Misteri d\' Elx

The Misteri d' Elx (in Spanish Misterio de Elche ) is a stage performance (a mystery) which one gives each year to Elche (Spain) - where it is known also like Festa (the Festival) - since the Middle Ages.

Work is given each August 14th and 15th in the Basílica de Santa Maria and one puts at it in scene Death, the Assumption and the Crowning of the Virgin.

Recent research locates its origin around second half of the 15th century. That contradicted a local tradition which connects the creation of the Mystery to the conquest of Elche in 1265 and with discovered statue of the Virgin on December 29th, 1370 in the locality close to Santa Pola. This part is single in its kind because it was represented without interruption until today. It has special rights, because the Concile of Thirty prohibited the stage performances in the churches, but excluded the Misteri d' Elx . It was the Pope Urbain VIII which, in 1632, conceded at the village of Elche, by the means of a bubble, the permission to continue this representation.

Each character is represented by men; indeed it was interdict with the women to appear in this kind of representations.

The text of the Misteri , except for some worms in Latin, is completely written in Valencian old.

The music is an amalgam of styles of various times which include reasons for the Moyen-âge, Baroque and Renaissance.

May 18th 2001, UNESCO declared the Misteri d' Elx oral and immaterial Patrimoine of humanity .

Origins

Origin of the text

The first testimony that we have of the text, is a copy carried out at the 17th century. The original manuscript is lost, but we have copies. Currently the oldest copy that the city has is of 1709; it was a copy of the Consueta for the choirmasters. The Consueta is an old name which is given to a book of notes, in which was annotated the rite to follow at the time of each celebration; in this case, it is about the Consueta of Festa .

The text is short; it is made of 139 worms in the first part and of 119 in the second. The worms in majority are short and with a very simple versification. The stanzas are of four worms and the rhymes are built according to the diagram aabb. At the beginning the text is not sung, but little by little the music develops until accompanying all the text. The author remains unknown.

Origin of the music

The musical part was studied by Óscar Esplá, according to which the partition goes back to various times. The oldest part could result from the Liturgie Mozarabe (of medieval time) . It would be the origin of the songs of Marie and the Angel .

For other more modern parts, one knows some authors like:

Ginés Pérez (1548), author of “has vosaltres has pregar that ens anem has soterrar” .
Antonio de Ribera (1521) author of “Flor of virginal bellesa” , “Aquesta gran novetat” .
Shine Vich (1594) which is the author of “Years of entrar in will sepultura” .

The author of Ternari is unknown, but according to its characteristics it would be also 16th century.

Finally there were posterior contributions, with the result that the Festa was always an alive thing in permanent evolution.

Origin of the representation

The origin of the representation is not dated, but it is known that already in 1266 existed a royal document authorizing the celebration. That means that only 24 years after the expulsion of the Moslems, already one celebrated with Elche a representation on the Assumption of Marie, but who would be very different from the current one. The representation takes its true form with the introduction of the machinery baroque , which brings many machines, which are quoted in the Consueta of 1625. One also speaks about shootings of rockets, of ringings of bells, processions of entry and exit.

The scenic device

The Mystery proceeds in the Basilica of Santa Maria , which underwent some installations.

The Sky

A large hanging is placed in top of the circle formed by the dôme ; it fulfills the double function to represent the sky and to hide the mechanisms which allow the rise and the descent in the airs of the various mechanisms. This system must be probably as old as the current representation, is approximately 1530; the oldest document that we have, mentions the presence of displacements in the airs.

The hanging separates the celestial actions from those from here bottom; it has an opening called way of the sky which open and is closed again to three occasions for the passage of the air mechanisms.

The Grenade ( Magrana )

This name indicates the system charged to transport the Angel bringing the Palm to Marie. The apparatus has an octagonal structure and is closed on its eight sides giving him a spherical form. Outside is painted in red. At the time of its descent of the sky, the eight districts open discovering the interior very decorated and revealing the angel with its palm.

In its current structure, the mechanism dates from second half of the 16th century.

It is thought that the name of grenade is more recent, and brought the replacement of the traditional color (blue) by the current color (red); the older and more correct name would be cloud .

