The most successful opera founded on _Much Ado About Nothing_ is
+Berlioz's+ two-act work entitled _Beatrice et Benedict_, produced at
Baden, 1862. The composer wrote his own libretto for this, and it is
an ingenious one. The first reference we get to the work is in a
letter to his greatest friend, Humbert Ferrand, dated November 1858: "I
am getting on with a one-act opera for Baden written round
Shakespeare's _Much Ado About Nothing_. It is called _Beatrice et
Benedict_; I promise there shall not be 'much ado' in the shape of
noise in it. Benayet, the King of Baden, wants it next year."
A very interesting point is made here in the little joke about "noise."
Berlioz had long been accused by critics and public of using too large
orchestras. He was very careful to put down in his scores the exact
number of each instrument that he required, and the ignorant,
non-musical person cannot understand that thirty violins playing
_pianissimo_ are still _pianissimo_ and are infinitely more beautiful
than sixteen or eight. Berlioz composed this work, "little opera" he
calls it, immensely quickly, and complains that ideas come to him so
fast that he has not time to write them down. In a letter to his
sailor son, Louis, dated November 1860, he says: "You ask how I manage
to crowd a Shakespeare's five acts into one. I have taken only one
subject from the play--the part in which Beatrice and Benedick, who
detest each other, are mutually persuaded of each other's love, whereby
they are inspired with a true passion. The idea is really comic." I
don't {99} quite understand what he means by the last sentence: it is
certainly a comedy idea, but not to me comic. Perhaps the translation
of the original may be somewhat free: I have not the French original
version by me, so I quote from the volume in Dent's "Everyman's
Library."
It will be noticed that the original idea of a one-act opera is
abandoned. The work was produced in two acts, and was a great success.
Writing again to his son he says: "_Beatrice_ was applauded from end to
end, and I was recalled more times than I can count"; and to his friend
H. Ferrand: "I am just home from Baden, where _Beatrice_ is a real
triumph." He speaks of his "radiant singers." He says: "People are
finding out that I have melody; that I can be gay--in fact, really
comic; that I am not noisy." Benayet, whom Berlioz humorously calls
"King of Baden," was the director of the new Opera House, and he
treated the composer most generously financially, and lavishly as
regards scenery and dresses--a thing to which he was not accustomed: so
he ennobled him thus. The whole _Beatrice_ episode is one of the
happiest in a not very happy life.
Coming to the music itself, the overture is not long, but an admirable
comedy overture, beautifully scored. The first number is a
drinking-song in praise of the wine of Syracuse, sung by a bass called
Somarone, a creation of Berlioz, with a spirited chorus.
A fine chorus welcomes the return of the victorious Don Pedro. There
is a very pretty "Siciliana," followed by a song in praise of Claudio,
sung by Hero.
After this, the hero and heroine have most of the work; and on their
finally agreeing to get married, much simple fun is made by the rest of
the characters. The so-called "Maidens' Duet" became a very popular
number. In this work are two four-part choruses called "Epithalme
grotesque," composed in _capella_ style. The end is very bright, and
the whole opera though difficult to sing and play, is not expensive to
mount.
I cannot trace a performance of this work here in London, {100} but it
would be well worth the attention of the Carl Rosa Opera Company; for
even if it has been produced, it must have been a long time ago, and it
would be perfectly fresh now. The opera has been performed more
frequently in Germany than anywhere else. It was given at Weimar and
Stuttgart under the composer's direction, and the last important
production was under Mottl.
+Sir Charles Villiers Stanford's+ opera, _Much Ado About Nothing_, has
nothing in common with Berlioz's _Beatrice et Benedict_, and very
little in common with Shakespeare's work of the same name. The
libretto is by Julian Sturgis, and the work was produced at Covent
Garden in May 1900, and also at the Stadt Theater, Leipsic, April 1902,
with a German translation by John Bernhoff.
Berlioz took a single episode for his opera in two acts, and worked it
out logically, ignoring everything that had nothing to do with his own
plot, which was "Beatrice and Benedick." Sturgis and Stanford bring in
nearly all Shakespeare's characters, but these say and sing things that
would have made Shakespeare turn in his grave if he could have heard
them there. When Debussy wanted to set Maeterlinck's _Pelleas et
Melisande_, he set every word of the original play and made a perfect
work of art. When Richard Strauss made an opera of Oscar Wilde's
_Salome_, he did the same thing, and, however much some of us may
dislike it, no one can deny that he turned out a very perfect art-work,
as regards form and brilliance. He produced a great opera, unpleasant
from some points of view, but, judged as a whole, a real achievement.
