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The Fairy-Queen

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Poetry & Opera

   Title page of original printed edition
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   Title page of original printed edition

   The Fairy-Queen (Z.629) is a masque or semi-opera by Henry Purcell. It
   was first performed on May 2, 1692 at Queen's Theatre, Dorset Garden in
   London. It was composed for the United Company of the Theatre Royal.
   The libretto comes from an anonymous adaptation of William
   Shakespeare's comic play A Midsummer Night's Dream. A possible author
   of the libretto is Thomas Betterton, with whom Purcell worked on
   Dioclesian, and choreography for the various dances was provided by
   Josias Priest, with whom Purcell also worked on Dioclesian, King
   Arthur, and who was also associated with Dido and Aeneas. Purcell did
   not set any of Shakespeare's text to music; instead he created short
   masques in between acts of the play, similar to the Italian intermezzo.
   Some of Shakespeare's text was modernized so that its meaning would be
   clear to seventeenth century audiences. The masques are related to the
   play metaphorically, rather than literally; for instance, the "Masque
   of Hymen" precedes an affirmation of the wedding vows.

Context and analysis

   Following the huge success of his opera Dido and Aeneas, Purcell
   composed The Fairy-Queen in 1692. Shakespeare's play was almost 100
   years old by that time and therefore the librettist refashioned the
   original text considerably in order that it might suit a modern palate.
   The fact that this was necessary is illustrated by the following
   quotation (written as part of a eulogy to the composer just after his
   death), which shows the low regard in which Shakespeare's plays were
   held, and how essential a musical adaptation was for a successful
   production.

          How was the Scene forlorn, and how despised
          When Tymon, without Musick, moralize'd?
          Shakespears sublime in vain entic'd the Throng,
          Without the charm of Purcels' Syren Song.

   The English tradition of semi-opera, to which The Fairy-Queen belongs,
   demanded that music be only introduced in scenes concerning love or the
   supernatural; therefore Purcell has the Fairies introduce all the
   masques and scenes provided with music. Originally Act 1 contained no
   music, but the work's enormous success meant that when it was revived
   in 1693 Purcell added the scene of the Drunken Poet and two further
   songs later on in the work; "Ye gentle spirits of the air" and "The
   Plaint". As said above, each masque is subtly related to the action in
   the play during that particular act in a metaphorical way; therefore we
   have Night and Sleep in Act 2 (apt as that act of the play consists of
   Oberon's plans to use the power of the "love-in-idleness" flower to
   confuse various loves, and it is therefore appropriate for the
   allegorical figures of Secrecy, Mystery et al to usher in a night of
   bewitchment), Titania's bewitchment in Act 3 (self-explanatory),
   Reconciliation in Act 4 (also fitting as just previously peace has been
   restored to the characters as Oberon's plans succeed), and the
   "Chinese" Paradisical rapture in Act 5. The "Act tunes" were composed
   to replace the lowering of the curtain, and the "First and Second
   Musick" were written to be played while the audience were taking their
   seats. After Act 1, each act commences with a short symphony (3 - 5
   minutes).

Performance history

   Following Purcell's premature death, popular consideration of his music
   fell into decline fairly quickly; by 1730 his harmonies were already
   thought to be old-fashioned, and The Fairy-Queen and other works like
   it fell into obscurity. However, changing tastes were not the only
   reason for the abandonment of the work; the voices employed had also
   become difficult to find. The list of singers below shows the frequent
   employment of the male alto, or countertenor, in the semi-opera, a
   voice which, after Purcell, essentially vanished from the stage,
   probably due to the rise of Italian opera and the attendant castrati,
   and after that Romatic opera and the attendant predominance of the
   tenor. The male alto survived purely in the ecclesiastical tradition of
   all-male church choirs.

   However, Purcell's music (and with it The Fairy-Queen) was resuscitated
   by the rise of two approximately coincidental movements: a growing
   interest in early music and the baroque period, and the rise of the
   countertenor, lead by pioneers such as Alfred Deller and Russell
   Oberlin. The former lead to performances of long-neglected composers
   such as Purcell, Dowland, Blow and even Handel, while the latter
   complemented it by providing a way of making such performances as
   authentic as possible as regards the original performances and the
   composer's intentions (less true for Handel, where countertenors appear
   as castrati replacements). This has led to The Fairy-Queen assuming
   increased popularity, and several recordings have been made, often
   using period instruments. The format of the work presents problems to
   modern directors, who must decide whether to present Purcell's music as
   part of the original play, which uncut is a lengthy business (having
   paid for their ticket, Jacobean audiences of this period quite often
   expected five to six hours of entertainment in return, a fact that at
   least partially explains the existence of the semi-opera format), and
   difficult for the aesthetics of modern audiences, or to present the
   series of masques on their own, running the risk of incoherence. A
   video of an English National Opera production of the work was released
   in 1995.

The music

   Written as he approached the end of his brief career, The Fairy-Queen
   contains some of Purcell's finest theatre music, as musicologists have
   agreed for generations. In particular, Constant Lambert was a great
   admirer; from it he arranged a suite and in collaboration with Edward
   Dent arranged the work to form the then new Covent Garden opera
   company's first postwar production. It shows to excellent effect
   Purcell's complete mastery of the pungent English style of Baroque
   counterpoint, as well as displaying his absorption of Italian
   influences. Several arias such as "The Plaint", "Thrice happy lovers"
   and "Hark, now the echoing air" have entered the discographic repertory
   of many singers outside their original context.

