The Turk on the Opera Stage

Contents

1. Introduction

2. The Turks

2.1 Historical Overview

2.1.1 Rise …

2.1.2 … and Fall of the Ottoman Empire

2.2 The Opinion of Europeans

3. Turkish Music and its Imitations

3.1 Military Music

3.1.1 Janissary Music

3.1.1.1 Instrumentation

3.1.1.2 Music

3.1.1.3 Reception

3.1.2 Alla Turca Style

3.2 Other Styles

3.3 After the late 18th Century

4. Overview of Operas

4.1 Italian

4.2 French

4.3 English

4.4 German

4.5 Interim Results

5. “Opera-Turks” in Detail

5.1 Monarchs

5.1.1 The Historical Monarch

5.1.1.1 Handel’s Bajazet

5.1.1.2 Rossini’s Maometto II

5.1.2 The Generous Pasha

5.1.2.1 Mozart’s Bassa Selim

5.1.2.2 Weber’s Sultan Harun

5.1.2.3 Neefe’s Pasha

5.1.3 The Cruel Pasha

5.1.3.1 Mozart’s Soliman

5.1.3.2 Lortzing’s Ali Pasha

5.1.3.3 Weber’s “Turkish Rulers”

5.1.3.4 Wranitzky’s Pasha

5.2 Guards and Henchmen

5.2.1 Mozart’s Osmin

5.2.2 Weber’s Omar

5.2.3 Gluck’s Calender

5.2.4 Neefe’s Mehmet

5.3 Funny and Stupid Turks

5.3.1 Haydn’s “Fake Turks” in “Lo Speciale”

5.3.2 Gluck’s Osmin

5.3.3 Cornelius’ Barber

5.3.4 Lully’s Turkish Ceremony

5.3.5 Gluck’s Cadi

5.3.6 Rossini’s Mustafa

5.4 Women

5.4.1 Weber’s “Oberon”

5.4.2 Gluck’s Slaves

5.4.3 Mozart’s Zaide

5.5 Miscellaneous Elements

5.5.1 Lully’s Turkish Ceremony

5.5.2 Gluck’s “La Rencontre imprevue”

5.5.3 Rameau’s “Les Indes Galantes”

5.5.4 Mozart’s “Entführung aus dem Serail”

5.5.5 Lortzing’s “Ali Pasha”

5.5.6 Neefe’s “Adelheit von Veltheim”

5.5.7 Weber’s “Abu Hassan”

5.5.8 Weber’s “Oberon or The Elf King’s Oath”

5.5.9 Wranitzky’s “Oberon, König der Elfen”

5.5.10 Spohr’s “Zemire und Azor

5.5.11 Gluck’s “Le Cadi dupe”

5.6 Résumé

6. Conclusion

Objectives and Topics

This thesis examines the representation of Turks in Western European operas, analyzing how shifting political and cultural relationships between the Ottoman Empire and Europe influenced the musical and character portrayal of Turks on the operatic stage over several centuries. The central research question explores how Turkish roles evolved from early heroic and barbaric stereotypes towards more nuanced characters, and how composers utilized specific musical imitations to construct these portrayals.

• Historical context of Ottoman-European relations and their impact on public perception.
• Musical analysis of "Turkish" elements, specifically the development of alla turca style.
• Categorization of Turkish character archetypes, including monarchs, guards, and "funny Turks."
• Comparison of various operatic works to identify common stereotypes and evolutionary trends in character development.
• Exploration of how Enlightenment ideals and Romanticism shaped the operatic "Other."

Excerpt from the book

Summary of Chapters

1. Introduction: Provides an overview of the conflict-ridden historical relationship between the Ottoman Empire and Europe and defines the scope of this thesis regarding the "Turkish" identity in opera.

2. The Turks: Examines the historical rise and fall of the Ottoman Empire and the formation of European public opinion regarding "the Turk" as a brutal and barbaric opponent.

3. Turkish Music and its Imitations: Details the transition of Janissary military music into the alla turca style, exploring how European composers imitated perceived Turkish musical traits.

4. Overview of Operas: Surveys the landscape of "Turkish" operas across Italian, French, English, and German traditions, highlighting the recurrence of specific plot archetypes like the abduction.

5. “Opera-Turks” in Detail: Analyzes specific character types—monarchs, guards, and humorous figures—to demonstrate how social status and gender roles shaped operatic portrayals.

6. Conclusion: Summarizes the key findings, noting how the image of the Turk evolved from an existential threat into a subject of exotic fantasy and artistic reflection.

Keywords

Opera, Ottoman Empire, Turkey, Alla Turca, Janissary, Orientalism, Musicology, Character Stereotypes, Abduction Plots, Enlightenment, Romanticism, Exoticism, Musical Imitation, 1001 Nights, Cultural Perception

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the primary focus of this thesis?

This work explores the depiction of Turks in Western European operas, focusing on how cultural prejudices, political conflicts, and musical imitation shaped the portrayal of Turkish characters on the stage.

What are the main thematic areas of the research?

The study centers on the historical relationship between Europe and the Ottoman Empire, the development of musical "Turkishness" (alla turca), and the categorization of frequent operatic character stereotypes.

What is the overarching research goal?

The goal is to determine how the presentation of Turkish characters changed over time and to identify specific musical and dramaturgical trends that defined these operatic portrayals.

Which scientific methodology is employed?

The author uses historical analysis to establish context and comparative musicology to analyze how composers translated "Turkish" elements into European operatic structures.

What topics are discussed in the main part of the thesis?

The main part of the work provides a detailed analysis of specific roles such as monarchs, guards, and women, and examines how specific musical techniques were used to convey "exotic" or "primitive" traits.

Which keywords best describe this study?

Key terms include: Opera, Ottoman Empire, Alla Turca, Orientalism, Musicology, Stereotypes, Abduction, and Musical Imitation.

Why did the author specifically analyze Handel’s Tamerlane?

Handel's work is analyzed as a representative example of how Baroque opera portrayed the "historical monarch" and how these portrayals reflected the period's lack of genuine knowledge about Turkish culture.

What role does the alla turca style play in the author’s argument?

The author argues that alla turca was often used not for authentic representation, but as a "wrong-note style" to convey cultural superiority and to mock the perceived primitiveness of the Turkish characters.