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Heroiczne – komiczne – sentymentalne. Muzyczny obraz Amazonek w najstarszej zachowanej operze Józefa Elsnera i Wojciecha Bogusławskiego
Jakub Chachulski
Abstract
Heroic – comic – sentimental: a musical portrayal of the Amazons in the oldest extant opera by Józef Elsner and Wojciech Bogusławski The opera Amazonki, czyli Herminia (‘The Amazons, or Herminia’) by Józef Elsner and Wojciech Bogusławski was written within the orbit of Viennese musical influences. The term ‘heroic-comic’ imparted to this opera by the composer and the librettist points to a connection with the buffa operas popular around that time which drew on often parodied seria elements, most often called drammi eroicomici. This article explores the musical portrayal of the Amazons in Elsner’s opera, ultimately suggesting that the parodistic element here appears only by way of exception, while the core dramatic conflict is represented with the utmost seriousness, bringing this opera close to works like Antonio Salieri’s tragicomic Axur. The musical depiction of the Amazons is characterised by a deliberate contrasting between musical elements linked to the lofty style of seria operas, mainly in the heroic part of the Queen, and the sentimental ‘middle style’ typical of the sentimental characters, above all the titular Herminia. This compositional modus operandi is not confined to illustrating the content of the libretto; it also clarifies, in the spirit of Enlightenment ideas, the fundamental conflict of the drama, showing the sentimental element as issuing from the Amazons’ nature and the opposing heroic element as imposed through the power of the Queen’s authority.
Keywords:
Józef Elsner, Wojciech Bogusławski, dramma eroicomico, opera buffaDetails
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