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Данная работа посвящена изучению трансформации литературных текстов разных родов в музыкально-драматическую форму, а также анализу феномена оперного либретто как «квазижанрового» единства. В качестве материала исследования были выбраны тексты литературных произведений различных родов: «Кармен» П. Мериме, «Корсар» Дж. Байрона, «Сон в летнюю ночь» У. Шекспира и «производные» от них тексты оперных либретто Ж. Бизе, Дж. Верди и Б. Бриттена. Выбор литературных текстов и соответствующих им оперных либретто, в данном случае, подчинен нашему стремлению раскрыть различные способы «перевода» текстов из одного вида искусства в другой, а также трансформацию различных прецедентных литературных текстов (новелла, поэма, драма) в «стихотворно-музыкальную драму». Первая глава посвящена проблеме жанровой идентичности либретто в аспекте теории интермедиальности, выдвигается собственная трактовка жанровой принадлежности либретто. Доказано, что с точки зрения жанровой принадлежности либретто может быть представлено как «квазижанровое» единство, поскольку либретто в большинстве случаев – это «вторичный» текст, написанный на основе уже существующего литературного первоисточника, имеющего прикладную функцию и приобретающего эстетическую значимость лишь во взаимодействии с музыкальным оформлением. Вторая глава посвящена проблеме корреляции между оперным либретто и исходным по отношению к нему литературным текстом. Рассматриваются особенности трансформации драматического («Сон в летнюю ночь» У. Шекспира), поэтического («Корсар» Дж. Байрона) и прозаического («Кармен» П. Мериме) текстов в музыкальную форму. Сопоставляются различные стратегии, используемые либреттистами при «переводе» литературных текстов в оперное либретто. Делается вывод об их эффективности. / This work is devoted to the study of generic transformations of literary texts into the musical-dramatic form, as well as to the analysis of the phenomenon of operatic libretto as an instance of “quasi-genre”. As a research material, literary works of various genres were chosen: namely, “Carmen” by P. Merimee, J. Byron's “Corsair”, W. Shakespeare’s “The Midsummer Night's Dream”, and the lyrics of the operatic libretto by J. Bizet, Verdi, and B. Britten. The choice of literary texts and the corresponding opera librettos, in this case, discloses various ways of “translating” texts from one art form to another, as well as the transformation of various precedent literary texts (short story, poem, drama) into “a poetic musical drama”. The first chapter is devoted to the problem of the genre identity of the libretto in the light of intermediality, and a new interpretation of the genre is proposed. It is proved that, in terms of genre affiliation, the libretto can be represented as a “quasi-genre” unity, since in most cases the libretto is a “secondary” text based on an already existing literary source, which thus requires aesthetic significance only when complemented with the music. The second chapter is devoted to the problem of the correlation between the operatic libretto and the original literary text. Features of the transformation of the dramatic ("A Midsummer Night’s Dream" by William Shakespeare), the poetic ("The Corsair" by J. Byron) and the prosaic (the "Carmen" by P. Merimee) texts into a musical form are considered. Different strategies used by librettists when translating literary texts into an opera libretto are studied. A conclusion on their aesthetic integrity is made.

