''La '' (''The Liberation of Bethulia'') is a

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...

Pietro Metastasio Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi (3 January 1698 – 12 April 1782), better known by his pseudonym of Pietro Metastasio (), was an Italian poet and librettist, considered the most important writer of '' opera seria'' libretti. Early life Me ...

which was originally commissioned by

Emperor Charles VI , house = Habsburg , spouse = , issue = , issue-link = #Children , issue-pipe = , father = Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor , mother = Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg , birth_date ...

and set to music by Georg Reutter the Younger in 1734. It was subsequently set by as many as 30 composers, including Niccolò Jommelli (1743),

Ignaz Holzbauer Ignaz Jakob Holzbauer (18 September 1711 – 7 April 1783) was an Austrian composer of symphonies, concertos, operas, and chamber music, and a member of the Mannheim school. His aesthetic style is in line with that of the ''Sturm und Drang'' "m ...

(1752),

Florian Leopold Gassmann Florian Leopold Gassmann (3 May 1729 – 21 January 1774) was a German-speaking Bohemian opera composer of the transitional period between the baroque and classical eras. He was one of the principal composers of '' dramma giocoso'' immed ...

(1772),

Joseph Schuster Joseph Schuster may refer to: * Joseph Schuster (cellist) (1903–1969), Constantinople-born American cellist * Joseph Schuster (composer) (1748–1812), German classical composer * Joe Shuster (1914–1992), Canadian-born comic book writer who cre ...

(1787), and most famously

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

(1771).

Mozart's setting

The work of Mozart is the best known, if only because the composer's output receives more examination. Composed in March to July 1771 when Mozart was 15 years old, K. 118 (74c) is a 140-minute on a text by Metastasio tracing the story of

Judith beheading Holofernes The account of the beheading of Holofernes by Judith is given in the deuterocanonical ''Book of Judith'', and is the subject of many paintings and sculptures from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. In the story, Judith, a beautiful widow, is ab ...

from the biblical ''

Book of Judith The Book of Judith is a deuterocanonical book, included in the Septuagint and the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christian Old Testament of the Bible, but excluded from the Hebrew canon and assigned by Protestants to the apocrypha. It tells ...

''. It was commissioned in March 1771 by Giuseppe Ximenes, Prince of

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and an, Aragón ; ca, Aragó ) is an autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces (from north to sou ...

, while Mozart and his father

Leopold Leopold may refer to: People * Leopold (given name) * Leopold (surname) Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * Leopold (''The Simpsons''), Superintendent Chalmers' assistant on ''The Simpsons'' * Leopold Bloom, the protagonist o ...

were on the way home to Salzburg from their first

journey to Italy ''Journey to Italy'', also known as ''Voyage to Italy'', is a 1954 drama film directed by Roberto Rossellini. Ingrid Bergman and George Sanders play Katherine and Alex Joyce, a childless English married couple on a trip to Italy whose marriage i ...

. It is the only

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...

Mozart ever wrote. Its two parts comprise sixteen

aria In music, an aria (Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompanime ...

s, with

solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series * Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''S ...

choral A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which ...

parts, scored for soloists, choir and

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

. Not performed in Mozart's lifetime, ''La Betulia liberata'' is shaped stylistically to works by

Leonardo Leo Leonardo Leo (5 August 1694 – 31 October 1744), more correctly Leonardo Ortensio Salvatore de Leo, was a Baroque composer. Biography Leo was born in San Vito degli Schiavoni (currently known as San Vito dei Normanni, province of Brindisi) in ...

and

Johann Adolph Hasse Johann Adolph Hasse (baptised 25 March 1699 – 16 December 1783) was an 18th-century German composer, singer and teacher of music. Immensely popular in his time, Hasse was best known for his prolific operatic output, though he also composed a co ...