The Araceli

The Araceli (or ( Recèlica ) (Angels) presents an aspect of retable: in its center is the Major Angel, upright, and around are laid out knelt four angels, two adults in top and two children in bottom.

The angels enter in scene on two occasions, once in each act. In the first act, they go down to carry the heart of Marie to the sky, and to order to the apostles to organize a procession and to bury the body.

In the second act, in the large final scene, the central angel is replaced by the image of Virgin of the Assumption (owner of the city), which is crowned with half of its rise to the sky by the Holy Trinity.

The Crowning or Trinity

The last air mechanism is called Couronnement or Trinity ( Coronación or Trinidad ). It is about a construction having the structure of a retable, similar to Araceli, but of more reduced size. In its central part a throne is in which assoie the singer who represents our Heavenly Father and at his sides, are knelt, two children who represent the others two people of the Holy Trinity. This third scenic apparatus appears to be more recent than the two others

The three air mechanisms are held by cables and are actuated with the hand thanks to winches located on the terrace of the presbytery.

The Corridor

This name is given to the large slope which, crossing in all its length the building, puts in communication the cadafal with the main entrance of the church. Between the pillars of the church are laid out three groups carved or small furnace bridges representatives of the key moments of the Passion of Christ: the Garden of Getsémani, the Martyrdom and the Holy Sepulchre.

The importance of the corridor is large as much on the scenic level that symbolic system. In its first role, it is the only physical element which allows that the church is converted into a dramatic scene; on the symbolic system plan, the corridor is the way which allows the communication between the terrestrial world and the divine world; it is the notation symbolic of the spiritual way which all the characters must achieve.

For example, Marie will achieve the pilgrimage of the Passion of Jesus, which means, that it finds the ideal of the Christianity, which is to revive the Passion of Jesus.

The Cadafal

This name indicates the platform on which most of the representation proceeds. It is drawn up in the center of the transept, in order to make coincide the sepulchre with the opening of the way of the Sky.

It is completely covered with wood for hiding with the public the lower part of the scene, place where one changes the statues by actors, etc

Work

First Act Vespra

It takes place on August 14th. That starts with the Virgin, Marie Salome, Marie Jacobé and six Ange S which presents to the door Basilique. The organ of the church plays. The Archpriest and the Knights traverse the slope which leads to the scene ( cadafal ) and the Virgin entonne a song of encouragement, while being addressed to the procession which accompanies it. Those, in their turn, declare their honesty to him. She, then, kneels and declares her intention to join her Son. Then it goes up on the scene ( cadafal ), accompanied by its continuation, while evoking in a kind of Chemin of Cross , the Passion of Christ.

Once in top, she kneels again while both Marie and the angels accompany it with foot at its sides. The Virgin expresses once again the desire to join her Son.

Later, the doors of the sky open and, in a garnet-red and gilded sphere (called magrana or grenade), an angel descends for entonner a song in which he greets the Virgin, announcing to him that his/her Son agrees to satisfy his request.

The angel approaches Marie giving a palm to him. It takes it and makes known to him its desire to be accompanied by the apostles at the time by his death. The angel goes back to the sky guaranteeing the realization of the desire of the Virgin.

Holy Jean, vêtu of white, appears with the foot of the slope which leads to the cadafal , holding in its hand the Évangile. Once in top, Marie announces the imminence of her death to him, while entrusting to Saint Jean the palm which the angel had given to him. He receives it and entonne, later, a song of sadness.

Go up on the cadafal , the apostle Saint Pierre, bearing with him the keys of the sky; he declares himself surprised by what arrives. Arrived close to the bed of Marie, he greets it by entonnant a song whereas six other apostles go up by the slope.

At this time, three Apôtre S enter the church by three different doors, are greeted between them and sing their surprise of such a coincidence (scene known as " El Ternari"). Later, they go up on the cadafal and, then all the brought together apostles (except for Saint Thomas) entonnent a Salve Regina with the Virgin.

Finally, Saint Pierre is addressed to Marie and questions it on the mystery which surrounds all this gathering. The continuation of the Virgin meets around Marie and, this one, saddened, request with his/her children to bury it in the Vallée of Josafat .

At the end of the last notes, the Virgin falls dead on the bed. The apostles, carrying candles lit, entonnent a song in which they hope for his resurrection.

