Genoveva is an opera in four acts by Robert Schumann in the genre of German Romanticism with a libretto by the composer. It received its first performance on 25 June 1850 at the Stadttheater in Leipzig, with the composer conducting. Sydney Opera House: one of the worlds most recognizable opera houses and landmarks Opera refers to a dramatic art form, originating in Europe, in which the emotional content or primary entertainment is conveyed to the audience as much through music, both vocal and instrumental, as it is through the... Robert Schumann (June 8, 1810 – July 29, 1856) was a German composer and pianist. ... In the philosophy, art, and culture of German-speaking countries, German Romanticism was the dominant cultural movement of much of the nineteenth century. ... June 25 is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 189 days remaining. ... 1850 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... [] (Sorbian/Lusatian: Lipsk) is the largest city in the Federal State (Bundesland) of Saxony in Germany. ...

Genoveva has never won a large popular audience, but it continues to be revived at regular intervals throughout the world and has been recorded several times.

History of composition

Schumann expressed the desire to write an opera as early as 1842, and was fascinated by the possibilities of operas based on traditional German legends. His notebooks from this period show that, among others, Schuman considered the stories of the Nibelungen, Lohengrin and Till Eulenspiegel to be good candidates for settings in German opera. German Nibelung and the corresponding Old Norse form Niflung (Niflungr) refers in most of the German texts and in all the Old Norse texts to the royal family or lineage of the Burgundians who settled at Worms. ... In some German Arthurian literature, Lohengrin is the son of Parzival (Percival). ... Till Eulenspiegel IPA: (Low German Dyl Ulenspegel) is a character who originated in Middle Low German oral tradition. ... Mozarts German singspiel The Magic Flute (1791) stands at the head of a German opera tradition that was developed in the 19th century by Beethoven, Weber, Heinrich Marschner and Wagner. ...

Schumann began work on Genoveva toward the end of a period of intense depression. In the early 1840's, discouraged both by the greater public esteem enjoyed by his wife, Clara Schumann, a leading pianist as well as a composer with a high-profile career as a touring virtuoso, and by the fact that he was not offered the directorship of the Leipzig Gewandhaus, Schumann's depression intensified. In 1844, he and Clara moved to Dresden, where his depression eventually moderated and he began work on a number of compositions, including Genoveva. Clara Schumann Clara Josephine Wieck Schumann (September 13, 1819 – May 20, 1896), wife of composer Robert Schumann, was one of the leading pianists of the Romantic era as well as a composer. ... From left to right: Brühls Terrace; the Hofkirche and the castle; the Semper Opera House. ...

While in Dresden, Schumann encountered Wagner, whose discouraging comments on Schumann's libretto for Genoveva strained relations between the two composers. For his part, however, Schuman came to admire the dramatic impact of Wagner's operas, and the influence of Wagner's music worked its way into the score for Genoveva. Indeed, some of the musical techniques used in Genoveva, such as the fluid through-composed music (i.e. there are no recitatives) and lack of purely virtuosic vocal moments, are Schuman's personal interpretations and adaptations of Wagner's compositional methods. Wagner may refer to more than one place in the United States: Wagner, South Dakota Wagner, Wisconsin Wagner may refer to more than one person: Richard Wagner, German composer Cosima Wagner, daughter of Franz Liszt and wife of Richard Wagner Heinrich Leopold Wagner, dramatist and author John Peter Honus Wagner... Through-composed music is music which is relatively continous, non-sectional, and/or non-repetitive. ...

Although the then recently-constructed Dresden Semperoper house declined to stage Genoveva, much to Schumann's fury, Schumann secured a staging at the Leipzig Stadttheater, in 1850, where the opera received its premier on June 25. 1850 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