Charles Jennens (1700-1773), the librettist of 'Saul', 'Messiah', 'Belshazzar', the final part of 'L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato', and probably 'Israel in Egypt', amassed a huge library of music that forms the bulk of what is now known as the Aylesford collection. Jennens's collection of Handel's music was unique among those of his contemporaries, not only because it includes part-books, but also because it is unusually comprehensive. The dissertation focuses on his copies of the sacred oratorios beginning with 'Saul' (1739) because most of the collection was copied in the 1740s, the sacred oratorios were the works that Jennens was most interested in, and 'Saul' was his first collaboration with Handel. As many of these manuscripts have not been the focus of modern scholarly attention, I first establish how, when, and by whom each manuscript was copied, in order to achieve a greater understanding of how and when Jennens assembled his collection, and what his reasons were for doing so. This close study of the manuscripts reveals that Jennens made extensive alterations to the verbal text, the structure, and the music of several oratorios in his collection. His amendments to 'Saul' and 'Belshazzar' shed light on his collaboration with Handel; and his amendments to 'Samson' and 'Joseph and his Brethren' provide insights into his attitude to Handel in the mid-1740s, his approach to word-setting, his views on the adaptation of Scripture for oratorio, and his beliefs and commitments. Jennens was a highly educated man whose activities were informed by two deeply held, conflicting allegiances: to the Anglican Church and to the deposed Stuarts. An examination of how he harnessed Handel's music to deliver his religious and political messages leads to a richer and more profound understanding of the works, of the relationship between Jennens, Handel, and Handel's music, and of their place in the religious and political context of the mid-eighteenth century.

Si l’opéra sur un livret en prose ne se manifeste publiquement en Europe qu’au tournant des XIXe et XXe siècles, dans les domaines russe, puis français, enfin allemand et tchèque, des essais de chant de prose et des réflexions sur ses conditions de possibilités sont cependant intervenus, en France, dès le XVIIIe siècle. Envisagée comme forme verbale apériodique, la prose peut ainsi être considérée comme étant au fondement du genre de l’opéra. D’une part, en effet, dans la tragédie lyrique et auparavant dans l’opéra italien, des vers mêlés apériodiques sont d’emblée associés à un chant lui aussi largement apériodique, notamment dans le récitatif. Cette caractéristique formelle du récitatif est soulignée par la notion analogique péjorative de « prose musicale », élaborée dans la seconde moitié du XVIIIe siècle, en France et en Allemagne, par les partisans de la mélodie périodique italienne. D’autre part, l’ opposition entre le régime du récitatif et le régime de l’air peut être interprétée comme un conflit entre un principe dramatique linéaire de prosa oratio et un principe lyrique circulaire de versus. Sur un plan stylistique, la notion formelle de prose s’articule en outre à celle de prosaïsme, non seulement dans le drame lyrique naturaliste en prose, mais plus généralement dans le chant de type récitatif, considéré par certains théoriciens comme la prose du chant, parce qu’il est apériodique et dévolu aux matières de moindre valeur lyrique. Cette articulation entre les plans formel et stylistique s’opère notamment dans la prosodie musicale, et plus spécifiquement à travers le traitement de l’e caduc, qui fait l’objet de débats idéologiques touchant aux limites entre le naturel et le prosaïsme. Les tentatives de divers compositeurs, poètes et théoriciens pour dépasser l’antagonisme entre le vers et la prose conduisent dès lors à repenser le genre, non en termes de dichotomie formelle et stylistique, mais comme une unité organique. Celle-ci prend ainsi la forme d’un poème lyrico-dramatique, qui s’incarne dans un discours poético-musical associant chant, orchestre, et silence. Le problème du chant de la prose dans l’opéra apparaît donc comme un révélateur des enjeux génériques, esthétiques, voire idéologiques du théâtre lyrique. / Although prose opera only appeared in Europe at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, in Russian, French, German and Czech opera, some ventures into prose singing and reflections about it did occur in France as early as the eighteenth century. Seen as an aperiodic verbal form, prose can be considered to have been an essential part of the operatic genre from the beginning. Indeed, aperiodic free mixed verse is used in French tragédie en musique, and before that in Italian opera, in association with largely non-periodic singing, especially in recitative. This formal characteristic of recitative is summed up in the metaphoric and pejorative phrase of “musical prose”, which was created in France and Germany in the second half of the eighteenth century by admirers of the Italian periodic melody. This opposition between two modes of singing, recitative-like and aria-like singing, can be seen as a conflict between two contradictory principles in opera: on the one hand, a prosa oratio principle, whose linearity represents the dramatic progressive succession ; on the other hand, a versus principle, whose periodic circle constitutes the traditional form of lyrics. On a stylistic level, prose also has to do with prosaic matters and language, not only in the naturalistic drame lyrique, but more generally in recitative singing. The latter is sometimes considered the prose of music, not only because of its form, but also because it deals with less lyrical matters than aria. This relationship between formal and stylistic levels is particularly tight in prosodic matters, especially in the treatment of the famous mute e, which provokes multiple ideological debates concerning natural, realistic, or prosaic styles of diction. Attempts to solve this problematic opposition between verse and prose logics led various musicians, librettists and theorists to go beyond formal and stylistic dichotomy and to rethink opera as an organic whole: in the form of a lyric-dramatic poem and a poetic-musical speech, where singing, orchestra, and silence are combined. The problem of prose singing in opera thus clearly reveals the generic, aesthetic, and ideological issues concerning lyric theatre.

Univ., Diss.--Bern.

Notre travail porte sur l’histoire de l’opéra vue à travers le double prisme du mythe et de la prosodie. Dans une première partie, nous définissons chacun de ces termes - mythe, prosodie - et envisageons ceux-ci dans les contextes précis de l’histoire de l’art, de l’histoire de la musique, enfin de l’histoire de l’opéra. Ainsi, l’aspect généalogique de notre travail est exposé dès cette première partie introductive, avant que chacune des parties suivantes ne soit consacrée à une, deux ou trois œuvres, siècle après siècle, de façon chronologique. Il nous a semblé important de rapprocher mythe et histoire pour aborder le XVIIe siècle qui voit tout d’abord la naissance de l’opéra liée à un certain retour au monde antique et à ses mythes, puis l’émergence, avec la dernière œuvre de Monteverdi notamment, de sujets historiques. Le XVIIIe siècle nous amène en France avec l’épanouissement de la tragédie lyrique, tandis que le XIXe siècle nous porte en Allemagne, sur les terres du romantisme. Le point d’aboutissement de notre parcours est l’opéra de Betsy Jolas, Schliemann, créé en 1995. / Our research deals with the history of opera as observed through the double prism of myth and prosody. We begin with a definition of these terms - myth, prosody - and examine them within the specific contexts of the history of art, the history of music and finally the history of the opera. The genealogical aspect of our work is thus presented forthwith at this introductory stage following which we shall, at each of the following stages, focus specifically on one, two or three works, century by century, in chronological order. It appeared important to us to bring together myth and history in order to deal with the 17th century which first witnessed the birth of the opera as a result of a return of sorts to the ancient world and its myths, and then saw the emergence of historical themes, notably illustrated by the final work of Monteverdi. The 18th century brings us to France with the tragédie lyrique in full bloom while the 19th century transports us to Germany on the footsteps of the romantic movement. Our journey culminates with the opera Schliemann by Betsy Jolas staged for the first time in 1995.

