Exoticism Flashcards
What are the exoticist themes in Carmen?
1) Gypsiness stereotyped as wildness
2) Exploitation of heritage of Southern Spain
What exoticist issues are raised by La Habanera?
- Based on a piece written by Sebastián Yradier, ‘El Arreglito’
- Two views to take here: ‘authenticity’ because using original source; appropriation because controlling it to represent an orientalised/disparaging version of Carmen.
- Portrayal of Don Jose who notices her when singing - as authority figure, military, symbol of West. Same with Michaela.
What does the first performance of Carmen reveal?
- Unsuccsessful first performance: at Opera Comique, which was more for families - so the sexualised (oriental!!!) portrayals of the women went against the idea of opera as a moral force.
What can we glean from Spanish response to Carmen?
Performed in Teatro de la Zarzuela:
- Corrections were made to the libretto, removing absurd/unrealistic (esp bullfighting)
- Gypsy nature removed
- Performed in Spanish
- Better reception but critics still saw it as French constructions of a non-existent Spain
- Can note sense of hypocrisy - Spanish composers still wrote polonaises.
How is Delibes’ portrayal of Lakme exoticist?
n. b 1883
- Introduction of Lakme showcases stereotyping/disparaging portrayal of Indian princess.
- Typical oriental tropes: harps, drones, augmented 2nds
- BUT some elements of Indian raga modes evident
- Sense of mysterious (typical of orientalist portrayal of women) - first verse of aria is veiled.
What issues does Delibes’ portrayal of the British suggest about orientalism?
- Suggests an oriental portrayal of the British
- Act I they break into a sacred space
- Act I quintet ‘Quand une femme est si jolie’ seems typical of opera comique but can equally be seen as a parody of G&S
- Exoticising British with stereotypes. Consider colonial past of both countries: 18th century conflicts between them had led to the destruction of most of France’s colonia empire etc
Describe/critique Edward Said’s claims of musical exoticism in Aida
Aida (1871)
Edward Said ‘The Imperial Spectacle’ (1987)
- He wrote that the plot distracts from the orientalism shown in the portrayal of the characters
- E.g. Moorish slave dance Act I (tropes)
- E.g. Ramades’ Act I Aria praising Aida (melodic simplicity and use of strange low flute timbre)
- But notable that this is mainly on Ethiopians not Egyptians
How were the Ethiopians othered in Aida?
- Gautier and Harris 2012
- Often referred to as ‘beasts’ in writing, contemporary Egyptian view of supremacy over dark skinned South-East Africans
- Reflected in the libretto, described as ‘barbarians’; contrast between shambolic Ethiopian army and Egyptian army in flanks.
(plus all Ed Said’s stuff)
How are the Egyptians portrayed in Aida?
- Paul Robinson (1993) disagrees with Said, arguing that Egyptians are portrayed with Western military music (in 4, brass heavy, diatonic)
- Verdi actually worried Act I battle scene sounded like the Marseillaise
What can we learn from the portrayal of women in Aida?
- Othered and sexualised, even Amneris (Egyptian)
- Trope of musical exoticism
- Aida in Ramades’ act I aria as unchanging
- Amneris chamber scene, sexualised
How are the Japanese portrayed in Butterfly?
Butterfly wedding entrance in act 1:
- As a slave/commodity
- Link in European minds with Geishas and prostitutes
- Pinkerton leases her just as he leases the house
- Japanese as non-human, Sharpless talks about them as a ‘swarm’; Pinkerton describes them as ‘insects’
Act 2:
- ‘Comedic’ representation as Butterfly as she is ridiculed for not being able to adjust to western modes of living (she is always suffering on stage)
- Prince Yamadori in Act 2 (her semi-Europeanised lover) arrives to Mikado tune - implications of parody immediate.
How does the music in Butterfly raise issues about orientalism?
o Different musical treatments- uses japanese melodies, but also Star-spangled banner.
- Mostly identifiable Japanese melodies, but some come from commercially available Chinese (swiss made) music-box – suggests loose permissiveness in dealings with oriental countries (agrees with Said – controlling narrative, lack of differentiation)
- Use of material as purely sonic: some songs are work songs, patter songs etc but repurposed to sell Butterfly in marriage market, so satire as original context is being railroaded in favour of brand new context – quasi-imperial way of working, appropriating
What do the Japanese/French receptions of Butterfly reveal?
Japan:
Butterfly’s presentation – seen (anonymous review 1914) as a national disgrace (how dare they bring this westernised sexualised disparaging portrayal of Japanese women to Japan), but also as a cautionary tale to show how westerners think about Japan.
France:
- First version lasted only one night in milan – very strongly racist in portrayal of japanese as animals
- Paris version toned down – but still many references
Summarise the general operatic representations of oriental females.
- Highly sexualised
- Fate is usually bad: normally dies
…
What exoticist issues does L’Arlesienne raise?
- Play with music written by Bizet
- Originally flopped but the music became the go-to for those in Provence celebrating their own culture: music had authentic origins but also widely popular
- Reappropriating the music for themselves, and acting as a symbol of resistance to Parisian enforcing of language and culture.
