Art and Ideology in European Opera: Essays in Honour of Julian Rushton, ed. Rachel Cowgill, David Cooper and Clive Brown (Woodbridge: Boydell & Brewer, 2010)
SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL FOR CHAPTERS 5 AND 9
Chapter 5: Janáček, Nejedlý and the Future of Czech Opera (pp. 103–21) John Tyrrell What follows are transcriptions of the Czech-language passages translated by John Tyrrell and presented in his chapter as indented quotations. Format and use of emphasis vary between the extracts: the quotations have been presented as they appear in the source, except for some double-spacing between letters, which has been removed. pp. 107–8 (Nejedlý, pp. 185–6) Drama G. Preissové jest vnější, drsné drama ze života lidu, bez hlubšich tónů citových. V „Gazdině robě” dovedla Preissová vytvořiti krásný typ ženy a dáti této ženě trpěti tak zcela žensky, což právě Foester pak svým dílem vystupňoval v dílo psychologicky nesmírně jemné. V „Její pastorkyni” není po tomto umění téže autorky ani stopy. Není tu jedné postavy, jež by nás mohla doopravdy zajímat tím, co se děje v jejím nitru: vše, co se děje, dáno jen vnějším dějem. Co se děje v duších těchto lidí jest nám lhostejné neb nejasné: kdo jest Jenůfa, kdo kostelnička, kdo Laca, kdo Števá Jen ti aspoň jednají, ale nevíme, proč dnes tak a zítra jinak. Srovnejme jen Evu s Jenůfou: Eva jest stále aktivní, všechno vede, všechno určuje svým citem, Jenůfa jest pouhá hříčka, zcela trpná, trpná i ve své bolesti. Hudební dramatik nemohl zde ničeho, zase zcela vnějšně podtrhávati děj naturalistického dramatu. Světlo pravého umění nemohlo zde prozářiti povrch šedé, mechanicky nám předváděné reality. p. 109 (Nejedlý, pp. 186–7) I zde nalezneme hojně styků mezi Janáčkem a mladoruskou školou Balakirevovou, jen tím důležitým rozdílem, že Janáček se neostýchá svůj theoretický princip hnáti v praksi až ad adsurdum. Janáček béře stejně jako první skladatelé mladoruští za základ svého díla činohru, již do té míry beze změny komponuje, že ponechává prosu textu a zřiká se tudíž verše. „Její pastorkyňa jest první česká zpěvohra, komponovaná na prosaický text. I to souvisí s Janáčkovým naturalismem a s jeho tendencí, slovácké opery, nikoli však s přirozeným rozvojem myšlenky, dané „Nevěstou Messinskou”. Janáček také zhudebňuje činohru, a to ještě důsledněji než Foerster. Ponechává i všechny osoby kusu, z jich hovorů vypouští jen některé věty (ne vždý šťastně neboť tím často smysl zbylých vět se stává nejasným). Smysl toho však jest u Janáčka zcela jiný, neboť jest dán jeho theorii o národním dramatě moravském. p. 112 (Nejedlý, pp. 189–90) To vidíme i na Janáčkově díle. Jeho drama není lidově silně, poněvadž svou lidovost
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zakládá na vnějšku, o němž se domnívá, že jest výrazem velké hloubky duševní, jenž však ve skutečnosti jest formou často dosti nahodilou, jejíž účinek jest proto nejistý. Umělec však jen tehdy tvoří bezpečně, může-li ručiti sám svým uměním za účin svého díla. p. 112–13 (Nejedlý, p. 190) Ve „Její pastorkni” jest theorie nápěvků provedena do důsledků a přiveden snad dokonale ad absurdum. Jedno, dvě, tři slova textu jsou skladateli hlavní věcí, v nich jest „duše scény”, ta slova dají náladu, proto pak jich nápěvek jest i motivem orkestru