''The Creatures of Prometheus'' (german: Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus, links=no),
Op. 43, is a
ballet
Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
composed in 1801 by
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...
following the
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 ...
of
Salvatore Viganò
Salvatore Viganò (March 25, 1769 – August 10, 1821), was an Italian choreographer, dancer and composer.
Viganò was born in Naples. He studied composition with Luigi Boccherini (his uncle) and by the mid-1780s was composing original music. ...
. The ballet premiered on 28 March 1801 at the
Burgtheater
The Burgtheater (literally:"Castle Theater" but alternatively translated as "(Imperial) Court Theater"), originally known as '' K.K. Theater an der Burg'', then until 1918 as the ''K.K. Hofburgtheater'', is the national theater of Austria in Vi ...
in Vienna and was given 28 performances. It was premiered in New York at the
Park Theatre on 14 June 1808 being one of the first full length works by Beethoven to be performed in the United States. It is the only full length ballet by Beethoven.
History
Viganò was tasked with presenting a work to the Archduchess
Maria Theresa
Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (german: Maria Theresia; 13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was ruler of the Habsburg dominions from 1740 until her death in 1780, and the only woman to hold the position ''suo jure'' (in her own right). ...
at the Vienna Court Theatre (Burgtheater), and chose the subject matter of
Prometheus
In Greek mythology, Prometheus (; , , possibly meaning "forethought")Smith"Prometheus". is a Titan god of fire. Prometheus is best known for defying the gods by stealing fire from them and giving it to humanity in the form of technology, know ...
in an allegorical sense. While Viganò usually composed his own music for his performances, he felt this performance was far too important and asked Beethoven to compose instead. The ballet was written in two acts, with Beethoven creating an
overture
Overture (from French ''ouverture'', "opening") in music was originally the instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Beethoven and Mendelssohn composed overt ...
, an introduction, fifteen numbers, and a finale.
Summary
The ballet is an allegory based on the mythical story of Prometheus, who stole fire from
Zeus
Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D ...
in order to
create mankind from clay. In the ballet, Prometheus finds mankind in a state of ignorance and decides to introduce the ideas of science and art to them, largely based on Beethoven's own support of the
Enlightenment movement. Prometheus introduces the humans to
Apollo
Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...
, the god of the arts, who commands
Amphion
There are several characters named Amphion in Greek mythology:
* Amphion, son of Zeus and Antiope, and twin brother of Zethus (see Amphion and Zethus). Together, they are famous for building Thebes. Pausanias recounts an Egyptian legend accordi ...
,
Arion
Arion (; grc-gre, Ἀρίων; fl. c. 700 BC) was a kitharode in ancient Greece, a Dionysiac poet credited with inventing the dithyramb. The islanders of Lesbos claimed him as their native son, but Arion found a patron in Periander, tyrant ...
and
Orpheus
Orpheus (; Ancient Greek: Ὀρφεύς, classical pronunciation: ; french: Orphée) is a Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet in ancient Greek religion. He was also a renowned poet and, according to the legend, travelled with Jaso ...
to teach music, and
Melpomene
In Greek mythology, Melpomene (; grc, Μελπομένη, Melpoménē, to sing' or 'the one that is melodious), initially the muse of chorus, eventually became the muse of tragedy, and is now best known in that association.
Etymology
Melp ...
and
Thalia
Thalia, Thalía, Thaleia or Thalian may refer to:
People
* Thalia (given name), including a list of people with the name
* Thalía (born 1971), Mexican singer and actress
Mythological and fictional characters
* Thalia (Grace), one of the three ...
to teach tragedy and comedy. The humans also meet with
Terpsichore
In Greek mythology, Terpsichore (; grc-gre, Τερψιχόρη, "delight in dancing") is one of the nine Muses and goddess of dance and chorus. She lends her name to the word " terpsichorean" which means "of or relating to dance".
Appearance ...
who, along with
Pan, introduces them to the Pastoral Dance, followed by
Dionysus
In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Romans ...
introducing his Heroic Dance.
In 1930, musicologist
Jean Chantavoine
Jean Chantavoine (17 May 1877 – 16 July 1952) was a French musicologist and biographer and the secretary general for the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique.
Chantavoine was born in Paris. He published numerous books and article ...
and playwright
Maurice Léna
Maurice Léna (24 December 1859 – 31 March 1928) was a French dramatist and librettist of the Parisian Belle Époque. His opera librettos include Jules Massenet's '' Le jongleur de Notre-Dame'' (1902), Georges Hüe's ''Dans l'ombre de la cath ...
made a detailed reconstruction of the plot in relation to the music, based on sources that have stood the test of time. A summary of this reconstruction is given below.
Music and reconstruction of the plot
Overture
Overture (from French ''ouverture'', "opening") in music was originally the instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Beethoven and Mendelssohn composed overt ...
Act 1 opens with an introduction, followed by three numbers.
Act 2 includes another 13 numbers:
According to musicologist
Lewis Lockwood
Lewis H. Lockwood (born December 16, 1930) is an American musicologist whose main fields are the music of the Italian Renaissance and the life and work of Ludwig van Beethoven. Joseph Kerman described him as "a leading musical scholar of the postw ...
, Beethoven's music for this ballet is "easier and lighter than music for the concert hall ...
shows Beethoven exploiting instruments and coloristic orchestral effects that would never appear in his symphonies or serious dramatic overtures."
[ Lockwood, Lewis. ]
Beethoven: The Music and the Life
', pp. 149–150 (W. W. Norton & Company, 2005). Beethoven later based the fourth movement of his
''Eroica'' symphony and his ''
Eroica Variations
The Variations and Fugue for Piano in E major, Op. 35 are a set of fifteen variations (plus three "bonus" variations) for solo piano composed by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1802. They are commonly referred to as the ''Eroica Variations'' because a d ...
'' (piano) on the main theme of the last movement (Finale) of this ballet.
The ballet requires the use of
harp
The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...
and
basset horn
The basset horn (sometimes hyphenated as basset-horn) is a member of the clarinet family of musical instruments.
Construction and tone
Like the clarinet, the instrument is a wind instrument with a single reed and a cylindrical bore. Howeve ...
among the orchestral instruments, instruments Beethoven rarely employed.
''The Creatures of Prometheus''
LVBeethoven.com]
See also
* Prometheus#Classical music, opera, and ballet, Prometheus in other musical works
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Creatures of Prometheus, The
1801 compositions
1801 ballet premieres
Prometheus
Silenus
Dionysus
Works based on classical mythology
Ballets by Ludwig van Beethoven