Composer: Heinrich Marschner
Title: Opera Arias for Baritone & Bass
Twelve arias for baritone and four arias for bass
Editor: Jeffrey Williams
With translations and IPA
Heinrich Marschner: Opera Arias for Baritone & Bass
Foreword
Heinrich Marschner (1795-1861) is generally known as the most important composer of German romantic opera between Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826) and Richard Wagner (1813-1883). Across his operatic output, Marschner demonstrated a special affinity composing for and developing compelling lower male voice characters. Marschner’s three most popular works (in his lifetime and to this day) – Der Vampyr (1828), Der Templer und die Jüdin (1829), and Hans Heiling (1833) – all had baritones in leading, title roles. This was highly unusual for the time and no composer before Verdi featured baritones so consistently at the center of the drama.
Marschner’s developments in the realm of German romantic opera cannot be ignored, because they furnished a framework upon which Wagner could build his music dramas, which were the culmination of German opera within the confines of nineteenth-century musical resources. In short, Marschner’s developments were: 1) expanding the resources of the traditional Singspiel format, 2) his use of chromatic harmony that was progressive for his day, and 3) the propagation of the supernatural, demonic baritone part. These baritones were captivating and important “anti-heroes”, which is the case in all three of Marschner’s most popular works mentioned above. It is also the case in Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer (1843), where the entire opera hinges on the Dutchman’s (bass-baritone’s) quest for redemption. Therefore, Marschner’s importance as a transitional figure in operatic history is undeniable.
Marschner’s baritones and basses require a large range, a more constant use of the higher tessitura, and an expressive palette ranging between forceful declamation and extreme tenderness. In these arias, you’ll clearly observe the operatic influence of Mozart, Beethoven, Weber, as well as the Italian bel canto composers. You’ll also come across just about every operatic song form – aria, arietta, cavatina, lied, romanze, recit & aria, and scene und arie. They illuminate the type of opera from which they come, their length, and the dramatic range of the character. The lied and cavatina are simpler songs intended for moments of lesser dramatic tension. The arietta derives from Italian and French opera and only appears in Marschner’s comic operas. The romanze is neither a virtuosic show piece nor a simple tune but is usually used for a specific dramatic purpose that lends itself to reflection or contemplation in music. The recit & aria and scene und arie are the longest forms and consist of accompanied recitative with greater melodic vitality and denser, more intense accompaniment. Der Kiffhäuser Berg and Der Holzdieb are one-act singspiele similar in style to Dittersdorf. Des Falkners Braut and Der Bäbu are comic operas that show a heavy dependence on Italian opera. Kaiser Adolph von Nassau is a through-composed grand opera à la Meyerbeer. Der Vampyr, Der Templer und die Jüdin, Hans Heiling, and Das Schloss am Aetna are textbook German romantic opera. In these pages, one can appreciate Marschner’s operatic gifts and how he thrived writing for the voice and stage.
In this edition, each aria has an introductory page with background / character information as well as the text in the three-line Phonetic-Translation system format made famous by Leyerle Publications. You’ll find there are arias appropriate for all levels in this edition: beginning student to professional. There are arias of audacious scope like Bois-Guilbert’s tour-de-force scene und arie from Der Templer und die Jüdin as well as incredibly approachable arias like Hans’s cavatina from Der Kiffhäuser Berg that could serve as a lower male voice’s first foray into German operatic literature. It can be challenging to find German operatic repertoire (especially for auditions) that demonstrates the skills of the budding low male voice lying somewhere between Papageno and Wotan. In my experience, Marschner serves as an ideal fit. I hope you enjoy these arias.
-Jeffrey Williams
Table of Contents
ARIAS FOR BARITONE
Tobias’s aria, “Es setzte brummend sich der Alte” ……………………………………………... 1
from Der Kiffhäuser Berg
Hans’s cavatina, “Den sauern Gang hab’ ich vollbracht” ………………………………………. 8
from Der Kiffhäuser Berg
Jobst’s aria, “Ja, nach dem verfluchten Berge” …………………………………………….….. 12
from Der Kiffhäuser Berg
Lord Ruthven’s recit & aria, “Ha! Welche Lust!” …………………………………………….. 23
from Der Vampyr
Lord Ruthven’s große szene (excerpt), “Geh’ denn hin, verrate mich!” ………………………. 41
from Der Vampyr
Bois-Guilbert’s scene und arie, “Mich zu verschmähen?” …………………………………….. 52
from Der Templer und die Jüdin
Hans Heiling’s aria, “An jenem Tag” …………………………………………………………. 78
from Hans Heiling
Hans Heiling’s recit & aria, “So heiss ich dich geliebet” ……………………………………... 90
from Hans Heiling
Marchese del’ Orco’s romanze, “Willst du die Meine sein” …………………………………. 101
from Das Schloss am Aetna
Bäbu’s lied, “Der Dumme wird immer zur Strafe gebracht” …………………………………. 104
from Der Bäbu
Bäbu’s scene (excerpt) und arie, “Lachend will ich sonder Weilen” ……………………….... 109
from Der Bäbu
Gerhard von Mainz’s recit & cadenza, “Es treibt mich aus dem Schlachtgewühle” …….…... 121
from Kaiser Adolph von Nassau
ARIAS FOR BASS
Lorenz’s aria, “Nur Thaler” ………………………………………………………………….. 127
from Der Holzdieb
Lorenz’s lied, “Das ist das ächte Lied” ……………………………………………………….. 134
from Der Holzdieb
Letellier’s arietta, “Seid unbesorgt, ihr wackern Leute” ……………….…………………….. 138
from Des Falkners Braut
Kasper’s recit & aria, “Das griff mir nun an’s Vaterland” ………………..………………..... 147
from Das Schloss am Aetna
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CVR 5319
170 pages
Coil Bound
