Edmonton Opera
Education Guides
2008/2009
Presented By
This guide was prepared by
Brianna Wells
Inside this Guide….
Section 1: What is Opera
Opera Etiquette …………………………………………………………………... 2
What is Opera ?…………………………………………………………………….3
History ……………………………………………………………………………. 4
Activity: Who’s Who in Opera ………………………………………………… 5
The Operatic Voice..……………………………………………………………… 6
Anatomy of Sound ………………………………………………………………. 8
Activity: Opera is Everywhere! ...………………………………………………10
Activity: Opera is Storytelling………………………………………………….11
Section 2: The Flying Dutchman
The Cast ………………………………………………………………………….. 14
Synopsis ………………………………………………………………………….. 15
The Story Behind the Story……..………………………………………………. 17
The Dutchman Adapts! ………………………………………...…………….… 18
Activity: Legendary Legends…………………………………………………...19
Activity: The Setting……………………………………………………………. 20
What is Expressionism? .…………………………………………………………21
Biography………………………………………………………………………….20
Activity: Historical Perspective.………………………………………………. 22
Activity: Leitmotif, Theme Songs, and Bingo………………………………..23
Discussion Questions ……………………………………………………………28
Education Guide
The Flying Dutchman
by Richard Wagner
1
Opera Etiquette
ALWAYS BE EARLY! Once a performance begins, no one will be allowed
into the theatre until intermission because it will disrupt other patrons. We
suggest you arrive half an hour early to pick up your tickets, and prepare to
enter the auditorium fifteen minutes prior to showtime.
USE THE RESTROOM. Once in the theatre it is courteous to remain seated
and involved in the production until intermission. Please do not leave the
theatre unless there is an emergency.
PLEASE BE COURTEOUS to everyone in the audience and on stage. Theatre
is live performance, so any talking, cell-phone use (including texting) or other
noise/light disruption takes away from everyone’s experience at the opera.
APPLAUSE WELCOME! Opera is spectacle. Your presence in the audience
is essential to complete the whole experience. Enjoy the performance and
respond to what you see. Unlike television or film, every live performance is
unique: only you and the performers will share the experience you have in the
theatre. Your warmth and good humour are important to them, so when you
like something, tell them with your applause.
NO FOOD, DRINKS, OR GUM IN THE THEATRE. This rule is strictly
enforced.
NO CAMERAS OR TAPE RECORDERS: the artists’ images and
performances belong to them and we ask you to respect that by refraining
from recording their work in any way.
Education Guide
The Flying Dutchman
by Richard Wagner
2
What is Opera?
The word opera is the plural form of the Latin word opus (which translates quite
literally as work). Today we use the word opera to refer to a theatrically based musical art form
in which the drama is sung (without microphones!), rather than spoken, and is accompanied by
a full symphony orchestra.
Opera was born out of the belief that drama can be better expressed by music and text than by
text alone. One of the unique things about opera is how it combines so many different art forms
(music, drama, and visual arts) to create an artistic spectacle. Of course, the use of many art
forms means that there are many people involved in the creation and production of an opera.
These may include:
Composer: Writes the music
Librettist: Chooses a story, writes or adapts the words
Conductor: Leads the musicians
Director: Blocks or stages the entire production
Principal Singers: Have the leading and supporting roles
Chorus: Sing as a group
Supernumeraries: Act but do not sing
Repetiteur: Accompanies singers during rehearsal, plays the whole orchestral score on
piano
Costume Designer: Designs the costumes for each character
Wardrobe/Costume Staff: fit, clean and repair costumes; help singers put costumes on
Wig Staff: Make wigs and prepare make-up
Make-up Staff: Apply make-up for principal singers, assist chorus with make-up
Set Designer: Designs the scenery for each scene
Lighting Designer: Designs lighting effects
Prop Builders: Build/buy all the set pieces that are not structural
Stage Manager: “Calls the show” -- cues scenery changes, lighting and actors so that
everything happens at the right time.
Stagehands: Move scenery; run lighting & sound cues
Front of House Staff: Work in the performance venue: seating patrons, operating coat
check
Artistic Director: Chooses which shows to produce and which artists to hire
Administrative Staff: Find funding (!); sell tickets; hire artists; take care of the business
side of opera.
Audience: Enjoys and appreciates opera from a seat in the hall!
Critic: Writes a critique of performance for newspaper, radio, or TV
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The Flying Dutchman
by Richard Wagner
3
A Short History of Opera
Opera as an art form began with the inclusion of incidental music performed during the tragedies and
comedies popular during ancient Greek times. The tradition of including music as an integral part of
theatrical activities expanded in Roman times and continued throughout the Middle Ages. Traditional
view holds that the first completely sung musical drama (or opera) developed in Florence in the 1570s by
an informal group of composers, musicians and artists known as the Florentine Camerata, which led to
the musical setting of Rinuccini’s drama, Dafne, by composer Jacopo Peri in 1597.
In the 17th century, Italian masters Giulio Caccini and Claudio Monteverdi developed a kind of musical
entertainment where a story – including the events, conversations, and characterizations – is told through
singing and orchestral accompaniment. Two key components of these entertainments became hallmarks
of opera: recitative sections and arias. Recitatives are song-speech, and the words are sung but with little
or no recognizable melody, and with a rhythm that imitates those of speech. Recitatives function to
further the storyline of the drama. Arias (Italian for “air”) are main songs that reveal both the emotion of
the characters, and the qualities of the soloists’ voices. Additionally, there were groups of singers called
the chorus, who played background characters of the story. Their songs were usually a comment on the
action, much like the chorus from ancient Greek drama.
