Misplaced Pages

#340659

35-427: Engelbert Humperdinck may refer to: Engelbert Humperdinck (composer) (1854–1921), German composer Engelbert Humperdinck (singer) (born 1936), British pop singer Engelbert Humperdinck (album) See also [ edit ] Humperdinck , a name Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with

70-511: A Humoreske for small orchestra, which enjoyed a vogue in Germany. Humperdinck's reputation rests chiefly on his opera Hänsel und Gretel , on which he began work in Frankfurt in 1890. He first composed four songs to accompany a puppet show his nieces were giving at home. Then, using a libretto and thematic suggestions by his sister Adelheid Wette , rather loosely based on the version of

105-458: A bone instead, and she feels it instead. Disappointed that he is so thin, the witch calls for Gretel to bring out raisins and almonds. As the witch tries to feed Hansel, Gretel steals the wand from the witch's pocket. Waving it towards Hansel, Gretel whispers, "Hocus pocus, holderbush! Loosen rigid muscles, hush!" As the witch turns around and wonders at the noise, Hansel discovers that he can move freely again. The witch tells Gretel to peek inside

140-404: A feast: Bacon , butter , flour , sausages , fourteen eggs , beans , onions , and a quarter pound of coffee . He explains to her that beyond the forest, it is almost time for a festival, and everyone is cleaning in preparation. He went from house to house and sold his brooms at the highest prices. As father and mother celebrate, he suddenly stops and asks where the children are. Mother changes

175-492: A secret: A neighbor has given mother a jug of milk, and tonight she will make a rice blancmange for them to eat. Hansel, excited, tastes the cream on the top of the milk. Gretel scolds him and tells him he should get back to work. Hansel says that he does not want to work, he would rather dance. Gretel agrees, and they begin to dance around. Scene 2 Mother enters, and she is furious when she finds that Hansel and Gretel have not been working. As she threatens to beat them with

210-473: A severe stroke. Although he recovered, his left hand remained permanently paralyzed. He continued to compose, completing Gaudeamus with the help of his son, Wolfram, in 1918. On 26 September 1921, Humperdinck attended a performance of Carl Maria von Weber 's Der Freischütz in Neustrelitz , which was Wolfram's first effort as a stage director. He suffered a heart attack during the performance and died

245-461: A stick, she knocks over the jug of milk. Mother sends Hansel and Gretel to the haunted Ilsenstein forest to look for strawberries . Alone, she expresses her sorrow that she is unable to feed her children, and asks God for help . Scene 3 From far off, father sings about how hungry he is. He bursts into the house, roaring drunk, and kisses mother roughly. She pushes him away and scolds him for being drunk. He surprises her by taking from his pack

280-460: Is still unable to move. Hansel and Gretel touch all the children, then Hansel takes the witch's wand and, waving it, calls out the magic words, freeing the children from the spell. Scene 5 Father is heard in the distance, calling for Hansel and Gretel. He and mother enter and embrace Hansel and Gretel. Meanwhile, the gingerbread children pull out from the ruins of the oven the witch, who has turned into gingerbread. Father gathers Hansel, Gretel and

315-799: Is thought to have applied for the post of director of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in Australia , but with the outbreak of World War I, it became unthinkable for a German to hold that position. Belgium's Henri Verbrugghen was selected for the job, as Belgium was an ally of the United Kingdom. Also in 1914, Humperdinck signed the Manifesto of the Ninety-Three , declaring support for German military actions during early World War I. On 5 January 1912 Humperdinck suffered

350-769: The Cologne Conservatory in 1872. In 1876, he won a scholarship that enabled him to go to Munich , where he studied with Franz Lachner and later with Josef Rheinberger . In 1879, he won the first Mendelssohn Award given by the Mendelssohn Stiftung (foundation) in Berlin. He went to Italy, where he became acquainted with composer Richard Wagner in Naples. Wagner invited him to join him in Bayreuth , and during 1880 and 1881 Humperdinck assisted in

385-801: The Royal Opera House (London) chose it for their first complete radio opera broadcast. Eight years later, it was the first opera transmitted live from the Metropolitan Opera (New York). In 1896, Kaiser Wilhelm II made Humperdinck a Professor and he went to live at Boppard . Four years later, he went to Berlin , where he was appointed head of a Meister-Schule of composition. His students included Basque composer Andrés Isasi , Portuguese composer Luís de Freitas Branco and Kurt Weill . Among Humperdinck's other stage works are While composing those works, Humperdinck held various teaching positions of distinction. He also collaborated in

SECTION 10

#1732776343341

420-627: The Welsh National Opera using Pountney's translation. Scene 1: At home Gretel stitches a stocking, and Hansel is making a broom. Gretel sings to herself as she works. Hansel mocks her, singing to the same tune a song about how hungry he is. He wishes for mother to come home. Gretel tells him to be quiet and reminds him of what father always says: "When the need is greatest, God the Lord puts out His hand." Hansel complains that one cannot eat words, and Gretel cheers him up by telling him