při oné scéně, ne však motivem ve smyslu moderniho, hudebního thematu, nýbrž pouhým odleskem nápěvku, zde v orkestru někdy do omrzení opakovaného, čímž plastičnost i náladovost scény trpí, místo aby tím získala. Jako jinde, tak i zde primitivismus ohrožuje právě to, po čem tvůrce takového díla nejvíce touží: dojem přirozenosti, prostoty. p. 113 (Nejedlý, pp. 190–1) Jest tu zvláště zajímavo konstatovati, jak málo lidového i slovenského živlu citíme z „Její pastorkyně”. Objektivně jest ho tam uloženo velmi mnoho, ale umělecky se neuplatňuje. Foerster svou „Evu” tvořil přímo opačně: objekivně slovenské hudby (motivů) není v jeho díle mnoho a pro ráz díla i to málo má nepatrný význam. Ale Foerster ze sebe vytvořil dílo tak silné nálady, že „Eva” působí daleko lidověji i slovenštěji než „Její pastorkňa”. p. 118–19 (re. note 32) Což nemůže mít člověk své pojímání děl Smetanových? Proč bych já měl mít nepřátelské? Což mám věřit žvastům, kterými horou kryjí Smetanu? Což nemohu si Smetanu představit bez osvětlením Hostinským a Nejedlým? Jeho samotného, jeho díla v poměru k světové současné produkci? Proč mne hází k Pivodovi? Co mne s tímto člověkem váže? Nic! Jak může skladatel skládat bez vlivu prostředí, v němž děj se odehrává? Jak může být Eva dramatickou? Vždyť právě toto prostředí omezuje výraz dramatický Dle všeho neví Nejedlý v čem leží podstata účinu dramatícké hudby. Proč někdy jediný tón má sílu větší v tom ohledu ne zátopy tónů! p. 119 (re. note 33) Prostředí díla, ten duch slovenský, jarost, barvu, dravost si — odmyslit a skládat všelidsky! To dovede jen Foerster! Přimyslil si chudák jen čtyři stěny své pracovny. To je rozdíl: Javorník se vším, co jsme tam viděli – a čtyři stěny Foerstrovy pracovny! Jak obléct ty »všelidské« lidi? Proč mají slovenský kroj? Což je nějaký všelidský kroj?
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pp. 120–1 (Nejedlý, conclusion of review in Smetana, see n30) Bylo by smutným výsledkem dnešních těžkých dob, kdyby pod jich tíhou ohroženo bylo dědictví díla Smetanova, kdybychom v náladě pohnuté doby zašli tak daleko, že bychom zapomněli na podstatu díla Smetanova. Dnešní krise a její nálady pominou, ale kulturní dědictví Smetanovo nepomine. Toto dědictví proto musíme chrániti proti všemu, co je ohrožuje, tudíž i proti starému, pouze ethnografickému heslu národni hudby, vtělenému v »Její pastorkyni«. Jinak bychom jen dokazovali, jak málo hluboko proniknuti jsme kulturou Smetanovou, když při prvním náladovém nárazu dáme se v ní zvrátiti k pravému jejímu opaku. A ten, kdo by v »Její pastorkyni« spatřoval snad něco více než jen překonaný naturalistický experiment, dokazoval by opravdu, že mu dílo Smetanovo ve své kulturní hodnotě jest docela tajemstvím. Proto neostýchám se ani v této době, kdy chápu všechny ty mimoumělecké city, jež se pojí k úspěchu »Její pastorkyně«, říci svůj střízlivý úsudek o tomto díle. Jásáme-li dnes při »Prodané nevěstě« a »H ubičce«, jsme-li do duše pohnuti při »Libuši«, nesmíme zapomínati, že tato díla jsou nám dnes i vždy vice než jen pouhé opery, že jsou nám štítem v boji o lepší budoucnost, že jsou nám hvězdou, jež nás vede do zaslíbené země svrchované, svéprávné národní kultury. Proto však také musíme chrániti nedotknutelnost tohoto odkazu proti každému, kdo je ohrožuje.
