''Sub olea pacis et palma virtutis conspicua orbi regia Bohemiae Corona: Melodrama de Sancto Wenceslao '' (''Under the Olive Tree of Peace and the Palm Tree of Virtue the Crown of Bohemia Splendidly Shines Before the Whole World: Melodrama to

Saint Wenceslaus Wenceslaus I ( cs, Václav ; c. 907 – 28 September 935 or 929), Wenceslas I or ''Václav the Good'' was the Duke ('' kníže'') of Bohemia from 921 until his death, probably in 935. According to the legend, he was assassinated by his younger ...

''),

ZWV This list of compositions by Jan Dismas Zelenka was indexed in accordance with Wolfgang Reiche's thematic catalogue "Jan Dismas Zelenka: Thematisch-systematisches Verzeichnis der musikalischen Werke (ZWV)", Dresden, 1985. It includes vocal-instrume ...

175, is an extensive composition, written in 1723 by Czech baroque composer

Jan Dismas Zelenka Jan Dismas Zelenka (16 October 1679 – 23 December 1745), baptised Jan Lukáš Zelenka was a Czech composer and musician of the Baroque period. His music is admired for its harmonic inventiveness and mastery of counterpoint. Zelenka was rai ...

History

The opus was composed for the coronation of Charles VI in 1723. The work was commissioned in 1722 by Prague

Jesuits The Society of Jesus ( la, Societas Iesu; abbreviation: SJ), also known as the Jesuits (; la, Iesuitæ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

who were involved in the grand preparation for the coronation act. The composer came to Prague in 1723 to complete, rehearse and perform his work. It was performed in the presence of the imperial couple at the Jesuit

Clementinum The Clementinum (''Klementinum'' in Czech) is a historic complex of buildings in Prague. Until recently the complex hosted the National, University and Technical libraries; the City Library was also nearby on Mariánské Náměstí. In 2009, th ...

in Prague in the afternoon of 12 September 1723, with Zelenka himself as

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Music * Conductor (music), a person who leads a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra. * ''Conductor'' (album), an album by indie rock band The Comas * Conduction, a type of structured free improvisation ...

. Besides the eight soloists and musicians of the

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: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

, a further 142 persons, including dancers and walk-on actors, were involved in that grandiose performance. Vocal soloists were selected from among native Czechs who attended Jesuit schools. This event was probably the social culmination of Zelenka's career, something he had not been able to achieve during his time in Dresden.

Description

The composition is a monumental

allegorical As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory ...

opus, its character between melodrama,

oratorio An oratorio () is a large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is mus ...

stage play A play is a work of drama, usually consisting mostly of dialogue between characters and intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. The writer of a play is called a playwright. Plays are performed at a variety of levels, fro ...

and contemporary

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libre ...

, celebrating the memory of the greatest Czech saint and patron of Bohemia, Saint Wenceslas, one of the founders of Czech state, who lived from c. 907 to 935. The libretto was written by Matouš Zill, a member of the Jesuit order in Prague. The drama begins with a dispute between Prince Václav (Wenceslaus) and the Prince of

Kouřim Kouřim (; german: Kaurzim, Kaurzin, Kaurim) is a town in Kolín District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,900 inhabitants. The town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an Cultural monument (Czech ...

in which Wenceslaus wins not by sword but the mind. The principal characters, who are allocated the majority of the musical numbers are allegorical figures that appear throughout all three acts of the drama. There is not any apparent plot in the play, it being rather a work in praise of religious devoutness and fortitude. The work opens with an orchestral ''Sinfonia'' scored for 3 instrumental groups comprising two

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standar ...

s with

timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditiona ...

, a pair of

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. ...

s with bassoon and

string ensemble A string orchestra is an orchestra consisting solely of a string section made up of the bowed strings used in Western Classical music. The instruments of such an orchestra are most often the following: the violin, which is divided into first ...

with continuo. The Baroque

concertante Sinfonia concertante (; also called ''symphonie concertante'') is an orchestral work, normally in several movements, in which one or more solo instruments contrast with the full orchestra.Collins: ''Encyclopedia of Music'', William Collins Sons & C ...

principle is utilised in several numbers in the score,

polyphonic Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice, monophony, or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords, h ...

writing is featured in two pieces. In many parts, we can find innovative elements, e.g. the use of

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

as a solo instrument (in part no. 28), combination of two concertino recorders with a couple of flutes (in part no. 24), solo part of flute (which was still a very young component in the range of Baroque instruments) in

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

no. 33 and

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

no. 36, that combines strict

fugal In music, a fugue () is a contrapuntal compositional technique in two or more voices, built on a subject (a musical theme) that is introduced at the beginning in imitation (repetition at different pitches) and which recurs frequently in the c ...

with richly scored orchestral music. The ceremonial character of the composition is emphasized by the use of trumpets and timpani in many parts of the work.

Orchestration

All parts of the orchestra were original Baroque instruments. There were used: 17

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

s, 7

viol The viol (), viola da gamba (), or informally gamba, is any one of a family of bowed, fretted, and stringed instruments with hollow wooden bodies and pegboxes where the tension on the strings can be increased or decreased to adjust the pitc ...

s, 5

s, 3

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

es, 4

s, 3 flutes, 2 bassoons, 2 recorders, 2

s, 1

chalumeau The chalumeau (; ; plural chalumeaux) is a single-reed woodwind instrument of the late baroque and early classical eras. The chalumeau is a folk instrument that is the predecessor to the modern-day clarinet. It has a cylindrical bore with ...

and

theorbo The theorbo is a plucked string instrument of the lute family, with an extended neck and a second pegbox. Like a lute, a theorbo has a curved-back sound box (a hollow box) with a wooden top, typically with a sound hole, and a neck extending out ...

harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a ...

and

positive organ A positive organ (also positiv organ, positif organ, portable organ, chair organ, or simply positive, positiv, positif, or chair) (from the Latin verb ''ponere'', "to place") is a small, usually one-manual, pipe organ that is built to be more o ...

. Vocal casting included 2 sopranos, 2

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors i ...

countertenor A countertenor (also contra tenor) is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice types, generally extending from around G3 to D5 or E5, although a sopranist ( ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gu ...

and boy's

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which s ...

. The tradition of Jesuits did not allow the use of female figures in the play. Consequently, soprano and alto parts were taken by students from the lower grades of Jesuits' music school.

Parts

;Symphonia *I. Symphonia – Allegro assai ;Prolusio *II. Chorus. Allegro () *III. Aria (). Allegro () *IV. Recitativo (). () *V. Aria (). Andante () *VI. Recitativo (). () *VII. Aria (). Allegro () *VIII. Recitativo (). () *IX. Aria (). Allegro () ;Actus I *X. Aria. Allegro () *XI. Recitativo () *XII. Aria. Andante () *XIII. Chorus. Allegro () *XIV. Recitativo () *XV. Aria () *XVI. Ritornello. Piu andante *XVII. Recitativo () *XVIII. Aria () ;Actus II *XIX. Recitativo () *XX. Aria. Allegro () *XXI. Chorus Angelorum () *XXII. Aria. Adagio () *XXIII. Recitativo () *XXIV. Aria. Andante () *XXV. Recitativo () *XXVI. Aria. Allegro assai () *XXVII. Recitativo () *XXVIII. Aria. Andante () ;Actus III *XXIX. Aria. Allegro () *XXX. Recitativo () *XXXI. Aria and Chorus () *XXXII. Aria. Allegro () *XXXIII. Aria. Allegro () ;Epilogus *XXXIV. Recitativo () *XXXV. Aria. Allegro () *XXXVI. Chorus. Vivace ()

Recordings

* Jan Dismas Zelenka: ''Sub olea pacis et palma virtutis'', 2-CD set,

Supraphon Supraphon Music Publishing is a Czech record label, oriented mainly towards publishing classical music and popular music, with an emphasis on Czech and Slovak composers. History The Supraphon name was first registered as a trademark in 1932. ...

2001; Cat. No. SU 3520-2 232; won 2003 Cannes Classical Awards The composition was performed using authentic instruments of the Baroque era, tuned on A=415 Hz ( Kirnberger III). The album was recorded in the Rothmayer Hall of

Prague Castle Prague Castle ( cs, Pražský hrad; ) is a castle complex in Prague 1 Municipality within Prague, Czech Republic, built in the 9th century. It is the official office of the President of the Czech Republic. The castle was a seat of power for ki ...

on July 15–19, 2000. The total time of the recording is 95 minutes 11 seconds. A complete performance with the spoken dialogue would last approximately 2 hours 40 minutes. Soloists: Noémi Kiss (soprano), Anna Hlavenková (soprano), Jaroslav Březina ( enor), Adam Zdunikowsi (tenor), Aleš Procházka (bass), Markus Foerster (countertenor) Ensembles: Musica Florea, Boni Pueri">Musica Florea">enor), Adam Zdunikowsi (tenor), Aleš Procházka (bass), Markus Foerster (countertenor) Ensembles: Musica Florea, Boni Pueri, Musica Aeterna, Ensemble Philidor Conductors: Marek Štryncl (principal conductor, Musica Florea), Peter Zajíček (Musica Aeterna), Eric Baude-Delhommais (Ensemble Philidor), Pavel Horák (choirmaster), Pavel Horák (Boni Pueri choirmaster) ;Orchestra members *Baroque violin I – Peter Zajíček (principal), Zuzana Hrubšová, Petra Csaplárová, Ivana Sovová, Lenka Zelbová, Stanislav Palúch, Eleonora Machová, Veronika Jíchová, Jan Hádek, Jan Marek *Baroque violin II – Dagmar Valentová (principal), Jiřina Doubravská, Markéta Knittlová, Vladimír Grenerová, Lubica Habartová, Miroslava Kobzová, Jindra Ouředníková, Eduardo García Salas, Vojtěch Fielder *Baroque viola – Lydie Ladová, František Kuncl, Karol Němčík, Ján Grener, Donate Schack, Kateřina Trnavská, Peter Šesták *Baroque cello – Olaf Reimers (principal), Peter Királ, Peter Krivda, Pavel Řezáč, Ondřej Michal *Baroque double bass – Ondřej Štajnochr, Ján Krigovský, Jan Doskočil *Baroque oboe – Marcel Plavec, Claire Michèle Bez, Marta Neumannová, Guillaume Cuiller *Baroque bassoon – Juraj Korec, Kryštof Lada *Baroque recorders – Marek Špelina, Marta Neumannová *Baroque flutes – Marek Špelina, Martina Bernášková, Václav Kapsa *Chalumeau – Christian Leitherer *Baroque trumpet – Jean-François Madeuf, Jerome Prince *Positive organ / harpsichord – Václav Luks, Iva Štrynclová *Theorbo – Přemysl Vacek, Juraj Struhárik *Baroque timpani – Pavel Rehberger

References

{{Authority control Sub olea pacis Melodramas Oratorios Operas Latin-language operas 1723 compositions