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Title: Musical Humor and Antonín Dvořák’s Comic Operas

Musical Humor and Antonín Dvořák’s Comic Operas

by Julia Adams (Author)
©2022 Monographs 386 Pages
The Arts
Series: Eastern European Studies in Musicology, Volume 23

Summary

Antonín Dvořák was a clever and highly communicative humorist and musical dramatist. His masterful compositional strategies underscore, heighten, and construct sonic humor in his six (!!) comic operas. He crafts musical slapstick, satire, parody, and merriment using sudden breaks in rhythmic patterns, explosive harmonic shifts, excessive repetition, and startling pauses, as well as incongruous tempi, dynamics, range, and instrumentation. Dvořák also gives the orchestra its own "voice," breaking the metaphorical "fourth wall" to reveal humor outside of the characters' awareness. Narrative description and comprehensive music examples guide the reader through all six of Dvořák's works in this genre, revealing a significantly under-appreciated side of the composer's immense creative skills.

Table Of Contents

  • Cover
  • Title
  • Copyright
  • About the author
  • About the book
  • This eBook can be cited
  • Acknowledgements
  • Table of Contents
  • Music Examples
  • Tables
  • Music Examples
  • Chapter 1 – Dvořák the Comic Opera Composer
  • Chapter 2 – Understanding and Creating Musical Humor
  • Musical Humor
  • Categorical Types of Musical Humor
  • Other Considerations
  • Commedia dell’Arte in Dvořák’s Comic Operas
  • Chapter 3 – The King and the Charcoal Burner 1871 (Král a uhlíř) First version
  • Synopsis
  • The Overture
  • Chapter 4 – The King and the Charcoal Burner (Král a uhlíř) 1874 (Op.12), revised 1887 (Op.14)
  • Synopsis of Act III from the Novotný Libretto
  • Matĕj and Matyáš Plotline
  • Commedia dell’arte Plotline
  • The Overture
  • Chapter 5 – The Stubborn Lovers (Tvrdé Palice) 1874 (Op. 17)
  • Synopsis
  • Laughing Triplets
  • The Overture
  • Chapter 6 – The Cunning Peasant (Šelma Sedlák) 1877 (Op. 37)
  • Synopsis
  • The Overture
  • Chapter 7 – The Jacobin (Jakobín) 1888, revised 1897 (Op. 84)
  • Synopsis
  • The Overture
  • Chapter 8 – The Devil and Kate (Čert a Káča) 1899 (Op. 112)
  • Characters and Synopsis
  • Musical Motives
  • The Significance of Vocal Characterization and Instrumentation
  • Musical Humor and Kate’s Embodiment of the Comic Plot
  • Musical Humor and the Dramatic Plot
  • Final Thoughts
  • Appendix A – Scores
  • Bibliography
  • Index of Names
  • Series Index

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Music Examples

3.1KCB1871 Act I Scene Prelude mm. 4–25

3.2KCB1871 Act I Scene 1 mm. 94–98

3.3KCB1871 Act I Scene 1 mm. 115–130

3.4KCB1871 Act I Scene 7 mm. 75–92

3.5KCB1871 Act I Scene 8 mm. 16–33

3.6KCB1871 Act I Scene 8 mm. 40–83

3.7KCB1871 Act III Scene 1 mm. 1–13

3.8KCB1871 Act III Scene 1 mm. 14–16

3.9KCB1871 Act III Scene 6 mm. 9–16

3.10KCB1871 Act I Scene 6 mm. 130–135

3.11KCB1871 Act I Scene 5 mm. 36–43

3.12KCB1871 Act III Scene 5 mm. 71–74

3.13KCB1871 Act III Scene 5 mm. 87–90

3.14KCB1871 Act III Scene 9 mm. 269–280

3.15AKCB1871 Act III Scene 8 mm. 1–16

3.15BKCB1871 Act III Scene 8 mm. 1–9

3.16AKCB1871 Act III Scene 8 mm. 17–30

3.16BKCB1874 Act III Scene 8 mm 5–24, 34–37

3.17KCB1871 Act I Scene 3 mm. 199–203

3.18KCB1871 Act II Scene 6 mm. 87–92

3.19KCB1871 Act III Scene 2 mm. 44 Scene 3 m. 1

3.20KCB1871 Act II Scene 2 mm. 26–39

3.21AKCB1871 Act II Scene 2 mm. 24–37

3.21BCypřiše No. 10

4.1KCB1887 Act I Scene 1 mm. 1–29

4.2KCB1887 Act I Scene 1 mm. 80–90

4.3AKCB1887 Act I Scene 5 mm. 1–13

4.3BKCB1887 Act I Scene 5 mm. 14–75

4.4KCB1887 Act I Scene 10 mm. 37–47

4.5A“Sedlák, sedlák, sedlák”

4.5BKCB1874 Act III Scene 6 mm. 1–12

4.6KCB1887 Act III Scene 1 mm. 21–47

4.7AKCB1874 Act III Scene 5 mm. 63–67

4.7BKCB1874 Act III Scene 5 mm. 110–114

4.8AKCB1887 Act III Scene 5 mm. 80–83

4.8BKCB1887 Act III Scene 5 mm. 100–109

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4.8CKCB1887 Act III Scene 5 mm. 115–117

