De Toneelmuziek van Alphons Diepenbrock : concept, compositie, uitvoering

Abstract

Alphons Diepenbrock's incidental music: Concept, composition, performance

The incidental music of Alphons Diepenbrock (1862-1921) occupies a peculiar position in the history of early-twentieth-century Dutch music. For the emergence of Diepenbrock's incidental music, his collaboration with the stage director Willem Royaards was particularly important. The influence of Balthazar Verhagen, a former pupil of Diepenbrock, was decisive too. Apart from the 1910 comedy Marsyas of de Betooverde Bron (Marsyas or the Enchanted Well), written by Balthazar Verhagen, Diepenbrock wrote his incidental music to canonical texts such as by Vondel (Gysbrecht van Aemstel, 1912), Aristophanes (De Vogels [The Birds], 1918), Goethe (Faust, 1918) and Sophocles (Electra, 1920). The unique character of Diepenbrock's incidental music stems from his strong literary inclination - he received a doctorate in Latin and Greek in 1888. As a composer, Diepenbrock was mainly self-taught.

For investigating Diepenbrock's incidental music, I have pursued three research angles. Firstly, I have discussed the opinions of Diepenbrock and his main collaborators - Royaards and Verhagen - on the intricacies of drama and theatre music (Part II). Secondly, I have focussed on the history and the analysis of Diepenbrock's five stage works (Part III). Finally, I have examined the works' performance practice and reception up to the Second World War (Part IV). In an elaborate introduction, I have adressed Diepenbrock's incidental music in an international context (Part I).

Diepenbrock's aim was to implement a new concept of music theatre. His preference for the combination of spoken voice with music ('melodrama') over singing exemplifies this intention. In his essays from the 1890s, Diepenbrock already condemned the 'old-fashioned' opera and the traditional ballet. Searching for a new concept of music theatre that would restore the classical unity of word, gesture and music, he regarded Greek tragedy as a model. Apart from Diepenbrock's essays, publications by Balthazar Verhagen, written after Diepenbrock's death in 1921, have been a valuable source for research into Diepenbrock's incidental music.

Although Diepenbrock's five stage compositions each have their own character, melodrama plays an important role in all of them. However, Diepenbrock did not give any rhythmical indication for the melodramatic parts in his scores. Therefore, it is difficult, if not impossible, to determine the concordance between the spoken words and the music, which was as problematic for Diepenbrock's contemporaries as it is for us now. Thus, one of the main research questions in the present study concerns the melodrama.

The role of instrumentation is another interesting point in case for studying the dramatic quality of Diepenbrock's incidental music. In his incidental music, the role of the orchestra surpasses mere accompaniment. Particularly interesting are the various recurring musical themes and motives, often with distinctive timbres, that are linked up with certain roles or with abstract issues such as 'fate' and 'the superhuman'.

Diepenbrock's concept of a new kind of music theatre turned out to be an illusion, and his implementation of it was largely unsuccessful. His intentions were abstract and elitist to such an extent that satisfactory performances could not be realised during his life time. The collaboration with Willem Royaards was problematic. In fact, they both underestimated each other's profession. Reviews and historical recordings also confirm that Diepenbrock's demands were far from realistic.