
"Méditation" () is a symphonic
intermezzo
In music, an intermezzo (, , plural form: intermezzi), in the most general sense, is a composition which fits between other musical or dramatic entities, such as acts of a play or movements of a larger musical work. In music history, the term ha ...
from the opera
''Thaïs'' by French composer
Jules Massenet
Jules Émile Frédéric Massenet (; 12 May 1842 – 13 August 1912) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era best known for his operas, of which he wrote more than thirty. The two most frequently staged are ''Manon'' (1884 ...
. The piece is written for solo violin, orchestra and backstage chorus. The opera premiered at the
Opéra Garnier
The (, Garnier Palace), also known as (, Garnier Opera), is a historic 1,979-seatBeauvert 1996, p. 102. opera house at the Place de l'Opéra in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was built for the Paris Opera from 1861 to 1875 at ...
in Paris on March 16, 1894.
Description
The Méditation is an instrumental ''
entr'acte
(or , ;Since 1932–35 the recommends this spelling, with no apostrophe, so historical, ceremonial and traditional uses (such as the 1924 René Clair film title) are still spelled . and ', , and ) means 'between the acts'. It can mean a pau ...
'' performed between the scenes of Act II in the opera ''
Thaïs''; a wordless
chorus
Chorus may refer to:
Music
* Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse
* Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound
* Chorus form, song in whic ...
joins in for the last reprise. In the first scene of Act II, Athanaël, a
Cenobite monk, confronts Thaïs, a beautiful and hedonistic courtesan and devotée of
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...
, and attempts to persuade her to leave her life of luxury and pleasure and find salvation through God. It is during a time of reflection following the encounter that the ''Méditation'' occurs. In the second scene of Act II, following the ''Méditation'', Thaïs tells Athanaël that she will let him take her to a cloister near the desert.
Ernest Newman commented that the "solo is almost invariably made far more sickly than it need be or should be", continuing "What concern of
he violinistis dramatic psychology?", and that the piece sometimes becomes "not merely saccharine but maudlin". He noted that the themes have already been heard;
Rodney Milnes identifies that the music "derives both from Athanaël's erotic visions and part of his hymn".
The piece is in D major and is approximately five to six minutes long. Massenet may also have written the piece with religious intentions; the tempo marking is ''Andante religioso,'' signifying his intention that it should be played religiously (which could mean either strictly in the tempo or literally with religiously founded emotion) and at walking tempo, or around 60 BPM. The piece opens with a short introduction by the harps, with the solo violin quickly entering with the motif. After the violin plays the melody twice, the piece goes into a section marked ''animato'', gradually becoming more and more passionate (Massenet wrote ''poco a poco appassionato''). The climax is reached at a place marked ''poco piu appassionato'' (a little more passion) and is then followed by a short
cadenza
In music, a cadenza, (from , meaning cadence; plural, ''cadenze'' ) is, generically, an improvised or written-out ornamental passage played or sung by a soloist(s), usually in a "free" rhythmic style, and often allowing virtuosic display ...
-like passage from the soloist and returns to the main theme. After the theme is played twice, the soloist joins the orchestra while playing harmonics on the upper register as the harps and strings quietly play below the solo line.
Orchestration
The piece calls for solo violin, two flutes, two oboes, English horn, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, contrabassoon, 2 horns,
SATB
In music, SATB is a scoring of compositions for choirs or consorts of instruments consisting of four voice types: soprano, alto, tenor and bass.
Choral music
Four-part harmony using soprano, alto, tenor and bass is a common scoring in classic ...
chorus, two harps and strings. The solo violin part is generally played by the orchestra's
concertmaster
The concertmaster (from the German language, German ''Konzertmeister''), first chair (U.S.) or leader (UK) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (clarinet or oboe in a concert band). After the Conducting, conductor, the concertma ...
in an opera setting, or by a featured soloist standing in front of the orchestra in a concert setting. The SATB chorus is indicated by Massenet to be sung by the entire chorus from behind the curtain in an opera setting, and by four to eight soloists seated among the orchestra in a concert setting. Other arrangements have also been made, such as the variation for the violin and piano.
