The Golden Legend (cantata)
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''The Golden Legend'' is an 1886
cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of ...
by
Arthur Sullivan Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan (13 May 1842 – 22 November 1900) was an English composer. He is best known for 14 comic opera, operatic Gilbert and Sullivan, collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including ''H.M.S. Pinaf ...
with libretto by Joseph Bennett, based on the 1851 poem of the same name by
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely transl ...
. The piece premiered at the triennial Leeds Music Festival. At least 17 performances of the cantata were given in Britain during the first year after its premiere in October 1886, and during Sullivan's lifetime it was widely considered his greatest and most successful work of serious music. Indeed, outside of the comic operas with
W. S. Gilbert Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (18 November 1836 – 29 May 1911) was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan, which produced fourteen comic operas. The most f ...
, this cantata was widely regarded as Sullivan's most successful large-scale composition. A few days after the first performance, Gilbert wrote to Sullivan, "I congratulate you heartily on the success of the Cantata which appears from all accounts to be the biggest thing you've done." In May 1888, there was a performance of the work at the
Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...
by command of
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
. She sent for Sullivan after the performance and said, "At last I have heard ''The Golden Legend'', Sir Arthur ... You ought to write a grand opera – you would do it so well." Numerous amateur choral societies performed the work, and at one point the composer declared a moratorium on its performance, fearing that it was becoming over-exposed. After Sullivan's death there was a steady decline in the frequency of performances of ''The Golden Legend'', in common with all of his serious compositions, and the arrival of a new generation of composers, beginning with
Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...
, brought fresh new choral and symphonic works to the British musical scene that crowded out
Romantic music Romantic music is a stylistic movement in Western Classical music associated with the period of the 19th century commonly referred to as the Romantic era (or Romantic period). It is closely related to the broader concept of Romanticism—the ...
. In recent decades, however, there has been a significant revival of interest in Sullivan's compositions, including ''The Golden Legend''.


Background

Sullivan had been associated with the prestigious triennial Leeds Music Festival, both as conductor and composer, since 1880, when his choral work ''
The Martyr of Antioch ''The Martyr of Antioch'' is a choral work described as a "Sacred Musical Drama" by the English composer Arthur Sullivan. It was first performed on 15 October 1880 at the triennial Leeds Music Festival, having been composed specifically for that ...
'' had its premiere at Leeds Town Hall. By 1886, Sullivan was serving as the Leeds Festival's musical director for the third time, and the Festival Committee had commissioned him to compose a new choral work. In January 1886, having settled on his subject, but having tried and failed to arrange a libretto himself, he asked Joseph Bennett to prepare the libretto based on
Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely transl ...
's epic poem ''The Golden Legend''. Only weeks before Sullivan began composing ''The Golden Legend'' in the spring of 1886,
Franz Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...
visited London.Young pp. 145–46 Sullivan had met Liszt many years earlier in
Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
, when Sullivan was a student there, and he now escorted the older composer to functions given in his honour. During this visit, Liszt's music was heard in London, including his sacred cantata, ''The Legend of St Elisabeth''. Liszt had, in 1874, set the prologue of ''The Golden Legend'' as ''Die Glocken des Strassburger Münsters'', and some commentators assert that the influence of Liszt, and particularly of these two works, is discernible in Sullivan's cantata. With ''
The Mikado ''The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen Gilbert and Sullivan, operatic collaborations. It opened on 14 March 1885, in London, whe ...
'' drawing large audiences in London and New York, Sullivan began composing ''The Golden Legend'' in Yorktown,
Camberley Camberley is a town in the Borough of Surrey Heath in Surrey, England, approximately south-west of Central London. The town is in the far west of the county, close to the borders of Hampshire and Berkshire. Once part of Windsor Forest, Cambe ...
, England, on 24 April 1886, and rehearsals began on 10 September 1886. Like Sullivan's other Leeds Festival pieces, such as ''
The Martyr of Antioch ''The Martyr of Antioch'' is a choral work described as a "Sacred Musical Drama" by the English composer Arthur Sullivan. It was first performed on 15 October 1880 at the triennial Leeds Music Festival, having been composed specifically for that ...
'', the work was presented on a grand scale, with 325 voices and 120 orchestra players. In addition to the usual orchestra instruments, Sullivan augmented the woodwind section with piccolos,
cor anglais The cor anglais (, or original ; plural: ''cors anglais''), or English horn in North America, is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the oboe family. It is approximately one and a half times the length of an oboe, making it essentially an alto ...
, bass clarinet and contrabassoon, cornets in addition to trumpets, and included prominent parts for bells, harp and organ. The festival was held 13–16 October 1886, and the premiere of ''The Golden Legend'' took place on Saturday, 16 October 1886; its success with audiences and critics alike was immediate.


