCUSS: Do you think that today is a similar period of cultural prosperity like the Belle Époque? Why or why not?

A NOTE ABOUT PLACE AND LANGUAGE Goethe set his novel in a fictional town in Southern Germany. Massenet and his librettists wrote the opera in French, but kept the original setting in Germany. BLO’s creative team has set the opera in Paris, thus matching the language in which it is sung, but updating the time period to reference the late 1920s, early 1930s. They were particularly inspired by the films of Jean Renoir, son of the impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir. In particular, the film La Grande Illusion (1937), which employs an artistic, emotionally restrained outer facade, with intense emotions running high underneath in an almost psycho-dramatic way. In addition, the period's new architecture style: the Art Deco period, echoed the Belle Époque’s Art Nouveau style.

While the design elements of BLO’s production are intentionally simple, these two periods of design are subtly referenced. Both eras are of peace-time and share a similar air of economic prosperity, optimism, and cultural richness. The choice to set Werther in 1929, Paris, illuminates the cultural parallel between the original setting and allows for this tragic story to unfold in perhaps the most artistically romantic city in the Western world.

In the spirit of the intimate first-person inspired by Goethe’s epistolary novel, and the intense emotionalism

Costume rendering for the character of Charlotte by Deborah Newhall

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conveyed through Massanet’s score, BLO’s design team has decided to frame this production as if all the action is being replayed in Werther’s mind in a series of flashbacks before he ends his life. To evoke this dreamlike intensity, the walls of Werther’s small flat become like canvases for digital projections so that, just like memories, locations can flash by or linger in haunting detail. The projections will reference the first-person perspective of the young poet and the original epistolary form of the novel with the use of letters and handwriting as a prominent theme throughout. The costumes are the design element that most strongly evokes the 1930s, yet they too reference a dream-like, hyper-realistic memory. Together these elements bring the psycho-dramatic elements of this classic story to life in a freshly intimate way.

DISCUSS: What other time periods might be appropriate for setting the story of Werther? Is the story timeless? Explain.

A HISTORY OF LITERARY INSPIRATION At the climax of the opera Werther, Massenet composed an emotional duet between Charlotte and Werther. It’s Act III and Werther has just arrived at Charlotte’s house on Christmas Eve to find her alone. Charlotte asks Werther to read her something he’s written, choosing a translation he wrote of some poetry by Ossian. Massenet’s libretto reads:

Pourquoi me réveiller, ô souffle du printemps?

Pourquoi me réveiller?

Sur mon front je sens tes caresses, et pourtant bien proche est le temps des orages et des tristesses!

Pourquoi me réveiller, ô souffle du printemps?

Why do you awaken me? o breath of Spring?

Why do you awaken me?

On my forehead I feel your caresses, and yet very near is the time of storms and sorrows!

Why do you awaken me, o breath of Spring?

Demain dans le vallon viendra le voyageur se souvenant de ma gloire première.

Et ses yeux vainement chercheront ma splendeur.

Ils ne trouveront plus que deuil et que misère! Hélas!

Pourquoi me réveiller, ô souffle du printemps!

Tomorrow, into the valley will come the traveler remembering my early glory And his eyes in vain will look for my splendor.

They will find no more than grief and misery. Alas!

Why do you awaken me, o breath of Spring!

Translation by Randall Garrou

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Goethe was inspired by the poetry of Ossian, and since the character of Werther is loosely autobiographical, this is perhaps why he chose to include Ossian in his novel. Here is the passage from The Sorrows of Young Werther:

Illustration from The Sorrows of Young Werther, by Goethe

Passage from The Sorrows of Young Werther by Goethe

Scottish poet James Macpherson claimed to have anonymously received ancient manuscripts authored by Ossian on the subject of a well-known Gaelic mythological hero. Ossian soon became a widely known author and narrator of epic poetry. In fact, Ossian is actually a fictional literary device of Macpherson, making Ossian the most successful literary ruse in modern history. A contemporary of Goethe, Macpherson’s work was also internationally acclaimed and hugely influential to Romantic literature. Here is the translated text of Ossian that inspired Goethe: The flower hangs its heavy head, waving, at times, to the gale. "Why dost thou awake me, O gale?" it seems to say: "I am covered with the drops of heaven. The time of my fading is near, the blast that shall scatter my leaves. To-morrow shall the traveller come; he that saw me in my beauty shall come. His eyes will search the field, but they will not find me.

