Musical Interpretations of "Romeo & Juliet"

Hector Berlioz's "Dramatic Symphony" called "Romeo et Juliette" Op.17, (H 79) received its first performance on 24 November 1839. It has seven movements & lasts 90 minutes. Many movements were predominantly vocal so generally only the instrumental sections are played on their own.

Charles Gounod's opera "Romeo et Juliette"  (with a French libretto) was first produced on 27th April 1867. It was an instant success, giving 89 performances & well received by critics. It has four duets for the star-crossed couple.

Tchaikovsky's work on "Romeo & Juliet" was called a "Fantasy Overture" which had its premiere on 16th March 1870. It plays for about 20 minutes & purely instrumental. It is actually a symphonic poem in Sonata form with an introduction & an epilogue. The main love theme was used in many movies & TV serials.

Prokofiev's Ballet on "Romeo & Juliet" was composed in 1935 & premiered in 1938. It is more than two hours long & has 52 sections. It has 11 pages dedicated to its story & analysis in the giant exhaustive work "The Classical Music Lover's Companion to Orchestral Music" by Robert Philip.

Wise Philosopher - Poets defining Wisdom

Thiruvalluvar, the celebrated Tamil poet & philosopher, lived around the beginning of the Christian Era. He composed his "Kural" which comprises 1330 couplets divided into three sections, namely Virtue, Wealth & Love, corresponding roughly to the first three "Purusharthas" (Hindu goals of human life.) A typical couplet on uxoriousness reads: 

"The unmanly doings of an uxorious man are a public scandal."

Sarvagna, the Kannada poet of the 16th century, composed about 2000 "tripadis" or three lined poems on almost all subjects. Even though a nomad, he also has celebrated worldly life, as in the following tripadi:

"If one has a cosy home, enough money,

 And an understanding wife.

 Who needs the pleasures of heaven?"

Bhartrihari, the philosopher-poet of the 5th Century, composed the "Shataka Trayam", comprising 100 verses each of "Niti Shatakam", (Virtue), "Shringara Shatakam" (Love) & "Vairagya Shatakam." (Renunciation). That he was not entirely successful in the last, is evinced in this verse:

"The face is covered with wrinkles, 

  the head has gone all grey,

  the limbs are slack and feeble,

  only cravings youthful stay."

Shaikh Saadi, the 12th Century Persian Sufi mystic, composed "Gulistan" (Rose Garden), divided into 7 chapters comprising 178 stories & the eighth chapter containing 112 maxims. He wrote the following story:

A King asked his minister to distribute money among the dervishes (ascetics). The minister came back with the money, saying, "Those who are dervishes will not accept the money & those who accept the money are not dervishes!"

Two Famous Persian Sufi Texts

The first is "The Rubiyat of Omar Khayyam." Omar Khayyam (1048-1131) was a polymath known as an astronmer, mathematician, philosopher & poet. But he is famous for his "Rubiyat" which meaning "Quartrains" (,four lined poems) contains 101 of them in the most accessible English translation by Edward Fitzgerald published in 1859. Though outwardly advocating a hedonist lifestyle, these are believed to carry a hidden meaning preaching Sufi philosphy. This may be because main stream Islam frowned upon many Sufi ideas. It is interesting to note that Paramahamsa Yogananda has published his own interpretation of the Rubiyat.

The second is "Gulistan" (Rose Garden) by Shaikh Saadi (1210-91). This is a collection of stories, verses & maxims. This is composed of eight chapters.

1. Character of Kings. (42 stories)
2. Moral Qualities of Dervishes (47 stories)
3. Excellence of Contentment (28 stories)
4. Advantages of Silence (14 stories)
5. Love & Youth (20 stories)
6. Feebleness & Old Age (8 stories)
7. Effect of Education (19 stories)
8. Duties of Society (112 maxims)

As can be seen from the chapter headings, it encapsulates the wisdom of that country at that time.