The Spectre's Bride

Svatební Košile (German: Die Geisterbraut, literally: The Wedding Shirt) is a cantata for soloists, choir and orchestra op. 69 by Antonín Dvořák based on a literary model by Karel Jaromír Erben (1884).

History of origins and performance

In 1883, Dvořák was invited to write a large orchestral oratorio for England to be performed at the Birmingham Triennial Music Festival. Dvořák had agreed with his librettist Marie Červinková-Riegrová to write an oratorio on a theme from Czech history, for example the story of St. Wenceslas or Jan Hus. Finally he decided to write a literary work, the ballad The Ghost Bride by Karel Jaromír Erben. He worked on his composition from April to November 1884, and the cantata was published by Alfred Novello the following year.

Before the performance in England, the cantata was first presented twice on 28 and 29 March 1885 in Pilsen under the composer's direction. The success of the performances at the Birmingham Triennial Music Festival on 27 August this year - involving a 400-strong choir, a 150-strong orchestra and with Dvořák on the conductor's podium - exceeded all the composer's expectations. The work was already heard in Milwaukee on 2 December 1885, in Edinburgh on 1 February 1886, in London on 2 February 1886, in Glasgow on 11 and 13 February 1886 and in London on 13 February 1886. In March 1886, Brooklyn followed, on 23 March 1886 Dewsbury, on 24 March 1886 Leeds, on 17 April 1886 Hradec Králové, on 6 May 1886 Chicago, on 10 May 1886 Philadelphia, 13 May 1886 in Boston, etc.

Structure

• Introduction
• Nr. 1. Choir: "Uz jedenacta odbila" – (Schon eilt die Uhr gen Mitternacht)
• Nr. 2. Soprano solo: "Zel bohu, zel, kde muj taticek?" – (Weh mir, ach weh! wo ist mein Vater hin?)
• Nr. 3. Tenor and bass solo and Choir: "Pohnul se obraz na stene" – (Da regt das Bild sich an der Wand)
• Nr. 4. Duett. Soprano and tenor solo: "Hoj, ma panenko, tu jsem jiz!" – (Hei, du mein Lieb, hier steht dein Knab!)
• Nr. 5. Bass solo and Choir: "Byla noc, byla hluboka" – (Weiten und Breiten tiefe Nacht)
• Nr. 6. Bass solo and Choir: "A on tu napred skok a skok" – (Und er voran mit Sprung und Satz)
• Nr. 7. Duett. soprano and tenor solo: "Pekna noc, jasna" – (Klar ist die Mondnacht)
• Nr. 8. Bass solo and Choir: "Knizky ji vzal a zahodil" – (Schleudert das Buch ins Feld im Flug)
• Nr. 9. Bass solo and Choir: "A on vzdy napred – skok a skok" – (Und er voran mit Sprung und Satz)
• Nr. 10. Duett. soprano and tenor solo: "Pekna noc, jasna v tento cas" – (Klar ist die Mondnacht)
• Nr. 11. Bass solo and Choir: "A byla cesta nizinou" – (So zogen sie durch dunklen Grund)
• Nr. 12. Duett. Soprano and tenor solo: "Pekna noc, jasna v tu dobu" – (Klar ist die Mondnacht)
• Nr. 13. Bass solo and Choir: "Tu na planine siroke" – (Steht wohl ein Haus auf weitem Plan)
• Nr. 14. Duett. Soprano and tenor solo: "Hoj, ma panenko, tu jsme jiz" – (Sind schon, mein Schätzen, sind daheim!)
• Nr. 15. Bass solo and Choir: "Skokem preskocil ohradu" – (Er sprang mit klafterhohem Satz)
• Nr. 16. Bass solo and Choir: „A tu na dvere: buch, buch, buch!“ – (Und poch, poch, poch, hallt’s wild und schnell)
• Nr. 17. Sopran solo: "Maria Panno, pri mne stuj" – (Heilige Fraue, höre mich)
• Nr. 18. Bass solo and Choir: '"A slys, tu prave nablizce'" – (Und horch, im nahen Dorf ein Hahn)

Further reading

• Daniela Philippi: Antonín Dvořák – Die Geisterbraut/Svatební košile op. 69 und Die heilige Ludmilla/Svatá Lumila op. 71. Studien zur großen Vokalform im 19. Jahrhundert (Mainzer Studien zur Musikwissenschaft, 30). Hans Schneider, Tutzing 1993, ISBN 3-7952-0692-8.

External links

• Literature by and about The Spectre's Bride in the German National Library catalogue
• The Spectre's Bride on IMSLP2