He trusted in his librettist and was justified in his trust. Stanford
did not trust in Shakespeare as much as he did in Julian Sturgis, and
his trust was very much betrayed.
Touching on the opera purely from a musical point of view, there is
much very pleasant music in it. There is no overture, and the first
act begins just before the masque. The male chorus sings "Sigh no
more, ladies" as the curtain rises.
{101}
Almost at once Don John and Borachio begin the plot. Claudio and
Benedick enter, Claudio immediately disclosing his love for Hero, the
story of the play being pretty closely followed. Leonato now makes a
tardy effort to welcome Don Pedro and the rest, and a masque begins
with a very stately saraband. Then, according to stage directions,
"Enter a pomp of clowns and country girls," who dance a morris-dance,
while the chorus sings about spring and maying. The masque ends with
Hero, crowned Queen of Summer, singing a very graceful welcome to the
princes. Claudio, as in Shakespeare, thinks the prince is wooing for
himself, and sings a tragic farewell to Hero and love, with many
repetitions of the words "farewell" and "love." Beatrice and Benedick
then have their little comedy scene, and the Prince explains to Claudio
that he has won Hero for him, and gives him some solemn advice. All
the principals join in and sing a fine sextet, Don John on the bottom
line singing with the others, but with sinister significance, that he
will mar their music presently.
The Prince announces his intention of making Beatrice and Benedick fall
in love with each other, and the four conspirators, Hero, Claudio,
Pedro, and Leonato, sing a quartet about it, finishing with a great
number of "with a fa-la-la's." Don John says he will cross the
wedding, and in a few words tells Borachio to meet Hero's gentlewoman,
Margaret, that night, and he will bring the Prince and Claudio. The
doors of the supper-room are thrown open and a procession of guests
comes out, with Hero and Claudio in the centre, the chorus singing
"Sigh no more, ladies," until the curtain comes down on the first act.
The second act opens with a short orchestral introduction. The scene
is Leonato's garden near Hero's window. Claudio sings a typical
serenade, at the end of which Hero comes out on the balcony, and they
have a long love-duet. Benedick then enters, and sings a lengthy and
very clever soliloquy about love and ladies; and then Hero, Pedro, and
Claudio, in a vocal trio, describe the love of Beatrice for {102}
Benedick, the last-named listening as in the play. The scene ends with
a very bright trio by the conspirators about having snared their bird.
The next episode sticks closely to Shakespeare. Don John guides Pedro
and Claudio to Hero's window; they see Borachio embrace Margaret, and
Claudio makes up his mind to denounce Hero in the church. The act ends
excitedly by Claudio rushing off, followed by Don Pedro and Don John,
and the curtain quickly falls.
The third act opens tempestuously on the orchestra, typifying Claudio's
bitter thoughts. He is discovered alone in the church, where he sings
a grim and very dramatic quasi-recitative about Hero's fall from grace.
The bells are now heard--only three, F, G, A, and the organ begins,
acolytes lighting the altar candles. The church fills, friars start
the hymn outside to the words, "Mater dulce carmen lenis," the bells
going right through the hymn with excellent effect. Then comes
Claudio's denunciation of Hero and his refusal to marry her; she
swoons, and everyone leaves the church except Hero, Beatrice, Benedick,
Leonato, and the friar. The friar, in a fine bass number (beautifully
sung at Covent Garden by Pol Plancon), explains his plan of pretending
that Hero has died of shame at the false accusation. Benedick promises
to challenge Claudio, and during this scene a funeral bell is heard,
and a procession of the Misericordia Fraternity crosses the stage
carrying a bier and singing "Miserere mei Deus" as it passes out of
sight. Benedick sings very solemnly "And so farewell" (I don't quite
see why, because Benedick knows Hero is not dead), and the curtain
comes down to _fortissimo_ music on a very effective third act.
The last act takes place in Messina, near the burial-ground of
Leonato's family. The music to open is not at all gloomy, as it is to
introduce Seacole, Dogberry, and Verges. Curiously enough, Verges is a
silent performer, or, as he is called in the bill of the play, a
"persona muta." The watch come straight to the point. They have
caught Borachio telling of his doings, and the movement follows {103}
very closely Shakespeare's development of the episode. Benedick comes
on, tries to make a song in Beatrice's honour, fails (just as he did in
Shakespeare), but finally sings quite a good song about "Morning,
spring-a (sic) ring-a (sic) and chantecleer." Don Pedro and Claudio
enter; Benedick delivers his challenge and they prepare to fight, when
Don Pedro comes between them. Dogberry, Verges, Watchmen with
Borachio, bound, enter, and all the villainy of Don John is explained.