Chapter 9: New Light and the Man of Might: Revisiting Early Interpretations of Die Zauberflöte (pp. 194–221) Rachel Cowgill Translations of two early allegorical readings of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte that are referred to (but not quoted in) Cowgill’s chapter p. 207, see n35 From: Geheime Geschichte des Verschwörungs-Systems der Jakobiner in der österreichischen Staaten: Für Wahrheitsfreude (London, 1795), 47–54 Translation by Diane Temme An infinite number of allegories were presented in the theatres, which only the educated could understand. The mysteries attested to were planned, in turn, because the leaders and people in charge of the whole thing were very well aware that mystery increases enthusiasm; yes, often even causing it. In this way, for example (if you would believe it), the entire opera, the famous and commonly known Magic Flute, is an allegory of the French Revolution, according to its state in the years from 1789 to 90 and 91. In 1791, this piece was performed for the first time in Vienna at the socalled ‘Wiedner Theatre’. We do not want to accuse good Mozart with anything, because of this, since he was only the creator of the excellent music and did not have anything to do with the remaining construction of the piece. It is most likely that he
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did not know about the idea at all, which lay in ambush. That is why the course of the piece seems ridiculous, absurd and vulgar to those who are not educated. So the acclaim that it received in Vienna was exceedingly great in two respects: partly because of the pleasant music and partly because of the hidden meanings. It was performed 62 times in succession and its popularity affected the time of admission. In Vienna, the plays begin at seven o’clock; however, for the first 14 days of the performance of the Magic Flute, one had to find one’s seat by five o’clock, because only a little later people had to be refused admittance by the hundreds, because the house was so full. It was not until the third week that one could toil with a lot of effort for a seat. Of course, more and more people came to know about these allusions until, finally, the following written hints were discovered by which the profane world was also made part of the auspiciousness to obtain light. The allegory admittedly is not one of the most complicated, but for the promotion of its secret function, it was always deemed intricate enough. Characters The Queen of the Night Pamina, her daughter Tamino The Queen of the Night’s three nymphs Sarastro The priests of Sarastro Papageno Elderly woman (Papagena) Monostatos, the Moor Slaves The three genies [boys]
the former government freedom, which is always a daughter of despotism the common people deputies of the three social classes the wisdom of a new/better legislation the national assembly the wealthy equality the emigrants the servants and mercenaries of the emigrants intelligence, justice and patriotism, which lead Tamino
The idea that underlies this piece is: the release of the French people from old despotism through the wisdom of a better legislation. The Course of the Piece Tamino is chased by a monstrous snake (the impending state bankruptcy) that threatens to devour him. The Queen of the Night would gladly save him, because her own existence depends on Tamino’s. But she cannot do it alone, and thus, needs her three nymphs, who then destroy the monster. Tamino breaks out in loud thanks towards his saviours and, on top of this, Tamino receives from them an excellent gift – a magic flute. (The freedom to be able to take a stand for his well-being and to be allowed to voice his complaints.) At the same time, the queen assigns Tamino the task of freeing her daughter from the hands of Sarastro, a cruel, lascivious and tyrannical king, who had supposedly stolen her from the queen and hidden her in a cave. In order to inflame Tamino even more to this undertaking, the queen promises him her daughter in marriage upon her recovery; this is, however, not her real intention, because she (the daughter) has already been long promised by the queen to Monastatos. Tamino swears to the queen to do everything in his power to restore her
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stolen daughter to her. The queen has the nymphs tell him that on his adventure he should only rely completely on the guidance of the three good genies [boys]. Now he really begins his trip into the land of the ill-reputed Sarastro in the company of Papageno (symbolizing the wealthy, who (as it is well-known), because of the way they had been demoted by the nobility and the clergy, were very happy to use their influence to help bring about the change of the state). But how surprised is Tamino when he finds out that Sarastro is the exact opposite of what he expected! Although Sarastro is a mighty and shining king, this power and this splendour are not based on the ruin of his subjects; not on the sweat and the blood of his people, but rather on the best form of government. This is why his subjects adore him and are extremely happy under his white sceptre. He appears on a chariot pulled by wild animals, suggesting that wisdom which gives laws moderates the natural crudeness of mankind and that the whole world submits to this wisdom with joy. Instead