Everyman (in Finnish: ; in German: ), Op. 83, is a theatre score—comprising 16 numbers—for soloists, mixed choir, orchestra, piano, and organ by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius; he wrote the music in 1916 to accompany a Finnish-language production of the Austrian author Hugo von Hofmannsthal's 1911 play of the same name.
The play premiered on 5 November 1916 at the Finnish National Theatre in Helsinki, with Robert Kajanus conducting the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra; the theatre director was .
History
Composition On 15 May 1916, the theatre director wrote to Sibelius asking if he would like to score the Finnish National Theatre's upcoming Finnish-language production of , a modern adaptation by the Austrian playwright Hugo von Hofmannsthal of the fifteenth-century English morality play Everyman. , which Max Reinhardt had premiered in Berlin on 1 December 1911 at the , had taken Europe by storm, with subsequent productions in Austria, Denmark, and Sweden. By 1916, it was Finland's turn, and competing productions were scheduled in Helsinki for the end of the year. (The other staging was at the Swedish Theatre, with original music by , as well as Palestrina's motet .) Sibelius accepted the commission in mid-June, likely—as the musicologist Daniel Grimley has argued—simulated by the play's "images of devotion, sacrifice, pilgrimage, and sacred mission":
Sibelius began working on the score on 10 July, although by the next day he already was confiding in his diary doubts about the project. By 13 July, he had broken off work on the project to attend to more pressing matters: the impending marriage of his daughter to (both were stage actors at the National Theatre) on 21 July. Sibelius considered it his responsibility to marry off his daughters "in style ... all this cost money". To address his finances, he "worked like a blacksmith" to compose a handful of piano pieces for the Helsinki-based music publisher .
Premiere
On 5 November 1916, the National Theatre's premiered at a 2:00 matinée, with a second performance at 8:00 that night. Robert Kajanus conducted the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, while Maggie Gripenberg choreographed the dances for the banquet scene (her pupils were the dancers). In the main roles were Urho Somersalmi (Everyman), Eero Kilpi (Death), (Good Works), Helmi Lindelöf (Faith), and Teuvo Puro (the Devil). Lahdensuo, who had seen in Dresden and had modeled that production's scenography, opted for "as indifferent a background for the action as possible": the front curtain was gone, such that—from the moment they entered the auditorium—audience members could view the stage. This extended over the orchestra pit in order to create a more intimate connection with the audience and was covered in black material, such that the musicians were not visible; the ceiling, too, was draped in black, and black curtains stretched behind the stage's six large, white-gray columns. All set decorations were omitted, with the exception of a tombstone placed over the hatch (the banquet table and Good Work's bed later rose from the floor). The set design "created a darkly festive, oppressive mood". (Indeed, the concert had been postponed by two days, because its original date of 3 November was the anniversary of Nicholas II's accession to the Russian throne, and according to the tsarist authorities, the funereal scenery was incongruous with the national day of celebration.)
Writing in Helsingin Sanomat, the theatre critic posited that even though Sibelius's "magnificently generous and wonderfully lucid music" had been the production's "most powerful mood-maker", Hofmannsthal's play remained for the audience merely an "artistic and literary-historical curiosity", its moral comprehensible yet anachronistic:
For the same newspaper, the composer Leevi Madetoja (Sibelius's one-time pupil) described the score as "a great artistic achievement ... that enhanced the atmosphere of this old play, the moral of which would have been very weak absent [Sibelius's music]". After complimenting the beauty of two songs (Nos. IV and IX), Madetoja praised the "masterly skill" with which Sibelius had captured "vividly" the purification of Everyman's soul: "the organ joins the orchestra, and soon we feel as if under the vaults of a Catholic church. In Uusi Suometar, the theatre critic agreed that Sibelius's music had elevated the production, especially the concluding scenes.
Early revivals
In April 1925, the Berlin-based music publisher Robert Lienau, with whom Sibelius had contracted from 1904 to 1910, wrote asking the composer for a short orchestral work similar in style to the concert suites for Pelléas et Mélisande (1905) or Belshazzar's Feast (1906). Sibelius replied that he could make a suite of ("From this music I could put together a good suite. I shall write to you about it next season".) Although Lienau agreed enthusiastically, Sibelius abandoned the idea for unknown reasons. The Sibelius biographer Andrew Barnett speculates that Sibelius may have lost interest in reworking upon receiving in May a commission from the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen to compose incidental music to Shakespeare's The Tempest. Nevertheless, Sibelius produced three pieces for solo piano from No. II (Episodio. Largo), No. IV (Scena. Allegretto—Moderato), and Nos. VII–IX (Canzone. Andantino), "presumably as an offshoot" of his work for Lienau.
While Sibelius never made suitable for the concert hall, a revival of play by Lahdensuo in late 1929 again brought the music to Finnish audiences, albeit outside of the capital. On 7 September, the SS Kuru sank during a storm on Lake Näsijärvi, a tragedy that caused the deaths of 136 people aboard the steamship; as a result, Tampere's would serve as a memorial tribute to the deceased. The production was organized in some haste (rehearsals were a mere two weeks), and because the city did not have large orchestral forces at its disposal, the conductor —at Sibelius's request—arranged the score for smaller forces. The next year, Lahdensuo staged in Turku, with Tauno Hannikainen conducting the Turku Philharmonic Orchestra.