Destiné à se métamorphoser en danse, le livret serait un texte transitoire, et par là même privé de valeur littéraire. Pourtant, des Ballets russes aux années 1960, les collaborations entre le ballet et les écrivains connaissent un essor sans précédent. Jean Cocteau, Blaise Cendrars, Paul Claudel, Louis-Ferdinand Céline, René Char, Jean Anouilh, Jean Genet ou Eugène Ionesco furent tous auteurs de livrets. Que cherchent les écrivains dans cette forme a priori éphémère ? S’agit-il de s’emparer du livret en poète, de le délivrer de son statut utilitaire pour en faire une œuvre littéraire, digne d’être appréciée pour elle-même ? Il semble aussi que le livret tire sa valeur de l’accès qu’il donne à un espace autre, celui de la création collective et du spectacle, d’une œuvre où la scène et le corps éclipsent les mots et où l’écrivain peut rompre avec la littérature pour se rêver chorégraphe. Cette double tendance place le livret au cœur des évolutions qui travaillent les champs littéraire et chorégraphique au XXe siècle. Tandis que la littérature voit son statut d’art dominant vaciller, la danse conquiert son autonomie et le chorégraphe s’affirme. Persistant à fonder la danse sur le texte, à rebours des recherches de la danse moderne, le ballet conserve à l’écrivain sa place dans la création chorégraphique pour mieux interroger la préséance du verbe. Qu’est-ce que la littérature ? qu’est-ce que la danse ? telles sont dès lors les questions que pose le livret de ballet. / Meant to be danced, the libretto should have been a transitory text, hence lacking in literary value. Yet the period from the Ballets Russes to the 1960s saw an unprecedented rise in collaborations between writers and the ballet. Jean Cocteau, Blaise Cendrars, Paul Claudel, Louis-Ferdinand Céline, René Char, Jean Anouilh, Jean Genet and Eugène Ionesco all wrote librettos. But what were writers looking for in this a priori ephemeral form? Did they want to seize hold of the libretto and deliver it, as poets would, of its utilitarian status, transform it into a literary work, worthy of appreciation in itself? The libretto also drew its value from the access it gave to an alternative space of collective creation and performance, to a kind of work where the stage and the body eclipse the text and where the writer can break with literature and dream of being a choreographer. This dual tendency placed the libretto at the heart of the evolutions that shaped literature and choreography during the twentieth century. Whereas literature saw its status as a dominant art waver, dance won its autonomy and the choreographer asserted himself. Unlike the investigations of modern dance, ballet continued to make dance rely on text, retaining a place for the writer in choreographic creation in order to better question the precedence of language. What is literature? What is dance? These are the questions that the ballet libretto poses.

Although the most well-known collaborations of William Plomer and Benjamin Britten are the three church parables (or church operas) - Curlew River, The Burning Fiery Furnace, and The Prodigal Son - by the time of the completion of Curlew River in 1964, the librettist and composer had been working together for well over a decade. During that time, they had completed the opera Gloriana and had considered collaborating on three other projects: one a children's opera on Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Mr. Tod, one on an original story of Plomer's called "Tyco the Vegan," and one on a Greek myth (possibly Arion, Daedalus and Icarus, or Phaëthon). Far from being footnotes to the parables, these early collaborations established Plomer and Britten's working relationship and brought to light their common interests as well as their independent ones. Their successive early collaborations, therefore, can be thought of as a conversation through creative expression. This metaphor of conversation can be applied both to successive collaborations and to the completed Gloriana, in that the libretto and the music can be seen as representing different interpretations of both major and minor characters in the opera, including Elizabeth I and Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex. In Gloriana, Britten employed at least three specifically musical methods of challenging the meaning of the libretto: instrumental commentary, textural density, and dramatically significant referential pitches. Plomer and Britten's conversation, carried out through these early collaborations, touches on the function of art, activism, and modern morality, but it is best circumscribed by the concept of myth. Two divergent and very influential interpretations of myth - Matthew Arnold's "sweetness and light" and primal liberation (deduced from Nietzsche) - can be usefully applied to Plomer and Britten's unfolding conversation. The implications of Plomer and Britten's adoption of myth as the topic and language of their collaborative conversation are vast and must be considered in order to understand more fully their work together.

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TITLE: Literature und Music: Woyzeck and Wozzeck. Alban Berg's Musical Adaptation of the Drama by Georg Büchner. SUMMARY: This thesis deals with a musical adaptation of the opera Wozzeck by the composer Alban Berg in the context of its literary model. The theoretical part offers an overview of the most important information and data about the authors and the origin of their works, based on the relevant sources. In the practical part, the principal emphasis is put on the libretto, specifically on formal and language similarities and differences detected in the text and their impact on the content and message of the work. Another focus is on musical language and its essential features, especially on the treatment of the voice, instrumentation and motives in the opera. The attention is also paid to the occurrence of autobiographical elements and critical reviews of the work. KEYWORDS: opera, drama, Woyzeck, Wozzeck, Alban Berg, Karl Emil Franzos, libretto, scenes, elision, alteration, literary model