4.9KCB1874 Act III Scene 9 mm. 256–59, 262–64, 268–72

4.10KCB1871 Act III Scene 5 mm. 1–6

4.11KCB1874 Act III Scene 5 mm. 1–18

4.12KCB1874 Act III Scene 6 mm. 60–75

4.13KCB1874 Act III Scene 6 mm. 216–219

4.14AKCB1887 Act I Scene 3 mm. 37–41

4.14BKCB1887 Act I Scene 3 mm. 58–62

5.1AScene 1 mm. 1–6

5.1BScene 1 “Good Fortune Theme”

5.2Scene 1 mm. 148–153

5.3Scene 13 mm. 1–4

5.4Scene 13 mm. 26–34

5.5Scene 13 mm. 1–8

5.6Scene 14 mm. 1–4

5.7Scene 14 mm. 53–56

5.8AScene 14 mm. 121–128

5.8BMusic from beginning of Scene 1

5.9Scene 14 mm. 71–77

5.10Scene 16 mm. 55–62

5.11Scene 2 mm. 1–6

5.12Scene 2 mm. 25–28

5.13Scene 1 mm. 143–146

5.14Scene 6 mm. 70–79

5.15Scene 16 mm. 169–178

5.16Scene 12 mm. 23–30

5.17Scene 12 mm. 40–47

5.18Scene 3 mm. 5–13

5.19Scene 3 mm. 47–54

5.20Scene 3 mm. 90–96

5.21Scene 9 m. 78– Scene 10 m. 30

5.22Scene 1 “Good Fortune Theme”

5.23Scene 1 mm. 158–159

5.24Scene 1 mm. 112–122

5.25Scene 4 mm. 20–24

5.26Scene 10 mm. 64–67

5.27Scene 10 mm. 93–99

5.28Scene 15 mm. 68–71

5.29AOverture mm. 1–6

5.29BOverture mm. 383–397

6.1Act I Scene 1 mm. 14–31

←12 | 13→

6.2Act I Scene 1 mm. 60–101

6.3Act I Scene 4 mm. 41–52

6.4Act I Scene 7 mm. 3–21

6.5Act I Scene 7 mm. 34–72

6.6Act I Scene 8 mm. 51–67

6.7Kolovrat

6.8Overture, mm. 1–13

6.9Act I Scene 8 mm. 32–45

6.10Act II Scene 10 mm. 31–56

6.11Act II Scene 1 mm. 122–130

6.12Act II Scene 1 mm. 130–136

6.13Act II Scene 1 mm. 137–148, 155–165

6.14Act I Scene 3 mm. 118–139

6.15Act I Scene 3 mm. 141–155

6.16Act I Scene 3 mm. 151–156, 222–225, 236–238

6.17Act I Scene 3 mm. 116–117, 136–139, 188–191, 241–244, 248–251

6.18Act I Scene 5 mm. 61–92

6.19Act I Scene 5 mm. 87–94

6.20Act I Scene 5 mm. 103–108

6.21Act I Scene 5 mm. 131–134

6.22Act I Scene 5 mm. 233–242

6.23Act I Scene 9 mm. 13–15

6.24Act II Scene 3 mm. 26–36

6.25Act I Scene 12 mm. 54–58

6.26Act I Scene 12 mm. 91–105

6.27Act I Scene 12 mm. 106–125

6.28Act I Scene 12 mm. 187–194

6.29Act I Scene 10 mm. 6–15

6.30Act I Scene 10 mm. 45–48, 53–57

6.31Act I Scene 5 mm. 18–30

6.32Act I Scene 15 mm. 70–76

6.33Act I Scene 16 mm. 60–69

6.34Act I Scene 15 mm. 102–111

6.35Act II Scene 4 mm. 18–30

6.36Act I Scene 1 mm. 113–134

6.37Act I Scene 1 mm. 151–159

6.38Act I Scene 2 mm. 31–38 “Love Theme”

6.39AAct I Scene 2 mm. 47–66

Details

Pages
386
Publication Year
2022
ISBN (PDF)
9783631878569
ISBN (ePUB)
9783631878637
ISBN (MOBI)
9783631878644
ISBN (Hardcover)
9783631874783
DOI
10.3726/b19697
Language
English
Publication date
2022 (June)
Keywords
Czech orchestration comedy leitmotive libretto commedia dell‘arte
Published
Berlin, Bern, Bruxelles, New York, Oxford, Warszawa, Wien, 2022. 386 pp., 171 fig. b/w, 7 tables.
Product Safety
Peter Lang Group AG

Biographical notes

Julia Adams (Author)

Professor Julia R. Adams teaches musicology, music theory, and performance courses at Franklin & Marshall College, Penn State University, and Boston University. She received her Doctorate in Musicology from Boston University. She is also a choral-orchestra conductor, and founder emerita for Calliope (Boston).

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Title: Musical Humor and Antonín Dvořák’s Comic Operas