455-440: The basket and dumps the leftovers in his mouth. Gretel scolds him and tells him that mother will be upset. She tries to look for more, but it is too dark for her to see. Hansel tries to find the way back, but he cannot. As the forest darkens, Hansel and Gretel become scared, and think they see something coming closer. Hansel calls out, "Who's there?" and a chorus of echoes calls back, "He's there!" Gretel calls, "Is someone there?" and

490-427: The cage, and he and Gretel shove the witch into the oven. They dance. The oven begins to crackle and the flames burn fiercely, and with a loud crash it explodes. Scene 4 Around Hansel and Gretel, the gingerbread children have turned back into humans. They are asleep and unable to move, but they sing to Hansel and Gretel, asking to be touched. Hansel is afraid, but Gretel strokes one on the cheek, and he wakes up, but

525-533: The crown on Hansel, but, saying that boys do not play with things like these, he puts it on her head instead. He tells her that she looks like the Queen of the Wood, and she says that if that's so, then he should give her a bouquet, too. He offers her the strawberries. They hear a cuckoo calling, and they begin to eat the strawberries. As the basket empties, they fight for the remaining strawberries, and finally, Hansel grabs

560-551: The echoes reply, "There!" Hansel tries to comfort Gretel, but as a little man walks out of the forest, she screams in terror. Scene 2 The little man turns out to be the Sandman . He calms the frightened children down by telling them that he loves them dearly, and that he has come to put them to sleep. He puts grains of sand into their eyes, and as he leaves they can barely keep their eyes open. Gretel reminds Hansel to say their evening prayer, and after they pray, they fall asleep on

595-634: The fairy tale by the Grimm Brothers , he composed a singspiel of 16 songs with piano accompaniment and connecting dialogue. By January 1891, he had begun working on a complete orchestration. The opera premiered in Weimar on 23 December 1893, conducted by Richard Strauss . With its highly original synthesis of Wagnerian techniques and traditional German folk songs, Hansel and Gretel was an instant and overwhelming success. Hansel and Gretel has always been Humperdinck's most popular work. In 1923,

630-401: The forest floor. Scene 3 Traumpantomime [dream pantomime]. Fourteen angels come out and arrange themselves around the children to protect them as they sleep. They are presented with a gift. The forest is filled with light as the curtain falls. Scene 1: In the forest. The Dew Fairy comes to wake the children. She sprinkles dew on them, sings of how wonderful it is to be alive in

665-412: The forest to search for their children. Here there is a prelude which begins the act, called the "Witch-ride". Sometimes, the two acts are linked to each other, and the prelude is treated as an interlude. Scene 1: In the forest. Sunset. Gretel weaves a crown of flowers as she sings to herself. Hansel searches for strawberries. As Gretel finishes her crown, Hansel fills his basket. Gretel tries to put

700-741: The house. As Hansel breaks off another piece of the house, the voice again calls out, "Nibbling, nibbling, little mouse! Who's nibbling on my little house?" Hansel and Gretel ignore the voice, and continue eating. The witch comes out of the house and catches Hansel with a rope, As Hansel tries to escape, the witch explains that she is Rosine Leckermaul (literally, "Rosina Tastymuzzle"), that she likes nothing better than to feed children sweets. She tries to convince Hansel & Gretel to come into her house by offering them Chocolates , Tarts , Marzipans, Turkish Delight , Lollipops , Wedding Cakes, Strawberry Italian Ices , Blancmange, Almonds , Raisins, Peaches & Citrons but Hansel and Gretel are suspicious of

735-404: The left side is an oven, on the right side is a cage, and around it is a fence of gingerbread children . Unable to resist temptation, they take a little bit of the house and nibble on it. Scene 3 As the children nibble, a voice calls out, "Nibbling, nibbling, little mouse! Who's nibbling on my little house?" Hansel and Gretel decide that the voice must have been the wind, and they begin to eat

SECTION 20

#1732776343341

770-413: The morning with the beauty of the forest surrounding her, and leaves as the children stir. Gretel wakes first, and wakes the sleepy Hansel. They tell each other of their mutual dream, of angels protecting them as they slept. Scene 2 Suddenly they notice behind them a glorious gingerbread house . The roof is slated with cakes, the windows are of licorice , and the walls are decorated with cookies . On

805-562: The next day, aged 67, from a second heart attack. The Berlin State Opera performed Hansel and Gretel in his memory a few weeks later. Humperdinck was buried at the Stahnsdorf South-Western Cemetery near Berlin. For a list of Humperdinck's pupils, see this list . In 1965, British singer Arnold Dorsey named himself after the composer. The main belt asteroid 9913 Humperdinck , discovered in 1977,