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Musing: Perhaps American

Keep in mind that although Ossian’s author, William Goldman was text was originally written in Gaelic, inspired by Macpherson, and used Goethe wrote in German, and his idea of creating mystique Massenet was French, yet we are around a made-up author, as The studying these texts in English so some Princess Bride is purportedly by a elements may be lost in translation. man named S. Morgenstern.

None the less, the story of Werther is a prime example of how writers and other artists can profoundly influence each other’s work. Ossian inspired Goethe and Goethe’s novel inspired Massenet. Today, Massenet’s score with a libretto influenced by Goethe’s novel inspires BLO’s creative team to create a fresh design for the 2016 production of Werther.

DISCUSS: Can you think of other examples where one artist has been inspired by and borrows from or references another’s work? Does this happen in music as well as literature? What examples can you think of?

Reading from Goethe's Werther by Wilhelm Amberg, 1870

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THE EPISTOLARY NOVEL Epistles, or letters, are one of the oldest forms of communication both official and personal. Many of the New Testament books in the Bible are in fact a form of published letters. As a literary device for novels, however, the first recognized epistolary novel is Pamela, written in 1740

by Samuel Richardson. The form grew in popularity throughout the remainder of the 18th century and throughout the 19th century, increasing as literacy became more widespread. There are three main types of epistolary novels: monologic, dialogic, and polylogic. Each term refers to the number of firstperson perspectives the story is recounted from.

For the first time in popular fiction writing, this Letter from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 5 new form was conducive to the recounting of more July 1798 to Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von ordinary, even intimate experiences. The strong first person Schelling. Archives of BBAW : NL F. W. Schelling , # 299. voice revealing inner-most thoughts and advancing the plot without a narrator drew readers in. They could connect to the characters in a more personal way, identifying with them and their struggles, as opposed to the grandiose historic romances that were also popular at the time. Often these novels centered around themes of morality and romance with a focus on descriptions of domestic and personal details of everyday life.

Because of this, they not only appealed to many women readers, but also the epistolary novel became a literary form where female authors found success. Following the popularity of Werther in 1773, Mary Shelley employed the form in Frankenstein in 1818, as did Bram Stoker in Dracula in 1897.

DISCUSS: What contemporary works can you think of that employ the epistolary form? Are there digital publications that use this form in an updated way? If so, where is the line between communication or social media and literary art?

19 | WERTHER

LISTEN UP! The Overture: https://youtu.be/98aT4igcZOw Quite often, the overture of an opera is not only an introduction to the story but a foreshadowing of events to come through the use of orchestral motifs. Werther is no exception to this. It is often hard to pick out these details unless you are already familiar with the story and music, however, take a moment to close your eyes and listen. Are you able to identify some of the major emotional shifts and themes?

“Va! Laisser couler mes larmes”: https://youtu.be/p4O8FeqN-sA?t=1h27m38s

Note: This is one of the earliest uses of a saxophone in the score of a major western classical opera.

The instrument was only invented 20 years before the opera was composed!

At the beginning of Act III, Charlotte is remorseful and admits out loud that she loves Werther and has not been able to forget him. She rereads letters he has sent her, sends her sister Sophie away when she tries to comfort her, and cries. Listen to how the music illuminates her anguish, remorse, and tender feelings for Werther especially through the alto saxophone introduction.

“Pourquoi me réveiller”: https://youtu.be/p4O8FeqN-sA?t=1h39m26s

The famous aria in Act III sung by the sorrowful tenor voice of the character Werther as he reads the words of the Ossain poem he translated for Charlotte. (See “A History of Literary Inspiration.”) Listen to the passion and longing in the music as he expresses the words as if they were his own.

Entire Opera: https://youtu.be/p4O8FeqN-sA If you’re interested, listen to all of Werther before attending BLO’s production. Then compare and contrast the two musically. Were the tempos and dynamics the same in both the recording and BLO’s version?

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GENERAL QUESTIONS TO GUIDE YOUR LISTENING •

What instruments are playing?

•

How fast is the music? Are there sudden changes in speed?

•

Is the rhythm steady or unsteady?

•

Key/Mode: Is it major or minor?

(Does it sound bright, happy, sad, urgent, dangerous?)

