Opera on the Move in the Nordic Countries during the Long 19th ...

280 Camilla Hambro
fact that Stefano did not use traditional brush technique, that he fancies
novelty and that he mixed colours in a very untraditional way. As in their
opinion the image reveals great talent, they offer him a place in their art
school, where if a student is diligent and nice to the professors for many
years, they might find a position for him painting planks.
In the excerpt shown in Example 1 the professors postulate:
En yngling har fått för sig klart,
att han skall konstnär bli
och på Akademien snart
kalfatras hans geni.
Ingen natur
bara gå på
himlen är gul
solen är blå!
A youngster has got it clear into his head
that he is to become an artist
and that his genius soon
is to be scrutinized at the Academy.
No nature,
just head on,
the sky is yellow,
the sun is blue!
[Translated by CH]
The very long, sustained tone on the word klar (“clear”) over the augmented
dominant chord might indicate that the speaker is actually unsure about
the clarity of the matter and needs time to think about it. Another peculiarity
is the canonic-melismatic setting of the word kalfatras (“scrutinised”),
a rather old-fashioned word of Arabic-Dutch origin that literally means
caulking. In the music Munktell emphasises the word in a rather baroque
oratorio style à la Handel, which undoubtedly marks a notable contrast to
the simplicity of the surrounding musical language. In this way the professors
are portrayed as old-fashioned, comic characters who adore scrutinising
and attacking the younger generation; as put by the critic of Svenska
Dagbladet (31 May 1889), not unlike the “Beckmesserei” and plait manner
of Wagner’s Meistersinger.
Hence, Munktell achieved a strong, but natural comic effect through the
voicing of the professors’ opera buffa duet, which succeeded in being the
most comic moment in the opera. Aftonbladet’s critic (31 May 1889), Lindgren,
stated that Munktell mastered the parody very well and had composed
a good opera, even if the scene, according to Nya Dagligt Allehanda (31 May