Editing Circe (section)

==Musical treatments==
===Cantata and song===
[[File:Circe by Wright Barker (1889).jpg|thumb|Wright Barker's 1889 painting of Circe as musician|alt=]]

Beside the verse dramas, with their lyrical interludes, on which many operas were based, there were poetic texts which were set as secular [[cantata]]s. One of the earliest was [[Alessandro Stradella]]'s ''La Circe'', in a setting for three voices that bordered on the operatic. It was first performed at [[Frascati]] in 1667 to honour Cardinal [[Leopoldo de Medici]] and contained references to its surroundings. In the opening recitative, Circe explains that it was her son Telegonus who founded Frascati. The other characters with whom she enters into dialogue are the south wind (Zeffiro) and the local river Algido.<ref>The entire score can be downloaded from [http://musickshandmade.com/lute/gerbodes/index/La%20Circe/page:1/sort:source/direction:asc Sarge Gerbode's site] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130129071116/http://musickshandmade.com/lute/gerbodes/index/La%20Circe/page:1/sort:source/direction:asc |date=2013-01-29}}</ref> In the following century, [[Antonio Vivaldi]]'s cantata {{Lang|it|All'ombra di sospetto}} (In the shadow of doubt, RV 678) is set for a single voice and depicts Circe addressing Ulysses. The [[countertenor]] part is accompanied by [[flute]], [[harpsichord]], [[cello]], and [[theorbo]] and features two [[recitative]]s and two [[aria]]s. The piece is famous for the dialogue created between flute and voice, conjuring the moment of flirtation before the two become lovers.<ref>There is a performance on [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsG1mSNHOg0 YouTube]; the score is also available [https://archive.org/stream/imslp-di-sospetto-rv-678-vivaldi-antonio/WIMA.dd52-Vivaldi_cantata_fLsop#page/n0/mode/2up online].</ref>

The most successful treatment of the Ulysses episode in French was [[Jean-Baptiste Rousseau]]'s poem ''Circé'' (1703), that was specifically written to be a cantata. The different verse forms employed allow the piece to be divided by the musicians that set it in order to express a variety of emotions. The poem opens with the abandoned Circe sitting on a high mountain and mourning the departure of Ulysses. The sorceress then calls on the infernal gods and makes a terrible sacrifice: ''A myriad vapours obscure the light, / The stars of the night interrupt their course, / Astonished rivers retreat to their source / And even Death's god trembles in the dark''. But though the earth is shaken to its core, Love is not to be commanded in this way and the wintery fields come back to life.<ref>''Oeuvres de Jean-Baptiste Rousseau'', Brussels 1743, [https://books.google.com/books?id=IAQ_AAAAcAAJ&dq=jean%20baptiste%20rousseau%20circ%C3%A9&pg=PA321 Volume 1, pp. 321–24].</ref>

The earliest setting was by [[Jean-Baptiste Morin (composer)|Jean-Baptiste Morin]] in 1706 and was popular for most of the rest of the century. One of its final moralising [[minuet]]s, {{Lang|fr|Ce n'est point par effort qu'on aime}} (Love won't be forced) was often performed independently and the score reprinted in many song collections. The flautist [[Michel Blavet]] arranged the music for this and the poem's final stanza, {{Lang|fr|Dans les champs que l'Hiver désole}} (In the fields that Winter wastes), for two flutes in 1720. The new setting of the cantata three years later by Francois Collin de Blamont was equally successful and made the name of its nineteen-year-old composer. Originally for voice and bass continuo, it was expanded and considerably revised in 1729, with parts for flute, violin and viol added.<ref>Details are on the [http://philidor3.cmbv.fr/Parcourir/Oeuvres/COLIN-DE-BLAMONT-Francois-1690-1760-CIRCE-1725-cantate-francaise Philidor site] and there is a performance on [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mN1yx7fh3w YouTube].</ref> Towards the end of the century, the choral setting by Georges Granges de Fontenelle (1769–1819) was equally to bring its young composer fame.<ref>Biographical notes on the [http://www.musicologie.org/Biographies/f/fontenelle_granges.html Musicologie website].</ref>

Rousseau's poem was also familiar to composers of other nationalities. Set for [[mezzo-soprano]] and full orchestra, it was given almost operatic treatment by the court composer [[Luigi Cherubini]] in 1789. Franz Seydelmann set it for soprano and full orchestra in Dresden in 1787 at the request of the Russian ambassador to the [[Saxony|Saxon]] Court, [[Belosselsky-Belozersky family|Prince Alexander Belosselsky]], who spoke highly of Seydelmann's work. A later setting by Austrian composer [[Sigismond von Neukomm]] for soprano and full orchestra (Op. 4, 1810) was judged favorably by French musicologist Jacques Chailley in his 1966 article for the journal {{Lang|fr|Revue des études slaves}}.<ref>[[Jacques Chailley]], "Les dialogues sur la musique d'Alexandre Beloselskij", ''Revue des études slaves'' 45, 1966, [http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/slave_0080-2557_1966_num_45_1_1911?_Prescripts_Search_tabs1=standard& pp. 93–103].</ref><ref>The manuscript score is [http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/15130 online].</ref>

