''Die Zerstörung Jerusalems'' (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

: ''The Destruction of Jerusalem''), ( Op. 24), is an 1840

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 ...

Ferdinand Hiller Ferdinand (von) Hiller (24 October 1811 – 11 May 1885) was a German composer, Conductor (music), conductor, pianist, writer and music director. Biography Ferdinand Hiller was born to a wealthy Jewish family in Frankfurt am Main, where his fat ...

to 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 ...

by Salomon Steinheim largely based on

biblical The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

texts from the

Book of Jeremiah The Book of Jeremiah ( he, ספר יִרְמְיָהוּ) is the second of the Latter Prophets in the Hebrew Bible, and the second of the Prophets in the Christian Old Testament. The superscription at chapter Jeremiah 1:1–3 identifies the boo ...

and the

Psalms The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...

.Petzolt (2012)

Composition and structure

Hiller composed the oratorio after spending some years in Italy. He sent a draft of the oratorio to his friend

Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions include sy ...

in the summer of 1839. Mendelssohn was interested in the work and made several recommendations to Hiller which the latter enthusiastically accepted. Mendelssohn also recommended the work for performance at Leipzig, and the oratorio was premiered, conducted by the composer, at the

Leipzig Gewandhaus Gewandhaus is a concert hall in Leipzig, the home of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. Today's hall is the third to bear this name; like the second, it is noted for its fine acoustics. History The first Gewandhaus (''Altes Gewandhaus'') The fi ...

on 2 April 1840.Hiller (1874), pp. 166–167. The oratorio deals with the siege of Jerusalem by

Nebuchadnezzar II Nebuchadnezzar II (Babylonian cuneiform: ''Nabû-kudurri-uṣur'', meaning "Nabu, watch over my heir"; Biblical Hebrew: ''Nəḇūḵaḏneʾṣṣar''), also spelled Nebuchadrezzar II, was the second king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, ruling ...

in 587 BC. There are solo roles for the prophet

Jeremiah Jeremiah, Modern: , Tiberian: ; el, Ἰερεμίας, Ieremíās; meaning " Yah shall raise" (c. 650 – c. 570 BC), also called Jeremias or the "weeping prophet", was one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish ...

(

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

), King

Zedekiah Zedekiah (), was the 20th and last king of Judah before the destruction of the kingdom by King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon. His birth name was Mattaniah/Mattanyahu ( he, מַתַּנְיָהוּ, ''Mattanyāhū'', "Gift of God"; el, Μαθθ ...

(

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 ...

), and for the non-historical characters of Chamital, Zedekiah's mother (

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 ...

), Achicam, a pious

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

(tenor), and Hanna, Achicam's sister (

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

). Steinheim's libretto is largely based on

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Reformation, Protestant Refo ...

's translation of the Bible into German.

Reception

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

was at the premiere, and wrote that the oratorio "especially delights us with its powerful colouring, firmness, and seriousness of style"; he felt that, despite the composer's many years in Italy, "it is a German work throughout." Comparing it to Mendelssohn's ''

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

'', he felt Hiller's to be a more forward-looking work. Mendelssohn was also in the audience and joined in the warm reception given to the piece. Following the German premiere, Hiller sought to arrange performances of the oratorio abroad and wrote to

Fromental Halévy Jacques-François-Fromental-Élie Halévy, usually known as Fromental Halévy (; 27 May 179917 March 1862), was a French composer. He is known today largely for his opera '' La Juive''. Early career Halévy was born in Paris, son of the cantor ...

asking for his help to arrange one in Paris; but Halévy's response was lukewarm, offering only the opportunity to perform extracts at the

Paris Conservatoire The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue ...

. The first American performance of the work was in 2008 when it was conducted by

Leon Botstein Leon Botstein (born December 14, 1946 in Zürich, Switzerland) is a Swiss-American conducting, conductor, educator, and scholar serving as the President of Bard College. Biography 1946–1975: Early life, education, and career Botstein was ...

.Botstein (2009), p. 4.

Other oratorios on the same subject

There are other German oratorios of the same or similar names: these include ''Die Zerstörung von Jerusalem'' by

Carl Loewe Johann Carl Gottfried Loewe (; 30 November 1796 – 20 April 1869), usually called Carl Loewe (sometimes seen as Karl Loewe), was a German composer, tenor singer and Conducting, conductor. In his lifetime, his songs ("Balladen") were well enough ...

, libretto by Gustav Nicolai (1829); ''Jerusalems Zerstörung durch Titus'' by Eduard Naumann, libretto by Eduard Schüller (1851); ''Der Fall Jerusalems'' by Martin Blumner (1875); and ''Die Zerstörung Jerusalems'' by

August Klughardt August Friedrich Martin Klughardt (30 November 1847 – 3 August 1902) was a German composer and conductor. Life Klughardt, who was born in Köthen, took his first piano and music theory lessons at the age of 10. Soon he began to compose his fir ...

, libretto by Leopold Gerlach (1899). These however all deal with the

destruction of Jerusalem The siege of Jerusalem of 70 CE was the decisive event of the First Jewish–Roman War (66–73 CE), in which the Roman army led by future emperor Titus besieged Jerusalem, the center of Jewish rebel resistance in the Roman province of Jud ...

Titus Titus Caesar Vespasianus ( ; 30 December 39 – 13 September 81 AD) was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death. Before becoming emperor, Titus gained renown as a mili ...

in AD 70. The 1852 oratorio ''Jerusalem'' by the Anglo-German composer

Henry Hugh Pierson Henry Hugh Pierson (12 April 1815 – 28 January 1873) was an English composer resident from 1845 in Germany. He was born Henry Hugh Pearson and his middle name is sometimes given as Hugo.Nicholas Temperley, "Henry Pierson", in ''New Grove Dict ...

also deals with Titus's destruction of the city.

Recording

''Die Zerstörung Jerusalems'', Querstand VKJK 1202, (2012). Camerata Lipsiensis, Patrick Grahl, Gregor Meyer, Choir of

References

Notes Sources * * Hiller, Ferdinand (1874), tr. M. E. von Glehn. "Mendelssohn: Letters and Recollections." London: Macmillan and Co. * Petzolt, Martin (2012). ''The Oratorio "The Destruction of Jerusalem"'', booklet accompanying CD recording
Querstand VKJK 1202
* Schumann, Robert (n.d.), tr. Fanny Ritter. ''Music and Musicians: Essays and Criticisms, Second Series''. London: William Reeves. * Sietz, Reinhold (ed.) (1958). ''Aus Ferdinand Hillers Briefwechsel, (1826–1861)''. Köln: Luther-Druck

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zerstorung Jerusalems, Der Oratorios Oratorios based on the Bible German-language oratorios 1840 compositions Compositions by Ferdinand Hiller