Performers and adaptations
The Méditation from ''Thaïs'' is considered to be one of the great encore pieces; many violinists have performed the piece as soloists with major orchestras throughout the world. The ''Méditation'' has been transcribed for violin and piano and for other instruments as well.
Massenet made an arrangement of the Méditation for voice and keyboard in 1894 as an ''
Ave Maria
The Hail Mary or Ave Maria (from its first words in Latin), also known as the Angelic or Angelical Salutation, is a traditional Catholic prayer addressing Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical pa ...
'', which a contemporary critic
Camille Bellaigue noted had even been introduced into marriage services.
Examples of other arrangements include a version for cello and piano by
Jules Delsart; the flautist
James Galway
Sir James Galway (born 8 December 1939) is an Irish virtuoso flute player from Belfast, nicknamed "The Man with the Golden Flute". After several years working as an orchestral musician, he established an international career as a solo flute pl ...
, the euphoniumist Adam Frey, and trumpeter
Sergei Nakariakov have recorded separate versions on their respective instruments, each with orchestral accompaniment.
Jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
bass saxophonist Adrian Rollini
Adrian Francis Rollini (June 28, 1903 – May 15, 1956) was an Americans, American jazz instrumentalist, multi-instrumentalist who primarily played the bass saxophone, piano, and vibraphone. He is also known for playing novelty instruments such ...
quoted the opening bars of the melody in a 1925 recording of 'Milenburg Joys' with the Varsity Eight, although he did play it in the key of D-flat major, a semitone lower than the original composition.
Choreography
The British choreographer
Frederick Ashton
Sir Frederick William Mallandaine Ashton (17 September 190418 August 1988) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer. He also worked as a director and choreographer in opera, film and revue.
Determined to be a dancer despite the oppositio ...
created a balletic
pas de deux
In ballet, a ( French, literally "step of two") is a dance duet in which two dancers, typically a male and a female, perform ballet steps together. The ''pas de deux'' is characteristic of classical ballet and can be found in many well-known ...
from the Méditation. Premiered on 21 March 1971, the piece was first danced by
Antoinette Sibley
Dame Antoinette Sibley (born 27 February 1939) is a British prima ballerina. She joined the Royal Ballet from the Royal Ballet School in 1956 and became a soloist in 1960. She was celebrated for her partnership with Anthony Dowell. After her re ...
and
Anthony Dowell
Sir Anthony James Dowell (born 16 February 1943) is a retired British ballet dancer and a former artistic director of the Royal Ballet. He is widely recognized as one of the great ''danseurs nobles'' of the twentieth century.
Early life and tr ...
of
The Royal Ballet
The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded ...
and at the
Adelphi Theatre
The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...
, London, as part of a gala performance. The piece, created in only two rehearsals
[Orledge, Robert. In search of a pure line. Essay in booklet accompanying Opus Arte DVD OA1064 D: The Royal Ballet in Frederick Ashton, 2011.] is not related to the plot of the opera, but resembles a vision scene, with Sibley appearing as "a disembodied, weightless spirit", and features costumes designed by Dowell. It was so well received at its first performance that Ashton asked the audience if they would like an encore (which they did),
and
Marie Rambert considered it one of Ashton's three masterpieces (along with ''
Symphonic Variations'' and ''
La fille mal gardée
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
*"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smi ...
)''. A recording of the piece from 2004 has been issued on DVD, and by 2013 the work had been performed 45 times, in London and on tour elsewhere, by Royal Ballet dancers.
Selected recordings
According to the Centre for the History and Analysis of Recorded Music (CHARM) database, several recordings were made during the composer's lifetime, including ones by
Jacques Thibaud, Georg Sadler and Louis Phal in 1905, Alessandro Genesini in 1908, and
Fritz Kreisler in 1910 (his first).
[Centre for the History and Analysis of Recorded Music,, accessed 2 January 2022.] Later recordings include:
* 1960 –
John Georgiadis –
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...
–
London Records
London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...
* 1985 –
Ivry Gitlis –
Shigeo Neriki –
EMI Classics
EMI Classics was a record label founded by Thorn EMI in 1990 to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogues for internationally distributed classical music releases. After Thorn EMI demerged in 1996, its recorded mus ...
* 1988 –
Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg –
Gerard Schwarz, New York Chamber Symphony – EMI Classics
* 1993 -
Anne Akiko Meyers -
Philharmonia Orchestra
The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI Classics, EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Rich ...
-
RCA Red Seal
RCA Red Seal is a classical music label whose origin dates to 1902 and is currently owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment.
History
The first "Gramophone Record Red Seal" discs were issued in 1901.Anne-Sophie Mutter
Anne-Sophie Mutter (born 29 June 1963) is a German violinist. Born and raised in Rheinfelden, Baden-Württemberg, Mutter started playing the violin at age five and continued studies in Germany and Switzerland. She was supported early in her car ...
–
Vienna Philharmonic
Vienna Philharmonic (VPO; ) is an orchestra that was founded in 1842 and is considered to be one of the finest in the world.
The Vienna Philharmonic is based at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria. Its members are selected from the orchestra of ...
–
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 ...
* 1996 –
James Galway
Sir James Galway (born 8 December 1939) is an Irish virtuoso flute player from Belfast, nicknamed "The Man with the Golden Flute". After several years working as an orchestral musician, he established an international career as a solo flute pl ...
–
National Philharmonic Orchestra –
RCA
RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...
* 1999 –
Linda Brava –
John Lenehan – EMI Classics
* 2001 –
Maxim Vengerov
Maxim Alexandrovich Vengerov (; born 20 August 1974) is a Soviet-born Israeli violinist, violist, and conductor. Classic FM has called him "one of the greatest violinists in the world".
Vengerov was born in Novosibirsk, the only child of Al ...
, Vag Papian –
EMI
EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...
* 2002 –
Sarah Chang –
Berliner Philharmonic – EMI
* 2003 –
Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma (born October 7, 1955) is a French-born American Cello, cellist. Born to Chinese people, Chinese parents in Paris, he was regarded as a child prodigy there and began to study the cello with his father at age four. At the age of seven, ...
,
Kathryn Stott – EMI
* 2004 –
Joshua Bell
Joshua David Bell (born December 9, 1967) is an American violinist and conductor. He is currently music director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.
Early life and education
Bell was born in Bloomington, Indiana, one of four children of ...
–
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England.
The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...
–
Decca
Decca may refer to:
Music
* Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label
* Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group
* Decca Broadway, musical theater record label
* Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...
* 2009 –
Nicola Benedetti
Nicola Joy Nadia Benedetti (born 20 July 1987) is a Scottish classical solo violinist and festival director. Her ability was recognised when she was a child, including the award of BBC Young Musician of the Year when she was 16. She works wi ...
–
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...
– Decca
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
* Vaughan, David. ''Frederick Ashton and his Ballets'', Dance Books, London, 1999.
External links
Free sheet musicof Méditation on ''Cantorion.org''
Recording of "Méditation"performed by
Nicola Benedetti
Nicola Joy Nadia Benedetti (born 20 July 1987) is a Scottish classical solo violinist and festival director. Her ability was recognised when she was a child, including the award of BBC Young Musician of the Year when she was 16. She works wi ...
, violin and Julien Quentin, piano from the
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts, which houses significant examples of European, Asian, and American art. Its collection includes paintings, sculpture, tapestries, and decorative arts. It was found ...
in
MP3
MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany under the lead of Karlheinz Brandenburg. It was designed to greatly reduce the amount ...
format
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meditation (Thais)
Compositions by Jules Massenet
1894 compositions
Compositions for violin and orchestra
Opera excerpts