Recent treatments of the Circe theme include the Irish composer [[Gerard Victory]]'s radio cantata ''Circe 1991'' (1973–1975), David Gribble's ''A Threepenny Odyssey'', a fifteen-minute cantata for young people which includes the episode on Circe's Isle, and Malcolm Hayes' ''Odysseus remembers'' (2003–04), which includes parts for Circe, Anticleia and Tiresias. Gerald Humel's song cycle ''Circe'' (1998) grew out of his work on his 1993 ballet with Thomas Höft. The latter subsequently wrote seven poems in German featuring Circe's role as seductress in a new light: here it is to freedom and enlightenment that she tempts her hearers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://thomas-hoeft.de/|title=Thomas der Zug Spielzeug &#124; Ein Schlüssel zum Verständnis von Thomas Train Characters ist eine handliche Thomas Train Character Guide für Jungen und Mädchen zur Auswahl.}}</ref> Another cycle of ''Seven Songs for High Voice and Piano'' (2008) by the American composer Martin Hennessey includes the poem "Circe's Power" from [[Louise Glück]]'s ''Meadowlands'' (1997).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.martinhennessy.net/list2.htm|title=Martin Hennessy: Works Available Through This Site|website=www.martinhennessy.net|access-date=2019-03-10|archive-date=2016-10-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019072436/http://www.martinhennessy.net/list2.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

There have also been treatments of Circe in popular music, in particular the relation of the Odysseus episode in [[Friedrich Holländer]]'s song of 1958.<ref>A performance in German [http://www.discogs.com/Hanne-Wieder-Und-Friedrich-Meyer-Mit-Seiner-Studio-Band-Circe-Wiener-Schmarrn/release/957748 online].</ref> In addition, text in [[Homeric Greek]] is included in the "Circe's Island" episode in [[David Bedford]]'s ''The Odyssey'' (1976).<ref>Track 9, available on [https://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=UG&feature=related&hl=en-GB&v=ZljJBAvQzUo YouTube].</ref> This was the ancestor of several later electronic suites that reference the Odysseus legend, with "Circe" titles among them, having little other programmatic connection with the myth itself.

===Classical ballet and programmatic music===
After [[classical ballet]] separated from theatrical spectacle into a wordless form in which the story is expressed solely through movement, the subject of Circe was rarely visited. It figured as the first episode of three with mythological themes in {{Lang|fr|Les Fêtes Nouvelles}} (''New Shows''), staged by Sieur Duplessis le cadet in 1734, but the work was taken off after its third performance and not revived.<ref>Antoine de Léris, ''Dictionnaire des Théâtres'', Paris 1763,[http://operabaroque.fr/DUPLESSIS_FETES.htm online quotation].</ref> The choreographer [[Antoine Pitrot]] also staged {{Lang|fr|Ulysse dans l'isle de Circée}}, describing it as a ''ballet sérieux, heroï-pantomime'' in 1764.<ref>Joseph Marie Quérard, ''La France littéraire, ou Dictionnaire bibliographique'', Paris 1835, [https://books.google.com/books?id=Rirytt5V00oC&pg=PA196 p. 196].</ref> Thereafter there seems to be nothing until the revival of ballet in the 20th century.

[[File:Martha Graham's Circe.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Circe enchanting Ulysses in the 2012 revival of Martha Graham's ''Circe'']]

In 1963, the American choreographer [[Martha Graham]] created her ''Circe'' with a score by [[Alan Hovhaness]]. Its theme is psychological, representing the battle with animal instincts. The beasts portrayed extend beyond swine and include a goat, a snake, a lion and a deer.<ref>Lisa Allen's photographs of the ballet are available [http://www.exploredance.com/article.htm?id=514 online].</ref> The theme has been described as one of "highly charged erotic action", although set in "a world where sexual frustration is rampant".<ref>Jamake Highwater, ''Dance: Rituals of Experience'', Oxford University 1996, [https://books.google.com/books?id=tZOE1wrlweYC&pg=PA179 pp. 179–81].</ref> In that same decade [[Rudolf Brucci]] composed his ''Kirka'' (1967) in Croatia.

