Der Templer und die Jüdin

Der Templer und die Jüdin (English: The Templar and the Jewess) is an opera (designated as a Große romantische Oper) in three acts by Heinrich Marschner. The German libretto by Wilhelm August Wohlbrück was based on a number of intermediate works based in turn on Walter Scott's 1819 novel Ivanhoe.

Der Templer und die Jüdin
Opera by Heinrich Marschner
Portrait of Heinrich Marschner in 1838
TranslationThe Templar and the Jewess
LibrettistWilhelm August Wohlbrück
LanguageGerman
Based onWalter Scott's Ivanhoe
Premiere
22 December 1829 (1829-12-22)
Altes Theater (Leipzig)

Performance history

The first performance took place at the Leipzig Opera on 22 December 1829. It became Marschner's most successful work and was staged more than 200 times in Germany during the next 70 years.

A revised version with recitatives rather than spoken dialogue was performed in Berlin on 3 August 1831 with Eduard Devrient as Bois-Guilbert. It was given in London at the Prince's Theatre on 17 June 1840, and in New York on 29 January 1872.

Many critics regarded the opera as unnecessarily complicated (and expensive to produce) and simplified versions were prepared by Felix Mottl, Richard Kleinmichel and finally Hans Pfitzner (1912). The latter's version was performed in Lübeck, Strasbourg and Cologne just before the First World War.

The opera was revived at the Wexford Festival in 1989, conducted by Albert Rosen and directed by Francesca Zambello, with William Stone as Bois-Guilbert and Greer Grimsley as the Black Knight.

Robert Schumann quotes an air from this opera in the finale of his Études symphoniques for piano.

Roles
Role Voice type Premiere Cast, 22 December 1829
(Conductor: Heinrich Marschner)
Brian de Bois-Guilbert, Templar baritone Heinrich Hammermeister
Friar Tuck, Hermit of Copmanhurst bass Wilhelm Fischer
Cedric von Rotherwood, Saxon knight bass Wilhelm Pögner
The Black Knight (King Richard I) bass Eduard Schütz
Lokslei, the outlaw leader baritone
Lucas de Beaumanoir, Knights Templar Grand Master bass
Maurice de Bracy, Norman knight tenor
Rebecca, the Jewess, daughter of Isaac of York soprano Fortunata Franchetti-Wazel
Rowena von Hargottstandstede, ward of Cedric soprano Henriette Wüst
Wamba, a fool tenor August Wiedemann
Wilfried von Ivanhoe, son of Cedric tenor Ubrich
Oswald, Cedric's steward bass
Albert Malvoisin, Norman knight spoken
Conrad, Malvoisin's squire spoken
Elgitha, Rowena's maid spoken
Isaac of York, a Jew spoken
Walter, an outlaw spoken
Willibald, an outlaw spoken
Robert, Bois-Guilbert's squire spoken
Philip, Bois-Guilbert's squire spoken
Herdibert spoken

Synopsis

The opera is set in England at the end of the 12th century and the main characters include The Black Knight, King Richard 'the Lionheart', Saxons, Normans, Templars and Robin Hood (here called Lokslei, i.e., Locksley) and his band of outlaws.

References
Sources
  • Casaglia, Gherardo (2005)."Der Templer und die Jüdin, 22 December 1829". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
  • Palmer, A Dean (1992), 'Templer und die Jüdin, Der' in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Stanley Sadie (London) ISBN 0-333-73432-7
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