Opera gained popularity throughout Europe in the late 17th and 18th centuries and Italian composers
dominated the field (this is why operatic terms are often Italian words). German opera followed the lead
of Italian opera through much of the 18th century, with composers actually producing operas to be sung
in Italian. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, an Austrian composer, wrote some of the first German-language
operas in the mid 18th century, and also brought the technique of singspiel (“sing play” where spoken
dialogue is used instead of recitative) to greater attention. Giaochino Rossini was the most popular
composer at the turn of the 19th century, and his best-known works were comic operas (known as opera
buffa). Giuseppe Verdi, the most prolific and influential operatic composer in the 19th century, emerged
from the Italian bel canto and opera buffa styles to a new kind of opera, which focused on great emotion
and dramatic portrayal of character, and began the path to realism in operatic stories.
Also in the 19th century, German composer Richard Wagner introduced the idea of through-composed
operas, in which the distinctions between aria and recitative were to be blurred entirely. He also used
leitmotif (wherein musical motives and phrases represent characters, ideas, or themes, and are reintroduced throughout the work as a way of musically telling the story). At the turn of the 19th century,
Giacomo Puccini followed his hero Verdi into the world of verismo opera, and told stories of common
people with a depth of emotion and transcendence of musical lines that has not been surpassed. In
France, George Bizet’s operas likewise focused on realistic characters and plots. Also at the turn of the
20th century, Austrian, British, and Spanish composers were extremely popular for their light operas (and
operettas).
Today opera continues to grow, both in new staging and productions, and in the creation of new works.
American composers such as John Adams and Philip Glass are credited with breathing new innovation
into the art form, and Aaron Copeland took American history for the sources of his operatic works. John
Estacio, an Edmonton composer and John Murrell (an Albertan playwright) recently created an opera
called Filumena, which tells the story of the last woman executed in Alberta, and it was performed by
Edmonton Opera in 2005. Opera may be 500 years old, but it continues to captivate audiences and tell
important stories today!
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The Flying Dutchman
by Richard Wagner
4
Student Handout
Activity: “Who’s Who” in the World of Opera
In the boxes below, use the clues to determine which composers fit into each century.
Use “A Short History of Opera” to help.
1600-1750
•
•
First “operas”
Development of
recitative and aria
Composers
1750 - 1830
•
•
Introduction of
singspiel
Popular opera buffa
Composers
Composers
1. Georges
Bizet
2. Giulio
Caccini
3. Claudio
Monteverdi
4. W.A.
Mozart
1830 – 1890
•
•
•
Dramatic, emotional
style
Through-composed
opera
Leitmotif
Composers
1890 - 1920
•
•
Verismo opera
Soaring melodies
5. Giacomo
Puccini
6. Giaochini
Rossini
Composers
7. Giuseppi
Verdi
8. Richard
Wagner
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The Flying Dutchman
by Richard Wagner
5
The Operatic Voice
Being an opera singer is hard work! Singers need to be physically strong and have
superb technique in order to sustain long phrases (musical thoughts): this means they
have excellent control of both the inhalation and exhalation of their breath. Likewise,
their voices must maintain a resonance (using the cavities in the face to increase the
audibility of the voice, even when singing quietly) in both the head (mouth, sinuses)
and chest cavities. All this resonance is necessary to achieve the volume required to be
heard above the orchestra that accompanies the singers. Opera singers do not usually
use microphones, so they must project their voices throughout a whole theatre using
only their muscles and technique! All voices are defined by both the actual voice “type”
and the selection of repertoire for which the voice is ideally suited. The range, pitch,
and tone of a singer’s voice will determine what kind of role they will play in the opera.
Below are a list of the voice types (and ranges) commonly found in operas:
Female Voice Types
• Soprano (“sopra” = “over”)
The highest pitched female voice. Soprano voices vary by
sound type: there are coloratura sopranos, who
can sing very high notes and rapid passages with ease,
dramatic sopranos, whose voices have great power, and
lyric sopranos, whose voices have exceptional beauty and can sustain long passages.
Composers often (but not always) write the female lead role in an opera for a soprano.
• Mezzo-Soprano (“mezzo” = “medium”)
Lower than the soprano and higher than contralto. Usually
plays either the character of a young boy (this is called a
trouser role) or a complex character with energy
and awareness of life, or an evil character. Bizet’s Carmen is one of the most famous
mezzo roles in opera, and is a rare lead role for a mezzo.
• Contralto (“contra” = “against” & “alto” = “high”)
The lowest pitched female voice, these singers have a deep,
well rounded sound. Contraltos more rare than sopranos
or mezzos, and they are usually given the role of a maid,
mother, or grandmother. Olga in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene
Onegin is one such role.
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The Flying Dutchman
by Richard Wagner
6
Male Voice Types
• Tenor (“tenere”= “to hold” - central notes of harmony)
The highest sounding male voice: often the leading role.
Tenors, like sopranos, can have lyric or dramatic sound
quality. Luciano Pavarotti was one of the world’s most
famous lyric tenors. Tenors typically play characters that
fall in love with Sopranos, such as Alfredo in Verdi’s La Traviata.
