the devil and kate
OPUS NUMBER | 112 |
BURGHAUSER CATALOGUE NUMBER | 201 |
COMPOSED | 5 May 1898 - 27 February 1899 |
PREMIERE - DATE AND PLACE | 23 November 1899, Prague |
PREMIERE - PERFORMER(S) | Bohumil Ptak - shepherd Jirka, Marie Klanova-Panznerova - Kate, Vaclav Kliment - Marbuel, Ruzena Maturova - princess, Robert Polák - Lucifer, Karel Veverka - devil-porter, Josef Karasek - devil-watchman, Ruzena Vykoukalova - Kate's mother, Vilma Hajkova - lady's maid, National Theatre Orchestra and Choir, conductor Adolf Cech, director: F. A. Subert |
FIRST EDITION | Editio Supraphon, 1972, Prague |
LIBRETTO | Adolf Wenig |
INSTRUMENTATION | 1 piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 1 English horn, 3 clarinets, 1 contrabass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 1 contrabassoon, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, 2 tubas, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, snare drum, tam-tam, 2 harps, violins, violas, cellos, double basses + mixed choir + soloists |
PARTS / MOVEMENTS |
1st act: A Country Inn
2nd act: In Hell
3rd act: A Hall in the Castle
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CHARACTERS | Shepherd Jirka - tenor Kate - mezzo-soprano Kate's mother - mezzo-soprano Devil Marbuel - baritone Lucifer - bass Devil-porter - bass Devil-watchman - bass Princess - soprano Lady's maid - soprano Marshal - bass Musician - tenor peasants and their wives, youths, musicians, devils, courtiers |
DURATION | approx. 1 hr. 50 min. |
composition historyThe fairy-tale opera The Devil and Kate was written in the final period of the composer’s life, when he was now writing only programme music and operas incorporating fairy-tale themes. Dvorak was probably encouraged to write his new opera after receiving positive reviews of his symphonic poems based on Erben’s collection of ballads entitled Bouquet. The Viennese press, for example, wrote: “Antonin Dvorak wishes to conquer the stage. His symphonic poems are dramas without scenes, music without singers. We just add singers and we have opera. Music history probably has to write another important chapter: Ant. Dvorak and stage music.” Dvorak himself later stated that the positive reviews of his symphonic poems ignited his desire to write for the theatre: “After the symphonic poems I was universally acclaimed as a skilled composer of opera, and I can only say that these reviews did influence me.” Through the mediation of the director of the National Theatre, Frantisek Adolf Subert, Dvorak at that time acquired a libretto written by young author and translator Adolf Wenig, entitled The Devil and Kate, which had been awarded first prize in a competition held by the National Theatre Association one year previously. Dvorak’s friends had reservations about the libretto, nevertheless, it appealed to the composer and he decided to set it to music. |
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librettoWenig’s libretto is based on a folk tale adapted by the important 19th century Czech writer Bozena Nemcova. It is conveniently arranged into three acts, of which each is set in a different environment (inn, hell, castle). What sets the story apart is the absence of the traditional romantic element, thus the happy ending is derived on the basis of the moral correction of the princess and the liberation of the serfs. When Dvorak turned his attention to the libretto, he heard opinions from various quarters that its lack of lyricism was detrimental to the story. Dvorak still accepted the libretto, but he did yield to this pressure to a certain extent and requested that Wenig add a new text for the princess’s aria at the start of Act Three. This extensive and solemn scene, in which the princess regrets her sins, bemoans her solitude and fears punishment from hell, however, does not really fit in with the overall mood of the opera and interrupts the flow of the plot. The impact of Act Three is also diminished by the fact that the princess appears on stage for the first time since, in Act One, her imperious behaviour towards her subjects is merely related by another character, and thus the viewer doesn’t get the chance to see her psychological transformation for themselves. |
poster announcing the premiere at the National Theatre |
general characteristicsDvorak’s opuses originating in the last few years of his life – whether the symphonic poems or later Rusalka and Armida – are works which treat serious, often tragic themes, even if their outcome is usually tempered with a Dvorakian catharsis. The Devil and Kate is the only exception, where the composer treated a comic theme unburdened by “serious issues” and came up with a merry folk tale which is attractive even for young audiences. Here, hell is not a dark, Dantean world filled with demons, and its devils never strike fear in people, even though, in their clumsy way, they probably try their hardest to do just that. Comic situations also involve Kate herself, to whom the princess has to hand over the best house in the village so that she has at least some prospect of marriage. Despite its outwardly simple and straightforward expression, Dvorak’s score still reflects his sophisticated approach. The work is essentially the composer’s attempt at entirely new compositional techniques, a new perspective on the way in which texts are set to music, and new possibilities of expression. This is manifested particularly in his treatment of sung words: in previous operas, emphasis was placed on a flowing, lyrical vocal line yet, in The Devil and Kate, we will often come across short, terse responses which might seem to anticipate the characteristic brevity of Janacek’s “speech melodies”. Dvorak applied this approach especially in the role of Kate, whose key character trait – talkativeness – he masterfully captures in his music. Another aspect which contributes to the opera’s originality is Dvorak’s ability eloquently to characterise the environment and situation – an example being the evocative scene where Marbuel describes to Kate the various advantages of hell, or the orchestral introduction to Act Two, a shining example of Dvorak’s masterful instrumentation. |
Typical for the music in The Devil and Kate are its dance melodies – the very nature of the libretto indicates that dance assumes an important role in the plot, particularly in relation to Kate, whose insatiable desire to dance is one of the main traits of this character. Dvorak develops this motif further in such a way that his dance stylisations weave their way through the entire opera: the original waltz in the village dance scene, the polka which Kate dances with Marbuel, the spirited dance of the devils in hell, or the stylisation of the polonaise in the overture to Act Three, which is often performed as an independent concert piece. Leitmotifs constitute an important structural element in the score. While this principle is understated in the composer’s two previous operas, Dimitrij and The Jacobin, in The Devil and Kate it represents a primary building block in the musical construction. |
synopsisACT ONE: ACT TWO: ACT THREE: |