Impact of French Revolution

Before and After Revolution

    Before the French Revolution, although the awareness of social inequality  was began to emerge with the help of the idea of enlightenment, since people did not have concrete rights, they could not  show a big reaction. Instead of showing big reactions, artists before Revolution used artworks mainly in a sarcastic and ironic way by using a hero in general. They also chose  way of generalization every issue for keep their reactions against aristocracy. Topics are chosen in that sense and allegoric characters symbolize a class of society. Monarchs of the time were enlightened but especially in the Mozart's period, it was obvious to see monarchy was losing power so for their authority, they were also skeptic and prohibitive to that kind of works.  Figaro symbolizing a sardonic character who was emphasized with his bright intelligence of middle class. Although The Marriage of Figaro has a weaker criticism about political and social issues, it was more significant role in establishing of French Revolution. Because it was a preparing step for the society and for that period ( before revolution ) it was a more brave reaction. 

       

     Like Marriage of Figaro, Fidelio saying so much to high-class but differently we can considered it as a completely revolution opera. With its stylistic features that Beethoven used and Fidelio figure that say everything not ironically but openly, this opera displays the society after revolution with their own rights and freedom as individuals. As two Viennese Classical, Mozart and Beethoven also lived in different conditions like this operas and saying to all these things to them will also be true. Mozart created a Figaro who overcome against his problems by using his knowledge and smartness, Beethoven created a Fidelio who solve the problems not only with smartness but with power too in a heroic way.

  

The Idea of Enlightenment and The French Revolution

In the eighteenth century, the idea of enlightenment gained the meaning that new way of thinking regarding religion and politics.Enlightenment ideas about religion and society shaped the policies of the French Revolution.

The Enlightenment was a time of increased interest in learning, logic, and reason.Traditional beliefs were re-examined and sometimes rejected.Many enlightenment thinkers, such as Voltaire, questioned the beliefs of the Christian Church and their validity. As a result, a new age of atheism and secularism began.As a “philosophy” of the Enlightenment, he supported the separation of Church and State in France.In July 1790, the National Constituent Assembly published the Civil Constitution of the Clergy. This document declared that the pope was no longer the head of the Catholic Church in France.

The Enlightenment not only changed the way people viewed religion, but it also changed the way people viewed the government, and it’s political and social policies. Citizenship, democracy, and human rights were all important aspects of the Enlightenment. As a result, the phrase “liberty, equality, fraternity,” became a popular slogan of the French Revolution which is symbolized independent individuals.French Revolution gave people a chance to question and examine traditional thoughts and values, realize the differences between social and economic classes and re volt to injustice regulations. The enlightenment idea  creates a middle class who has viewpoint about social, political and artistic issues  which is supported by accumulation of knowledge and culture.

Fidelio

ACT I, Finale (O welch Lust!)       
                                       

CHORUS OF PRISONERS

Oh what joy, in free air
The respiratory easy to lift!
Only here, only here is life!
The dungeon is a tomb.

We want to trust
Rely on God's help!
Hope whispers gently to me:
We are free, we find peace

O heavens! Rescue! What luck!
O Freedom! Thou shalt come back?

  Speak softly! Hold you back! We are watched by ears and eyes. - Speak softly! Hold you back! We are watched by ears and eyes. - Oh what joy, in free air The respiratory easy to lift! Only here, only here is life. Speak softly! Hold you back! We are watched by ears and eyes. -

Finale section of the first Act emphasize the importance of freedom which is another virtual element of French Revolution.Freedom need came forward as basic need which makes people human.As we see in the text, the victims of injustice tries to express their desire of freedom. We can make a direct connection with psychological content of French Revolution.The basic aim of French Revolution is creating independent individuals.

 

Fidelio

SYNOPSIS

Florestan is imprisoned by his evil enemy, Pizarro. Hearing this news, his lovely wife Lenora dresses herself as a young man, Fidelio, and goes in search of him. In her search, she makes herself the assistant to Florestan’s jailer Rocco, and the jailor’s daughter falls in love with Lenora, still disguised as Fidelio. The opera ends with the triumph of Lenora through the entrance of the Prince, or the heroic element of the opera, and justice is restored.

CHARACTERS

Florestan: A prisoner (tenor)

Leonore:His wife (soprano)

Rocco: Guard (bass)

Marzelline:His daughter(soprano)
Jaquino, assistant to Rocco(tenor)
Don Pizarro, governor of the prison	(bass-baritone)
Don Fernando, King's minister(bass)
Two prisoners

Fidelio

CONTENT

Fidelio is based on a story by the French writer Bouilly. Meaning “Conjugal love,” it is a tale of redemption and love between a husband and wife. Beethoven chose for his librettist a famous writer of his day named Treitschke.

Opera contains Beethoven's most important values; brotherhood, marital commitment and triumph.Beethoven was a fan of the “Enlightened” outlook, which treasured triumph over injustice as the greatest ideal of man. Fidelio contains a stalwart wife, her noble husband, a Prince and an evil tyrant. It is an adaption of a French Revolution tale.

Fidelio is a “rescue opera (an opera that contains a plot of persecution where good triumphs over evil) which is based on a heroic character who is a supporter of individual merits.Opera ends with the message that being virtuous and good is the only way to win.In this case Fidelio has very tight relation with French Revolution.Fundamental elements of French Revolution; having strong moral virtues, strong critical point of view and resisting challenges without fear.Beethoven highlights the importance of human being and individual achievements without the help of chance.This situation can be considered as the dominant effect of French Revolution.After French Revolution individualism became the most prominent factor which shapes the political system and the society.Fidelio also supported the movement from the individual to the community.

Fidelio

Arthur Schopenhauer wrote that;  
"Beethoven said of Fidelio, “Of all my children, this is the one that caused me the worst birth pangs, the one that brought me the most sorrow and for that reason, it is the one most dear to me.” Maybe that is why Beethoven’s Fidelio exemplifies the depth of the artist’s spiritual nature and the excellence of his lived experience. We can take Beethoven’s Fidelio not only as an exemplar piece of music but also as a musical expression of moral exemplarity. This means that the ethical message of Fidelio can never be completely understood unless the ethical characteristic of Beethoven’s aesthetic representation is revealed. Beethoven’s Fidelio unlike many other musical oeuvres has continuously developed in maturity for different listeners in the past 200 years because it has been the spiritual expression of an attitude towards life that has within it the possibility of thinking life beyond suffering".

Social Message of the Marriage of Figaro in the Way of French Revolution

Although The Marriage of Figaro is considered as one of the best comic operas, it has  another  meaning in the history of music.The social  massage of the opera which is based on the idea of being individual without distinction of class stratification had a significant role in the period to French Revolution.The character of Figaro put forward an opinion that dares to state that he is as good as his master.This is the first consequent of the enligthtenment idea.The enlightenment idea gave value to the idea of individualizm and provide people who belong to lower classes an opportunity to jugde aristocracy and also a chance to realize their rights.This was an  important step to prepare society to the  French Revolution.The middle and the lower classes follow a servant who can deride with his master's  arrogance and pedantry, critisize his moral values and revolt to his injustices.Charles H. Parsons is true when he says "Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro  is one of the most beloved comic operas of all.Audiences have been laughing and enjoying its humor for over two centuries. Yet no one probably enjoyed the humor as much as Mozart himself. Noted for a ready, if sometimes childish, wit, Mozart certainly enjoyed tweaking the prevailing social class system of his day. And no one was more aware than Mozart of the dangers of such tweaking and theserious underside of Figaro’s story. Mozart had audaciously chosen to base his opera on Pierre de Beaumarchais’ play Le Marriage de Figaro, which with vicious political satire mocked the French nobility and absolutism in general. The play was soon to become a rallying cry for the French Revolution".

Although Figaro was a  rebellious character for the period, in the way of French Revolution, his critisicms were not in a heroic way.Figaro has sarcastic and biting style because social and political conditions not allowed middle and lower classes to say aloud  their thoughts bravely.The most noticeable different after the revolution was having more concrete and bolder reactions and commentaris about  aristocracy and social regime.