•

Dynamics/Volume: Is the music loud or soft? Are there sudden

The Werther Effect. Illustration.

changes in volume (either in the voice or orchestra)?

•

What is the shape of the melodic line? Does the voice move smoothly or does it make frequent or erratic jumps?

•

Do the vocal lines move noticeably downward or upward?

•

Do the melodies end as you would expect or do they surprise you?

•

How does the music make you feel? What effect do the above factors have on you as a listener?

•

Does the type of voice singing (baritone, soprano, tenor, mezzo, etc.) have an effect on you as a listener?

•

What is the orchestra doing in contrast to the voice? How do they interact?

•

What kinds of images, settings, or emotions come to mind when listening to the music?

Does it remind you of anything you have experienced in your own life?

•

Do particularly emphatic notes (low, high, held, etc.) correspond to dramatic moments in the text?

•

What type of character fits this music? Romantic? Comic? Serious? Etc.

DISCUSS: How are the characters depicted in the Massenet’s music? Musically speaking, how is Charlotte different from Sophie, and Werther different from Albert?

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REFERENCES Coda magazine. Boston Lyric Opera. Spring 2016 issue. http://issuu.com/bostonlyricopera Berger, J. (2011, May 27). Decoding Woody Allen’s ‘Midnight in Paris’. New York Times.

Retrieved February 4, 2016, from http://nyti.ms/1Gd5SLZ Blau, E. (1893). “Pourquoi me réveiller.” Werther. The Aria Database. http://www.ariadatabase.com/search.php?individualAria=657 von Goethe, J. W. (1774). The Sorrows of Young Werther (R. D. Boylan, Trans.). Retrieved February 4, 2016, from https://books.google.com/books?id=aIWyAAAAIAAJ&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false Kirsch, A. (2016, February 1). Design for Living: What's great about Goethe? The New Yorker.

Retrieved February 4, 2016, from http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/02/01/designfor-living-books-adam-kirsch Lawrence J. Trudeau. Ed. (2001) "Introduction" Literary Criticism (1400-1800) Vol. 59. Gale Cengage eNotes.com 4 Feb, 2016 http://www.enotes.com/topics/epistolary-novel/criticalessays/epistolary-novel#critical-essays-epistolary-novel-introduction Macpherson, J. (1773). The Poems of Ossian: Berrathon. Internet Sacred Texts Archive. http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/ossian/oss43.htm Miller, W.C. and Berkow, J. ed."The Sorrows of Young Werther Study Guide". GradeSaver, 14 June 2006. http://www.gradesaver.com/the-sorrows-of-young-werther Osborne, C. (2004). The Opera Lover’s Companion. Google Ebooks. https://books.google.com/books?id=YmOhYoMViTUC&dq Stölzl, P. (Director), & Müller, C., & Dydyna, A. (Screenwriters). (2010). Young Goethe in Love [Motion picture on DVD]. Germany: Music Box Films.

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Lesson Topic: Artistic Appropriation in Literature & Performing Arts Grade Level: 9-10 Pre-Performance Lesson Plans Length of Lesson: Variable, 2-4 Class Periods Stage 1 – Desired Results Content Standard(s): Reading Standard MA.7: Analyze the representation of a subject or key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment.

Writing Standard MA. 9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection and research.

Speaking and Listening Standard 2: Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g. visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.

Arts Theatre Strand: Standard 5.19: Identify and describe, orally and in writing, the influence of other artists on the development of their own artistic work.

Understanding(s)/goals Students will understand: • How to interpret a story’s core ideas in a variety of contexts.

• How one artistic work influences another across genres.

• How student’s artistic and literary creations fall within a historical context.

Essential Question(s): • When we admire and are strongly influenced by a piece of art, how and when is it appropriate to use in our own artistic expression?

• How do we define originality in works of art, literature and music considering they are influenced by those that came before them?

Student objectives (outcomes): Students will be able to: • Compare and analyze different works of art that have influenced each other.

• Trace the lineage of artistic influence through different time periods.

• Understand with greater awareness how cultural context and previous artistic expressions influence their own writing and artistic expression.

Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence Performance Task(s): Other Evidence: • Review the works of Ossian, • Gauge students’ familiarity with a variety of Goethe, and Massenet as each cultural, political, and religious ideals. influenced the next to compare and • Self-awareness within present-day culture. contrast.

• Research other historical literary and artistic works that have inspired artists and influenced each other.

• Analyze a personal artistic creation

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(writing, visual art or music) and outline the cultural art that has provided influence and inspiration.

Stage 3 – Learning Plan Learning Activities: Total Time: 2-4 class periods Introductory Activity: Read, listen and contextualize: (1 class period) • Review the works of Ossian, Goethe and Massenet as they influenced each other (Refer to Study Guide). Read Ossian and Goethe’s texts aloud and listen to the Aria from Massenet’s opera.

• Review and research the lives of Goethe and Massenet to provide a cultural context.

• Compare and contrast through discussion as to how each influenced the next, what elements remained the same and what elements changed with each artist’s interpretation.

Developmental Activity: Understanding Contemporary Cultural Context: (1-2 class periods) • Students work in groups or on their own and find examples in contemporary literature, music, art, and/or theater where artists were influenced from those who came before them.

• Students create an outline of this chain of influence depicting it either visually or through literary analysis, researching artists as needed.

Closing Activity: Drawing Personal Connections: (1 class period) • Students share their outline with the class and highlight in what way these artists have influenced the student’s personal artistic expressions citing examples from their own work of literature, art or music etc.

• On a board or central chart, note common threads or ideas.

24 | BOSTON LYRIC OPERA

Lesson Topic: The Art of Letter Writing Grade Level: 11-12 Pre-Performance Lesson Plans Length of Lesson: 1-2 Class Periods Stage 1 – Desired Results Content Standard(s): Writing Standard MA.3: Write narratives to develop real our imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

MA 3.A: Demonstrate understanding of the concept of theme by writing short narratives, poems, essays, speeches, or reflections that respond to universal themes (e.g., challenges, the individual and society, moral dilemmas, the dynamics of tradition and change).

MA 6: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.

Understanding(s)/goals Essential Question(s): Students will understand: • What advantages and disadvantages are there to using • How to tell a story using voice and the epistolary form to tell a story? employing the epistolary technique • Is the epistolary form used today?

• Distinctions and overlap between In what ways is it the same, written communication for different? conveying information and telling a story Student objectives (outcomes): Students will be able to: • Understand how the epistolary form is used as a story-telling or literary device in modern and historical literature.

• Distinguish between monologic, dialogic, and polylogic forms • Use current technology to develop an epistolary story in one of the three forms.

Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence Performance Task(s): Other Evidence: • Write an epistolary story using • Research understanding different current technology and social epistolary stories throughout media that clearly demonstrates an history. understanding of the form.

Stage 3 – Learning Plan Learning Activities: Total Time: Variable (1-2 class periods) Introductory Activity: • Students discuss and reflect on how letters are used to tell the stories throughout literary history using Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther as a jumping off point.

25 | WERTHER

Developmental Activity: • Research other literary works that employ the use of the epistolary form and have students discuss the benefits and drawbacks to the form and the different styles: monologic, dialogic and polylogic.

• Discuss current story-telling modes in written form relating to social media and technology. Which forms would work best to create a contemporary epistolary story?

• Discuss the differences between written digital communication for conveying information and the art of storytelling within these digital forms.

Closing Activity: Writing activity • Have students chose a digital platform (Facebook, twitter, blog, SMS etc.) and create a fictional monologic, dialogic or polylogic epistolary story.

• Share with the class and encourage classmates to engage in each other’s stories as they are meant to be engaged with (depending on the digital platform).

26 | BOSTON LYRIC OPERA

Lesson Topic: The Art of Letter Writing Grade Level: 9-10 Post-Performance Lesson Plans Length of Lesson: 1-2 Class Periods Stage 1 – Desired Results Content Standard(s): Writing Standard MA.3: Write narratives to develop real our imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

MA 3.A: Write fiction, personal reflections, poetry, and scripts that demonstrate awareness of literary concepts and genres.

MA 6: Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.

Understanding(s)/goals Students will understand: • How to tell a story through voice employing the epistolary technique • Distinctions and overlap between written communication for conveying information and telling a story

Essential Question(s): • How are letters used to tell the story in the opera?

• What advantages and disadvantages are there to using the epistolary form to tell a story?

• Is the epistolary form used today?

In what ways?

Student objectives (outcomes): Students will be able to: • Understand how the epistolary form is used as a story-telling or literary device in modern and historical literature.

