The Opera of quat\' under

Booklet

the Opera of quat' under is an adaptation of the Opera of the gueux ( The Beggar' S Opera ) John Gay and Johann Christoph Pepusch (1728).

Synopsis

The action proceeds with Soho, a district of London in prey with a war of the gangs. It is a question of a fight of being able and competition between two “business men”, the king of the beggars, Jonathan Jeremiah Peachum , and a dangerous criminal, Macheath , known as Mackie Surineur ( Mackie Messer in the original text). The second marries the girl of the first, Polly . Peachum and his wife ( Mrs. Peachum ) refuse this misalliance and make pressure on the chief of the police force of London, Brown , which is however a large friend of Mackie; Peachum threatens to disturb the festivals of crowning while making ravel its beggars. Mackie is stopped with the assistance of the prostitute Jenny , who is jealous of Polly; Polly besides is as jalousée by the girl of Brown, Lucy , as Mackie had already married! Mackie escapes, but is taken again and condemned to death. All finishes well: Brown intervenes as a messenger of the Queen and announces that Mackie is pardoned, anobli and equipped with a revenue with life.

Cutting

; 1) Be a prelude to

The fair of Soho

ACT I

; 2) The room of Peachum

Peachum complains about the difficulties of its trade; an young man (Filch) presents himself to become beggar; they draw up the contract, Filch receives its equipment; Peachum complains with his wife to let an unknown (the Captain) court Polly; it ends up identifying this Captain as being Mackie; they realize that Polly did not sleep in its room.

; 3) A stable of Soho

The marriage of Mackie and Polly (the following day afternoon)

The festival misses spirit (there are only gangsters); visit rather short of Brown.

; 4) The room of Peachum

Return of Polly; discussion between it and his/her parents on his marriage.

ACT II

; 5) The room of Peachum

Peachum decides to make stop Mackie by denouncing it with the police force

; 6) The den of Mackie

Polly informs Mackie of the danger; Mackie the responsibility of direct the band during its absence

; 7) The closed house of Turnbridge

Mrs. Peachum bribes Jenny so that it helps with the arrest of Mackie; this one comes to return visit to the girls, Jenny betrays it and it is stopped

; 8) The prison of Old Bailey

Brown regrets being able anything to make for Mackie; in front of the prison, dispute between Polly and Lucy; Mrs. Peachum intervenes and takes along her daughter

Mackie succeeds in escaping. Peachum threatens Brown to disturb the festivals of crowning the following day if it does not do anything.

ACT III

; 9) The room of Peachum

Peachum prepares its demonstration of beggars; Brown comes to stop it, but Peachum succeeds in taking again the top. Mackie is again stopped.

; 10) The prison

Mackie not succeeding in escaping and expresses its distress.

Arrival of Brown, become herald of the queen: all the problems are solved and everyone is reconciled.

Sung pieces

Are indicated in fat the pieces included in the film of Georg-Wilhelm Pabst

(1) Moritat von Mackie Messer - the Lament of Mackie Surineur : a street singer
(2) Morgenchoral of Peachum - morning Choral of Peachum : Peachum
(2) Anstatt dass-Song - Song of Instead of : Peachum and its wife
(3) Hochzeitslied - Song of weddings (or Epithalamium of the poor ): 4 gangsters
(3) Seeräuber-Jenny - Jenny-of-Corsairs (or: Been engaged of the pirate ): Polly (according to the booklet; but by Jenny)
(3) can be interpreted Kanonen-Song - the Song of the guns : Mackie and Brown
(3) Liebslied - Love song : Polly and Mackie
(4) Barbara-Song - Song of Barbara : Polly
(4) First Final of quat' under : Peachum, Mrs. Peachum, Polly
(6) Pollyslied - Song of Polly : Polly
(7) Ballade von DER sexuellen Hörigkeit - Ballade of sexual control : Mrs. Peachum
(7) Zuhälter-Ballade - the Ballade of the upholder (or: Tangoballade ): Mackie
(8) Ballade von dem angenehmen Leben - Ballade of the pleasant life : Mackie
(8) Eifersucht-Duett - Duet of the jealousy : Polly and Lucy
(8) Arie of Lucy - Aria of Lucy : Lucy
(8) Second Final of quat' under : Mackie, Mrs. Peachum, Chorus, Voice ( Denn wovon lebt der Mensch? - Because of what does the man live? )
(9) Lied von der Unzulänglichkeit of the menschlichen Strebens - Song of the vanity of the human effort : Peachum ( Der Mensch lebt durch den Kopf… - The man saw head )
(9) Solomon-Song - Song of Solomon : Jenny
(10) Ruf aus der Gruft - Call since the tomb : Mackie
(10) Grabschrift - Epitaph (or: Mackie is sorry everyone ): Mackie

it is an adaptation, faithful at the beginning, of the Ballade of hung the of François Villon: Ihr Menschenbrüder, die ihr nach ones lebt… You human brothers, who after us live… )

(10) Third Final of quat' under : Chorus, Brown, Mackie, Polly, Mrs. Peachum, Peachum

History of work

The opera was created the August 31st 1928 ( general the August 28th) with Berlin, with the Theater amndt Schiffbauerdamm . The distribution included, inter alia, Lotte Lenya, the proper wife of Kurt Weill, and Kurt Gerron ( Tiger Brown ); the direction of orchestra was ensured by Theo Mackeben.

Work is an immense success in Europe: in five years, she is played more than 10.000 times and is translated into 18 languages. The reception is mitigated more with Broadway in 1933.

A film was turned as of 1931 by Pabst, in versions German and French with, in the Germanic version, Lotte Lenya in the role of Jenny ; and for the French version Margo Lion ( Jenny ), Albert Préjean ( Mackie ), Florelle ( Polly ) and Antonin Artaud in a small role. Brecht which, in the beginning, had taken part in the adaptation of its part in scenario, however ends up repudiating film.

The personality of the criminal Mackie Surineur is inspired at the same time by the Macheath of John Gay, the history of Jack the eventror and the poems of François Villon. The style directly defies the public of the time by opening a breach in the fourth wall with what Brecht called the distance. For example, of the slogans are projected on the wall of the bottom and the actors carry sometimes signs, or leave the dramatic situation to apply directly to the public. Interpretation as well as defies the conventional concepts of property those of the theater. It raises central the rhetoric question, “Which is the largest criminal: that which steals a bank or that which founds one of them? ”

The song of opening, the Lament of Mackie became a Standard of jazz thanks to its recovery by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald under the title Mack the Knife .

Alabama Song which will acquerra one surprising popularity in the world of the Rock when it is taken again by the group The Doors, is not drawn from the Opera of quat' under as much believe it, but of the opera Rise and fall of the town of Mahagony of same Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill.

An optics expressionnist?

It should be noted that Brecht is a pertaining author, or in any case, very influenced by the movement Expressionniste. It then seems obvious that this part falls under a certain optics expressionnist, in this direction mainly that Brecht with the will to be detached from reality, to criticize it, in particular thanks to processes such as the distance brechtienne.

The addresses with the public are thus frequent there, " cassant" thus this 4th traditional wall enters scenic space, and the assembly of the spectators, thus including the public in the space of play, and supporting the emotional reaction of this one, if expensive with the expressionnists.

As for the put in abyss, it is a process very largely used by Brecht in this work, because it once more enable him to remotely put reality by creating a second scenic authority inside the first: the characters become spectators of an internal fiction to the fiction first, and this confusion operated between character and spectator pushes the public to be wondered about reality. Indeed, if spectator and character can be so easily confused, then the world who surrounds me wouldn't it be only one immense masquerade?

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