German Opera Compared to the Argentenian Group Les Luthiers
BY: RYAN SEBASTIAN
DEMOGRAPHICS





81,799,600 people live in
Germany
German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%,
Italian 0.7%, Greek 0.4%, Polish
0.4%, other 4.6%
Protestant 34%, Roman Catholic
34%, Muslim 3.7%, unaffiliated or
other 28.3%
It’s 357,021 km2 big
Germany is in Western and
Central Europe, bordering
Denmark in the north, Poland and
the Czech Republic in the east,
Austria and Switzerland in the
south, France and Luxembourg in
the south-west, and Belgium and
the Netherlands in the north-west.
National Theatre Munich is an opera house in
Max-Joseph-Platz, in Munich, Germany
Alte Oper (Old Opera) is a major
concert hall and former opera
house in Frankfurt am Main,
Germany
Staatstheater Stuttgart (Stuttgart
State Theatre) is an opera house
in Stuttgart, Germany
WHAT IS OPERA?


Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians
perform a dramatic work combining text and musical
score, usually in a theatrical setting.
Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken
theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and
sometimes includes dance. The performance is typically
given in an opera house, accompanied by an orchestra
or smaller musical ensemble
GERMAN OPERA




During much of the 17th and 18th centuries
German-language opera would struggle to
emerge from the shadow of its Italianlanguage rival, with leading German-born
composers such as Handel and Gluck opting
to work in foreign traditions such as opera
seria.
It was only with the appearance of Mozart
that a lasting tradition of serious Germanlanguage opera was established
Mozart took the simple, popular genre of
Singspiel (spoken dialogue, which is
alternated with ensembles, songs, ballads,
and arias) and turned it into something far
more sophisticated.
Beethoven followed his example with the
idealistic Fidelio; and with Der Freischütz of
1821, Weber established a uniquely German
form of opera under the influence of
Romanticism
Wind Instruments: The most popular
woodwind instruments were piccolo,
flute, reed, English horn, oboe, clarinet,
bassoon and saxophone.
Stringed Instruments: included violin,
violoncello, viola, string, double bass,
banjo, viola da gamba and string bass.
Keyboard Instruments: piano, organ,
celesta, harpsichord, clavichord and
continuo.
Percussion Instruments: bass drum,
cowbells, rattle, glockenspiel, cymbals,
castenets, marimba, tambourine,
timpani, tubular bells, snare drum, tenor
drum and xylophone
Bass Instruments: Horn, natural horn,
tuba, euphonium, baritone, cornet,
trumpet, bass trombone, trombone
Plucked Instruments: guitar, harp, lute,
mandolin and cimbalom.
Electronic Instruments: synthesizer,
electric guitar, tape, computer and
ondes martenot
BASICALLY THE COMMON ORCHESTRAL PIT INSTRUMENTS WERE USED FOR
ORCHESTRAL ENHANCEMENT IN OPERA.
WILHELM RICHARD WAGNER



He was a German composer, conductor,
theatre director, philosopher, music theorist,
poet, essayist and writer primarily known for
his operas (or "music dramas", as they were
later called).
Wagner's compositions, particularly those of
his later period, are notable for their complex
texture, rich harmonies and orchestration,
and the elaborate use of leitmotifs: musical
themes associated with individual
characters, places, ideas or plot elements.
Initially establishing his reputation as a
composer of works such as The Flying
Dutchman and Tannhäuser which were in the
romantic traditions of Weber and Meyerbeer,
Wagner transformed operatic thought
through his concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk
("total work of art").


This would achieve the synthesis of all the
poetic, visual, musical and dramatic arts, and
was announced in a series of essays between
1849 and 1852.
Wagner realized this concept most fully in the
first half of the monumental four-opera cycle
Der Ring des Nibelungen.
DER RING DES NIBELUNGEN (THE RING OF THE
NIBELUNG)




It is a cycle of four epic operas
The works are based loosely on characters from the Norse sagas and the Nibelungenlied.
The four dramas, which the composer described as a trilogy with a Vorabend ("preliminary evening"),
are often referred to as the Ring Cycle, Wagner's Ring, or simply the Ring.
Wagner wrote the libretto and music over the course of about twenty-six years, from 1848 to 1874.
The four operas that constitute the Ring cycle are, in the order of the imagined events they portray:






Das Rheingold (The Rhine Gold)
Die Walküre (The Valkyrie)
Siegfried
Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods)
Although individual operas are performed as works in their own right, Wagner intended them to be a
coherent whole, performed in a series.
The scale and scope of the story is epic. It follows the struggles of gods, heroes, and several mythical
creatures over the eponymous magic Ring that grants domination over the entire world.