History and Plot

The story of Genoveva is based on the story of Genevieve of Brabant, a medieval legend set in the 8th century that is reputedly based on the 13th century life of Marie of Brabant, wife of Louis II, Duke of Bavaria. The story gained in popularity during the first half of the 17th century, primarily in Germany, through various theatrical settings. Two of the settings from this period, two of which, Ludwig Tieck's play Leben und Tod der heiligen Genoveva ("Life and Death of Saint Genoveva") and Friedrich Hebbel's play Genoveva, served as the basis for the opera's libretto. Genevieve (also Genoveva or Genovefa) of Brabant is a heroine of medieval legend. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... (7th century — 8th century — 9th century — other centuries) Events The Iberian peninsula is taken by Arab and Berber Muslims, thus ending the Visigothic rule, and starting almost 8 centuries of Muslim presence there. ... Duke Louis II of Bavaria (13 April 1229, Heidelberg–2 February 1294, Heidelberg) (German: Ludwig II der Strenge , Herzog von Bayern, Pfalzgraf bei Rhein), from 1253 Duke of Bavaria and Count Palatine of the Rhine (see Palatinate). ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... Ludwig Tieck Johann Ludwig Tieck (May 31, 1773 – April 28, 1853) was a German poet, translator, editor, novelist and critic, who was part of the Romantic movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. ... Christian Friedrich Hebbel (March 18, 1813 – December 13, 1863), was a German poet and dramatist. ...

The plot of the opera has several similarities with Wagner's "Lohengrin," which was composed during the same period as Schuman was writing Genoveva. Wagner may refer to more than one place in the United States: Wagner, South Dakota Wagner, Wisconsin Wagner may refer to more than one person: Richard Wagner, German composer Cosima Wagner, daughter of Franz Liszt and wife of Richard Wagner Heinrich Leopold Wagner, dramatist and author John Peter Honus Wagner... In some German Arthurian literature, Lohengrin is the son of Parzival (Percival). ...

The opera begins with Hidulfus, Bishop of Trier, summoning Brabant's Christian knights to join Charles Martel's crusade against a feared Saracen conquest of Europe. Siegfried, Count of Brabante, answers the call. In preparing to leave for war, he entrusts his wife, Genoveva, to his young servant, Golo. Despite Golo's overwhelming desire for her, Genoveva persistently rejects his advances. Infuriated by these rejections, Golo seeks revenge against Genoveva by staging a trap to discredit her. One night, Golo sneaks Drago, an old steward, into Genoveva's bedroom to fake an adulterous affair that is then witnessed by other servants, brought to the scene by Golo. For the 13th century titular King of Hungary, see Charles Martel dAnjou. ...

Word of this imagined infidelity gets back to Siegfried, who then commands Golo to put Genoveva to death. As two armed men are dispatched to kill Genoveva, her life is saved through the intervention of a mute, deaf boy. Siegfried then discovers Golo's treachery and restores his wife's honor.

Cast

Genoveva, Siegfried's wife - Soprano

Golo, Siegfried's head servant - Tenor

Siegfried, Count of Brabante - Baritone

Hidulfus, Bishop of Trier - Baritone

Margaretha, servant - Soprano

Drago, Old Steward - Bass

Balthasar, Siegfried's Servant - Bass

Caspar, Hunter - Baritone

Conrad, Siegfried's Farmhand - Baritone

Look up Soprano in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In music, a tenor is a male singer with a high voice (although not as high as the modern countertenor). ... In music, a baritone (from Greek βαρυτονος deeply, heavily sounding) is a male voice of intermediate pitch, between bass and tenor. ... In music, a baritone (from Greek βαρυτονος deeply, heavily sounding) is a male voice of intermediate pitch, between bass and tenor. ... Look up Soprano in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Bass may refer to: Look up bass in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Bass may refer to: Look up bass in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In music, a baritone (from Greek βαρυτονος deeply, heavily sounding) is a male voice of intermediate pitch, between bass and tenor. ... In music, a baritone (from Greek βαρυτονος deeply, heavily sounding) is a male voice of intermediate pitch, between bass and tenor. ...

Media

• Overture to Genoveva

References and external links

• "Schumann's Lone Opera is Handled with Care", Richard Dyer, Boston Globe, April 4, 2005
• Naxos, Genoveva history and plot summary
• "Schumann's life: A Brief Biography
• LoveToKnow Free Online Encyclopedia, entry on Robert Alexander Schuman
• Michael Steinberg, San Francisco Symphony program notes