• Baritone (from the Greek term for “deep sounding”)
Theses voices are more mellow-sounding and slightly
lower than tenors. The roles sung by baritones are usually
father figures or counts and other nobles, and these are
often important roles in the story (like Rigoletto in Verdi’s
Rigoletto).
• Bass (“low”)
Basses are the lowest sounding human voices, and they
often play roles of wise and older characters in opera, like
kings, emperors, or gods. They can also play profoundly
evil characters, like Satan in Mephistopheles or Faust. The
basso profundo is the lowest voice in singing, and is commonly heard in Russian opera.
One of the most recognizable bass roles in opera is Leporello in W.A. Mozart’s
Don Giovanni.
Pol Plancon in the bass role of Ramfis in Verdi's Aida,
cartoon by tenor Enrico Caruso
Education Guide
The Flying Dutchman
by Richard Wagner
7
A Sound Anatomy of Opera
There are many different kinds of songs in opera. Performers may sing alone, in couples
(duets), trios, or larger groups, and there are also moments when no one sings at all – and each
composer develops his or her own preferred combinations of these options. The following are
the major musical components of an opera:
The Overture
An opera usually begins with an orchestral piece of music called the overture, which functions
as an introduction to the opera. The overture generally includes themes that will be heard
throughout the opera, and can be anywhere from five to twenty-five minutes long. Before 1800,
house lights were not dimmed while the overture played, and audiences would continue to
talk, drink, and even play cards. This changed in the nineteenth century when the overture
began to take its place as an integral part of the operatic performance. Usually, at the end of the
overture, the curtain rises and the story of the opera unfolds through a series of scenes, which
are usually organized into acts.
Arias
Italian for “air” or song. Arias are solos performed to the accompaniment of the orchestra. They
allow the character to express his or her feelings and reflect on the events of the drama. The
focus of an aria is emotions rather than actions, and provides an opportunity for the singer to
demonstrate his or her vocal or artistic skill. Some of the most successful composers of arias,
such as Mozart, Verdi and Puccini were able to achieve a remarkable balance between
memorable melodies that perfectly suit the human voice, and making the music reflect the
drama of the text.
Recitatives
Recitative is a type of singing unique to opera, and is used when characters are conversing, or
introducing an aria. The text is delivered quickly in a musical way that imitates speech, and has
a very limited melodic range. It has no recognizable melody and its rhythms follow those of the
spoken word. Recitative is meant to carry the action forward and can be accompanied either by
a full orchestra, or, as is often the case in opera written before 1800, by a harpsichord or
keyboard instrument.
Ensemble (“together”)
In operas, ensemble singing is when two or more voices of different ranges perform together.
These include duets, trios, quartets, quintets, and in one or two instances, even a sextet! In each
of these, the way the composer blends the voices will depend on the dramatic requirements of
the plot. For instance, in a duet where the characters singing are in love, a composer may show
this musically by having each performer sing different music at different times, and gradually
bring both lines of music together in harmony as the duet culminates. Conversely, if the
characters are in conflict, their music might never be brought together. Georges Bizet used this
technique in Carmen: if you listen to the duets sung by Carmen and Don José, you might notice
that their musical lines are never completely blended, and this foreshadows their tragic ends.
Education Guide
The Flying Dutchman
by Richard Wagner
8
Chorus
Most operas include music sung by a large group of singers (sometimes as many as 40 or more)
called a chorus. The chorus appears on stage most often in crowd scenes. The chorus can
provide a stunning contrast to solo or ensemble singing. In one opera by Benjamin Britten, the
chorus is played by a single male and a single female (this is in the tradition of ancient Greek
theatre).
Orchestral Music
The orchestra is an important part of any opera, and not only because it accompanies the
singing and introduces the opera in the overture. The themes (both musical and emotional) of
the opera can appear in orchestral introductions and conclusions to arias, recitatives, and
choruses, but sometimes the orchestra becomes a character in the story, and has music to play
by itself outside of the overture or introduction. One of the most famous of these instances is
the intermezzo (“in the middle”) from Cavalleria rusticana by Mascagni (this can be found on
youtube.com). In between the scenes of this one-act opera, the orchestra takes up the story
through incredibly expressive and lyrical (singing-like) melodies, and through the voices of
instruments rather than singers, brings to life the emotion of the characters, the foreboding
conclusion, and also a sense of hope.
The final (and finale) chorus of Falstaff from our 2007/2008 season
Photo credit: Ellis Brothers Photography
Education Guide
The Flying Dutchman
by Richard Wagner
9
Activity: Teacher Resource
Opera is Everywhere!
Background:
We don’t called it the greatest and grandest of art forms for nothing… the stories, characters
and music from opera can be found in every corner of Western culture, from books and plays to
hip-hop and cartoons.
For students new to opera, a great starting point may be discovering all the places where they
may have heard music from opera without even realizing it.
Activity:
Choose a famous piece of operatic music (a list is provided below for help), and go exploring
with your students, to see where the themes, characters, and music appear in our culture today.
Good places to start looking are musicals (Rent, for example, is based directly on La Boheme),
cartoons (Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse were big opera fans), and movie scores, but the sky is
the limit – you’ll be surprised where you find opera these days! Websites like Wikipedia, the
Internet Movie Database, and “Opera goes to the Movies” are a great help, and can help to
begin discussions about how music is performed in and outside of its original context.