Characters and original singers

*Elsie,
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 ...
Emma Albani Dame Emma Albani, DBE (born Marie-Louise-Emma-Cécile Lajeunesse; 1 November 18473 April 1930) was a Canadian-British operatic soprano of the 19th century and early 20th century, and the first Canadian singer to become an international star. He ...
*Ursula,
contralto A contralto () is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range is the lowest female voice type. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare; similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to that of a countertenor, typically b ...
Janet Monach Patey Janet Monach Patey (''née'' Whytock; 1 May 1842 – 28 February 1894) was an English concert and oratorio contralto. She was born Janet Monach Whytock in London in 1842. She had a fine alto voice, which developed into a contralto, and she studi ...
*Prince Henry,
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 ...
Edward Lloyd Edward Lloyd may refer to: Politicians *Edward Lloyd (MP for Montgomery), Welsh lawyer and politician *Edward Lloyd (16th-century MP) (died 1547) for Buckingham * Edward Lloyd, 1st Baron Mostyn (1768–1854), British politician *Edward Lloyd (Colon ...
*Lucifer, bass
Frederic King Frederic King (3 January 1853 – 20 May 1933) was a baritone best known for his performances in the works composed by Arthur Sullivan for the Leeds Festivals of 1880 and 1886. Later, he taught singing for 42 years at the Royal College of ...
*A Forester, bass –
Robert Watkin-Mills Robert Watkin-Mills (March 4, 1849 – December 10, 1930) was an English bass-baritone concert singer of the late Victorian era who in his later career moved to Canada. An early recording artist, he recorded selections from the works of Schum ...
*Chorus


Synopsis

The Prologue depicts a storm raging around Strasburg Cathedral as
Lucifer Lucifer is one of various figures in folklore associated with the planet Venus. The entity's name was subsequently absorbed into Christianity as a name for the devil. Modern scholarship generally translates the term in the relevant Bible passage ...
and his spirits of the air try to tear down the cross from the spire, only to be chased away by the ringing of the bells. This failure foreshadows Lucifer's ultimate defeat. Scene one depicts Prince Henry of Hoheneck at his Castle of Vautsberg on the Rhine being tempted by Lucifer. Henry has been stricken with a strange malady, and the famous physicians of
Salerno Salerno (, , ; nap, label= Salernitano, Saliernë, ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' in Campania (southwestern Italy) and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after ...
have told him that the only cure is the blood of a maiden who shall, of her own free will, consent to die for his sake. Viewing this as unlikely, he gives way to despair and allows Lucifer, disguised as a travelling physician, to administer alcohol to him in such measure that he is deprived of his position in society and power as a ruler, and becomes an outcast. In the second scene, Prince Henry finds shelter in the cottage of one of his vassals, Ursula, whose daughter, Elsie, moved by great compassion for him upon learning the cure for his illness, offers herself in sacrifice, despite her mother's misgivings. Elsie hopes that by giving her life for Henry, she will become closer to
Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...
. Elsie and Henry set out for Salerno. Scene three has Elsie and Henry travelling to Salerno, although Henry is disturbed by the fate that awaits Elsie. They pass a band of pilgrims, which is joined by a friar who is really Lucifer in disguise. Lucifer gloats over Elsie's fate, and Elsie and Henry find comfort in each other. The couple arrive in Salerno in scene four, where Lucifer reappears disguised as Friar Angelo, a doctor of the medical school. Despite the opposition of the Prince, who now declares that he intended to do no more than test her constancy, Elsie persists in her resolve to die for him. Lucifer plans to claim Elsie's soul for his own rather than let it rise to
Heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...
. He draws Elsie into an inner chamber, but at the last minute, Henry breaks down the door and rescues her from the "doctor" and eternal damnation. In the fifth scene, a forester brings the news to an anxious Ursula that her daughter is not dead. Miraculously healed, Prince Henry marries Elsie and is restored to his rightful place. The final scene finds Henry and Elsie on the evening of their wedding day. An epilogue provides the moral and explains that Prince Henry's malady was cured by love. Elsie's devotion is compared to the course of a mountain brook that cools and fertilises the arid plain.


Musical numbers

Prologue *Nocte surgentes (Hasten, hasten) – Lucifer and Chorus Scene 1 *I cannot sleep – Henry *All hail, Prince Henry – Lucifer and Henry *Behold it here – Lucifer, Henry and Chorus *Drink, drink, and thy soul shall sink – Lucifer, Henry and Chorus Scene 2 *Slowly, slowly up the wall – Ursula *Evening Hymn – Chorus and Henry *Who was it said 'Amen'? – Ursula and Elsie *I heard Him call – Elsie and Ursula *My Redeemer and my Lord – Elsie *My life is little – Elsie, Henry and Chorus Scene 3 *Onward and onward – Elsie, Henry and Chorus *Here am I too – Lucifer, Elsie and Chorus *It is the sea – Henry *The night is calm and cloudless – Elsie and Chorus Scene 4 *My guests approach – Lucifer *Prince Henry enters – Henry, Lucifer and Elsie *O pure in heart – Chorus *Weep not, my friends – Elsie and Henry *Come with me, this Way – Lucifer, Henry, Elsie and Chorus Scene 5 *Who is it coming? – Ursula and Forester *Virgin, who lovest the poor – Ursula Scene 6 *We are alone – Henry and Elsie *Dear Elsie – Henry and Elsie *In life's delight – Henry and Elsie Choral Epilogue *God sent His messenger, the rain


