Reply to: Maddalena Laura Sirmen

After reading about an opera, it was time to go back to what I know best: compositions by and for violinists. I was intrigued by what I learned about Maddalena Laura Sirmen in kmanolescu's Blog, but was curious to learn more about the history of this extraordinary woman composer.
As mentioned, Maddalena Sirmen was a Venetian woman, born (in 1745) and raised in Venice, so despite not coming from a musical family, she was surrounded by the musical world of Venice. This was especially true in Sirmen's times. Venice was the home of four Conservatori, or training schools of music for girls. These schools were dedicated to the training of impoverished girls the art of music.
Of the four schools in Venice – the Pietá (the same Pietá at which Antonio Vivaldi taught about 100 years earlier), the Medicanti, the Ospedaletto, and the Incurabili – Maddalena began attending the Medicanti at age seven. At all of these schools, the girls were required to learn all orchestral instruments, from violin to flute to bassoon, as well as skills in conducting and vocal training.
The students performed every Saturday and Sunday evening, either a Vesper or a motet, and then whole oratorios on feast days. The Conservatori performances were internationally famous, and were frequently graced with the presence of Royalties, ambassadors, diplomats, and even professional musicians.
In 1767, she married violinist and composer Lodovico Sirmen, and within a years' time, the newlywed Sirmens went on a successful European tour, performing and composing together. Maddalena’s known compositions are not only mainly, but all string compositions. Her forte in violin composition and performance is apparent in the music displayed in her Violin Concerto No. 5 in B-Flat.
As mentioned by kmanolescu, the Concerto consists of three movements, fast-slow-fast, which was true for most of her compositions. Her style is simplistic classical, by playing with candenzas, dynamics and chromaticism, but still has glimmers and inspiration from the Baroque period, as seen by her use of embellishments and rock steady rhythms. Her use of balance of tutti and solo makes it clear the form used by Vivaldi was still a strong influence over Venetian composers in the classical era. And like Vivaldi before her, Sirmen does not hesitate to give the soloist as much opportunity to display their skills as possible.
The first movement, the Maestoso, begins with a majestic announcement by ritornello, which eases into a lighter theme, then builds up again, then back to light, then going strong once more. Sirmen is a master with dynamics, by using them in a way that so perfectly conveys the mood, while still being stately. The soloist carries these themes well, in staying true with these themes, but giving the theme its own entity and life. Kmanolescu states it perfectly by saying, “It provided the listener with more to focus on. I think this concerto is an excellent example of Classical style because of the elegance and clarity.” This same elegance and clarity are found in the third movement, though is much calmer and admittedly leaves the listener in want.
The second movement, however, is my favorite. It reminds me, once more, of Vivaldi, but with the emotion found in the Classical era. The build-up of sound and gradual easing is composed beautifully in the solo. The use of double stops are impressive without being overwhelming, especially at the end where only the solo voice plays, and ends with a gentle support from the orchestra.
It is difficult to say whether this piece belongs in the canon or not, since it seems unfair that there is a good chance Sirmen and her pieces were simply not included because of her gender. Perhaps comparatively, it is not as great as the behemoths of the canon. However, it is a piece that reflects well the music of her time, and therefore a piece well worth the listening.

John Bray's "The Indian Princess"

If I could choose one word to describe early American opera after my listening to John Bray’s The Indian Princess and Raynor Taylor’s The Ethiop, it would be, without a doubt, “hokey.”

I chose John Bray’s The Indian Princess in hopes that my knowledge of Native American culture would prove useful. Unfortunately, once I started listening to it, I was
immediately taken aback by what I found instead. The sound is not at all inspired by Native American Music as I was expecting, but instead felt like a mix of American robustness and operatic elegance. When looking at American opera’s history, the reason for this unconventional mix became clearer.

American opera in the 1820s was just beginning to wean itself from English theatre to create its own style because the generation of actors was the first generation born and bred in the New World. One of the rising styles in theatre, beginning with Rousseau’s Pygmalion in 1770, was melodrama. Melodrama was later defined by nineteenth-century American theatre historian Charles Durang as “this mixed drama of words and ten bars of music.” This limit on the length of the music was seemingly ignored by J. N. Barker (libretto) and John Bray (composer) with their composition of The Indian Princess in 1822, which took to a form that more resembled a European opera. This experimental piece was then named an “operatic melo-drame”. Operatic melo-drame, as its name implies, is a combination of opera and melodrama.

The Operatic stylistic features in this operatic melo-drame are its inclusion of arias, recitative, and use of a singing chorus. Stylistic features commonly found in melodramas also found in The Indian Princess are stereotype characters and sentimental and/or terrifying plots. The operatic melo-drame was also the first work to have stage direction written out along with the music. The need for this is most apparent in the “Dialogue Quartetto”. The scene takes place on an English settlement, as a rogue by the name of Robin attempts to seduce Alice, the wife of the yeoman, Walter. Robin and Alice are being watched Larry, an Irish adventurer and Walter (lyrics found in the Cd’s booklet):

Robin: Mistress Alice. Let me taste the bliss – (attempts to kiss her)
Alice: Taste the bliss of this, (slaps his face) Saucy Robin!

The music is light and Baroque-like, by being neutral with its emotion. However, it also has a tinge of playfulness. This playfulness is mostly formed in the snappy dialogue of Robin and Alice, with Walter and Larry’s interjecting comments.
The music throughout seems to not play any role, except in supporting the lyrics. Even in the overture, the music feels light and without substance, with a simple melodic line played by the strings, supported by other instruments. The sound descends into only basses, and then is followed by a burst of sound. It gave me the image of tiny, unstable bubbles being blown through the air, then collecting together and weighing each other down, then splatting ungracefully on the floor. It seemed even shakier when the vocals entered:

Alice: Jolly comrades, join in glee,
Chorus it right cheerily, (etc.)

Alice’s declaration of glee is operatic and sudden, and seems too heavy for the instrumental accompaniment. The vocals become heavier as the chorus joins, which is simultaneous with an increase of volume from the orchestra, but does not seem supported enough.

Overall, I did not enjoy Bray’s The Indian Princess. I believe the reason for my not enjoying it was was a mix of expecting something with Native American undertones and being disappointed, and then having the instrumental writing to be considered secondary. Perhaps it’s because I am so used to hearing operas in foreign languages, and it feels strange to be able to gleam a story through the lyrics. For whatever reason, it was not what I would consider “canon material.” Something that I must keep in mind while listening to early American music is that these are composers who are just beginning to explore their new heritage and creating their own style.
So maybe I will choose a new word to describe early American opera: “undeveloped.” It’s not necessarily terrible, but the American style in this opera is simply too immature to be anything great. And if John Bray’s works can be considered a forerunner for American Greats such as Copland and Gerschwin, then he’s all right in my book.