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‘... and therefore the Lord increased this her beauty ...’ (Judith 10:4) – the beauty of Judith in Italian oratorios of the Baroque

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Ryszka-Komarnicka A.

Rocznik Teologii Katolickiej

2017

vol. 16

issue 3

Baroque oratorios about biblical Judith are usually regarded as oratori erotici. However, our research, covering the whole of the Italian Baroque oratorio repertoire on this subject, has revealed that such works did not dominated that repertoire to such a significant degree. For around one-third of the librettists, Judith’s similarity to the donne forti of 17th-century Venetian operas was a true religious-moral and artistic challenge, accompanied by the conviction that thanks to music one could see with the ears what the lack of scenic action rendered invisible. The article cites several solutions for ‘mirror scenes’ in oratorios about Judith: both the openly secular (e.g. by A. Ottoboni and Vajani de Borgi) and those whose librettists endeavoured to include a commentary accentuating Judith’s spiritual virtues or divine inspiration (Gigli, Silvani). Others (including Metastasio) eschewed that which was sensual in Judith. That strategy may be compared to dissimulazione onesta, the honest concealment of the facts, which was popular in those times, particularly in Italy..

Barokowe oratoria o biblijnej Judycie uważa się zwykle za tzw. oratori erotici. Jednak nasze badania, obejmujące całość włoskiego repertuaru oratoryjnego na ten temat z epoki baroku, wykazały, że dzieła takie nie zdominowały tego repertuaru w aż tak znaczącym stopniu. Podobieństwo Judyty do donne forti weneckich oper XVII wieku okazały się dla około 1/3 librecistów prawdziwym wyzwaniem religijno-moralnym i artystycznym, czemu towarzyszyło też przekonanie, że dzięki muzyce można uchem zobaczyć to, co niewidoczne z powodu braku scenicznej akcji. Artykuł ten przytacza kilka różnych rozwiązań tzw. scen przed lustrem w oratoriach o Judycie: i tych otwarcie świeckich (np. A. Ottoboni, Vajani de Borgi) po te, których libreciści starali się włączyć w nie komentarz akcentujący cnoty duchowe Judyty lub Boską inspirację (Silvani, Gigli). Jeszcze inni, łącznie Metastasiem, uciekali od tego, co w Judycie było zmysłowe. Koncentrowali się więc na cnotach bohaterki, zapominając o jej pięknie cielesnym. Strategię tę można przyrównać do popularnej w epoce, szczególnie w Italii, dissimulazione onesta, czyli uczciwego ukrywania faktów. .

THE QUEEN MARIA KAZIMIERA AND THE ITALIAN ORATORIO. A WARSAW EPISODE (Królowa Maria Kazimiera i wloskie oratorium - epizod warszawski)

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Ryszka-Komarnicka A.

Przegląd Muzykologiczny

2005

issue 5

45-55

The Polish Queen Maria Kazimiera, married to the King Jan III Sobieski, became acquainted with the Italian oratorio in Warsaw. G. B. Lampugnani, a poet in the service of the papal nuncio in Poland, dedicated to her a libretto on the death of Saint Casimirus, a prince of the Jagiellonian dynasty. 'Il transito di San Casimiro' was performed on 4 March 1695 by the Italian players with the music, it is thought, composed by the tenor V. Agostini. This article presents the analysis of the content and the dramaturgical-poetic concept of this text in the broader context of the Italian oratorio-libretti dedicated to Saint Casimirus (written by S. Lazzarini, O. Santacroce, and by an anonymous poet to the music of A. Scarlatti), which were composed in Italy between 1675 and 1700. 'Il transito di San Casimiro' belongs to the type of oratorio which is close to the spiritual cantata (cantata spirituale) and is typical of hagiographic subjects. It is characterised by a well-thought-out selection of metres for the poetic arias: a dignified decasillabo appears often in the parts of Saint Casimiro and of the virtue of Chastity (Castita) who supports him. In the arias, according to the trends at the end of 17th century, one can see a tendency towards isometric features and the division into two parts in which, at the end of each section of the text, 'verso tronco' is constantly used. The two parts were often of equal length, which corresponds with the musical form Da Capo. Its presence is confirmed by relevant annotations in the printed libretto. The music to 'Il transito di San Casimiro' did not survive. However, on considering the Italian practices of casting, and the more or less known composition of the Warsaw cappella, it was possible to formulate some hypothesis as to how particular roles would be cast. It is to be regretted that the oratorio did not develop into a permanent tradition in Poland, and that it did not inspire Maria Kazimiera to promote a similar repertoire during her stay in Rome as a widow (1699-1714). In the circle of her patronage, as far as it can be reconstructed today, allegorical cantatas appeared, usually generally referring to the importance of the Viennese victory of her husband, King John Sobieski in 1683, and an oratorio devoted to a French saint (La conversione di Clodoveo, Re di Francia).

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1 Przegląd Muzykologiczny

1 Rocznik Teologii Katolickiej

2 Ryszka-Komarnicka A.

1 2017

1 2005

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‘... and therefore the Lord increased this her beauty ...’ (Judith 10:4) – the beauty of Judith in Italian oratorios of the Baroque

THE QUEEN MARIA KAZIMIERA AND THE ITALIAN ORATORIO. A WARSAW EPISODE (Królowa Maria Kazimiera i wloskie oratorium - epizod warszawski)