Critical reception

After the first performance, The ''Leeds Mercury'' reported: ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
'', quoting from the text, said, "'The deed divine shall through all ages burn and shine.' And so shall ''The Golden Legend''." ''
The Manchester Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' was more cautious, praising the music but suggesting that comparison with
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 music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositi ...
'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; ...
,'' played in the second half of the concert, was not to Sullivan's advantage. ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'' dismissed Longfellow's poem as insipid but praised the music, calling it "a work which, if not of genius in the strict sense of the word, is at least likely to survive till our long-expected English
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 ...
appears on the scene." A later writer commented that the judgment of ''The Times'' was shrewd, "for Sullivan's serious music lasted only until Elgar's over-mounted it." Nevertheless, Elgar "always spoke with great feeling and respect for Sullivan, and admired ''The Golden Legend''." When ''The Golden Legend'' was recorded in full in 2001, Edward Greenfield wrote in ''
The Gramophone ''Gramophone'' is a magazine published monthly in London, devoted to classical music, particularly to reviews of recordings. It was founded in 1923 by the Scottish author Compton Mackenzie who continued to edit the magazine until 1961. It was a ...
'':


Later performances and recordings

In the twentieth century, the work's popularity declined, though occasional performances continued to be given, among them some at Leeds (1904), Cardiff (1907), London (1911, 1921, 1926 and 1927), Norwich (1911), and Belfast (1927). As late as the 1926-27 season, there were six performances of the piece by British choral societies.
Sir Henry Wood Sir Henry Joseph Wood (3 March 186919 August 1944) was an English conductor best known for his association with London's annual series of promenade concerts, known as the The Proms, Proms. He conducted them for nearly half a century, introd ...
never lost his admiration for the work and included part of it in his silver jubilee concert in 1936, alongside the premiere of
Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams, (; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...
's '' Serenade to Music''. Wood insisted on mounting a complete performance of ''The Golden Legend'' in May 1942 to celebrate the centenary of Sullivan's birth. He prevailed on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
to broadcast it, having reminded them that he was "the only living musician who had daily contact with Sir Arthur Sullivan as an accompanist".
Sir Charles Mackerras Mackerras in 2005 Sir Alan Charles MacLaurin Mackerras (; 1925 2010) was an Australian conductor. He was an authority on the operas of Janáček and Mozart, and the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan. He was long associated with the Engli ...
conducted a centenary performance of the work in 1986, in the same building as the premiere, the newly restored Leeds Victoria Hall. Separate performances were given in 2000 in Edinburgh and
Aberystwyth Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...
.Parry, William. "Review: ''The Golden Legend''", Sir Arthur Sullivan Society Magazine No. 100, Summer 2019, pp. 13–15 Another was given at the Longfellow Festival in 2011. Another was given in 2013 near Wallingford, England. A large-scale performance was given in 2019 by the
Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra The Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra (German: Nürnberger Symphoniker) is a German orchestra based in Nuremberg. Its principal concert venue is the Meistersingerhalle. The orchestra's current ''Intendant'' (managing and artistic director) is Lucius ...
at the
Meistersingerhalle Meistersingerhalle is the municipal culture and congress centre of Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany. It is named after the tradition of the Meistersinger (Master singers) in the town, which Wagner reflected in his opera ''Die Meistersinger von Nürnber ...
,
Nuremberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ...
, Germany. In August 1928, the Australian dramatic soprano
Florence Austral Florence Austral (26 April 1892 – 15 May 1968) was an Australian operatic soprano renowned for her interpretation of the most demanding Wagnerian female roles, although she never gained the opportunity to appear at the Bayreuth Festival or New ...
made a 78-rpm recording of the soprano piece from the score, ''The Night is Calm'', for
HMV Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...
(D 1516).
John Barbirolli Sir John Barbirolli ( Giovanni Battista Barbirolli; 2 December 189929 July 1970) was a British conductor and cellist. He is remembered above all as conductor of the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester, which he helped save from dissolution in 194 ...
conducted the orchestra and chorus of the
Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...
. A remastered recording was released on CD by Dutton Laboratories (number CDLX 7025). Hyperion released the first professional recording of the work in 2001.Notes from Hyperion's recording
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Notes


References

* * * * * *


Further reading

*W.H.T
"On Descriptive Music: As Illustrated by ''The Golden Legend''"
''The Living Age'', 198 (12 August 1893) pp. 357–62.


External links



at the Gilbert and Sullivan Archive
Libretto
*
2001 Hyperion Recording
at The Gilbert and Sullivan Discography
Annotated version of Longfellow's poem
{{DEFAULTSORT:Golden Legend, The Compositions by Arthur Sullivan 1886 compositions Cantatas Musical settings of poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Fiction about the Devil The Devil in classical music