''La '' (''The Liberation of

Bethulia Bethulia (, ''Baituloua''; Hebrew: wikt:בתוליה, בתוליה) is a biblical "city whose deliverance by Judith, when besieged by Holofernes, forms the subject of the ''Book of Judith''." Etymology The name "Bethulia" in Hebrew can be assoc ...

'') is a

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

Pietro Metastasio Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi (3 January 1698 – 12 April 1782), better known by his pseudonym of Pietro Metastasio (), was an Italian poet and Libretto, librettist, considered the most important writer of ''opera seria'' libretti. Early ...

which was originally commissioned by

Emperor Charles VI Charles VI (; ; 1 October 1685 – 20 October 1740) was Holy Roman Emperor and ruler of the Austrian Habsburg monarchy from 1711 until his death, succeeding his elder brother, Joseph I. He unsuccessfully claimed the throne of Spain follow ...

and set to music by Georg Reutter the Younger in 1734. It was subsequently set by as many as 30 composers, including

Niccolò Jommelli Niccolò Jommelli (; 10 September 1714 – 25 August 1774) was an Italian composer of the Neapolitan School. Along with other composers mainly in the Holy Roman Empire and France, he was responsible for certain operatic reforms including redu ...

(1743),

Ignaz Holzbauer Ignaz Jakob Holzbauer (18 September 1711 – 7 April 1783) was an Austrian composer of symphony, symphonies, concertos, operas, and chamber music, and a member of the Mannheim school. His aesthetic style is in line with that of the ''Sturm und Dran ...

(1752),

Florian Leopold Gassmann Florian Leopold Gassmann (3 May 1729 – 21 January 1774) was a German-speaking Bohemian opera composer of the transitional period between the baroque and classical eras. He was one of the principal composers of ''dramma giocoso'' immediat ...

(1772), Joseph Schuster (1787), and most famously

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

(1771).

Mozart's setting

The work of Mozart is the best known, if only because the composer's output receives more examination. Composed in March to July 1771 when Mozart was 15 years old, K. 118 (74c) is a 140-minute on a text by Metastasio tracing the story of

Judith beheading Holofernes The account of the beheading of Holofernes by Judith is given in the deuterocanonical Book of Judith, and is the subject of many paintings and sculptures from the Renaissance art, Renaissance and Baroque periods. In the story, Judith, a beautifu ...

from the biblical ''

Book of Judith The Book of Judith is a deuterocanonical book included in the Septuagint and the Catholic Church, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Christian Old Testament of the Bible but Development of the Hebrew Bible canon, excluded from the ...

''. It was commissioned in March 1771 by Giuseppe Ximenes, Prince of

Aragon Aragon ( , ; Spanish and ; ) is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. In northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces of Spain, ...

, while Mozart and his father

Leopold Leopold may refer to: People * Leopold (given name), including a list of people named Leopold or Léopold * Leopold (surname) Fictional characters * Leopold (''The Simpsons''), Superintendent Chalmers' assistant on ''The Simpsons'' * Leopold B ...

were on the way home to Salzburg from their first

journey to Italy ''Journey to Italy'', also known as ''Voyage to Italy'', is a 1954 drama film directed by Roberto Rossellini. Ingrid Bergman and George Sanders play Katherine and Alex Joyce, a childless English married couple on a trip to Italy whose marriage i ...

. It is the only

oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...

Mozart ever wrote. Its two parts comprise sixteen

aria In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...

s, with

solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''Star Wars Legends'' continuity * Kylo Ren (Ben Solo), a ''Star Wars'' character * Napoleon Solo, fr ...

choral A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

parts, scored for soloists, choir and

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

. Not performed in Mozart's lifetime, ''La Betulia liberata'' is shaped stylistically to works by

Leonardo Leo Leonardo Leo (5 August 1694 – 31 October 1744), more correctly Leonardo Ortensio Salvatore de Leo, was a Baroque music, Baroque composer. Biography Leo was born in San Vito degli Schiavoni (currently known as San Vito dei Normanni, province of ...

and

Johann Adolph Hasse Johann Adolph Hasse (baptised 25 March 1699 – 16 December 1783) was an 18th-century German composer, singer and teacher of music. Immensely popular in his time, Hasse was best known for his prolific operatic output, though he also composed a co ...