of treating Tamino with enmity, as he expected, Sarastro advances to him with love and tells him that he has been betrayed by the Queen of the Night. Sarastro then voluntarily offers to lead him into the Temple of Honour and Bliss, if Tamino wants to follow him. Tamino, touched by the kindness of this felicitous man and convinced of the truth of his statements, yields with his whole soul to Sarastro; especially because Sarastro solemnly promises to give him the lovely Pamina in marriage. Sarastro summons his priests together to declare to them that he deems Tamino worthy to be received into the Temple of Honour and Bliss and allows them to cast their vote on this matter. They, too, unanimously count him worthy and announce the outcome of their negotiations through far-sounding mouthpieces as a sign that they are directed to the whole earth. At the admittance of Tamino, the priests also illuminate the grimmest places with torches to indicate that, finally, the torch of the enlightenment permeates into the darkest areas of the universe. But before Tamino can finally enter into the Temple of Bliss, he has to endure all of the wearisome preparations, those to which every initiated person must submit himself. Part of this is the silence that has been imposed on him, abiding in grim places and, finally, the dreadful test of fire and water. Tamino passes all of these with unwavering courage, being convinced of the benevolence of old Sarastro, and is finally admitted to the Temple of Bliss together with his Pamina, where she becomes his wife. His companion Papageno was of good cheer and even boastful at the beginning (so long as the adventure was running as planned). He is, after all, a weak and raw person, who, however much he may wish to be happy, still hates all strain and trouble and especially does like not denying himself anything. As Tamino patiently endures all of the imposed trials, Papageno thinks only of his crude pleasures, to eat and drink excessively. In due time, he is disabused by the good spirits and gives, although always highly grudgingly, his hand to the old wench who then transforms back into a lovely girl and makes Papageno happy. The outstanding thing about Papageno is: the beautiful feathers all over his body, because of his vanity. The shepherd’s pipe symbolizes his crudeness and the glockenspiel (to which everything has to dance) symbolizes the effect of wealth and resembles the sound of gold that circulates in the hands of the rich. Monastatos (the emigrants) tries to put obstacles in the way of Tamino’s fortune by cunning and deceit, and also by violence, so that in the end he even wants to kill Pamina. But Sarastro punishes him for that. Once again he gathers his last strength in order to wage an assault on the Temple of Bliss with the Queen of the
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Night; but he is hurled with her forever into the abyss after having solemnly sworn earlier that he wanted to stay connected with his beloved, the equally black queen. The wild animals that upon the sound of the sweet sounds of the flute discard their normative behaviours for some time, are lions, crest of the Netherlands; leopards, England; eagles, Austria, Russia and Prussia. The others represent the smaller countries.
p. 208, see n36 Johann Valentin Eybel (1741–1805), Göttergespräche gegen die Jakobiner (Linz, 1794), 64–75 (the seventh of fifty-two conversations between the gods against Jacobinism); quoted in Emil Karl Blümml, ‘Ausdeutungen der “Zauberflöte”’, Mozart-Jahrbuch, 1 (1923), 111–46 (pp. 114–22) Translation by Diane Temme [64] VII. Thalia and Momus. Thalia: Do all gods have to put up with this, Momus? You review their works, because you are set up as the god of criticism. Now I will also accept everything you say about my ‘Magic Flute’. Momus: Muse! Be assured that I will not say anything to you on this subject that could give you occasion to complain. Since the beginning of time, I have always expected the best attitudes from you. I am even convinced that you actually possess them. Your disposition in this piece is again excellent and the music is a masterpiece. Thalia: But still, is it not like this? You do find a lot of passages that you can criticize and perhaps you will even deem the entire piece incoherent and a riddle of the Luzerna (Laterna) magica that cannot be understood by everyone. Momus: Precisely the opposite! Everything is linked together coherently, but it could certainly be the case that not everybody can understand what the piece is supposed to mean. Enough! Those who do not understand everything still enjoy it, but those who take top prize are those who completely take in its meaning and become entirely enthusiastic about it, as a member of the audience, in such a way that Pythia, the priest of Apollo, could not be more enthusiastic [65] when she sat on her tripod on top of the steaming cave, when she changed colour and countenance; when her hair ruffled up, when her chest wheezed, when her mouth steamed, when her whole body was taken by convulsions and when she finally, being altogether full of divinity, roared with what was more than the voice of a man. I actually heard a roar like that when the audience applauded your piece. Thalia: Is what you say true or are you trying to mislead me? Momus: It’s true, entirely true.
