Lullabies in Rimsky-Korsakov's operas

Analytical chart

From a conference paper of mine, "While the Bear Sleeps: Lullabies in the Operas of Rimsky-Korsakov"




   TABLE 1. LULLABIES IN RIMSKY-KORSAKOV'S OPERAS (in chronological order)

   Title:
      May                                           Pan               Golden
     Night  Mlada  Sadko  Vera  Saltan  Kashchej  Wojewoda  Kitezh   Cockerel
   ___________________________________________________________________________
           |      |      |     |       |         |         |        |
   Year of completion:   |     |       |         |         |        |
     1879  | 1890 | 1896 |1898 | 1900  |  1902   |  1903   | 1905   |  1907
           |      |      |     |       |         |         |        |
   No. opera in output:  |     |       |         |         |        |
      2    |  4   |  6   |  8  |  10   |   12    |   13    |  14    |  15
           |      |      |     |       |         |         |        |
   Act or scene:  |      |     |       |         |         |        |
      III  | I,IV | VII  |  I  | I;II  |   III   |   I     | (I);IV |   I
           |      |      |     |       |         |         |        |
   Key & mode:    |      |     |       |         |         |        |
      A    | D,E  | f#   | Eb  |C,B,Bb;|   g#    |   G     | (D);Bb |  Db,D
           |      |      |     |E(dom.)|         |         |        |
           |      |      |     |       |         |         |        |
   Meter:  |      |      |     |       |         |         |        |
      2/4  | 9/8  | 2/4  | 2/4 | 2/4   |  2/4    |  2/4    |(C);2/4 |  3/4
           |      |      |     |       |         |         |        |
   Form:   |      |      |     |       |         |         |        |
     AA'BB'|thru- |AA'A" |thru-|A,A',A"| thru-   |  ABA'   |(10-);  | thru-
           |comp. |      |comp.|repeat | comp.   |         |9-bar   | comp.
           |      |      |round|of 4-  |         |         |period  |
           |      |      |     |bar    |         |         |        |
           |      |      |     |phrase |         |         |        |
           |      |      |     |       |         |         |        |
   Meter of text (if not at least roughly trochaic tetrameter)      |
     var.  |iambic|      |     |       |         |  /-/--  |        |
           |tetra-|      |     |       |         | (--/--) |        |
           |meter |      |     |       |         |         |        |
           |      |      |     |       |         |         |        |
   Rhyme (if not at least roughly in couplets)   |         |        |
           | var. |      |     |       |         | none    |        |
           |      |      |     |       |         |         |        |
   Connection to surrounding music (*=has concert ending): |        |
     sep.  |open- |open- |*open|open-  | *open-  | open-   | very   | open-
    number |ended |ended |ended|ended; |  ended  | ended   | brief  | ended
           |      |      |     |very   |         |         |        |
           |      |      |     |brief  |         |         |        |
           |      |      |     |       |         |         |        |
   Importance to musical structure:    |         |         |        |
     aria  |recurs|orch. |aria |rondo; | aria,   | aria    |recalls |combines
           |in    |trans.|     |frames | uses    | with    |music   |motifs;
           |last  |uses  |     |narr.  | theme & | chorus  |of      |recurs 
           |act   |sea   |     |       | opera's |         |earlier |in act
           |      |motif |     |       | harmony |         |act     |
           |      |      |     |       |         |         |        |
   Importance to drama:  |     |       |         |         |        |
     sets  |revel-|fare- |com- |sleep, | revenge |  fun    | sleep  | sleep,
     up    |ation;|well  |fort |char.  |         |         |        | dream
     fant. |reward|      |     |inter- |         |         |        |
     scene |      |      |     |action;|         |         |        |
           |      |      |     |sleep  |         |         |        |


Author: Lyle Neff, lneff@ucs.indiana.edu
Last Updated: Nov. 8, 1995