Svendsen, Johan

Il va venir av Jacques Halévy

Il va venir by Jacques Halévy

([da]: ”Il va venir” Arie af Jødinden af J. Halévy)

Original title: Jacques François Fromental Halévy (1799-1862): Il va venir, from the Opera La Juive (1835). Aria for Soprano (Rachel) from Act II

JSV 65

Svendsen’s orchestration of Il va vénir, a soprano aria from the opera La Juive (1835) by Jacques François Fromental Élie Halévy (1799–1862), dates from 21 March 1876 in Christiania. The Swedish soprano Signe Hebbe (1837–1925) was scheduled to sing the aria four days later at the Music Society’s third season concert on 25 March. Svendsen probably had a piano vocal score, but access to neither a full score nor a set of orchestral parts. His solution was to quickly prepare an orchestral arrangement himself and copy out the parts.

The first edition of Halévy’s score was published by Schlesinger in 1835. The opera was a major success, and both Richard Wagner (1813–1883) and Gustav Mahler (1860–1911) commented positively on it. With its five acts and spectacular chorus scenes, La Juive is ‘Grand opéra’ with a capital G. The libretto by Eugène Scribe takes us to Constance in the year 1414. It is the story of an impossible love between a Christian man and a Jewish woman, and can be seen as a plea for religious tolerance.

Composition: 21 Mar. 1876.

Hegdehaugen by Christiania

Key: E♭ major

Extent: ca. 5 min.

Sources

A: Score, autograph

[Classification: notated music, manuscript, autograph, score, fair copy]

15 pages; 34x27 cm.

Title page: ‘Il va venir’ / Arie af Jødinden / af J. Halévy / Partitur / JS

Hand ruled music paper, 16 staves
Pagination: 1–15
At the end of the score: Hegdehaugen den 21/3-76. / JSvendsen

Part of a collection of scores and sketches with the same shelf mark.

One of the covers for this collection is marked Johan Svendsens Skizzer (in blue crayon, not in the composer’s handwriting). This is followed by a list of contents (in pencil, not in the composer’s handwriting):
1. Stradella (Sang m/Str. orch)
2. Rossini: O salutaris. (Begyndelse)
3. Halévy: Arie af Jødinden. (instrumentert. Træbl. Hn. Strorch)
4. ‘Julia Vals’ (av Johanson) instr.
5. Hartmann: Sørgemarsch. (Påbegyndt instrumentation)
6. Symfoniskizze (5 Rader Partitur)
7. Sangtekst ‘Hvad mig til dig så mäktig drog’

Written in ink (Johan Svendsen).

N-Onm (National Library of Norway, Oslo, Norway) Mus ms 1901. Facsimile

Provenance: In the protocol of the library: 25/1-41 Kjøp fra Domorganist N.O. Raasted, Kbh. Des. 1939. (Purchased from cathedral organist N.O. Raasted, Cph. Dec. 1939).

B: Printed edition of Halévy’s original

Schlesinger, Paris 1835.

Title page: LA / JUIVE / OPÉRA EN 5 ACTES / PAROLES DE / E. SCRIOBE / MUSIQUE DE / F. HALÉVY

Pl. no. M.S. 2002..