Some Questions to ask: What changes when opera is introduced in new places (like ads or
movies)? What stays the same? Even the important question of genre: is it still opera if it’s used
in a car commercial? And if not, what does it become?
Below are some very famous operatic pieces that can easily be found in popular culture
(and on youtube) today:
“Largo al Factotum” from The Barber of Seville by Rossini
“Habanera” from Carmen by Bizet
The Intermezzo from Cavalleria rusticana by Mascagni
“O mio babbino caro” from Gianni Schicci by Puccini
“The Flower Duet” from Lakmé by Delibes
“Un bel dì vedremo” from Madama Butterfly by Puccini
“Non più andrai” from The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart
“La Donna é mobile” from Rigoletto by Verdi
“Nessun Dorma” from Turandot by Verdi
“The Anvil Chorus” from Il Trovatore by Verdi
“Overture – part 2” from William Tell by Rossini
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The Flying Dutchman
by Richard Wagner
10
Activity: Teacher Resource
Teacher Resource
Opera is Storytelling!
Background:
One of the most important things about going to see an opera, or any live theatrical
performance, is that each performance is different, even within the run of the same
show: nothing is every exactly the same twice. The conductor might set a faster or
slower tempo, the actors might take more time in moments that worked well or not well
enough the night before, a bat might fly into the auditorium (this actually happened in
1966 during an Edmonton Opera performance of La Bohème): part of the magic of
theatre is that only the performers on stage and the people
there that night will ever be a part of that experience.
Even though the music may have been written a long time
ago, and the stories can often be much, much older again, each
time an opera is performed it’s a new telling, and a new
experience. Think back to when you had bed-time stories.
Did one person tell it differently than the other? Did a
babysitter use special voices for different characters, or maybe
read too slowly, not pausing in the right places?
Activity: Selective Storytelling
Jeff Haslam and Renée Brad in H.M.S. Pinafore. Mr. Haslam
got so many laughs in “When I was a Lad” that he got more
and more silly with it each night – on closing night it was much
longer than it was at the dress rehearsal!
Photo Credit: Ellis Brothers Photography
To illustrate the uniqueness of each operatic telling, create a simple plotline as a class –
it can be a fairytale or mystery, or a person or event from a particular time in history –
perhaps something that fits into other units coming up or just past.
Then separate into partners or groups, and have students flesh out the plot line either
through a straight retelling, through acting out the story, or creating a design or
diorama to express the feelings of a particular scene. Compare choices made by
different groups – who focused on characterization, on a particular tension, or on the
imagery and how does this change the feeling of the story?
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The Flying Dutchman
by Richard Wagner
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Student Handout: Selective Storytelling
Story ________________________________________
Group
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The Flying Dutchman
by Richard Wagner
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Focus
Result
Section 2: Der fliegende Holländer or The Flying Dutchman
Music and Libretto by Richard Wagner
Sung in German with English Supertitles
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The Flying Dutchman
by Richard Wagner
13
The Flying Dutchman
Music and Libretto by Richard Wagner
Premiered January 2, 1843 in Dresden
Conductor
Director
John Keenan
Brian Deedrick
The Cast
The Dutchman
Senta
Daland
Eric
Mary
Steersman
Jason Howard
Susan Marie Pierson
Marc Embree
Marc Beaton
Emilia Boteva
Scott Scully
The Edmonton Opera Chorus as Sailors, Spinners and Townsfolk
and
The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
Lighting Designer
Set and Costumes Designed by
Elizabeth Asselstine
Allen Moyer
Original Production Conceived and Directed by Christopher Alden
Education Dress Rehearsal
October 23, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Performances
October 25, 28, 30, 2008 at 7:30 pm
The Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
Sung in German with English Supertitles
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The Flying Dutchman
by Richard Wagner
14
Synopsis: The Flying Dutchman
Traditional Setting: 18th Century, Norwegian Coast and fishing village
(please note that this production does not follow the traditional setting)
Act I
Captain Daland’s ship, caught in a storm, must take shelter in a cove seven miles away
from its home port. The seas grow rough and the sky darkens as a ghostly ship arrives
in the cove. The captain of the ship, the Flying Dutchman, disembarks, lamenting his
cruel fate. He is cursed because he once vowed to sail around the Cape of Good Hope,
even it took him forever, and for his pride was condemned him to sail the ocean until
Judgment Day. He may only leave the ship once every seven years to look for a wife
who will be faithful to him and only through her love can he find salvation.
The Dutchman offers the Captain Daland jewels in exchange for one night’s lodging,
and says that the chest is only a small portion of the treasure aboard his ship. He also
asks Daland if he has a daughter. When Daland responds that he does, the Dutchman
immediately asks for her hand in marriage. He offers the Captain all the treasure on his
ship in exchange. Daland agrees and promises that Senta, his daughter, will be a
faithful wife for all eternity. The Dutchman then follows Daland to his home port.
Captain Daland meets the Dutchman
Image from http://art-desy.com/classical.html
Act II
The village women are spinning wool in a factory. They tease Senta about her
obsession with a portrait of the Dutchman. They don’t understand why she ignores her
devoted suitor, Erik. She pays no attention and prays that she will be the one to save
the Dutchman from his cursed wandering. After the women leave, Erik begs Senta to
talk to her father about his worthiness to be her husband. He notices that she is staring
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The Flying Dutchman
by Richard Wagner
15
at the portrait and he tells her of his recent dream, in which she embraced the
Dutchman and sailed away with him. Senta believes this to be a sign and exclaims it is
her dream, too. Erik leaves in despair but the next moment, Daland appears with the
Dutchman. Senta recognizes him and vows to be faithful to him. Daland, Senta and the
Dutchman rejoice in the hope brought by true love.
