Der Teufel in der Oper. Zum motivgeschichtlichen Umfeld von Čertova stěna
The Devil in the Opera. On the Motif and the Historical Background of Čertova stěna [The Devil's Wall]

Summary/Abstract: Various types of music theatre (for instance, singspiel, magic opera, or operetta) serve to reveal how new motifs emerged in opera librettos, presenting unusual challenges for composers. These included non-specified choirs of demons and creatures of the underworld in seventeenth century opera to the individualized character of the devil. Although the interest was preserved until the nineteenth century (K. Penderecki, A. Schnittke), the basic repertory foregrounding the demonic powers was created in the eighteenth century (Meyerbeer's Robert le diable [Robert the Devil], Weber's Der Freischütz [The Freeshooter], or Boito's Mefistofele). The character of the devil is not always frightening. Some works intentionally emphasize the comic and fairy-tale features: this being typical in Czech opera (Smetana's Čertova stěna and Dvořák's opera Čert a Káča [The Devil and Kate]).

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