. Recent high-profile performances of Mozart's setting include one in the 2006

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival () is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer, for five weeks starting in late July, in Salzburg, Austria, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart's operas are a focus of ...

conducted by

Christoph Poppen Christoph Poppen (born 9 March 1956) is a German conductor, violinist and academic teacher. Career Poppen was born in Münster. As a violinist, he was awarded first prize in the Kocian Violin Competition age 14. He studied the violin with Kur ...

, as part of the M22 series, masterminded by Bernhard Fleischer to perform all Mozart's operas (and the only oratorio) in 2006 Salzburg Festival. The performance was recorded and subsequently released as DVD. (See

Recordings A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, re ...

section below.) In 2010 both the Mozart and the Jommelli settings were performed side by side at the Salzburg Whitsun and

Ravenna Ravenna ( ; , also ; ) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century until its Fall of Rome, collapse in 476, after which ...

festivals under the leadership of

Riccardo Muti Riccardo Muti (; born 28 July 1941) is an Italian conductor. He is current music director of the Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini. Muti has previously held posts at the Maggio Musicale in Florence, the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, the ...

Roles

* Ozia, prince of Bethulia (

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

) * Giuditta, widow of

Manasses Manasses or Manasseh (;churchofjesuschris ...

(

alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: '' altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In four-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in ch ...

) * Amital, noblewoman of

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

(

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

) * Achior, prince of the

Ammon Ammon (; Ammonite language, Ammonite: 𐤏𐤌𐤍 ''ʻAmān''; '; ) was an ancient Semitic languages, Semitic-speaking kingdom occupying the east of the Jordan River, between the torrent valleys of Wadi Mujib, Arnon and Jabbok, in present-d ...

ites (

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

) * Cabri and Carmi, chiefs of the people (sopranos) * Bethulians (chorus)

Structure

First part # Overtura # Recitative: ''Popoli di Betulia'' (Ozia) # Aria #1: ''D'ogni colpa la colpa maggiore'' (Ozia) # Recitative: ''E in che sperar?'' (Cabri, Amital) # Aria #2: ''Ma qual virtù non cede'' (Cabri) # Recitative: ''Già le memorie antiche'' (Ozia, Cabri, Amital) # Aria #3: ''Non hai cor'' (Amital) # Recitative: ''E qual pace sperate'' (Ozia, Amital, chorus) # Aria with chorus #4: ''Pietà, se irato sei'' (Ozia, chorus) # Recitative: ''Chi è costei che qual sorgente aurora'' (Cabri, Amital, Ozia, Giuditta) # Aria #5: ''Del pari infeconda'' (Giuditta) # Recitative: ''Oh saggia, oh santa'' (Ozia, Cabri, Giuditta) # Aria with chorus #6: ''Pietà, se irato sei'' (Ozia, chorus) # Recitative: ''Signor, Carmi a te viene'' (Cabri, Amital, Carmi, Ozia, Achior) # Aria #7: ''Terribile d'aspetto'' (Achior) # Recitative: ''Ti consola, Achior'' (Ozia, Cabri, Achior, Giuditta) # Aria #8: ''Parto inerme, e non pavento'' (Giuditta) # Chorus #9: ''Oh prodigio! Oh stupor!'' (Chorus) Second part # Recitative: ''Troppo mal corrisponde'' (Achior, Ozia) # Aria #10: ''Se Dio veder tu vuoi'' (Ozia) # Recitative: ''Confuso io son'' (Achior, Ozia, Amital) # Aria #11: ''Quel nocchier che in gran procella'' (Amital) # Recitative: ''Lungamente non dura'' (Ozia, Amital, chorus, Cabri, Giuditta, Achior) # Aria #12: ''Prigionier che fa ritorno'' (Giuditta) # Recitative: ''Giuditta, Ozia, popoli, amici'' (Achior) # Aria #13: ''Te solo adoro'' (Achior) # Recitative: ''Di tua vittoria'' (Ozia, Amital) # Aria #14: ''Con troppa rea viltà'' (Amital) # Recitative: ''Quanta cura hai di noi'' (Cabri, Carmi, Ozia, Amital) # Aria #15: ''Quei moti che senti'' (Carmi) # Recitative: ''Seguansi, o Carmi'' (Ozia, Amital, Cabri, Achior, Giuditta) # Aria with chorus #16: ''Lodi al gran Dio'' (Giuditta, chorus)

Recordings

*1952 –

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf Dame Olga Maria Elisabeth Friederike Schwarzkopf, (; 9 December 1915 – 3 August 2006) was a German-born Austro-British lyric soprano. She was among the foremost singers of lieder, and is renowned for her performances of Viennese operetta, as w ...

(Amital),

Myriam Pirazzini Miriam Pirazzini (21 August 1918 – 26 December 2016) was an Italian mezzo-soprano and occasionally soprano. She made her formal debut in Rome, in 1944, as Laura Adorno in ''La Gioconda''. For the next twenty years, she was one of Italy's forem ...

(Giuditta),

Cesare Valletti Cesare Valletti (18 December 1922 – 13 May 2000) was an Italian operatic tenor, one of the leading tenore di grazia of the postwar era. Valletti was born in Rome, where he studied music. He also studied privately with Tito Schipa. He mad ...

(Ozia),

Boris Christoff Boris Christoff (, ; 18 May 1914 – 28 June 1993) was a Bulgarian opera singer, widely considered one of the greatest basses of the 20th century. Early life He was born in Plovdiv on 18 May 1914 to parents Kyryl Christov and Rayna Teodoro ...

(Achior), Luigia Vincenti (Cabri/Carmi) – Orchestra e Coro di Torino della RAI, Mario Rossi – CD Opera d'Oro (radio broadcast from

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

on 30 May 1952). *1977 –

Kari Lövaas Kari or KARI may refer to: Places *Kari, Jhunjhunu, a village in Rajasthan, India * , a village in Mouhoun Province, Burkina Faso * Kari, Tikamgarh, a town in Madhya Pradesh, India * Kari, Iran, a village in Bushehr Province, Iran * Kari-ye Bozorg ...

(Amital),

Birgit Finnilä Birgit Finnilä (born 20 January 1931) is a Swedish contralto opera singer. Life Finnilä was born in Sibbarp, Sweden into a musical family. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London. She made her operatic debut in Gothenburg in 1967. Th ...

(Giuditta), Claes H. Ahnsjö (Ozia), Siegfried Vogel (Achior), Kate Gamberucci (Cabri), Ursula Reinhardt-Kiss (Carmi) –

Rundfunkchor Berlin The Rundfunkchor Berlin (Berlin Radio Choir) is a professional German classical choir founded in 1925. In the 1950s the choir was divided into the Berliner Solistenvereinigung and the Großer Chor des Berliner Rundfunks. These were united as Run ...

Kammerorchester Berlin The Kammerorchester Berlin has been in existence since 1945 and its first director was the conductor Helmut Koch. Already in the 1950s, the orchestra succeeded in making a name for itself. Among other awards it received the ''Japanese Record Priz ...

Vittorio Negri Vittorio Negri (October 16, 1923 - April 9, 1998) was an Italian conductor, record producer, and musicologist. Negri was born in Milan. He initially studied at the Milan Conservatory, then at the Salzburg Mozarteum, where he became assistant co ...

– 3 LPs

Philips Records Philips Records is a record label founded by Netherlands, Dutch electronics company Philips and in 1999 was absorbed into Netherlands, Dutch-United States, American music corporation Universal Music Group. It was founded as Philips Phonograph ...

(first complete recording). *1979 –

Ileana Cotrubaș Ileana Cotrubaș (; born 9 June 1939) is a Romanian operatic soprano whose career spanned from the 1960s to the 1980s. She was much admired for her acting skills and facility for singing opera in many different languages. Life and career Cotru ...

(Amital),

Hanna Schwarz Hanna Schwarz (born 15 August 1943) is a German mezzo-soprano and contralto singer in opera and concert. In 1976 she performed the roles of Fricka and Erda in the centenary ''Jahrhundertring'' production at the Bayreuth Festival, directed by Patr ...

(Giuditta),

Peter Schreier Peter Schreier (29 July 1935 – 25 December 2019) was a German tenor in opera, concert and lied, and a conductor. He was regarded as one of the leading lyric tenors of the 20th century. Schreier was a member of the Dresdner Kreuzchor conduct ...

(Ozia), Walter Berry (Achior), Gabriele Fuchs (Cabri), Margarita Zimmermann (Carmi) – Salzburger Kammerchor, Mozarteum-Orchester Salzburg,

Leopold Hager Leopold Hager (born 6 October 1935, Salzburg) is an Austrian conductor known for his interpretations of works by the Viennese Classics (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert). Hager studied piano, organ, harpsichord, conducting, and composition a ...

– 3 LPs

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...

(later reissued in 1991 as part of Volume 22 of ''

The Complete Mozart Edition ''The Complete Mozart Edition '' is a 180-CD collection released in 1990–91 featuring all works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (known at the set's publication) assembled by Philips Classics Records to commemorate the bicentenary of the death of Moz ...

)''. *1991 – Lynda Russell (Amital),

Gloria Banditelli Gloria Banditelli (Assisi, 16 February 1954) is an Italian mezzo-soprano. She debuted in ''La Cenerentola'' in Spoleto in 1979. She is well known both for late-classical early-bel canto era roles of Rossini, Cimarosa and Paisiello, and also baroqu ...

(Giuditta),

Ernesto Palacio Ernesto Palacio (born October 19, 1946, Lima) is a Peruvian tenor, particularly associated with Rossini and Mozart roles. Palacio first studied theology before turning to music. He began his vocal studies in Milan, and after winning first prize i ...

(Ozia),

Petteri Salomaa Juha Petteri Salomaa (born 26 August 1961) is a Finnish operatic bass-baritone who has had an active international singing career in operas and concerts since the late 1970s. He has performed on more than 30 recordings with a variety of record lab ...

(Achior), Caterina Trogu Röhrich (Cabri), Sabina Macculi (Carmi) – Coro del Centro di Musica Antica di Padova, Padua Chamber Orchestra,

Peter Maag Ernst Peter Johannes Maag (10 May 1919 – 16 April 2001) was a Swiss conductor. Early life Peter Maag was born on 10 May 1919 in St. Gallen, Switzerland and died on 16 April 2001 in Verona, Italy. His father, Otto, was a Lutheran minister, ...

– 2 CDs

Denon Records Denon Records was a Japanese audiophile record label owned by Denon and distributed by A&M Records from 1990 through 1992. This was a reissue program that included 390 jazz and classical music titles that were issued on compact disc. Artists *Aer ...

(later reissued as part of

Brilliant Classics Brilliant Classics is a classical music label based in the Dutch town of Leeuwarden. It is renowned for releasing super-budget-priced editions on CD of the complete works of J.S. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and many other composers. The label also s ...

' ''Mozart Complete Works'' series). *2006 –

Julia Kleiter Julia Kleiter (born 5 May 1980) is a German operatic soprano and a concert singer. After her debut as Mozart's ''The Magic Flute, Pamina'' at the Opéra Bastille in Paris, she has appeared at major international opera houses, especially the Zuric ...

(Amital), Marijana Mijanovic (Giuditta), Jeremy Ovenden (Ozia),

Franz-Josef Selig Franz-Josef Selig (born 11 July 1962) is a German operatic bass. Career Born in Mayen, Selig studied at the Musikhochschule Köln, first church music, later voice. During his studies already, he was accepted in 1989 as a member of the Aalto-Th ...

(Achior), Irena Bespalovaite (Cabri), Jennifer Johnston (Carmi) –

Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor The Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor is an Austrian mixed choir of classical music and is formed by members from the Wiener Staatsoper#Chor der Wiener Staatsoper, Chor der Wiener Staatsoper. History In 1927, Viktor Maiwald, a choru ...

Münchener Kammerorchester The Munich Chamber Orchestra (, or MKO) is a German chamber orchestra based in Munich. Its primary concert venue is the Prinzregententheater, Munich. The MKO also gives concerts in Munich at such venues as the Pinakothek der Moderne and the ', an ...

– 2

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

s Deutsche Grammophon (part of Deutsche Grammophon's project to record all of Mozart's existing operatic output from the

, titled ''M22,'' reflecting the 22 works recorded). *2013 – Marelize Gerber (Amital), Margot Oitzinger (Giuditta), Christian Zenker (Ozia), Markus Volpert (Achior), Ulrike Hofbauer (Cabri), Barbara Kraus (Carmi) –

L'Orfeo Barockorchester L'Orfeo Barockorchester is an Austrian Ensemble of historically informed performance. Presentation The international baroque and opera orchestra, founded in 1996 by Michi Gaigg and Carin van Heerden at the Anton Bruckner Privatuniversität, has ...

Michi Gaigg Michi Gaigg (born in Schörfling am Attersee, 1957) is an Austrian violinist and conductor. She is founder and conductor of the Baroque orchestras L'arpa festante and L'Orfeo Barockorchester.Goldberg: early music magazine: Issues 53-54 2008 "So a ...

– 2 SACDs

Challenge Classics Challenge Records is a record company and label in the Netherlands founded by Hein van de Geyn, Anne de Jong, and Joost Leijen in 1994. Its catalogue includes music by Nat Adderley, Paul Bollenback, Bob Brookmeyer, Keith Ingham, Rick Margitza, En ...

. *2020 –

Sandrine Piau Sandrine Piau (born 5 June 1965) is a French soprano. She is particularly renowned in Baroque music although also excels in Romantic and modernist art songs. She has the versatility to perform works from Vivaldi, Handel, Mozart to Schumann, Deb ...

(Amital), Teresa Iervolino (Giuditta), Pablo Bemsch (Ozia), Nahuel Di Pierro (Achior),

Amanda Forsythe Amanda Forsythe (born 1976) is an American light lyric soprano who is particularly admired for her interpretations of baroque music and the works of Rossini. Forsythe has received continued critical acclaim from many publications including '' O ...

(Cabri/Carmi) – Chœur de Chambre Accentus,

Les Talens Lyriques The French musical ensemble Les Talens Lyriques was created in 1991 in Paris, France, by the harpsichordist and orchestral conductor Christophe Rousset. This instrumental and vocal formation derives its name from the subtitle of '' Les fêtes d'H ...

Christophe Rousset Christophe Rousset (; born 12 April 1961) is a French harpsichordist and conducting, conductor, who specializes in the performance of Baroque music on Authentic performance, period instruments. He is also a musicologist, particularly of opera and ...

– 2 CDs

Aparté Aparté is a French classical music record label founded in 2010 by Nicolas Bartholomée, director of Little Tribeca recording studios. Bartholomée had earlier founded the recording studio Musica Numeris in the late 1980s, and the Ambroisie label ...

Settings by other composers

Antonio Salieri Antonio Salieri (18 August 17507 May 1825) was an Italian composer and teacher of the classical period (music), classical period. He was born in Legnago, south of Verona, in the Republic of Venice, and spent his adult life and career as a subje ...

in 1820 revised

's ''La Betulia liberata'' by shortening some recitatives and arias, and adding additional choirs taken from Gassmann's other compositions. As a student of

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...

set "Te solo adoro", Anchior's aria from the second part, as a composition exercise for four voices in November 1812. The exercise was first published in 1940, and, catalogued as D. 34, again in the ''

New Schubert Edition Franz Schubert (1797–1828): New Edition of the Complete Works (), commonly known as the New Schubert Edition (NSE), or, in (NSA), is a complete edition of Franz Schubert's works, which started in 1956 and is scheduled to conclude in 2027.

'' in 1986. Alfred Mann (ed.) ''

''
Series VIII: SupplementVolume 2: ''Schuberts Studien''

Bärenreiter Bärenreiter (Bärenreiter-Verlag) is a German classical music publishing house based in Kassel. The firm was founded by Karl Vötterle (1903–1975) in Augsburg in 1923, and moved to Kassel in 1927, where it still has its headquarters; it ...

, 1986. No. 39

References

External links

* * *

, with corrections by

Autograph of "Te solo Adoro" for SATB (D 34)
a

by

Austrian Academy of Sciences The Austrian Academy of Sciences (; ÖAW) is a legal entity under the special protection of the Republic of Austria. According to the statutes of the Academy its mission is to promote the sciences and humanities in every respect and in every fi ...

(OAW) Compositions by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1771 compositions Classical church music Libretti by Metastasio 1734 operas 1771 operas Oratorios based on the Bible {{Interwiki extra, qid=Q1798628