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Thalia: But I would be curious to hear from you if the majority has interpreted the piece correctly and taken in all of its meaning. Momus: Apart from the few who only pay attention to the decoration, the lights, set changes in the theatre, the mechanical mechanisms, Papageno with parrot feathers, and only those things that are reminiscent of marionettes or the acting of Bernardon, and those who see these things in the same manner. They only look at the external extravagance and do not see the internal workings; but besides these people, I believe that the rest has conceived the meaning of the piece in the same way that I have. Thalia: Count it to my vanity that I want to hear at length how you and other connoisseurs have perceived and interpreted it. Momus: The main plot is this: The Night – representing the philosophy of the Jacobins – bears a daughter – namely, the republic – which she subsequently wants to raise and then give in marriage to the Jacobins, thereby creating an alliance. It is completely correct that you, Thalia, ignore this, because the Jacobins themselves did not agree [66] on whether she should be given in marriage to a single Jacobin dictator, who would of course in turn allow himself to be dictated by the other Jacobins, or whether she should be given in marriage to seven hundred Jacobin men, or maybe just ten of the kind. It seems that the latter is considered because the dictator had lost his head, and also many of the remaining bridegrooms had already been guillotined, and because the matrimony of one wife with seven hundred husbands could not persist. Alone under the protection of God, the creator of nature and reason, and through godly wisdom, everything took its course as follows: The daughter – the Republic – was taken away from her mother – the Night – and given shelter in a place where there are still temples and priests (for in France there are no longer any priests, but instead comedians and dentists who shout down from pulpits). In this place, she is guarded by a great power so long that after the Night is driven away, she can stop being an unmarried Republic and change her marital status by wedding a royal prince who withstands all tests and thus proves to be a child of the true Light: a legitimate suitor. Well, Thalia, I believe that just like all the other connoisseurs, I have taken in the correct meaning of your piece. Thalia: I cannot expect that you have kept every single scene in mind, Momus; otherwise you would have had to tell me the interpretation of every scene that you considered while watching. Indeed, it is again due to my vanity that I am not satisfied with a flattering explanation, but I want to hear so much about too many scenes. Momus: It is my pleasure to go through every scene with you. Do not forget that I have the whole piece in print, [67] although I could recite most of it to you. Thalia: Then commence with the first scene of the first act. Momus: Well, in the first scene Tamino is understood to be the prince who wants to preserve France and make an end to her status of being an unmarried Republic. At the beginning of the endeavour, the Jacobin snake threatens him with doom, but some of those who are in the Kingdom of Night (but are on the side of the royally minded) slay this snake. After this, Papageno or the Jacobin fowler makes an appearance in the second scene. He has to lure the people into the club of the Jacobins and lock them up
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in the ‘national cage’, passing them on to the Night in this fashion. You could not have found a better picture for this chattering and babbling parrot. In the end, the poor Jacobin fowler had to help the prince come to his ultimate purpose, and in the sixth scene, the Night – or the philosophy of the Jacobins – was so easily, as also excellently, deceived by the high-minded of her own following that the portrait came into the hands of the legitimate suitor (this could already be seen clearly in the first, third and fifth scene, in the portrayal of the three ladies). Thalia: But at this point you seem to have lost the interrelation in your interpretation: for the prince, whom you reckon to be the legitimate suitor, is much too young and is a prisoner of the Jacobins. [68] Momus: You are testing me, Muse! And you pretend as if you had not understood who was meant by the one who represents the person of the innocent and small, imprisoned prince. Through this, in all of your mysterious outfittings, you make the stupidity of the Jacobins (who do not make way for the truth and reality of still having a king) quite clear. Anyway, in France there has been a proverb ever since, namely: the king never dies, because in the very moment he dies, his successor stands living as king. And should the Jacobinic murderers really want to satiate themselves still with the innocent blood of a small and innocent king, so they push their business even further into ruin, because then their King is out of the robber’s den, Paris, and even resides with the combined powers – both things they had wanted to prevent in the lifetime of the murdered king. I understand your ladies to be the royal following, because they name the power through which the republic is held back a demon and villain. They must also converse in the Jacobinic language, for they would otherwise give themselves away. Thalia: Now continue with your review. Momus: The one who is punished for his lies with a mechanism that locks his mouth shut comes in the seventh and eighth scenes, but then the Jacobin, Papageno, is pardoned. You are right in that you allow him to be pardoned. Should one put such a locking mechanism on all the