There is a Circe episode in [[John Harbison]]'s ''Ulysses'' (Act 1, scene 2, 1983) in which the song of the enchantress is represented by [[ondes Martenot]] and tuned percussion.<ref>There is an excerpt [http://www.emusic.com/listen/#/album/boston-modern-orchestra-project/john-harbison-ulysses/11283351 online].</ref> After the sailors of Ullyses are transformed into animals by her spell, a battle of wills follows between Circe and the hero. Though the men are changed back, Ulysses is charmed by her in his turn. In 1993, a full scale treatment of the story followed in Gerald Humel's two-act ''Circe und Odysseus''. Also psychological in intent, it represents Circe's seduction of the restless hero as ultimately unsuccessful. The part played by the geometrical set in its Berlin production was particularly notable.<ref>Hans Dieter Schaal: Stage Architecture Stuttgart and London 2002, [https://books.google.com/books?id=spVLtZMGWO0C&dq=Gerald%20Humel%2C%20%22Circe%20und%20Odysseus%22&pg=PA48 pp. 48–51].</ref>

While operas on the subject of Circe did not cease, they were overtaken for a while by the new musical concept of the [[symphonic poem]] which, whilst it does not use a sung text, similarly seeks a union of music and drama.<ref>Stanley Sadie, ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', New York, 1980, 13:544–545.</ref> A number of purely musical works fall into this category from the late 19th century onwards, of which one of the first was [[Heinrich von Herzogenberg]]'s ''Odysseus'' (Op.16, 1873). A [[Richard Wagner|Wagnerian]] symphony for large orchestra, dealing with the hero's return from the Trojan war, its third section is titled "Circe's Gardens" (''Die Gärten der Circe'').

In the 20th century, {{ill|Ernst Boehe|de}}'s cycle ''Aus Odysseus Fahrten'' (''From Odysseus' Voyage'', Op. 6, 1903) was equally programmatic and included the visit to Circe's Isle (''Die Insel der Circe'') as its second long section. After a depiction of the sea voyage, a bass clarinet passage introduces an ensemble of flute, harp and solo violin over a lightly orchestrated accompaniment, suggesting Circe's seductive attempt to hold Odysseus back from traveling further.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://imslp.org/wiki/Aus_Odysseus'_Fahrten,_Op.6_(Boehe,_Ernst)|title=Aus Odysseus' Fahrten, Op. 6 (Boehe, Ernst) – IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library: Free Public Domain Sheet Music|website=imslp.org}}</ref> [[Alan Hovhaness]]' ''Circe Symphony'' (No.18, Op. 204a, 1963) is a late example of such programmatic writing. It is, in fact, only a slightly changed version of his ballet music of that year, with the addition of more strings, a second [[timpani]]st and [[celesta]].

With the exception of Willem Frederik Bon's prelude for orchestra (1972), most later works have been for a restricted number of instruments. They include Hendrik de Regt's ''Circe'' (Op. 44, 1975) for clarinet, violin and piano; [[Christian Manen]]'s ''Les Enchantements De Circe'' (Op. 96, 1975) for bassoon and piano; and [[Jacques Lenot]]'s ''Cir(c)é'' (1986) for [[oboe d'amore]]. The German experimental musician [[Dieter Schnebel]]'s ''Circe'' (1988) is a work for harp, the various sections of which are titled ''Signale'' (signals), ''Säuseln'' (whispers), ''Verlockungen'' (enticements), ''Pein'' (pain), ''Schläge'' (strokes) and ''Umgarnen'' (snare), which give some idea of their programmatic intent.

[[Thea Musgrave]]'s "Circe" for three flutes (1996) was eventually to become the fourth piece in her six-part ''Voices from the Ancient World'' for various combinations of flute and percussion (1998). Her note on these explains that their purpose is to "describe some of the personages of ancient Greece" and that Circe was "the enchantress who changed men into beasts".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theamusgrave.com/html/voices_from_the_ancient_world.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717054620/http://www.theamusgrave.com/html/voices_from_the_ancient_world.html|url-status=dead|title=Composer's website|archive-date=July 17, 2012}}</ref> A recent reference is the harpsichordist [[Fernando De Luca]]'s Sonata II for [[viola da gamba]] titled "Circe's Cave" (''L'antro della maga Circe'').

=== Opera ===
{{Rewrite section|reason=Should be turned from a bullet list into prose as in the rest of the article.|date=October 2022}}

* ''[[La Circe (Ziani)|La Circe]]'' by [[Pietro Andrea Ziani]], first performed for the birthday of the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I in Vienna in 1665.
* ''[[Circé (Desmarets)|Circe]]'', an opera composed by [[Henri Desmarets]] in 1694.
* ''[[La Circe (Mysliveček)|La Circe]]'', a 1779 ''[[opera seria]]'' by [[Josef Mysliveček]].
* [[Rolf Riehm]]'s 2014 opera ''[[Sirenen]]'' is based on Homer's account as well as several modern texts related to the meeting of Odysseus and Circe.<ref name="Brandenburg">{{cite web
| last = Brandenburg
| first = Detlef
| url = https://www.die-deutsche-buehne.de/kritiken/regie-auf-irrfahrt
| title = Regie auf Irrfahrt
| newspaper = [[Die Deutsche Bühne]]
| date = 14 September 2014
| language = de
| access-date = 17 July 2019
}}</ref>