Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Air of Faust

La damnation de Faust (English: The Damnation of Faust) is a work for orchestra, voices, and chorus written by Hector Berlioz (he called it a "légende dramatique"). Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ... For other uses, see Orchestra (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Painting of Berlioz by Gustave Courbet, 1850. ...

The libretto was adapted by Berlioz and Almire Gandonnière from Gérard de Nerval's translation of Goethe's Faust. It was first performed in Paris in 1846. Antonio Ghislanzoni, nineteenth century Italian librettist. ... Gérard de Nerval (May 22, 1808 – January 26, 1855) was the nom-de-plume of the French poet, essayist and translator Gérard Labrunie, the most essentially Romantic among French poets. ... Goethe redirects here. ... Faust: The First Part of the Tragedy is the first part of Goethes Faust. ... This article is about the capital of France. ... 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

The Damnation of Faust is performed regularly in concert halls and occasionally staged as an opera. There are a number of recordings of it. Three sections of it, the Marche Hongroise (Hungarian March), Ballet des sylphes, and Menuet des folles are sometimes extracted and performed as "Three Orchestral Pieces from La Damnation de Faust." For other uses, see Opera (disambiguation). ...

Synopsis

Part I

As the piece opens, Faust is in the mountains of Hungary (Berlioz added this part of the plot himself, it appears in no other versions of the Faust legend.) He hears peasant songs and dances, but cannot find it in himself to be happy like them. Distant strains of a march are heard, and Hungarian soldiers march past in the famous "Marche Hongroise", based on a Hungarian gypsy tune. The Rákóczi March is an unofficial state anthem of Hungary. ...

Part II

Faust sits in his study, deeply depressed. He decides to commit suicide, but just as he is bringing the cup of poison to his lips he hears the ringing of church bells and the strains of an "Easter Hymn." This returns to Faust his will to live. Suddenly, the devil, Mephistopheles, appears, represented by a quick trombone figure and a woodwind trill. He offers to take Faust on a journey, to which Faust agrees. Mephistopheles takes him to a real tavern, known as Auerbachs Keller in Leipzig. Brander, one of the drinkers, sings the "Song of the Rat." The drinkers then "improvise" an ironic chorale-like fugue based on the words "Requiescat in pace, Amen," after which Mephistopheles sings the "Song of the Flea." Faust is disgusted and asks Mephistopheles if there is nothing else he can be shown. Mephistopheles takes him to a country field, where Mephistopheles enchants Faust and shows him a vision of a woman named Marguerite, causing Faust to fall in love with her. Faust falls into a dreamy sleep, and awakes crying "Margarita!" Mephistopheles offers to help him get to her. He accomplishes this by having them march into the town where Marguerite lives, hidden among groups of students and soldiers. For other uses, see Mephistopheles (disambiguation). ... Sculptures depicting the events at Auerbachs Keller at the cellars entrance in Mädlerpassage Auerbachs Keller (Auerbachs Cellar in English) is the best known and second oldest restaurant in Leipzig. ... Leipzig ( ; Sorbian/Lusatian: Lipsk from the Sorbian word for Tilia) is, with a population of over 506,000, the largest city in the federal state of Saxony, Germany. ... In music, a fugue (IPA: ) is a type of contrapuntal composition or technique of composition for a fixed number of parts, normally referred to as voices, irrespective of whether the work is vocal or instrumental. ...

Part III

Faust and Mephistopheles sneak into Marguerite's house and hide. Marguerite approaches and sings the "Gothic Song" ("The King of Thule"). Mephistopheles leaves and summons spirits, who dance around Marguerite's house in the "Menuet des Follets." Faust reveals himself to Marguerite, who confesses that she had dreamed of him. They sing a love duet, on which Mephistopheles intrudes and tells Faust that they must leave because Marguerite's mother has been alerted and she and the townspeople are coming towards Marguerite's house. Faust and Marguerite say goodbye, then Faust and Mephistopheles leave.

Part IV

Marguerite sits in her house, singing the "Spinning Song" as she waits for Faust to come back. The students and soldiers march by again, but Faust is not among them. The action cuts to a scene of forests and caverns, in which Faust sings the "Invocation to Nature." Mephistopheles then informs Faust that Marguerite, in her despair, accidentally gave her mother too much sleeping draught and killed her. Marguerite is now in prison and will be hanged the next day. Faust panics, but Mephistopheles tells him Mephistopheles can save Marguerite if Faust signs one document--the document relinquishing Faust's soul. Faust signs it. (As he does, the recitative momentarily pauses and the percussion play one note, an omen of doom.) Mephistopheles summons horses and he and Faust ride off (the "Ride to the Abyss"). Faust thinks they are going to save Marguerite, but he grows terrified when he begins to see grotesque visions. They stop momentarily, but Faust hears bells, signifying that Marguerite's execution is near, and they redouble the pace. The landscape grows more and more horrible and grotesque, with blood raining from the sky and skeletons by the road. Then Mephistopheles cries out to his "infernal cohorts," and he and Faust fall into the pit of hell. (This is another departure from the original story, which has Faust being saved in the end.) The devil princes ask Mephistopheles if Faust freely signed away his soul, to which Mephistopheles assents. A chorus of demons then sings triumphantly in an "infernal language," naming the demon princes and dancing around Mephistopheles.

Epilogue

A narrator-like chorus sings of the terrors of hell and the "mystery of horror." Then comes the Apotheosis of Marguerite, in which, in accordance with the document signed by Faust, Marguerite is saved from death and brought up into heaven by a chorus of heavenly spirits.

Parodies

• The piece, "L'Éléphant" (The Elephant) from Camille Saint-Saëns's Carnival of the Animals (1886) uses a theme from the "Danse des sylphes," played on a double bass.

Charles Camille Saint-Saëns () (9 October 1835 – 16 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor, and pianist, known especially for his large-scale orchestral works The Carnival of the Animals, Danse Macabre, Samson et Dalila, and Symphony No. ... The Carnival of the Animals (Le carnaval des animaux in the original French) is a musical suite of 14 movements by the French Romantic composer Camille Saint-Saëns. ... Year 1886 (MDCCCLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

External links

• La Damnation de Faust was listed in the International Music Score Library Project
• (French) Libretto