Igor Stravinsky Opera The Soldier's Tale
Plot Synopsis and Character Description of a Morality French Drama
The Soldier's Tale (Histoire du Soldat) is a French morality two-act opera composed by Igor Stravinsky (June 17, 1882 – April 6, 1971). The librettist is Swiss C.F. Ramuz, an original work based on a Russian tale.
The opera was written by Stravinsky set or a small ensemble. It was first performed in Lausanne, Municipal Theater, September 28, 1918, conducted by Ernest Ansermet. Setting is in two villages at an unspecified time.
The Characters of The Soldier's Tale
Speaking Parts:
- Narrator
- Soldier
- Devil
Mute:
- Princess (dancer)
Plot Summary / Synopsis of The Soldier's Tale
Act I
Scene 1. The Banks of a Stream
A soldier walks towards his hometown with his pack. He stops and rests by a stream. He rummages his pack and takes out his fiddle and begins to play. The devil appears and persuades him to sell him his fiddle. When he refuses the devil offers to trade his book that is supposed to tell the future and contains untold wealth. The devil offers to teach him to use the book while the soldier teaches the devil to play the fiddle. The soldier goes home with the devil.
Scene 2. A Village with the Belfry Visible in the Distance
As the soldier walks towards his town, he notices something strange. Nobody recognizes him. When he reaches his fiancée's home, he finds her with her own family, a husband and children. He finally realizes that it's not three days, but three years, that passed.
The soldier is upset. The devil tries to calm him by reminding him of the power of the book. The knowledge he gained from the book quickly gave him wealth but he was still unhappy and realizes that wealth means nothing. He misses his old life, his relations and his friends. He tries to find some answers from the book but can't find anything. He buys back the fiddle from the devil, and tries to play but can't.
Act II
Scene 1. A Village on the Frontier and an Inn
The soldier leaves his home and runs away. He arrives at an inn where he hears the news that the princess is sick, and that the king has announced that whoever can cure her will be given her hand in marriage.
Scene 2. A Room in the Palace
When the soldier arrives at the palace, the devil is already there disguised as a virtuoso violinist. He realizes that his wealth gives the devil power over him as the narrator tells the soldier that the devil controls him as long as he has the devil's money. He gambles with the devil and loses everything. The devil grows weak and falls. The soldier is finally free.
Scene 3. The Room of the Princess
The soldier triumphantly marches into the chamber of the princess and plays with in his fiddle. She is miraculously cured. She begins to dance ("Trois danses") The devil arrives. The soldier realizes he can defeat the devil by playing his fiddle. The devil can't resist the music, and dances ("Devil's Dance") until he falls to the ground, exhausted. The couple embrace.
When the devil gains consciousness, he torments the couple, warning them that the soldier can't leave the castle or the devil will once again regain control over him. ("The Devil's Song")
Scene 4. The Frontier
As the devil has foreseen, the soldier tries to go home, and again falls into the devil's power. Over the "Great Chorale", the narrator tells the moral of the story: We have to be content with what we are, as we can't have it all.
Histoire du Soldat, translated into English as The Soldier's Tale, was originally created for the theatre "to be read,danced and played." Stravinsky set it to music, scored for a septet of violin, double bass, bassoon, clarinet, trombone, cornet, and percussion. In recent times, the opera is rarely performed, but a ballet version has had significant performances.
Sources:
Martin, Nicholas Ivor. The Da Capo Opera Manual. New York: Da Capo Press, 1997
Riding, Alan and Leslie Dunton Downer. Opera. London: Dorling Kindersley, 2006
Igor Stravinsky Opera, The Soldier's Tale
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Igor Stravinsky, American Composer
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