. Recent high-profile performances of Mozart's setting include one in the 2006

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival (german: Salzburger Festspiele) is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer (for five weeks starting in late July) in the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amad ...

conducted by

Christoph Poppen Christoph Poppen (born 9 March 1956) is a German conductor, violinist and academic teacher. Career Poppen was born in Münster. As a violinist, he was awarded first prize in the Kocian Violin Competition age 14. He studied the violin with Kur ...

, as part of the M22 series, masterminded by Bernhard Fleischer to perform all Mozart's operas (and the only oratorio) in 2006 Salzburg Festival. The performance was recorded and subsequently released as DVD. (See Recordings section below.) In 2010 both the Mozart and the Jommelli settings were performed side by side at the Salzburg Whitsun and

Ravenna Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the cap ...

festivals under the leadership of

Riccardo Muti Riccardo Muti, (; born 28 July 1941) is an Italian conductor. He currently holds two music directorships, at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and at the Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini. Muti has previously held posts at the Maggio Musicale ...

Roles

* Ozia, prince of Bethulia (

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

) * Giuditta, widow of

Manasses Manasses or Manasseh (;churchofjesuschris ...

(

alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: ''altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In 4-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in choruses by ...

) * Amital, noblewoman of

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

(

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

) * Achior, prince of the

Ammon Ammon (Ammonite: 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''ʻAmān''; he, עַמּוֹן ''ʻAmmōn''; ar, عمّون, ʻAmmūn) was an ancient Semitic-speaking nation occupying the east of the Jordan River, between the torrent valleys of Arnon and Jabbok, in p ...

ites ( bass) * Cabri and Carmi, chiefs of the people (sopranos) * Bethulians (chorus)

Structure

First part # Overtura # Recitative: ''Popoli di Betulia'' (Ozia) # Aria #1: ''D'ogni colpa la colpa maggiore'' (Ozia) # Recitative: ''E in che sperar?'' (Cabri, Amital) # Aria #2: ''Ma qual virtù non cede'' (Cabri) # Recitative: ''Già le memorie antiche'' (Ozia, Cabri, Amital) # Aria #3: ''Non hai cor'' (Amital) # Recitative: ''E qual pace sperate'' (Ozia, Amital, chorus) # Aria with chorus #4: ''Pietà, se irato sei'' (Ozia, chorus) # Recitative: ''Chi è costei che qual sorgente aurora'' (Cabri, Amital, Ozia, Giuditta) # Aria #5: ''Del pari infeconda'' (Giuditta) # Recitative: ''Oh saggia, oh santa'' (Ozia, Cabri, Giuditta) # Aria with chorus #6: ''Pietà, se irato sei'' (Ozia, chorus) # Recitative: ''Signor, Carmi a te viene'' (Cabri, Amital, Carmi, Ozia, Achior) # Aria #7: ''Terribile d'aspetto'' (Achior) # Recitative: ''Ti consola, Achior'' (Ozia, Cabri, Achior, Giuditta) # Aria #8: ''Parto inerme, e non pavento'' (Giuditta) # Chorus #9: ''Oh prodigio! Oh stupor!'' (Chorus) Second part # Recitative: ''Troppo mal corrisponde'' (Achior, Ozia) # Aria #10: ''Se Dio veder tu vuoi'' (Ozia) # Recitative: ''Confuso io son'' (Achior, Ozia, Amital) # Aria #11: ''Quel nocchier che in gran procella'' (Amital) # Recitative: ''Lungamente non dura'' (Ozia, Amital, chorus, Cabri, Giuditta, Achior) # Aria #12: ''Prigionier che fa ritorno'' (Giuditta) # Recitative: ''Giuditta, Ozia, popoli, amici'' (Achior) # Aria #13: ''Te solo adoro'' (Achior) # Recitative: ''Di tua vittoria'' (Ozia, Amital) # Aria #14: ''Con troppa rea viltà'' (Amital) # Recitative: ''Quanta cura hai di noi'' (Cabri, Carmi, Ozia, Amital) # Aria #15: ''Quei moti che senti'' (Carmi) # Recitative: ''Seguansi, o Carmi'' (Ozia, Amital, Cabri, Achior, Giuditta) # Aria with chorus #16: ''Lodi al gran Dio'' (Giuditta, chorus)

Recordings

(Conductor, label, catalogue number, year) *

Leopold Hager Leopold Hager (born 6 October 1935, Salzburg) is an Austrian conductor known for his interpretations of works by the Viennese Classics (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert). Hager studied piano, organ, harpsichord, conducting, and composition ...

Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters i ...

, 422522-2 *

Carlo Felice Cillario Carlo Felice Cillario (7 February 191513 December 2007) was an Argentinian-born Italian conductor of international renown.See Obituary, Elizabeth Forbes. Biography Born Carlos Felix Cillario in San Rafael, Mendoza, Argentina, he went to Italy in 1 ...

, A. Charlin, AMS 2627/8-2 * Mario Rossi, Opera d'Oro *

Peter Maag Ernst Peter Johannes Maag (10 May 1919 – 16 April 2001) was a Swiss conductor. Early life Peter Maag was born on 10 May 1919 in St. Gallen, Switzerland and died on 16 April 2001 in Verona, Italy. His father, Otto, was a Lutheran minister, ...

Brilliant Classics Brilliant Classics is a classical music label based in the Dutch town of Leeuwarden. It is renowned for releasing super-budget-priced editions on CD of the complete works of J.S. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and many other composers. The label also sp ...

, 99944 (also in earlier ''Complete Works'' box, 92540) *Riccardo Favero, Brilliant Classics, 94496 (also in updated ''Complete Works'' box, 94051) *

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...

, DVD 4400734248 * Michi Gaigg, Challenge Records,

Super Audio CD Super Audio CD (SACD) is an optical disc format for audio storage introduced in 1999. It was developed jointly by Sony and Philips Electronics and intended to be the successor to the Compact Disc (CD) format. The SACD format allows multiple aud ...

CC72590, 2013 *

Christophe Rousset Christophe Rousset (; born 12 April 1961) is a French harpsichordist and conductor, who specializes in the performance of Baroque music on period instruments. He is also a musicologist, particularly of opera and European music of the 17th and 18 ...

Aparté Aparté is a French classical music record label founded in 2010 by Nicolas Bartholomée, director of Little Tribeca recording studios. Bartholomée had earlier founded the recording studio Musica Numeris in the late 1980s, and the Ambroisie labe ...

, AP235, 2020

Settings by other composers

Antonio Salieri Antonio Salieri (18 August 17507 May 1825) was an Italian classical composer, conductor, and teacher. He was born in Legnago, south of Verona, in the Republic of Venice, and spent his adult life and career as a subject of the Habsburg monarchy ...

in 1820 revised

's ''La Betulia liberata'' by shortening some recitatives and arias, and adding additional choirs taken from Gassmann's other compositions. As a student of

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

set "Te solo adoro", Anchior's aria from the second part, as a composition exercise for four voices in November 1812. The exercise was first published in 1940, and, catalogued as D. 34, again in the ''

New Schubert Edition Franz Schubert (1797–1828): New Edition of the Complete Works (), commonly known as the New Schubert Edition (NSE), or, in german: Neue Schubert-Ausgabe (NSA), is a complete edition of Franz Schubert's works, which started in 1956 and is schedu ...

'' in 1986. Alfred Mann (ed.) ''

''
Series VIII: SupplementVolume 2: ''Schuberts Studien''

Bärenreiter Bärenreiter (Bärenreiter-Verlag) is a German classical music publishing house based in Kassel. The firm was founded by Karl Vötterle (1903–1975) in Augsburg in 1923, and moved to Kassel in 1927, where it still has its headquarters; it also ...

, 1986. No. 39

References

External links

* * *

, with corrections by

Autograph of "Te solo Adoro" for SATB (D 34)
a

by Austrian Academy of Sciences (OAW) Compositions by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1771 compositions Classical church music Libretti by Metastasio 1734 operas 1771 operas Oratorios based on the Bible {{Interwiki extra, qid=Q1798628