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''The Martyr of Antioch'' is an oratorio (originally described as "A Sacred Musical Drama") by the English composer Arthur Sullivan. It was first performed on 15 October 1880 at the triennial Leeds Music Festival, having been composed specifically for that event. It formed the first half of the programme, followed by a performance of Beethoven's ''Mass in C'' and Schubert's ''Song of Miriam'' in the second half. Sullivan was musical director of the Leeds Festival in 1880 and conducted the performance. ''The Martyr of Antioch'' is based on the 1822 epic poem by Henry Hart Milman (the Dean of St. Paul's) concerning the martyrdom of St. Margaret of Antioch in the 3rd century. The libretto was adapted for the occasion by Sullivan's friend and collaborator, the librettist W. S. Gilbert. Their fifth opera, ''The Pirates of Penzance'', had premiered in London earlier that year. Like many of Sullivan's large-scale choral works, ''The Martyr'' is theatrical in conception and was even presented as an opera by the Carl Rosa Opera Company in 1898. At the Leeds Festival of 1886, Sullivan would premiere an even more successful choral work, ''The Golden Legend''. ''The Martyr'' is rarely performed today, though two recordings are available. A professional recording was made at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival in 2000,〔.〕 and an amateur recording was issued by The Sir Arthur Sullivan Society in the 1980s. In addition, various selections from the work have been recorded over the past few decades.〔.〕 During much of the 20th century, Sullivan's serious classical compositions were overshadowed by the Savoy operas, but more recently, revived interest in these works has led to recordings and more frequent performances. ==Background== On 2 January 1878, the secretary of the triennial Leeds Music Festival's Provisional Committee wrote to Sullivan to encourage him to accept the committee's invitation to compose an oratorio for the 1880 Leeds Festival: "I need hardly tell you with what completeness, force, and exceptional choral power we should perform your work, for our recent production of Macfarren's ''Joseph'' will be fresh in your memory, if you read or heard the universal praise bestowed upon the Leeds Festival Performance." Sullivan was in the south of France at the time, where he was trying to recover from illness. On his return in March, he answered that he could compose a shorter piece of perhaps an hour and a half, but not a full-length oratorio. The committee accepted his offer.〔.〕 Despite all Sullivan's protestations over the years, his reluctance to compose a full-length oratorio on more than two years' notice casts some doubt on his willingness to devote himself to serious composition. The historian Michael Ainger noted, "He was still only thirty-five, but most of his serious work already lay behind him."〔Ainger, p. 153〕 At first, Sullivan intended to prepare a libretto himself based on the biblical David and Jonathan story. After struggling with this for a while, he accepted the advice and assistance of Gilbert and selected the Milman poem, ''The Martyr of Antioch'', as a subject. Nevertheless, when a suggestion was made that, in view of the economic and political situation in England, the Festival be postponed for a year, Sullivan expressed approval of that idea in a letter dated 30 June 1879: :If you carry out the idea of postponing the Leeds Festival till 1881, it will be a very great relief to me and a weight off my mind, because, in consequence of my approaching visit to America (Gilbert and Sullivan would premiere ''The Pirates of Penzance'' ), I should have very little time to write for the next six months, and I have been seriously perplexed how to manage it.〔 Ultimately, the festival was not postponed. Gilbert arranged, cut, and in part re-wrote Milman's poem to make it into a libretto suitable for the work. Dean Milman's sons authorised Sullivan to say that the alterations made to adapt the poem to musical requirements had been made with judgment and good taste, and in complete accordance with the spirit of the original work.() Sullivan acknowledged Gilbert's contributions in his preface to ''Martyr'': "To his friend, Mr. W. S. Gilbert, is due the change which in one or two cases (marked with an asterisk (2, 8, and 10 )) has been necessary from blank verse to rhyme; and for these and many valuable suggestions, he returns Mr. Gilbert his warm acknowledgements." For his assistance, Sullivan gave Gilbert a silver cup inscribed "W.S. Gilbert from his friend Arthur Sullivan. Leeds Festival 1880. ''The Martyr of Antioch''." In return, Gilbert wrote to Sullivan on 3 December: :Dear Sullivan, It always seemed to me that my particularly humble services in connection with the Leeds Festival had received far more than their meed of acknowledgement in your preamble to the libretto - and it most certainly never occurred to me to look for any other reward than the honour of being associated, however remotely and unworthily, in a success which, I suppose, will endure until music itself shall die. Pray believe that of the many substantial advantages that have resulted to me from our association, this last is, and always will be, the most highly prized."() In January 1880, the festival committee, after considering other conductors, asked Sullivan to conduct the Leeds Festival, which was to run from 13 to 16 October. This was a popular choice, as one columnist wrote, "...for an English Festival we are to have an English conductor. Too long have we in this country bowed down to foreign talent, even when it has been far inferior to English talent." When Sullivan stood before the festival chorus of 306 voices for his first rehearsal in Leeds on 4 June 1880, he was greeted with cheers and applause by the chorus. On 31 August he first rehearsed ''The Martyr of Antioch'' at Leeds. He outlined the narrative of the new work to the chorus before proceeding with the rehearsal, which was reported in a local newspaper: :()he warm praise that the composer-conductor bestowed on the singers at the conclusion of the rehearsal was well deserved.... These pleasant congratulations were not all on one side, for after several of the choruses the vocalists manifested their appreciation of the composer's success and talent.() 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Martyr of Antioch」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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