840-401: The oven to see if the gingerbread is done. Hansel softly calls out to her to be careful. Gretel pretends that she does not know what the witch means. The witch tells her to lift herself a little bit and bend her head forward. Gretel says that she is "a goose" and doesn't understand, then asks the witch to demonstrate. The witch, frustrated, opens the oven and leans forward. Hansel springs out of

875-737: The production of Parsifal . He also served as music tutor to Wagner's son, Siegfried . After winning another prize, Humperdinck traveled through Italy, France, and Spain. For two years, he taught at the Gran Teatre del Liceu Conservatory in Barcelona . In 1887, he returned to Cologne. He was appointed professor at the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt in 1890 and also teacher of harmony at Julius Stockhausen 's Vocal School. By this time he had composed several works for chorus and

910-515: The subject to the broken jug, and after she finishes telling him the story, he laughs, then asks again after the children. She tells him that they are in the Ilsenstein forest. Suddenly scared, father tells her that the forest is where the evil Gingerbread Witch (literally, "Nibbling Witch") dwells. She lures children with cakes and sweets , pushes them into her oven , where they turn to gingerbread , and then eats them. Father and mother rush to

945-463: The theater, providing incidental music for a number of Max Reinhardt 's productions in Berlin: for example, Shakespeare 's The Merchant of Venice in 1905. Although recognized as a disciple of Wagner rather than an innovator, Humperdinck was the first composer to use Sprechgesang —a vocal technique halfway between singing and speaking—in his melodrama Königskinder (1897). In 1914, Humperdinck

980-642: The title Engelbert Humperdinck . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Engelbert_Humperdinck&oldid=1214746182 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Human name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Engelbert Humperdinck (composer) Engelbert Humperdinck ( German: [ˈɛŋl̩bɛʁt ˈhʊmpɐdɪŋk] ; 1 September 1854 – 27 September 1921)

1015-470: The witch, so Hansel frees himself from the rope and he and Gretel begin to run away. The witch takes out her wand and calls out, "Stop!" Hansel and Gretel are frozen to the spot where they stand. Using the wand, the witch leads Hansel to the cage. The witch leaves him stiff and slow of movement. She tells Gretel to be reasonable, and then the witch goes inside to fetch raisins and almonds with which to fatten Hansel. Hansel whispers to Gretel to pretend to obey

1050-409: The witch. The witch returns, and waving her wand, says, "Hocus pocus, holderbush! Loosen, rigid muscles, hush!" Using the wand, the witch forces Gretel to dance, then tells her to go into the house and set the table. Hansel pretends to be asleep, and the witch, overcome with excitement, describes how she plans to cook and eat Gretel. The witch wakes up Hansel and has him show her his finger. He puts out

1085-631: Was a German composer. He is known widely for his opera Hansel and Gretel (1893). Humperdinck was born in Siegburg in the Rhine Province in 1854. After receiving piano lessons, he produced his first composition at the age of seven. His first attempts at works for the stage were two singspiele written when he was 13. His parents disapproved of his plans for a career in music and encouraged him to study architecture. But he began taking music classes under Ferdinand Hiller and Isidor Seiss at

Engelbert Humperdinck - Misplaced Pages Continue

1120-673: Was by Constance Bache . In the United States the opera was often performed in a translation by Norman Kelley written for the Metropolitan Opera 's 1967 production by Nathaniel Merrill and Robert O'Hearn . In 1987 a darkly comic new production with English translation by David Pountney was created for the English National Opera in London. Since 2007, the Met has performed the work in a production originally created for

1155-558: Was first performed in the Hoftheater in Weimar on 23 December 1893 , conducted by Richard Strauss . It has been associated with Christmas since its earliest performances and today it is still most often performed at Christmas time. Hansel and Gretel was first conducted in Weimar by Richard Strauss in 1893, followed by its Hamburg premiere on 25 September 1894, conducted by Gustav Mahler . Its first performance outside Germany

1190-785: Was in Basel , Switzerland, on 16 November 1894. The first performance in England was in London on 26 December 1894, at Daly's Theatre and its first United States performance was on 8 October 1895 in New York. The first performance in Australia was on 6 April 1907, at the Princess Theatre , Melbourne. In English-speaking countries Hansel and Gretel is most often performed in English. The longtime standard English translation

1225-446: Was named after the composer. Hansel and Gretel (opera) The idea for the opera was proposed to Humperdinck by his sister, who approached him about writing music for songs that she had written for her children for Christmas based on "Hansel and Gretel". After several revisions, the musical sketches and the songs were turned into a full-scale opera. Humperdinck composed Hansel and Gretel in Frankfurt in 1891 and 1892. The opera

#340659