The doors of the sky open and five angels ( araceli ) go down singing the Mother from God. Once in bottom, they take possession of the heart of Marie, then go up singing the same canticle as at the beginning.

The archpriest of Santa María and the Knights go up on the cadafal and kiss the feet of the body of the Virgin. Both follow Marie, the angels and the apostles. Then, holy Jean, deposits on Marie the gilded palm. Thus the first act is concluded.

Act Second Festa

It takes place the next day, August 15th.

The morning at 10 a.m., takes place in the street the procession of the " soterrar" (the burial) of Marie, with the canticles of the " Festa" and the participation of the actors.

The second act itself starts when the archpriest and the Knights assemble the slope and kiss the feet of the Virgin. Behind them, the apostles, lay out themselves around. Marie Salome, Marie Jacobé and the continuation of the angels wait at the beginning of the corridor.

Three apostles sing by inviting the procession to link itself with the burial. Four of them descend the slope and, while being answered the ones the others, the continuation and the apostles go up together until the cadafal .

Saint Pierre takes the palm which rests on the body of the Virgin and, being addressed to Jean saint, gives it to him, requiring of him that it carry it. This one accepts and, then, all the disciples, knelt vis-a-vis the body of the Virgin, begin a song preparing its burial thus.

When they finished, they are raised entonnant this time the Psaume In exitu Israel d' Egipto , clean of the liturgy of the Funérailles. Suddenly, intrigued by the songs, a group of Juif S appears on the scene at the entry of the corridor. Two of them go up towards the cadafal discovering the apostles around the Virgin. They go down again and inform the others the reason of these songs. Those, disturbed, decide to tackle the group of the disciples in order to carry the lifeless body of Marie and to make it disappear.

The Grand Rabin, which belongs to the group, stops threatening the psalm which the apostles continue to sing. The Jews, then, start to go up towards the cadafal . Saint Jean and holy Pierre try to prevent the sacrilege by facing the malintentionné group. But those, more, succeed in arriving in top and approaching the body of Marie. One of them, trying to seize it, sees how its own hands are paralyzed, in a kind of miracle. The others, witnesses of the fact, fall to overpowered knees and contrits. They sing, then, beseeching the assistance of God.

The disciples, having ask pity of them, them to believe in the virginity of Marie. The group of the Jews, still of knees, require while begging to be baptized. They sing thus with the apostles, whom they recognize Marie like the mother of the son of God.

Saint Pierre baptizes them. The Jews become merry and start to sing returning thanks to the Virgin. One of them, bearing in the air a cross, starts the procession that will finish with the burial of Marie.

The organ of the church plays at this time and them doors of the sky open. The araceli (angels) again descend, bearing with them the heart of the Virgin and the song of the angels fills up the basilica by promising the resurrection of Marie.

The Knights turn over in the church accompanying holy Thomas (who, according to the tradition, returned from the India, where it had been sent to preach). This one, sorry not to have been able to attend the burial, begins with entonner a song beseeching the Virgin to forgive him.

The sky, then, opens again and God the Father, accompanied by the Holy Trinity, starts to go down. He carries in his hands a gilded crown, gently depositing it on the head of Marie. A rain come from the sky covers with gold the scene, the bells sound with any flight and a salvo of rockets is launched while the spectators and the actors at the culminating point of the representation, acclaim Visca the Pond of Déu! .

The Holy Trinity and the araceli (angels) are assembled to the sky. And the apostles, as well as the Jews, entonnent finally the Gloria Patri .

Preparations

August 6th, in the room of the Council, takes place the prova veus (the test of the voices), in order to choose those which will sing " El Misteri" ; the selection is made by the council thus proving the implication of the municipality and not of the clergy.

August 10th, at six o'clock in the evening, in the basilica, is made the prova àngel , (the test of the angel) which makes it possible to choose the children not having the giddiness and thus able to go down since the dome, inside the air mechanisms.

On August 11th, 12th and 13rd, take place the general Ensayos (the general repetitions.

See too

the official page
Mystery of Elche
Mystery of Elche, with the text of the words.
Homenatge Al Misteri d' Elx - Vespra, by Jordi Savall, Capella Reial de Catalunya

Random links: