Hidden treasures - Johann Simon Mayr - David in spelunca Engaddi (1795) - Selected highlights

History (based on Iris Winkler's booklet essay from the present recording and materials from the Grove Dictionary of Music): Mayr's prodigious output of sacred music, beginning with several student works, is little known, partly because he refused permission for it to be published during his lifetime, though he actually composed 18 masses and 7 Requiems. "David in spelunca Engaddi" ("David in the Cave of Engedi") (1795) is the last of a series of four oratorios written by Mayr for the Ospitale dei Mendicanti, a Venetian female conservatory, one of the four great charitable institutions there, known for the musical achievements of its members. The others were "Jakob a Labano fugiens" (1791), "Sisara" (1793) and "Tobiae matrimonium" (1794). It is dubious whether "David" was performed outside of the school as a dramatic work, though several versions of the score, including an arrangement with mixed chorus, do exist.

Narrative: The story of the oratorio has been adapted by Giuseppe Foppa, a frequent collaborator of Mayr, from Samuel I, XVI-XXIV: the oratorio opens just as David (mezzo-soprano) has defeated Goliath in combat. Saul (soprano) makes him his chief warrior; however, the people's love of David makes the King jealous and suspicious. Saul then demands the foreskins of a hundred Philistines, thinking that David will be caught by the enemy. David, however, delivers the required quantity and gets Michal (soprano), the King's daughter, as his wife. Saul's anger increases and he plans to kill David but Saul's son Jonathan (soprano) helps David to flee. The hero eventually reaches the mountains of Engedi where Saul catches up with him. Saul falls asleep. David, instead of killing him, cuts a piece from Saul's robe and then wakes him up by playing his harp. When Saul sees that his life has been spared they are reconciled. As per usual in sacred oratorios, the narrative is rather static and throughly moralistic, yet the librettist manages to fashion it into a suitable textual base for Mayr.

Text: The complete libretto of the work (in Latin and English) can be found here:
http://www.naxos.com/PDF/8.570366-67_sungtext.pdf#

Music: All of Mayr's twelve oratorios conform to customary Italian practices: they consist of two parts, the first incorporating a brief sinfonia, an introductory chorus having sections for soloists, a sequence of recitatives, ariosos, arias and duets, and a concluding chorus, the second being similar except for a brief introduction. As is the case with Rossini's music, the composer's writing is not what one could name "sacred", rather it is a secular treatment of a sacred subject (similar to Rossini's "Mose", Donizetti's "Il diluvio" or Halevy's "Noe"). Thus, the work in question, "David", can and should be approached as an operatic work, as Mayr's treatment of the subject is openly and unashamedly dramatic. As per usual, stylistically he finds himself on the threshold of Romantic school in his adoption of handsome accompanied recitatives and free construction of the individual numbers yet he is still bound by the extensive use of da capo arias of Mozart and Haydn's time. Unlike his more familiar contemporaries, Mayr's melodies are not the chief glory of the oratorio, as they are frequently generic, seemingly plagiarist in harmony (consider the similarities between the histrionics of Saul's and Farnace's (Mozart) respective first arias), yet his dramatic sensibility and ability to develop and enhance the material is never in question: thus, the rather opaque beginning of the sostenuto in the first finale beautifully overflows into a highly effective quintettino-vocalize. Moreover, the chief joy of Mayr's music comes in the form of his extremely original and affectionate orchestral writing which is of the highest order, rivaled, perhaps, only by a similar preoccupation in instrumental color we find with Mendelssohn: the handsome French horn in David's cavatina, the caring echoes of the winds in Jonathas' aria, the ominous horns and fresh string pizzicattos in Saul's second aria, as well as the many fine harp movements which are inserted throughout the oratorio are only some of the highlights, considerably enlivening the melodic material. All in all, a lovely work, if not particularly "catchy" (but then, some of Beethoven's oeuvres are also "unhummable").

Score: Sadly, no sheet music of the oratorio is currently available on-line.

Recording: The 2006 Naxos recording is an exceedingly fine reading of the oratorio, combining an enchanting cast and a winning ensemble in the Simon Mayr Ensemble & Chorus under the leadership of Franz Hauk.

David - Merit Ostermann,
Saul - Cornelia Horak,
Michal - Ai Ichihara,
Jonathas/Phalti, adviser to the King (soprano) - Sibylla Duffe,
Abner, commander of the King's army (soprano) - Claudia Schneider.

Hope you'll enjoy =).

Category:

Music

Tags:

• baroque
• belcanto
• classic
• Mayr
• Donizetti
• coloratura

[mihaimarta1]

Bellissima musica e bravissimi cantanti! Che gioia, ma quando un incisione completa?

[millertj27]

Can you please post some COMPLETE arias and not just excerpts? Thanks.

[matthieusarah]

Thank you for the huge work you make on you tube for free and for our pleasure! The pictures are still marvellous and here, you made me discover a composer whom I've never heard of. And I also learn a lot each time from your accurate comment. Thank you and please go on doing this wonderful job!

[HM0880]

Fantastic music; I really enjoyed it. Thanks, Lindoro!

[consapevoleignorante]

Bellissimo!

[77Opera]

Magnifique!

[Teonareine]

It is a composer who know little about, but I love his music.

I also love the beautiful presentation that you make your posts.

Thanks so much and I wish you a happy new year !

Teona.