On 11 December 1935, the National Theatre revived in honor of Sibelius's seventieth birthday. (By then, the composer had unofficially retired, although the music world breathlessly awaited his reportedly-in-progress Eighth Symphony; his last major work had been 1926's tone poem Tapiola). The production was directed by Glory Leppänen, who had recently studied at the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna from 1933 to 1934; according to Leppänen, Sibelius instructed before the performance "that 'the music must follow every beat of the text, because the note-lengths reflect the words themselves. No deviation from this should be allowed. The delivery of the text should be made to suit the music; this [is] not negotiable'". Moreover, he also expressed his wish that the audience not applaud during or after the performance, so as "'not to destroy the solemn atmosphere'". His son-in-law Jussi Blomstedt (later Jalas) conducted the Theatre Orchestra. The title role again went to Urho Somersalmi, while Teuvo Puro portrayed Death, Good Works, Faith, and Uuno Laakso the Devil; Sibelius's daughter Ruth Snellman was cast as the Paramour.
Structure and roles
Although is in one act (without intermission), it roughly subdivides into two , emotionally-distinct sections: before Death reaches Everyman, and after. Sibelius composed 16 numbers, which range from mere seconds (e.g., Nos. I, VI–VII) to ten minutes (No. XI). It features three vocal soloists, who are among the guests at the banquet. A typical performance of the score lasts between 40 and 49 minutes (although the play is two hours in duration).
RolesPremiere cast(5 November 1916)Revival cast(11 December 1935)in Englishin FinnishPrologue ?The Lord God ?Death Eero KilpiTeuvo PuroEveryman Urho SomersalmiUrho SomersalmiThe Good FriendJoel RinneThe Cook The Poor Neighbor Emil FalckThe Bailiff Jorma NortimoThe DebtorEero KilpiThe Debtor's WifeMimmi LähteenojaLaura TudeerThe Mother The Paramour The Fat Cousin Paavo JännesAku KorhonenThe Skinny Cousin Mammon Yrjö TuominenGood Works Faith Helmi LindelöfThe Monk Eino Jurkka?The Devil Teuvo PuroUuno LaaksoChorus [banquet guests (young men and ladies), angels]
Synopsis
As a modern adaptation of the medieval morality play Everyman, Hofmannsthal's contains several allegorical characters. The play seeks to "teach people that their earthly existence is transitory": before God, all that matters is one's record of good deeds. However, even at the eleventh hour, repentance of ones sins is possible.
Prologue enters to the sounding of brass (No. I) and implores the audience to heed Everyman's story, for he represents all people. From high above, the Lord God voices his displeasure with humankind: people live in sin and fail to appreciate the Savior's sacrifice on the cross. He summons Death, who arrives flanked by archangels, to fetch the soul of Everyman for Him to judge (No. II). At his palatial home, Everyman admires his worldly possessions, relates to the Good Friend his plans for luxurious expenditures, and orders the Cook to prepare a feast for tomorrow's banquet. He is visited by the Poor Neighbor, as well as by the Debtor (whom the Bailiff marches to prison; the Debtor's Wife and hungry children follow behind), each of whom beg for charity. Everyman spurns the solicitors and eulogizes Mammon, the demon spirit of avarice (the sin of greed). The Mother arrives, urging her son to confess his sins and to enter into holy matrimony, but he impatiently rejects her counsel. With the Paramour (the sin of fornication), he looks forward to the banquet (No. III).
Everyman caresses the Paramour at the banquet (No. IIIa)—there, the candle-lit dining table is lavishly decorated with expensive food and drink (the sin of gluttony). The guests sing and dance (No. IV), but the festive atmosphere sours for Everyman, who senses Death's approach. Paranoid, he runs from the table; when the Paramour goes to calm him, he asks her if she would follow him forever, even in death. The guests resume singing and dancing (Nos. V–VII), restoring Everyman's good humor. However, during a love song, Everyman alone hears the deathly tolling of the bell (No. VIII). To steady his nerves, he imbibes more wine and listens as the oblivious guests sing a canon (No. IX, a modification of No. VII). At the end of this song, Everyman alone hears the ghostly calling of his name. Again, the guests make merry (No. X) until the arrival of Death, whom they see standing forbiddingly behind Everyman—everyone (including the Paramour) flee, except for the Good Friend, the Fat Cousin, and the Skinny Cousin. Although the spirit permits Everyman to bring a companion on his final journey, all three men refuse—for they, too, would die. Abandoned, Everyman resolves to bring that which he holds most dear, his fortune, but the servants and horses carrying his treasure chest scatter upon seeing Death. Everyman now caresses the chest; the lid opens to reveal Mammon, who ruthlessly disowns and mocks his "slave".