The Friar enters; Claudio begs forgiveness, and the Friar produces the
living Hero without any of Shakespeare's pretence that she was another
daughter. Claudio at once sings a song to Hero, calling her angel of
pity, and sentimentalising over her for quite a long time. Hero joins
in the general soppiness, and, after a great high-note effect on the
part of both, Beatrice and Benedick break in with their comedy scene,
in which they agree to get married, to shouts of "How dost thou,
Benedick, the married man!" The principals and chorus all join in
singing "Sigh no more, ladies," which finally brings down the curtain
very brightly on a charming comedy opera; the music vastly superior to
the book. It was a brave attempt of Sir Charles Stanford, but he was
beaten by his librettist every time. It is not my intention to give Mr
Sturgis's perversions of Shakespeare; but why not have followed the
original text whenever possible, and cut anything that would have made
the work too long? Some of the paraphrases are quite as long as the
original, but how lamentably weak! If only Sturgis had used
Shakespeare and a large blue pencil! Of course, the whole text is too
long to set for an opera--even as a play it is too long; but to rewrite
immortal phrases and put them into such obvious opera libretto form (of
the worst period) was a foolish thing to do, and will kill Stanford's
heroic attempt to achieve English grand opera whenever it is performed.
Mr Sturgis touched no phrase of Shakespeare's that he did not degrade;
there is really no reason why the libretto of a modern opera should be
written in rhyming couplets.
{104}
There are two other operas on this subject, but neither has yet been
performed in England: _Beaucoup de Bruit pour Rien_, by +P. Puget+
(Paris, 1899); and _Ero_, by +C. Podesta+ (Cremona, 1900), about the
latter of which I regret I can obtain no details. The former, an opera
in four acts and five scenes, libretto taken from Shakespeare's play by
Edouard Blau, music by Paul Puget, was first performed at the Opera
Comique, Paris, on March 24, 1899. As a whole, the librettist adheres
closely to his text, with the exception of the omission of Dogberry and
Verges; and I don't think that anyone except an Englishman could
possibly understand two such thoroughly British characters. In this
work they would only make the serious parts seem ridiculous. The last
scene of the last act is novel, and owes very little to Shakespeare.
Hero is lying on a mortuary bed before the altar of the cathedral;
Claudio enters, throws open the great doors, and, in the presence of
all, makes a humble confession of his mistake and begs for pardon. He
swears to consecrate himself to her, and puts on her finger a ring. At
the touch of his hand Hero comes slowly from her faint, and the piece
finishes happily. It is a very good libretto, and quite as near the
original text as an opera can be expected to be. To this libretto M.
Puget has composed some very beautiful music. The prelude to the first
act is full of happy characterisation, though rather short. The duet,
Hero and Beatrice, sung while they present flowers to Don Pedro, is
melodious and simple; and in this act there is a very pretty Sicilian
song and dance. In the second act a madrigal, sung by Benedick, is
charming and very delicately scored, as is also a quartet for Pedro,
Leonato, Benedick, and Beatrice. In the third act, the scene of the
arrival of the bridal cortege at the cathedral, with fine organ and
orchestral effects, is very impressive; and in the last scene, the long
monologue, addressed by Claudio to the crowd, is broadly phrased and
very pathetic in its dignity: but it is unfortunately largely
overscored. The one serious blot on the work is the tendency of the
composer to {105} over-weight the singers. The opera earned a very
well-deserved success.
+Edward German's+ overture and incidental music for Sir George
Alexander's production of _Much Ado_ at the St James's, 1898, is German
at his best. The overture is mostly very bright, the first theme being
really a saltarello. The second _motif_, Hero and Claudio, is
naturally more sentimental and subdued. Don Pedro has a fine theme
(the third subject of the overture), which is afterwards used for his
entrance. These themes are all blended and woven together, and the
whole ends with a brilliant coda, in saltarello style again. There is
a very pretty movement, _alla Siciliana_, called "Leonato's Garden";
while the Dogberry music is in a hurried, flurried manner, quite
indicating the fussy old constable. The Bourree and Gigue are very
well known on the concert platform. The former is one of the prettiest
Old English dances that Edward German has ever given us. The
_grandioso_ effect of the first theme coming in augmentation for the
coda is wonderfully good, and makes a really brilliant ending. In the
Gigue, also, German is in his happiest vein; but I fear that a great
deal of the incidental music is still in manuscript.
{106}