Orpheus Through the Ages

In Metamorphoses Book X, by Ovid, we find the first written version of the Orpheus story. Who knows how long before that it was passed down orally in poetry and music until it was finally written down.

Image at http://www.getty.edu/art/collections/objects/oz138858.html

Next to Apollo, Orpheus was the greatest musician who ever lived. This picture shows him charming the animals with his music. The happiest day of his life is his marriage to the beautiful Euridice. But soon after their marriage, Euridice is bitten by a snake and dies. Orpheus, refuses to accept this fate and travels to the underworld to find his love. With his music, Orpheus charms Chiron, the boatman who ferries the dead across the River Styx to the underworld. The power of his music touches even the heart of Hades, who allows Orpheus and his bride to return to the world of the living - but with one condition: Orpheus cannot look back at Euridice until they reach the surface. In most versions, the journey goes well, but just as they reach the mortal world, Orpheus looks back to be sure Euridice is still there and she disappears. Brokenhearted, Orpheus dies and his Lyre is placed among the constellations of the stars.

You are a potter from Athens. It is the year 440 BC. You travel to Olympia to attend the Olympic Games. One of the main attractions for you is the contest among playwrights to compose the best drama of the year. You take your seat with thousands of others in the amphitheater. Today's play is "Orpheus In the Underworld." All the characters wear masks and costumes; it is easy to pick out Orpheus, Euridice, and Hades. Of all the plays you see today, your favorite is "Orpheus In the Underworld," but the judges give the award to some playwright named Sophocles, although you thought his play, "Andromeda," was rather vulgar. At the end of the day, you are thankful for such celebrations and civic entertainment.

The Facts:

Greek drama was not the same as opera, but it had a profound influence on the development of the genre. Apollo was the god of both music and poetry and, to the Greeks, both were the same thing. As the Greeks defined such words as "orchestra" and "Chorus", it becomes apparent that their drama included singing, music instruments, and dancing. In later ages, Opera developed, in part, as a recreation of the Greek ideal.

Now we go to the Age of the Renaissance and the first performance of Jacopo Peri's Euridice. That's Jacopo wearing the wreath.

It is October 6, 1600. You are now Maria de Medici at the celebration of your marriage to Henry IV of France. You are nervous about your role as wife to a king, but your uncle Jacopo Corsi has a gift that he says will distract your mind. That night, your family and selected guests see a musical play titled Euridice.

As a young bride, you feel a certain connection with Euridice and feel sad when she dies. You wish she had more opportunities to sing, but Orpheus is the center of attention. At the end of this version of the musical play, you are relieved that Orpheus and Euridice escape the Underworld, but you hope that your marriage will go more smoothly than that.

The Facts:

Euridice was first performed for the wedding marriage of Maria de Medici and Henry IV, and it is considered the first opera. In order to please the wedding audience, Peri's librettist changed the ending of the original myth. In Peri's version, Euridice and Orpheus are reunited. Peri's opera was not intended for public performance, as future operas would be. It was performed at Antonio de Medici's villa in Florence. Yet Peri and rival Caccini both realized the potential of the new idea. The two men both claimed credit for the genre and publication rights to Euridice (Caccini's students were used in the performance of the opera on the condition that some of Caccini's music be used).

As we visit the Early Baroque period, we will be going to a performance of the first popular public opera, L'Orfeo, by Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643).

You are a member of the Mantuan court; the date is March 1, 1607. You have been invited by the Duke of Mantua to attend the performance of an opera named L'Orfeo . The opera was performed a few days earlier in a small room, but the Duke demands a larger audience and a second performance. You can see how the Duke was very impressed with this opera. It uses a great variety of instruments and clearly tells the story of Orpheus's pain. You are especially impressed with the melancholy mood of the underworld. It must be the costumes and great acting.

The Facts:

Monteverdi's L'Orfeo is the first popular opera. While its first performances were for small, elite crowds, L'Orfeo was soon performed outside of Mantua, making it the first opera to successfully be performed in several cities. L'Orfeo was certainly a new experience for its audience. Never before had drama and music been performed on such a large scale. L'Orfeo set the standard for what audience would expect in future operas: large instrumentation, emotional drama, and a large scale production.

Now we visit Vienna, Austria on October 5, 1762, during the Classical Period, for the debut of Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice.

You are Emperor Francis I, and today, October 5, 1762, is a holiday in honor of you. All of the nobles of Vienna have gathered to see an opera entitled Orfeo ed Euridice. You know that the story has been adapted by Calzabigi. You hope that his eccentric writing style does not ruin your festival. You are pleasantly surprised that the opera is in great taste. Although the ending is sad, the character development is good, and the plot is emotionally charged. After the performance, the audience cannot stop talking about Calzabigi's dramatic skill, comparing him to the ancient Greek Sophicles and the Englishman Shakespeare.

The Facts:

Orfeo ed Euridice was Gluck's first reform opera, an attempt to return opera to simpler plots and music. Unfortunately, no one in Vienna seemed to care about Gluck's reform attempts. All the publicity went to Calzabigi's adaptation of the Greek myth. In France, though, Gluck found an audience that appreciated his musical style. He released his opera in Paris (with French text) in 1774.

Travel to Paris, France on October 21, 1858, during the Romantic Period, for the debut of Offenbach's Orpheus In The Underworld.

As a regular Opera fan, you think you know the story of Orpheus and Euridice, but you have never seen anything like this before. Offenbach has written an irreverant parody of Gluck's solemn and stuffy Orfeo ed Euridice. The Greek gods were never known for their morality, but this parody takes their reputation to a new low. The music is just plain fun, and you can't help but laugh out loud as the entire company of gods break into the rousing Can-Can in the finale. There is no one to compare this to except Offenbach himself.

The Facts:

Orpheus in the Underworld was the first of Offenbach's operettas and remains the best known. His music is always flowing and pleasant, as if to distract attention from the sometimes sharp satire of the subject matter. He is mocking the attitudes and morals of 19th century French society, by appearing to satirise the classical story of Orpheus and Eurydice.

We hope this journey has given you insight into the way composers in different periods of time have used the same story or myth, and the medium of opera, to appeal to the public of their day.