At the harbour, the villagers celebrate the sailors’ return. They invite the sailors from a
strange ship to join their festivities. As the rough waves surround the ship, they think
that the sailors on board are dead. They all flee in terror. Senta rushes in, pursued by
Erik, who now knows of her intention to marry the Dutchman. Erik reminds her of the
love she has vowed to him. On hearing this, the Dutchman believes he has been
betrayed, and he attempts to leave. Senta sees this, and desperately pledges her eternal
love to the Dutchman, thereby breaking his curse and freeing the lovers to be together
at last.
A drawing of the Flying Dutchman pulling
alongside another ship
Image from http://art-desy.com/classical.html
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The Flying Dutchman
by Richard Wagner
16
The Story Behind the Story
Like most great operas, The Flying Dutchman takes its story from somewhere else. In
this case, many somewhere elses! If you’ve seen The Pirates of the Caribbean movies with
Johnny Depp, you will have heard of the Dutchman and his cursed ship. The story is
part myth, part history, part biblical parable, so what follows are only a few
incarnations of a very popular story.
According to folklore, the Flying Dutchman is a ghost ship that can never go home and
must sail forever. Intriguingly, there is some confusion as to whether Flying Dutchman is
the name of the ship or the captain. Like most legends, different tellings contradict each
other and evolve over time. Here are a few early versions:
•
The German version names Captain Falkenburg as the Dutchman, and states that
in a bet with the Devil, Falkenburg threw the dice and lost his soul, thereby being
condemned to sail the seas for all eternity.
•
In the British telling, a Dutch vessel was attempting to navigate the Cape of
Good Hope when a terrible storm threatened to sink the ship. The Captain (in
this case Hendrik van der Decken) refused to return to port, and apparently
shouted, “May I be eternally damned if I do [return to port], though I should
beat about here till the day of Judgment” (Blackwood’s Magazine May 1821), and
he was cursed by the Devil to do just that.
•
According to still other sources, the 17th century Dutch Captain Bernard Fokke is
the model for the legendary ghost. Fokke was known for the uncannily fast trips
he made from Holland to Java, and he was suspected of having made a deal with
the Devil in order to achieve his quick trips.
Even Wagner’s sources are muddled: in one instance he claimed to be inspired by a
stormy sea voyage he took in 1839, but in his autobiography he claims to have taken the
story from Heinrich Heine’s The Memoirs of Mister Schnabelewopski (or Aus den Memoiren
des Herrn von Schnabelewopski). This was a multi-layered fictional memoir in which a
young Polish man recalls his life in Germany and the Netherlands. In the course of the
story, the young man sees a play about the Dutchman, which some scholars believe was
actually Edward Fitzball’s 1826 play, The Flying Dutchman. Heine also introduces the
“Mrs. Dutchman” character, whose love would save the Dutchman from his curse.
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by Richard Wagner
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The Dutchman Adapts!
The legend of the Dutchman has been a source of artistic inspiration for hundreds of
years, and the fun certainly didn’t stop with the decline of the British sea-trading
culture in the early 20th Century. Here is a short list of some more notable appearances
by the Dutchman in modern adaptations and popular culture:
•
•
•
•
Several episodes of the TV series The Twilight Zone
Jethro Tull’s 1979 song called “The Flying Dutchman”
Amiri Baraka’s play, entitled Dutchman.
Tori Amos’ song “Flying Dutchman” was a B-Side release
Perhaps the most popular recent incarnation of the Dutchman has been Disney’s recent
Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, which features the ship as a cursed vessel that slowly
assimilates sailors into its structure, and is captained by Davy Jones.
An image of Davy Jones on The Flying Dutchman from the Disney movie trilogy
Pirates of the Caribbean (from Wikipedia.org)
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Activity: Teacher Resource
Activities: Legendary Legends
The story of the Flying Dutchman has been told differently depending on who is doing the
telling, and what lesson (if any) that speaker is trying to impart upon the audience. This
flexibility is an important aspect of legends.
Activity #1
Brainstorm legends (both contemporary and classical) in groups or as a class. Why do
we have legends? As a class, develop a working definition of “legends.”
Activity #2 Re-telling The Flying Dutchman
Wagner’s opera is only one adaptation of the Flying Dutchman story. Musicians,
artists, movie producers, and writers frequently rework folklore, history, and other texts
to suit their own needs. Have students write their own legend or retell one with a
particular lesson or theme in mind.
Activity #3 Sea-inspired stories
Oceans and seas have long inspired music, stories, and visual art throughout the world.
Stories such as the long journey of Odysseus and Jason’s hunt for the Golden Fleece are
ancient examples of sea-stories, but even in the 20th century the mysteries and events of
the sea captivate our imagination. Research either a legend (like those mentioned
above) or an historical event (such as the sinking of the Titanic or the lost ships of the
Bermuda Triangle) as a class or in groups. What are the facts and how do they compare
with public perception? How are they represented artistically? Why is the sea such a
good place to blend fact and fiction?
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The Flying Dutchman
by Richard Wagner
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Activity: Teacher Resource
The Setting
Background: The traditional setting for The Flying Dutchman is a fishing village in the early 18th
century. This was a time when many European countries’ wealth depended on their maritime
trading, and thus the sea was a natural focus for art and literature in that period. This
production is not set traditionally, but in a dream-world.
