Abstract
The theme of Faust, the scholar who barters his soul to the devil, has undergone many transformations since it first emerged in the primitive theatres and chapbooks of the sixteenth century. The various strands of the Faust myth are reflected in the musical treatment of the story that became a recurrent feature of Romanticism, especially in its most popular and universal genre of opera. It may seem surprising that Meyerbeer, the master of historical French grand opéra, should have an association with Goethe's great drama, but in fact the elements of the Faust legend are consistently at play in the scenarios of his operas. These operas share deeply in concerns that can be identified as overtly Faustian, especially in the mixture of modes that characterize their thematic and dramaturgical conception. Meyerbeer's operas are about religion, freedom of choice, destiny, and the nature of individual assent in the context of personal and other socio-political determinants. This piece seeks to examine the recurrent Faust motif, both as surface theme and as structural subtext, with significant implications for the scenic topoi and musical forms that Meyerbeer, working with his great librettist Scribe, used in realizing his very considerable existential and eschatological concerns.
About the author
Robert Ignatius Letellier (b. 1953) is a member of Trinity College and the Maryvale Institute 〈robert.letellier@gmail.com〉. His research interests include Romantic opera and ballet, and Biblical and Romantic literature. His publications include The diaries of Giacomo Meyerbeer (ed., 4 vols., 1999–2004); The operas of Giacomo Meyerbeer (2006); The Ballets of Ludwig Minkus (2008); and Opéra-comique: A sourcebook (2010).
©[2012] by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston
