''Die beiden Kalifen'' (The Two

Caliph A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...

s) is an 1813

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

in two acts by

Giacomo Meyerbeer Giacomo Meyerbeer (born Jakob Liebmann Meyer Beer; 5 September 1791 – 2 May 1864) was a German opera composer, "the most frequently performed opera composer during the nineteenth century, linking Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart and Richard Wa ...

(or as he was then known, Jacob Meyerbeer), to 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 ...

by Johann Gottfried Wöhlbruch, based on a tale from the ''

Arabian Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' (, ), is a collection of Middle Eastern folktales compiled in the Arabic language during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights'', from the first English-language edition () ...

''. The opera, Meyerbeer's second attempt at this genre, was originally titled ''Wirt und Gast, oder Aus Scherz Ernst'' (Landlord and Guest, or The Joke which Became Serious). Under this name it was premiered at the on 6 January 1813, conducted by Conradin Kreutzer.Letellier (1999), 360 Meyerbeer noted in his diary that "I arrived one day before the performance, and was able to supervise two rehearsals, but could do nothing to help really, since in every respect it had been badly and hurriedly prepared. The production was judged as poor by all critical accounts, and the opera was received very tepidly." The local press however reported that the opera "earned a deserved success. The music has striking, genuinely original passages, and the text has been diligently prepared." The opera was given a single performance as ''Die beiden Kalifen'' during the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...

at the Theater am Kärntnertor in Vienna on 20 October 1814.Letellier (1999), 326 At this performance the role of Irene was sung by the

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 ...

Cathinka Buchwieser. The failure of the opera was a major factor in Meyerbeer determining to leave for Vienna in November 1814 and to seek his career outside German-speaking Europe.Conway (2012), 163. In a review, the English journal '' The Harmonicon'' commented: "At this period no music but Italian had a chance of being listened to in the Austrian capital; it is not to be wondered at, therefore, that Meyerbeer's opera, written upon an opposite principle and very nearly in the same style with his '' Daughter of Jeptha'', failed completely."Letellier (1999), 367 The opera received further performances in Prague (22 October 1815), and, under the name ''Alimelek, oder die beiden Kalifen'', in Dresden on 22 February 1820. Both these performances were conducted by Meyerbeer's friend

Carl Maria von Weber Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (5 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and Music criticism, critic in the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Best known for List of operas by Carl Maria von Weber, h ...

, who wrote of its "active imagination. ndwell-nigh voluptuous melody", and praised its

instrumentation Instrumentation is a collective term for measuring instruments, used for indicating, measuring, and recording physical quantities. It is also a field of study about the art and science about making measurement instruments, involving the related ...

Roles

References

Notes Sources * Conway, David (2012). ''Jewry in Music: Entry to the Profession from the Enlightenment to Richard Wagner''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. *Letellier, Robert (ed. and tr.) (1999). ''The diaries of Giacomo Meyerbeer Volume 1 1791–1839''. Madison: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. *Letellier, Robert (ed.) (2008).
Giacomo Meyerbeer: Alimelek, oder Die beiden Kalifen
'. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, {{DEFAULTSORT:Beiden Kalifen, Die Operas 1813 operas Operas by Giacomo Meyerbeer Operas set in mythological places German-language operas Music based on One Thousand and One Nights