The Devils of Loudun (opera) - Music-action Relationships

Music-action Relationships

The Devils of Loudun makes use of a set of music-action relationships that help reinforce and propel the drama. Yet, not all of these music-action associations are of the same nature, some serve a more illustrative purpose, while others provide a musical characterization of specific situations and actions.

The illustrative music-action relationships are most evident in Penderecki’s use of performing forces. The comic and grotesque scenes are usually set in chamber music, characterized by pointillistic textures and discontinuous motifs. Furthermore, the chamber ensembles portrayed in these comic scenes often feature rather disjointed timber combinations, thus resulting in an overall comical effect. In the contrast, the music depicting the dramatic scenes is scored for larger forces, featuring thicker textures and darker tone colors. To achieve these dramatic massive textures, Penderecki relies on the use of stationary tones, glissandos, and various sound clusters. The chaotic sonorities, resulting from Penderecki’s sound-mass techniques, are used in particular to convey the demonical possession of Sister Jeanne.

While the composer depends on his instrumental writing for providing an expressive context to the actions, it is his use of many different vocal styles that enables a musical characterization of Father Grandier and Sister Jeanne. It is thus through these vocal lines that the characters’ moral, mental, and emotional states are judged. The correct literary style of Grandier is emphasized in the opera by the fluency of the recitative, its coherence with speech intonations and subdued expression. In addition, Grandier’s use of speech in the second act may be interpreted as representative of the protagonist’s sobriety. In contrast, Jeanne’s vocal style is very pointillist. The frequent leaps, changes of character, drastic dynamic changes, and glissando, characteristic of Jeanne’s vocal part, are emblematic of her hysteria and falseness. Furthermore, Jeanne’s demonical possession is underscored by the use of laughter, groans, and electronic distortion of her voice. From this viewpoint, it is unsurprising that Jeanne’s return to reality is marked with her use of regular speech, the vocal form earlier associated with Grandier’s soberness.