Jacobins, because they lie and tell Jacobin tales of victory (which is a Jacobinic trick in order to dispirit noble souls) or fabricate tales of victory which were supposedly made against the Jacobins and then to the timidity of the noble are proven not to be true, so [69] one must have seen a great number of people with mouth-locking mechanisms going around. The gift for the prince, the flute, is excellently thought out, because the Jacobins will have to dance when the flute is played in front of them. Also, the silver bells are fitting for Papageno who himself becomes royally noble and must be a protector of the prince, because as soon as the silver bells sound, so those in the Jacobinic government, who see no more than the paper Assignates, will become more attentive and return as before to the royal nobility. Thalia: Don’t forget the three boys who must surround Tamino on his journey. Momus: These are the spirits of France, and this even in connection with the immortals that France had brought under its protection, which show that you wanted to depict Hesiod’s whole teaching of the good and immortal spirits. Because according to Hesiod’s teaching of the gods Jupiter himself has the authority as the
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head of the council of spirits, oftentimes he makes heroes into immortal spirits that are made to hover above the earth as a protector of mortals. They are engulfed in air and are wandering everywhere; they observe the good and bad actions of men and are able to protect honest and upright people according to the instruction of eternal providence. So the heroes, Protesilaus and Achilles, must, in this sense, appear as good spirits. Thalia: And who have I understood as the Moor, Monostatos, in the ninth, tenth, eleventh, seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth scenes? Momus: In the light of this, we see a Jacobin emissary and courtier who adulates his lord, but who in doing so also intended to deprive him of France [70], seeking to obtain the Republic for himself and his following. And because of this, he receives his reward in the nineteenth scene that the slaves wish upon him already in the ninth scene. I’m astonished, Thalia!, that you gave slaves to the noble Sarastro who is surrounded abundantly by wisdom, reason and nature; especially since serfdom can no longer be found under even a single archon of a civilized nation, let alone slavery, but I noticed your cunning allusions which are to the effect that it is really better to be called a slave in a well-ordered state than to be under Jacobinic tyranny, which is the worst that the world has yet experienced. Under this tyranny, one is truly the most wretched slave. The portrayal of Pamina’s imprisonment at the hands of the terrible Moor, Monostatos, indeed reminds the audience of the terrible treatment which the Blessed Antonia had to endure in her imprisonment at the hands of the blood-thirsty Jacobin vermin and, by consequence of the Jacobin club’s power, as an eternal warning to all the nations especially against secret alliances. Thalia: The transformation of the theatre in the fifteenth scene and, indeed, the entirety of the fifteenth scene will and must have certainly pleased everyone. Momus: I already wanted to advise you to place the temples in a different order. In the script (Komödienbüchel), it says that the Temple of Wisdom leads to two other temples: namely, to the Temple of Reason on the right side and the Temple of Nature on the left. I would have wished for these temples all to stand in a straight line on a rise in such a way that one temple is seen above the other and that each could be seen over the others, and so that the Temple of Nature is the [71] first, then the Temple of Reason is the second, and finally, the Temple of Wisdom, the third. Thalia: Why is this? Momus: My dear Muse! The Jacobins give the best evidence of this order and attitude. Its revision is necessary that they, first of all and before all else, take on civilized human nature, so they are first able to arrive at reason and then finally attain wisdom. It is, in general, a long and hard path until one arrives at wisdom; then how can the Jacobins expect to be led into the Temple of Wisdom immediately. Even better would be if the Temple of Reason and the Temple of Nature were placed in a straight line and not laterally. If one wants to go to the Temple of Reason and then has to go left to the Temple of Nature, he is not on a straight path. Thalia: Whoever misses or passes over the higher teachings of reason and over the more exalted teachings in nature whilst lacking wisdom misses the point. Likewise,
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he who does not go to these through wisdom misses the way, also: both for himself and for those whom he wants to enlighten. Momus: By Jupiter! In this sense you are correct, Muse! You understand the divine wisdom, the grace and mercy of God and religion from which one must be led into rational and natural inquiries. I take back my words. Your Temple of the Divine Wisdom that mainly leads us through religion, should, as the most excellent, remain standing as the first temple. Reason and Nature rightly stand behind the Creator and as Nature hints at the highest Creator, so one cannot conceive a complete exalted idea of nature without Him. [72] Thalia: Is the music not exquisitely fitting to this and every scene where the priests come in? Momus: It is superb and masterful and does not just lift the spirits, but also strikes one with holy fear. The trombones are bold as well as harrowing, and the ‘death trumpet’ is calling for the execution of the Jacobins. You could not have chosen a more appropriate instrument than