Much like Shakespeare’s plays have been set in new places in films like Baz Luhrman’s William
Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet and Michael Almereyda's New York Hamlet, operas can be set in
periods other than that for which they were originally written. New settings take the focus,
themes, and a particular reading from the original and explore those in a different place and
time, thus inviting audiences to consider a work in new ways.
This production is designed to be a world unto itself, and the sets, costumes, and makeup will
create a dream-like world, as did German Expressionist film makers in the early 1920’s. David
Stabler’s preview for this production of The Flying Dutchman (last presented in 2007) describes
the set: “the curtain will rise on a big, tilted box made of weathered planks, resting on what
looks like a rotted wharf … The tilted box – society is askew – summons up a seaside
community as a bastion of conformity that ostracizes the sailor, who is doomed to sail the seas
forever.” The women’s spinning feels like a factory, taking on a “creepy, fascist, conformist
profile” according to Christopher Alden, the director who conceived the production (The
Oregonian March 22, 2007).
Activity: New setting, New staging, Same Story?
Great works by masters like Wagner and Shakespeare (among others!) are frequently “re-set” in
new productions. As a class, examine how setting (or “re-setting”) plays, operas, books and
movies works.
#1 Brainstorm new settings or re-stagings of works that you know (plays, books, movies).
Where are they originally set and where are they set in the “re-setting”?
#2 Identify some decisions faced in this process: what kinds of references are made to the
original? How close does the story stay to the original? What is the difference between a resetting or re-staging and an adaptation?
#3 Evaluation: Examine some “re-set” or re-staged works in comparison with their “originals,”
(text or production), determine which seem the most successful, and discuss why.
#4 Creation: Taking a story already studied or known in class, and brainstorm other settings for
it. Why do some settings work more than others? How do they contribute to the experience?
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What is Expressionism?
Generally speaking, “Expressionist” refers to art that
portrays extreme emotion. Although there is no
particular “School of Expressionism,” the term is most
frequently used in relation to German artists of the late
19th and early 20th century, whose art focuses on an
“inner vision” rather than realistic portrayal.
Expressionism was a revolt against naturalism and
Expressionist artists like Edward Munsch created art
that focused not on realistic portrayal, but a visual
expression of emotions.
What is German Expressionist
Cinema?
“The Scream” by Edward Munsch (1893) is a
Expressionist Cinema in Germany was a kind of art-film
hallmark work of Expressionism.
Image from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expressionism
(as opposed to Hollywood films of the same era) that
echoed Expressionist art. The Expressionist films
created in Germany from 1913 until about 1930 (also sometimes called Weimar Cinema, after
the Weimar Republic that governed Germany before the rise of Nationalist Socialism) are
distinguished by the extraordinary and skewed dimensions of the sets, the thick, frozen makeup of the performers, and the low lighting.
Two of the most well-known films from this period are Nosferatu
(1922) and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919). While it is debatable if
Nosferatu actually qualifies as an Expressionist work, the film
certainly encapsulates the feeling of terror (and is known for singlehandedly introducing “vampires can be killed by sunlight” into the
vampire oeuvre). The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari makes extensive use of
extreme angles and altered spatial relationships to portray visually
the emotional and psychological extremes experienced by the
characters. The angles and lighting of Weimar Cinema were
influential in the development of film (especially the horror genre)
in America, in part because so many film makers left Germany for
Hollywood before the Nazis came to power in 1936.
A still from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.
Image from Encyclopedia Britannica Online
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Biography: Richard Wagner
1813-1883
Wagner is in many ways the “man behind the music” in the common conceptions of
opera -- The famous opera-caricature of a large woman with blonde braids and horns
on her head actually comes from Wagner’s Ring Cycle. The Canadian Opera Company’s
biography of Wagner calls him “an arrogant megalomaniac of a genius” who “forever
changed the course of musical composition.” His operatic work demonstrates some of
the most pure examples of through-composed music, and he is the inventor of the
leitmotif (see “Leitmotifs and the Composers Who Love them” for more information on
these).
Wagner was born on May 22, 1813, in Leipzig. Legally he was born to Friedrich
Wagner and his wife Johanna, although many musicologists believe that his father was
actually Ludwig Geyer, the painter who was Johanna’s second husband. Early on, the
young composer was greatly influenced by the symphonic writings of Beethoven and
considered them the reason he devoted himself to music as a career. He was also
deeply moved by the great dramatic soprano Wilhemine Schröder-Devrient, whom he
heard sing the title role in Fidelio in 1829; this experience helped him to understand the
great power and potential of the fusion of word and music.
Wagner had six months of formal music education from Theodor Weinlig in Leipzig,
during which he worked on a symphony that was well-received in both Leipzig and
Prague. He began work on an opera called Die Hochzeit, but left it unfinished to
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complete the operatic work Die Feen, which was not performed until 5 years after the
composer’s death. Wagner undertook a series of conducting posts with small opera
companies, where he built the instinct and skills which would forge his vision of
musical drama. In 1839, he married Minna Planer – and their relationship was
apparently very stormy.
Wagner struggled to establish himself in Paris. Despite letters of support from famous
composer Giacomo Meyerbeer, the sketches for both Rienzi, and Das Liebesverbot were
rejected. Wagner turned to The Flying Dutchman and completed it in 1841. In 1842
Rienzi opened in Dresden to a receptive audience, and the following year The Flying
Dutchman met with acclaim in the same city. Wagner became Kappellmeister (music
director) of the Dresden Opera, and in the five years he was there he completed
Tannhäuser and Logengrin. However, Lohengrin was rejected by Dresden Opera and, in
anger, Wagner turned to political revolution and was forced to flee back to Paris.
During his thirteen years of exile, Lohengrin was presented in Weimar, Germany.
Eventually, both Tannhäuser and Lohengrin were embraced by German audiences.
In 1864, the newly-crowned King Ludwig II became the composer’s benefactor.
Wagner produced Tristan and Isolde, Meistersinger, Das Rheingold and Die Walküre
between 1865 and 1870. Wagner continued to receive financial support from King
Ludwig, and when his first wife, Minna, died in 1866, Wagner married Franz Liszt’s
daughter, Cosima.
The final years of Wagner’s life were dedicated to completing what is perhaps the
largest musical project in history: The Ring. His concept was immense: an orchestral,
vocal and theatrical portrayal of the struggle between gods and men for control of the
earth. This mythological drama would be staged over consecutive days in a series of
four sequential operas: Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried, and Götterdämmerung. To
house his creation, Wagner designed and built an operatic facility at Bayreuth. When
the theater opened for the first full performance of the The Ring cycle on August 13,
1876, the event was attended by composers Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saens, Grieg, Gounod
and Liszt (among all the other patrons!).
Wagner died suddenly of heart disease in 1883, having been seriously debilitated by his
efforts at premiering his final work, Parsifal. He was buried in the garden of his home
Wahnfried, at Bayreuth, to the music of “Siegfried’s Death.”
-courtesy of Arizona Opera
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Activity: Teacher Resource
Background: Wagner in Historical Perspective
Wagner lived and worked in a period of massive political upheaval in Europe, which
may account for some of the darkness in his work. What else happened in his lifetime?
What was happening in Canada?
World Events
1821 The first British report of a Flying
Dutchman sighting
1846 the potato famine in Ireland
leads to massive Irish emigration to
Canada, and changes the face of
demographics in the country as poor
and Catholic Irish begin to
outnumber the wealthy Protestants
who had previously emigrated.
1848 Revolution sweeps through
Europe, resulting in the unification of
both Germany and Italy
Activity:
Canadian Events
1821 The Hudson’s Bay and Northwest
trading companies merged, ending a
long-standing rivalry for resources and
land in Canada.
1841 saw the first Parliament of
Canada meet in Kingston
1843 Grace Marks was convicted of
murder in Ontario in a hugely
controversial case (many thought she
was an unwitting accomplice and she
was later exonerated). Her story is
the source for Margaret Atwood’s
novel Alias Grace.
Compare and contrast the life and works of Wagner and a contemporary
musician, politician, or historical figure, either in Canada or elsewhere in the world.
How can their influence be seen in the 20th century? Today?
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Activity: Teacher Resource
Background: Leitmotif and the Composers Who Love Them
Long before the signature entrances of Indiana Jones, Jaws, and Darth Vader, there was
music that reminded audiences of a particular character, emotion, or theme. Short,
recurring motifs (from the French “motive” and translating as “short theme”) in
orchestral music began appearing in the 1700’s, although not in any extensive or
systematic way. Although these musical statements were usually short melodies, they
could be particular chord progressions or as simple as particular repeated rhythms.
Composers Carl Maria von Weber and Beethoven, among others, used this technique
(think of the opening movement in Beethoven’s fifth symphony – Beethoven’s
biographer suggested that the motif represents “fate knocking at the door.”)
The idea of a musical statement representing a particular feeling or theme was also used
by Hector Berlioz in his Symphonie Fantastique, wherein the recurring motif represents
the love of the central characters, even though there are no singers on stage
representing those lovers. Berlioz called this idea the idée fixe.
While this idea had been around for a number of years before Richard Wagner arrived
on the scene, it is he who is most often associated with the term leitmotif (loosely
translated meaning “leading motif”). He used leitmotif extensively in his music,
especially his operas and it is from this usage that they have become so intrinsically
linked to his name. He used them to represent characters, ideas, thoughts and feelings
in his work, and in his longest work, Der Ring des Nibelungen (or the Ring Cycle), there
are dozens of motifs!
Since Wagner, many other composers have used this technique in their works: Sergei
Prokofiev uses it in Peter and the Wolf, Verdi gave his title character one in Aida, and
stirred audiences with the music threatening the entrance of the “bad guy” Scarpia in
Tosca. Today, leitmotifs appear constantly in movies and plays, and the term is even
used in literary studies!
While Wagner never named his leitmotifs, one of his students went to the trouble of
identifying in some of his works all the motifs and naming each one after its idea or
them, such as the “fate motif.” There are several important leitmotifs in the Flying
Dutchman, and we have reproduced some of them on the following page.
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Student Handout
Leitmotifs from The Flying Dutchman
Please note: Wagner never titled his leitmotifs; the names below are included only to assist with classroom
identification and discussion.
Dutchman
Wanderer
Redemption / Senta’s theme
Fate
All of these motifs appear in the Overture to The Flying Dutchman, which can be streamed from
www.edmontonopera.com.
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Activity: Teacher Resource
What’s your Theme Song?
Background:
Wagner’s use of leitmotifs are in the same vein as popular musical themes in plays and
movies today. Indiana Jones and Darth Vader always get their own refrain played
when they are doing something particularly “them” – For example when “Indy” is
escaping from an impossible situation, or whenever Vader marches in. In these cases,
the music reminds the audience about something important in the story (in the case of
Vader’s entry it usually means bad news for whoever is in the room). These are easily
identifiable examples of leitmotif, and clearly demonstrate how it is not just the title
track from the soundtrack that makes the theme, but something musical that speaks to
the character that makes this a leitmotif.
Activity:
Play some popular theme songs (“Jaws”, “Darth Vader’s March,” “Indiana Jones” etc.)
and discuss with students what they’re hearing and why it reminds them of the
character or idea. For music students, this is an opportunity to discuss how, in Western
music, ascending chord progressions can represent inspiration or triumph (among other
feelings) and how descending progressions and minor keys remind us of sadness or can
give us a sense of foreboding (Scarpia’s theme from Tosca is a great example of this). Of
course, in non-Western cultures and musical traditions, these musical “clues” may
signify something very different.
Discuss with students which aspects of each theme speak to them, and why (or why
not) they think the music works as part of the character, idea, or story it is meant to
represent.
Then pick your own! This can be done as a class, or individuals, depending on the level
of students. Identify a theme, character, idea, or person from, history, popular culture,
or another class unit, and either compose a theme on instruments available in the
classroom, or choose one from other music studied. Discuss what elements are
important to represent, and how each musical choice answers to those needs.
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Activity: Teacher Resource
Activity: Leitmotif Bingo
Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman is a through-composed opera, which means that
although there are many important musical moments, there are very few excerptable
(completely distinct) arias or particular songs. This activity is designed to help student
listen closely for particular musical elements.
Play or photocopy the musical motifs from earlier in this guide. Introduce the students
to these motifs, even perhaps have them sing them back to you, and discuss what kinds
of emotions or feelings they seem to evoke. Then play the overture from the Flying
Dutchman (this can be streamed from www.edmontonopera.com) and challenge the
students to record how the music of the motif represents the Dutchman, Senta (and
therefore redemption), Wandering, and Fate. This activity would also work well as a
group activity, with each student listening for only one motif. Another alternative
would be to have students listen for one of the motifs and stand up or raise their hands
when they hear “their” motif.
An activity handout is available on the following page.
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Student Handout
Leitmotif Bingo: The Flying Dutchman
Learn each of the following motifs separately – through listening, playing, or singing –
and then listen to the overture of The Flying Dutchman, and try to identify when each
theme occurs (it’s more than once!) What do you notice about each motif? How do they
sound different? What instruments play them?
Wanderer motif
Listening Reflections:
Fate motif
Listening Reflections:
Redemption motif
Listening Reflections:
Dutchman motif
Listening Reflections:
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Activity: Pre-Performance Discussion Questions
#1 Opera perceptions: What do students think of when they think “opera”? What expectations
do they have of the performance?
#2 How is opera different from other theatrical and musical performances? What is the
difference between a “musical”, an operetta, and an opera? Are there exceptions to the
definitions?
#3 How is The Flying Dutchman different from other operas that students have seen or studied?
What are some of Wagner’s important contributions to the world of opera?
#4 Examine written versions of The Flying Dutchman or other operas based on books or plays,
and discuss the process of adaptation. What gets left out? What is added, and how does that
change to meaning or message of the story?
Activity: Post-Performance Discussion Questions and Activities
#1 What did you think of the costumes? The lighting? The sets?
#2 Write to one of the characters, offering advice or asking them questions about their decisions
and actions.
#3 What is the contemporary name for the Cape of Good Hope? Where is it? When was it first
circumnavigated?
#4 Read a biography of Richard Wagner. How did The Flying Dutchman change his life? How
did politics affect his creative work?
#5 According to Wagnerians, and Wagner himself, the Dutchman is an autobiographical sketch.
Is there a character in a story who might resemble a sketch of you? Which one and why?
#6 “Redemption through love” is an important theme for Wagner. Where else do we find this
theme in literature or music? Create a story of your own based on this theme.
#7 This production was rooted in German Expressionist cinema. Compare it to a film like The
Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.
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Sources
Websites
www.arizonaopera.com
Online Encyclopedia Britannica
www.blog.oreganlive.com
www.metropolitanopera.com
www.virginiaopera.com
www.wikipedia.org
Books
Forman, Denis Sir. A Night at the Opera. New York: Modern Library, 1998.
Grout, Donald Jay. A Short History of Opera. New York: Columbia UP, 1988.
Hutcheon, Linda and Michaerl Hutcheon. Opera: Desire, Disease, Death. Lincoln:
Nebraska UP, 1996.
Parkinson, David. History of Film. New York, Thames and Hudson, 1995.
Sadie, Stanley. The Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Opera. New York: Billboard Books,
2004.
Sklar, Robert. A World History of Film. New York: Abrams, 2002.
Please don’t hesitate to contact Edmonton Opera for more
resources or for help with specific questions or topics.
We will do our best to help!
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Write to us!
Student feedback is a very important part of our
Education Program, and we welcome any student
assignments, projects, letters that you would like to share
with us.
Please send student feedback
to Brianna Wells at:
Edmonton Opera
9720 102 Ave
Edmonton, AB T5J 4B2
[email protected]
Thanks!
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