Job: A Masque for Dancing
Job: A Masque for Dancing is a ballet music by the English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams ( 1872-1958 ). The 1930 concert premiered composition was inspired by the Illustrations of the Book of Job by William Blake after scenes of alttestamentalichen Book of Job.
Genesis and first performance
Vaughan Williams began 1927 with the composition of the ballet Job: A Masque for Dancing. The scenario in 8 pictures had Geoffrey Keynes and Gwendolen Raverat ( a cousin of Vaughan Williams) designed, inspired by the 21 Illustrations of the Book of Job by the English poet and painter William Blake, with scenes from the Old Testament book of Job. Keynes did not succeed, however, also Sergei Djaghilew, director of the Ballets Russes, to care for the poor overall treatment subject. Vaughan Williams chose for his music, the term " Masque " ( " masque ").
The premiere in concert form found on October 23, 1930 at the Norwich Festival conducted by the composer. The first staged performance took place on July 5, 1931 at London's Cambridge Theatre, headed by Constant Lambert, choreographed by Ninette de Valois and costumes by Gwendolen Raverat with the Vic- Wells Ballet and Anton Dolin in the role of Satan. Lambert created for this purpose a more suitable for stage purposes for smaller orchestra version of the original large ensemble work.
In the following years, Adrian Boult set - one for the concert version of composition and conducted it alone 1935-1939 in Salzburg, Geneva, Monte Carlo, Chicago and Brussels - where the 1934 printed work was retroactively dedicated. Boult took a job 1946-1970 a total of four times to record on, most recently with the London Symphony Orchestra.
1934 noted the composer Rutland Boughton, " that this is the most important music ever written by an Englishman of my generation. "
Instrumentation and Duration
The concert version of Job, in which the work is commonly heard, uses a large orchestra, which also includes saxophone, organ and extensive percussion:
3 flutes (third piccolo, optional), 2 oboes ( II optional), English horn, 3 clarinets (third option), bass clarinet, alto saxophone (optional ), 2 bassoons, contrabassoon (optional ), 4 horns, 3 trumpets ( III. optional), 3 trombones, tuba, 2 harps ( II optional), organ, timpani, percussion ( snare drum, bass drum, triangle, cymbals, xylophone, glockenspiel, tam-tam ), and strings.
The performance time is about 40 to 45 minutes.
Music
The composition is divided into eight scenes and an epilogue. By partial subdivisions, the following sections give ( German translation respectively in parenthesis):
- Scene I: Introduction
- Pastoral Dance ( Pastoral Dance )
- Satan 's Appeal to God ( Satan's petition to God )
- Saraband of the Sons of God ( Sarabande of the Sons of God)
- Job's Dream ( Dream Job )
- Dance of Plague, Pestilence, Famine and Battle ( Dance of pestilence, plague, famine and war )
- Dance of Job's Comforters ( Dance of Job's comforter inside )
- Job 's Curse ( Job's Curse )
- A Vision of Satan ( A Vision of Satan )
- Elihu 's Dance of Youth and Beauty ( Elihu Dance of Youth and Beauty)
- Pavane of the Sons of the Morning ( Pavane of the Sons of the morning )
- Galliard of the Sons of the Morning ( Gaillard of the Sons of the morning )
- Altar Dance and Heavenly Pavane ( Altar Dance and Heavenly Pavane )
After a quiet start, the mood -born with the appearance of Satan before the throne of God proposes to abruptly, the god leaves the violence about Job in Job's trust in stability. Since this remains true to his beliefs despite the challenges and setbacks, but Satan is banished out of the sky at the end. The work accordingly sounds turn out quiet.
Vaughan Williams is like a leitmotif three main issues: Job is (alternating triplets and quarter ) characterized by a pastoral theme, Satan juxtaposes abruptly by a syncopated theme, the major and minor. A descending phrase in majestic -looking diatonic symbolizes the sphere of God. In her gesture gloomy partly the composition has been on the resulting 1931-1934 4th Symphony, the harmonically most advanced orchestral work of composer, ahead.