the trombone for the priests in opposition to the radicals who fought against the priesthood whose death and ruination must be announced. The nineteenth scene where Sarastro introduces the united power against the Jacobins is also excellent and majestic. It is quite right that you allow him to drive a chariot after the many and incredible defeats which the Jacobins have already experienced. You should make the six lions more recognizable. You could do this easily if you drape them with rich cloth and if the coat of arms were affixed to them: the first with the coat of arms of the German imperial family and the Austrian monarchy, the second with the imperial Russian coat of arms, the third with the royal Prussian eagle, the fourth with the coat of arms of England and Holland, the fifth with the Spanish and Portuguese coat of arms, and the sixth with the coat of arms of the united Italian kingdom and states. Thalia: You have achieved much with the review and interpretation of the first act. Now you can proceed to express your views on some of the pieces in the second act and how you have interpreted them, because the rest is self-explanatory based on what you have already said about the first act. Momus: Indeed, Sarastro explains again in his first entrances that only a king’s son (which means not a Jacobin club or a national convention or a decemvirate) [73] will receive the bride. He sets off against the opposing beliefs or superstitions of the Jacobins (in this case entirely fittingly) and against their traps whereby they wanted to make the people believe the opposite. The Jacobin fowler whom you rightfully depict as a fool almost throughout the entire second act and who almost dies because he wants to hang himself, as many of Jacobin deputies have already done, makes a confession in the name of all Jacobins when he says that fighting is not ‘his cup of tea’. Whatever the Jacobin could not win through cruel cunning ruse, they certainly had a much smaller chance to win by fighting. Thalia: But the three ladies whom you saw as representing the secretly noble should have again ruined your interpretation, because you heard them speaking in the language of the Night against Sarastro and his federation.
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Momus: By no means at all. Those who are secretly kingdom-minded always converse openly in the language of the Night; moreover, especially when they receive a mission against the royal party. Secondly, some of the same ladies are actually wavering out of concern and experience the same fate as the Jacobins. So your ladies are finally smashed, together with the Night; as it also happened with the Moor who after his fruitless endeavours to gain the Republic, publically declared himself a part of the Jacobin party and became a radical with them. Thalia: But did you not always hear or read of the initiates, that is, that they are against the queen? [74] Momus: Yes! But only against the Queen of the Night; namely, against Jacobinic philosophy, which is, at the moment, queen in France. By the initiates, I mainly understood the anointed: the kings of other lands and all those who dedicate themselves to the service of this royalty, because you know that when one thing consecrates itself and another thing dedicates itself, they are one thing. In the same way, every righteous man dedicates himself to righteousness. According to the entire piece, these same men take the royal prince into their protection. The federation which the united powers have come to constitute legitimate royal worth; this federation would certainly cause the demise of the Night or the reigning Jacobin philosophy, because in the eighth scene, the Night is already taking responsibility and will say as much as that she cannot protect France any longer because with the death of the father, namely Louis XVI, her power has gone to the grave. You have reflected on the testament of the blessed king very nicely in this scene and at the same time you portray the Night in her incessant character, namely as she always resorts to assassination attempts and murder as her only means of aid. Thalia: Did the decoration and transformation of the theatre in the twenty-eighth scene turn out well? Momus: Superb. The armoured men show what kinds of tests the bridegroom of France had to endure. Fire and water are those dangerous elements through which he had to go with the courage of a hero in order to go against the Jacobins: as the impressive troops of the Emperor and the King of England went out through fire and water in Valenciennes and overcame fear of death. These are the true initiates. [75] They assert the words of the wise men of the ‘Circle of the Sun’ (Sonnenkreis) who consume everything which stands in the way and presses against the Night and her gun smoke. This piece is one of the most excellent pieces against the Jacobins. And I wanted to have advised you, Thalia, that because in all Olympia a celebration is announced, because of the many defeats of the Jacobins, you are to give a performance of this piece on that very day. Thalia: Nothing mysterious is suited for this day; for this reason, I will also make an appropriate choice for the celebration. I will perform either ‘Das Fehmgericht’ or ‘Die Kokarden’. Momus: This is very prudent, because ‘Fehmgericht’ very clearly suggests a blow against the Jacobins. And how could noble people not enjoy ‘Die Kokarden’ when they see the subjects portrayed who do not want to wear the rebellious cockades.
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Instead, they lay the cockades down at their masters’ feet so that he can stamp on and crush these foolish things.
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