The drama and intrigue continue through three generations of protagonists, until the final cataclysm at the end
of Götterdämmerung.
THE WHOLE STORY

The plot revolves around a magic ring that grants the power
to rule the world, forged by the Nibelung dwarf Alberich from
gold he stole from the Rhine maidens in the river Rhine. With
the assistance of Loge, Wotan, the chief of the Gods, steals
the Ring from Alberich, but is forced to hand it over to the
giants, Fafner and Fasolt. Wotan's schemes to regain the
Ring, spanning generations, drive much of the action in the
story. His grandson, the mortal Siegfried, wins the ring, as
Wotan intended, but is eventually betrayed and slain as a
result of the intrigues of Alberich's son Hagen. Finally, the
Valkyrie Brünnhilde, Siegfried's lover and Wotan's estranged
daughter, returns the ring to the Rhine maidens. In the
process, the Gods and their home, Valhalla, are destroyed.
DAS RHEINGOLD (SCENE 4)


Suddenly, Erda, the earth goddess, a primeval goddess
older than Wotan, appears out of the ground. She warns
Wotan of impending doom and urges him to give up the
cursed ring. Troubled, Wotan calls the giants back and
surrenders the ring. The giants, who stole gold and
Freia, goddess of love, youth, and beauty, begin dividing
the treasure, but they quarrel over the ring itself. Fafner
clubs Fasolt to death (the orchestra repeats the "DeathCurse" leitmotif). Wotan, horrified, realizes that
Alberich's curse has terrible power. Loge remarks that
Wotan is indeed a lucky fellow; his enemies are killing
each other for the gold he gave up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm-hppPIexk (3:23)
SHEET MUSIC
222 pages
 http://216.129.110.22/files/imglnks/usimg/3
/3d/IMSLP33408-PMLP21241-Wagner__Das_Rheingold__Scene_4_.pdf

THINGS ABOUT THE SCENE


As a significant element in the Ring and his subsequent works, Wagner adopted the
use of leitmotifs. These are recurring themes and/or harmonic progressions. They
musically denote an action, object, emotion, character or other subject mentioned in
the text and/or presented onstage. Wagner referred to them in ‘Opera and Drama’
as "guides-to-feeling", and described how they could be used to inform the listener of
a musical or dramatic subtext to the action onstage in the same way as a Greek
Chorus did for Attic Drama. While other composers before Wagner had already used
similar techniques, the Ring was a landmark in the extent to which they were
employed, and in the ingenuity of their combination and development.
The scale of the whole work is established in the prelude, over 136 bars,
beginning with a low E flat, and building in more and more elaborate
figurations of the chord of E flat major, to portray the motion of the river
Rhine. It is considered the best-known drone piece in the concert repertory,
lasting approximately four minutes.

Drone: a harmonic or monophonic effect or accompaniment where a note or
chord is continuously sounded throughout most or all of a piece. The word drone
is also used to refer to any part of a musical instrument that is just used to
produce such an effect
MUSIC ANALYSIS

Melody:


Harmony:


Depended on the scene; dramatic scene = faster tempo
Form:


Mostly instrumental, vocals mixed in
Meter:


Monophonic (one person at a time), leitmotif used for each
character
No specific form; chronological order with story
Style:

Would increase and decrease in volume depending on the
dialogue exchange (would indicate shouting)
MEDIUMS






Woodwinds: a piccolo, 3 flutes (3rd doubles 2nd piccolo), 4
oboes (4th doubles cor anglais), 3 clarinets in A and B-flat,
bass clarinet in A and B-flat and 3 bassoons.
Brass: 8 horns, (doubling as necessary with tenor and bass
Wagner tubas), 3 trumpets, bass trumpet, 4 trombones and
a contrabass tuba
Percussion: 2 sets of timpani, triangle, cymbals, glockenspiel
and tam-tam
Strings: 6 harps, (a seventh is required in the closing pages
of Götterdämmerung), first violins, second violins, violas,
cellos and double basses.
Das Rheingold requires the following additional instruments:
bass drum, 18 anvils, thunder machine.
LES LUTHIERS



an Argentine comedy-musical
group, very popular also in several
other Spanish-speaking countries
They were formed in 1967 by
Gerardo Masana, during the
height of a period of very intense
Choral Music activity in
Argentina's state universities.
Their outstanding characteristic is
the home-made musical
instruments (hence the name
luthiers, French for "musical
instrument maker"), some of
them extremely sophisticated,
which they skillfully employ in
their recitals to produce music
and texts full of high class and
refined humor.
MORE ABOUT LES LUTHIERS

Les Luthiers began writing humorous pieces primarily in a Baroque style, especially imitating vocal
genres such as cantatas, madrigals and serenatas.




Later, they diversified into humorous renditions of music in other genres, from romantic lieder and opera to pop,
mariachi and even rap
Les Luthiers are known in particular for employing a diverse ensemble of invented instruments
created from common, everyday materials. The group's first home-made musical instrument, the
bass-pipe a vara (a sort of trombone), was created by Gerardo Masana, the founder of the group, by
joining paperboard tubes found in the garbage and miscellaneous items. Forty years later, this
instrument is still being used on stage.
The first informal instruments were relatively simple, like the Gum-Horn, made with a hose, a funnel
and a trumpet's mouthpiece, and some of them were born as a parody of musical instruments, which
is the case of the latín (referred to in English as fiddlecan) and the violata, bowed instruments whose
resonating chambers are made out of a large tin for processed ham and a paint can respectively, the
marimba de cocos, a marimba made out of coconuts, and others.
Inventor and instrument-maker Carlos Iraldi (1920–1995), as "Les Luthiers' luthier", was responsible
for inventing several more sophisticated instruments, including the mandocleta, a bicycle whose rear
wheel moves the strings of a mandolin, the bajo barríltono, a Double bass whose body is a giant
barrel, and others.
TERESA Y EL OSO

a 'Peter and the Wolf' parody titled 'Teresa y el Oso'
(Therese and the Bear)


Peter and the Wolf: “Disney's animated adaptation of
Prokofiev's masterpiece, in which every character is
represented musically by a different instrument. Young
Peter decides to go hunting for the wolf that's been
prowling around the village. Along the way, he is joined
by his friends the bird, the duck and the cat. All the fun
comes to end, however, when the wolf makes an
appearance. Will Peter and his friends live to tell of
their adventures?”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DGakg9zyvs
TRANSLATED NARRATION

Narrator: That, would have been a tranquil
tomorrow of autumn in the forest, one
morning of current and common autumn, if
was not that already it was four in the
afternoon and they were in summer. All the
animals had been cited for the princess
Teresa in a space of the forest to ascertain
which of them was its promised, the duke
Sigfrido the Straightened up. The duke, had
been bewitched for the witch Rascal, that
only had not transformed it into some animal
of the forest, but besides, the memory had
removed him. The Pajarillo Yellow, sang
happily. The hayloft said: "Alone the love of
the princess can return the human form to
the duke". Just then, the Boar was presented
Alí. The boar asked: "¿By that business
about the princess is here?" "If", the hayloft
said" they have cited Us to all. By the way,
there comes, being dragged, the Brownish
Mollusk". The mollusk asked: "I have lost my
shell. It did not they see?" Just then,
appeared flying the Butterfly Hopscotch.

Narrador: Aquella, habría sido una tranquila
mañana de otoño en el bosque, una mañana
de otoño común y corriente, si no fuera que ya
eran las cuatro de la tarde y estaban en
verano. Todos los animales habían sido citados
por la princesa Teresa en un claro del bosque
para averiguar cuál de ellos era su prometido,
el duque Sigfrido el Erguido. El duque, había
sido hechizado por la bruja Granuja, que no
sólo lo había transformado en algún animal del
bosque, sino que además, le había quitado la
memoria. El Pajarillo Amarillo, cantaba
alegremente. El pajarillo decía: “Solo el amor
de la princesa puede devolver la forma
humana al duque”. En ese momento, se
presentó el Jabalí Alí. El jabalí preguntó: “¿Por
lo de la princesa es aquí?” “Si”, dijo el pajarillo”
Nos han citado a todos. A propósito, ahí viene,
arrastrándose, el Molusco Pardusco”. El
molusco preguntó: “He perdido mi caparazón.
¿No lo vieron?” En ese momento, apareció
volando la Mariposa Golosa.
MUSIC ANALYSIS

Melody:


Harmony:


Depended on the scene; dramatic scene = faster tempo, casual
scene = 4/4 time
Form:


Mostly instrumental, talked alongside instruments
Meter:


Monophonic (one person at a time), leitmotif used for each
character
No specific form; chronological order with story
Style:

Would increase and decrease in volume depending on the
characters and scenes occurring
GERMAN OPERA

Melody:


Harmony:



Depended on the scene; dramatic
scene = faster tempo
Form:

No specific form; chronological order
with story
Style:


Would increase and decrease in
volume depending on the dialogue
exchange (would indicate shouting)
SIMILARITIES
Melody:



Depended on the scene; dramatic scene =
faster tempo, casual scene = 4/4 time
Form:


Mostly instrumental, talked alongside
instruments
Meter:


Monophonic (one person at a time), leitmotif
used for each character
Harmony:

Mostly instrumental, vocals mixed in
Meter:


Monophonic (one person at a time),
leitmotif used for each character
LES LUTHIERS
No specific form; chronological order with
story
Style:

Would increase and decrease in volume
depending on the characters and scenes
occurring
GERMAN OPERAS



Instruments were more
formal and categorized
Stories were sung aloud
Stories contained more
dramatic themes
DIFFERENCES
LES LUTHIERS



Instruments were informal
and make-shift
Stories were narrated along
with music
Stories were more comical
and parodical.
WORKS CITED










http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0855617.html
http://www.indexmundi.com/germany/religions.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-worldfactbook/geos/gm.html
http://wireddestinations.com/hotels/Germany/guide.php?path=intro
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opera_in_German
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/german-musical-instruments.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Das_Rheingold
http://www.icsi.berkeley.edu/~chema/luthiers/053.html
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038836/plotsummary
Tips
German culture acceptance of Wagner’s music
(nationalistic concepts)
 Discuss that the opera is played today