   The orchestra for The Fairy-Queen consists of two flutes, two oboes,
   two trumpets, kettledrums, strings and harpsichord continuo.

Singers

     * Drunken Poet- baritone
     * First Fairy- soprano
     * Second Fairy-soprano
     * Night-soprano
     * Mystery-soprano
     * Secrecy- countertenor
     * Sleep-baritone
     * Corydon-baritone
     * Mopsa- soprano/countertenor
     * Nymph-soprano
     * 3 Attendants to Oberon-1 soprano, 2 countertenors
     * Phoebus- tenor
     * Spring-soprano
     * Summer-countertenor
     * Autumn-tenor
     * Winter-baritone
     * Juno-soprano
     * Chinese Man-countertenor
     * Chinese Woman ( Daphne)-soprano
     * Hymen-baritone
     * An SATB chorus of Fairies and Attendants. Typically, the chorus is
       used at the end of airs to provide a recapitulation of the main
       theme of the air, as well as at moments of particular dramatic
       grandeur, such as at the entry of Phoebus during Act 4.

   It should perhaps here be noted that the role of Mopsa was originally
   performed by soprano; however, a later revision by Purcell stated that
   it was to be performed by "Mr. Pate in woman's habit", presumably to
   have a grotesque effect and highlight the refrain "No, no, no, no, no;
   no kissing at all" in the dialogue between Corydon and Mopsa.

   It should also perhaps here be noted that it is not entirely clear what
   the word "countertenor" means in this context. The record is ambivalent
   as to whether Purcell (himself a countertenor) used a tenor with a
   particularly high range (though lighter at the top) and tessitura
   (known sometimes as a haute-contre; the descendants of the contratenors
   alti of medieval polyphony), or a falsettist. It seems that throughout
   his career he used both (see also the Laura DeMarco link in the
   "References" section below). However, purely for reasons of dramatic
   verisimilitude, it is more likely than not that the travesty role of
   Mopsa was taken by a falsettist, and the presence of a duet for two
   male altos ("Let the fifes and the clarions") makes it seem more
   probable that for this work falsettists were employed.

Synopsis

   Dorset Garden Theatre
   Enlarge
   Dorset Garden Theatre
     * Acts 1 and 2: The first scene set to music occurs after Titania has
       left Oberon, following an argument over the ownership of a little
       Indian boy. Two of her fairies sing of the delights of the
       countryside ("Come, come, come let us leave the town"). A drunken,
       stuttering poet enters, singing "Fill up the bowl then". The
       stuttering has led many to believe the scene is based on the habits
       of Thomas d'Urfey: however, it may also be poking fun at Elkanah
       Settle, who also stuttered and was long thought to be the
       librettist, due to an error in his 1910 biography. The fairies mock
       the drunken poet and drive him away. Act 1 ends. Act 2 begins after
       Oberon has ordered to Puck to anoint the eyes of Demetrius with the
       love-juice. Titania and her fairies merrily revel ("Come all ye
       songsters of the sky"), and Night ("See, even Night"), Mystery ("I
       am come to lock all fast"), Secrecy ("One charming night") and
       Sleep ("Hush, no more, be silent all") lull them asleep and leave
       them to pleasant dreams.

     * Acts 3, 4, and 5: Act 3 commences after Titania has fallen in love
       with Bottom (now equipped with his ass's head), much to Oberon's
       gratification. A Nymph sings of the pleasures and torments of love
       ("If love's a sweet passion") and after several dances, Titania and
       Bottom are entertained by the foolish, loving banter of two
       haymakers, Corydon and Mopsa. Act 4 (which begins after Titania has
       been freed from her enchantment) commences with a brief
       divertissement to celebrate Oberon's birthday ("Now the Night", and
       the abovementioned "Let the fifes and the clarions"), but for the
       most part it is a masque of the god Phoebus ("When the cruel
       winter") and the Four Seasons (Spring; "Thus, the ever grateful
       spring", Summer; "Here's the Summer", Autumn; "See my many coloured
       fields", and Winter; "Now Winter comes slowly"). Act 5 (after
       Theseus has been told of the lovers's adventures in the wood)
       commences with the goddess Juno singing an epithalamium, "Thrice
       happy lovers", followed by a woman who sings the well–known "The
       Plaint" ("O let me weep"). A Chinese man and woman enter singing
       several songs describing Paradise ("Thus, the gloomy world", "Thus
       happy and free" and "Yes, Xansi"). Two further women summon Hymen,
       the god of marriage, who is persuaded to bless the union of all the
       faithful lovers in the final masque.

Recordings

     * Alfred Deller, The Deller Consort, Stour Music Chorus (2 CDs) — (
       1972) — Harmonia Mundi
     * John Eliot Gardiner, The English Baroque Soloists The Monteverdi
       Choir, (2 CDs) — 1982 — Archiv Produktion 419 221-2
     * William Christie, Les Arts Florissants (2 CDs) — 1989 — Harmonia
       Mundi HMC 90 1308/0
     * Roger Norrington, The London Classical Players, The Schütz Choir of
       London (2 CDs) — 1994 — EMI Classics 7243 5 55234 2 6
     * Ton Koopman, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Chorus, (2 CDs) — 1994
       — Erato 98507
     * Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Concentus Musicus Wien, Arnold Schoenberg
       Chor (2 CDs) — 1995 — Teldec Classics 4509-97684-2

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