The Resurrexit from Hector Berlioz's Messe solennelle (1825): A Case Study in Self-Borrowing Page: 62
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62
Berlioz's placement of the borrowed material was clearly the result of a
premeditated plan. In fact, the borrowed material fits stylistically into the opera so well
that Berlioz could have considered this insertion in the early stages of composition. Prior
to the beginning of the borrowing, he established the key of E-flat (although the melody
is in e-flat minor), as in the Resurrexit, and just before the borrowing begins, there is
change to cut time, the time signature of the Resurrexit. At the meter change, tempo also
shifts to Allegro assai (half note = 138), whereas in the Resurrexit the whole note = 72.
With almost the exact tempi and key signatures, inserting and/or reworking material into
the opera would not be difficult.
One of the most important features from the Resurrexit that Berlioz left intact in
the opera was the role of the choir. Sensitive that much of the Resurrexit's success was
in the strength of the vocal forces, Berlioz placed the borrowed section within a scene in
which he could employ all the characters and chorus members on stage. Consequently,
everyone in the Carnival scene joins to sing the same lines that the choir sang in the
Resurrexit. While all of the main characters are also present, Balducci is the only one to
sing in this section, doubling the basses in the choir.
The borrowed material in this section of Benvenuto Cellini is almost completely
unaltered from the Resurrexit. With the exception of a few notes in later statements, the
two melodies remain the same, as does much of the harmony. One of the most
interesting factors in this example of borrowing is the manner in which Berlioz set new
text to the melody. In the Resurrexit, the text setting was mostly syllabic, and, although
the words pass by quickly, it was easy to understand in performance (Example 2-1).
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Gill, Sarah M. The Resurrexit from Hector Berlioz's Messe solennelle (1825): A Case Study in Self-Borrowing, thesis, December 1999; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc2249/m1/68/?rotate=0: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .