Kierra: Musical Analysis and Interpretation of Menuet and Dance of the Blessed Spirits

Minuet and Dance of the Blessed Spirits

By: Christoph Willibald Gluck

This piece is a ballet excerpt from Gluck’s opera ‘Orfeo ed Euridice’ or the story of Orpheus from greek mythology.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swPSB2ygf_c

Orpheus is the Greek God of music, poetry and prophecies. His specialty was playing the lyre, an old string instrument that imitates the harp on a smaller scale. The story of Orpheus and his wife, Eurydice is very reputable. As it begins, the two were happily married and one day Eurydice was walking by herself when a satyr made romantic advances towards her. In her attempt to evade him, she fell into a nest of vipers and was poisoned to death. When Orpheus found her body, he began to sing a mournful song which is the first theme heard at the commencement of the piece. The slow dragging tempo of the repetitive theme indicates the constant torture Orpheus felt. The Gods of Olympus heard Orpheus’ sorrows and advised him to make the journey to the underworld and meet with Hades, God of the Underworld. So Orpheus went and met with Hades and pleaded with him to bring Eurydice back. Orpheus used his musical talents to soften the hearts of Hades and his wife Persephone. Hades struck a deal with Orpheus, if he could walk to the surface without looking back to see Eurydice, Hades would allow Eurydice to leave the Underworld. Unfortunately, Orpheus’ anxiety overcame him and as soon as he emerged from the cave that is the Underworld, he instinctively looked back to see Eurydice who had not completely left the cave. Just as Hades said, Eurydice disappeared back into the cave. Orpheus lived in depression for the rest of his life until he died as a punishment for betraying his dedication to the God Apollo.

In comparison to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the story of Orpheus and Eurydice revolves around the star that is greed. The very first example of greed comes from the God of Olympus. When they tell Orpheus, a lowly single person as he had not become a god as yet, to go to the Underworld on his own and bring back Eurydice. Going to the underworld was no simple act, it involved going through treacherous caves, battling monsters and encountering Hades at the end of it all. Hades was one of the most evil Gods to exist and almost always had ulterior motives which he executed very sneakily. Sending Orpheus, unarmed and alone into the lions den could have been considered as murder. The Gods were the polar opposite of generous to Orpheus therefore making them greedy. Perhaps their intent was to create some form of entertainment for the Gods. The next person who was greedy, was Hades for obvious reasons. Hades also refused to give any form of generosity to Orpheus, but used a very different strategy. He used deception and created a plan that Orpheus could not possibly refuse, or see the problem with. He showed no generosity to Orpheus or Eurydice. Finally, the last act and person who displayed greed was Orpheus himself. After Eurydice died, Orpheus could have allowed her spirit to live in serenity of the Underworld but instead he chooses to selfishly try and bring her back to Earth. This once again displays signs of greed and selfishness.

The first theme of the piece is drowsy, and sensitive. This was written to portray Orpheus’ initial sadness upon seeing the corpse of Eurydice. After the first theme, the range of the notes get higher symbolizing Orpheus’ hope. This is when he got information from the God of Olympus that he could save Eurydice. The piece changes tone once again to depict Orpheus’ journey into the Underworld and deal with Hades. After this, the piece develops major ornamental figures that depict tensions within Orpheus as he comes out of the cave. The pinnacle of the piece intertwines directly with the climax of the myth. This is when Orpheus looks back to see that Eurydice had not completely exited the cave. Musically, this is painted through a running scale that echoes lost hope and ultimate sadness. The moments of realization come slower as Orpheus does not realize his mistake for many moments. After he does, the notes are all held longer showing Orpheus trying to hold his hope for Eurydice. At last, Orpheus finally submits to the reality that he will never see Eurydice again. This is when the initial theme comes back that was played at the commencement of the piece. This symbolizes that despite his efforts, Eurydice would forever be dead and his efforts would be considered futile.