• Distinguish between monologic, dialogic, and polylogic forms • Use current technology to develop an epistolary story in one of the three forms.

Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence Performance Task(s): Other Evidence: • Attend Boston Lyric Opera’s dress • Research different epistolary stories rehearsal performance of Werther. throughout history.

• Write an epistolary story using current technology and social media that clearly demonstrates an understanding of the form.

Stage 3 – Learning Plan Learning Activities: Total Time: Variable (1-2 class periods) Introductory Activity: • Observe the final dress rehearsal of BLO’s production Werther.

• Students discuss and reflect on how letters are used to tell the story in the opera.

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Developmental Activity: • Research other literary works that employ the use of the epistolary form and have students discuss the benefits and drawbacks to the form and the different styles: monologic, dialogic and polylogic.

• Discuss current story-telling modes in written form relating to social media and technology. Which forms would work best to create a contemporary epistolary story?

• Discuss the differences between written digital communication for conveying information and the art of storytelling within these digital forms.

Closing Activity: Writing activity • Have students chose a digital platform (Facebook, twitter, blog, SMS etc.) and create a fictional monologic, dialogic or polylogic epistolary story.

28 | BOSTON LYRIC OPERA

Lesson Topic: Artistic Appropriation in Literature & Performing Arts Grade Level: 11-12 Post-Performance Lesson Plans Length of Lesson: Variable, 2-4 Class Periods Stage 1 – Desired Results Content Standard(s): Reading Standard MA.7: Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g. recorded or live production of a play recorded novel or poetry). Evaluating how each version interprets the source text.

Writing Standard MA. 9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection and research.

Speaking and Listening Standard 2: Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats (e.g. visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.

Arts Theatre Strand: Standard 5.19: Identify and describe, orally and in writing, the influence of other artists on the development of their own artistic work.

Understanding(s)/goals Students will understand: • How to interpret a story’s core ideas in a variety of contexts.

• How one artistic work influences another across genres.

• How student’s artistic and literary creations fall within a historical context.

Essential Question(s): • When we admire and are strongly influenced by a piece of art, how and when is it appropriate to use in our own artistic expression?

• How do we define originality in works of art, literature and music considering they are influenced by those that came before them?

• What was inspiring about BLO’s production of Werther and how might you respond to or refer to it artistically in your own work?

Student objectives (outcomes): Students will be able to: • Compare and analyze different works of art that have influenced each other.

• Trace the lineage of artistic influence through different time periods.

• Understand with greater awareness how cultural context and previous artistic expressions influence their own writing and artistic expression.

Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence Performance Task(s): Other Evidence: • Attend Boston Lyric Opera’s dress • Gauge students’ familiarity with a variety of rehearsal performance of Werther. cultural, political, and religious ideals.

• Review the works of Ossian, • Self-awareness within present-day culture.

Goethe, and Massenet as each influenced the next to compare and contrast.

• Research other historical literary and artistic works that have

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•

inspired artists and influenced each other.

Analyze a personal artistic creation (writing, visual art or music) and outline the cultural art that has provided influence and inspiration.

Stage 3 – Learning Plan

Learning Activities: Total Time: 2-4 class periods Introductory Activity: Read, listen and contextualize: (1 class period) • Review the works of Ossian, Goethe and Massenet as they influenced each other (Refer to Study Guide). Read Ossian and Goethe’s texts aloud and listen again to the Aria from Massenet’s opera.

• Review and research the lives of Goethe and Massenet to provide a cultural context.

• Compare and contrast through discussion as to how each influenced the next, what elements remained the same and what elements changed with each artist’s interpretation.

• Discuss how BLO’s production was influenced by Ossian, Goethe, and Massenet, and what was different from each original work?

Developmental Activity: Understanding Contemporary Cultural Context: (1-2 class periods) • Students work in groups or on their own and find examples in contemporary literature, music, art, and/or theater where artists were influenced from those who came before them.

• Students create an outline of this chain of influence depicting it either visually or through literary analysis. Researching artists and citing them as needed.

Closing Activity: Drawing Personal Connections: (1 class period) • Students share their outline with the class and highlight in what way these artists have influenced the student’s personal artistic expressions citing examples from their own work of literature, art or music etc.

• On a board or central chart, note common threads or ideas.

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