[Bread-Baking Typewriter] Opera Embraces the History of Humanity

The 1994 Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize winner "Queen Margot" is set against the backdrop of the French Wars of Religion. The film deals with the "St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre (1572)," which was the most horrific and brutal event in the history of the French Wars of Religion.

At that time, the King of France was Charles IX (1550?1574), but the actual ruler was his mother, Catherine de Medici (1519?1589). Charles IX ascended the throne at the young age of 10, so his mother served as regent.

Catherine de Medici, a devout Catholic, sought to promote peace between Catholics and the Huguenots, the Protestant faction, by arranging a political marriage between her daughter, Marguerite de Valois (1553?1615), affectionately known as "Margot," and Henry (1553?1610), King of Navarre. Navarre was an independent kingdom located between France and Spain, maintaining both blood and alliance ties with France. At the same time, it was the main residence of the Huguenots, and Henry was regarded as their political leader.

The wedding of Margot and Henry was held in grand fashion at Notre-Dame Cathedral, but immediately after the ceremony, Charles IX issued an order to kill the Huguenot leaders who had gathered in Paris. For about two months afterward, brutal massacres of Huguenots by Catholics spread throughout France, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths.

Henry's first political marriage became the trigger for the massacre, but his second political marriage paved the way for the birth of the world's first opera.

After marrying Margot, Henry eventually seized the French throne and became Henry IV, founding the House of Bourbon. The throne passed to Henry after Margot's brothers, Charles IX and Henry III, both died without heirs.

In 1598, Henry IV issued the Edict of Nantes, bringing an end to the French Wars of Religion. The following year, Henry IV divorced Margot. Although Henry IV and Margot had lived separately since the beginning of their political marriage, it took more than 20 years for the papal annulment to be granted. After divorcing Margot, Henry IV remarried in 1600, this time to Maria de' Medici (1575?1642) of the Medici family. This marriage was also highly political in nature. On October 6, 1600, a celebration was held at the Pitti Palace in Florence, Italy?Maria de' Medici's hometown?to mark the marriage, and the opera "Euridice" was performed at the event. This is the world's oldest surviving opera in complete form.

Vincenzo Gonzaga, the Duke of Mantua, attended the opera, accompanied by Claudio Monteverdi, a court musician from Mantua. Monteverdi's "L'Orfeo," first performed in 1607, is recognized as the first true opera. "Euridice" featured many spoken lines and a small orchestra, making it structurally different from modern opera. However, in "L'Orfeo," the orchestra grew to about 40 members, giving greater prominence to the music and making its form similar to today's operas.

"Histopera," written by conductor Yang Jinmo, traces the history of opera from Monteverdi's "L'Orfeo" onward. The title "Histopera" is a combination of the English word "history" and "opera." The book covers the stories of 10 opera works, including Verdi's "Don Carlo," which depicts religious conflict and power structures in Spain; Mussorgsky's "Boris Godunov," set in the era of the Russian Tsars; Puccini's "Tosca," set during the Napoleonic Wars; and Adams's modern opera "Nixon in China," which captures the intensity of the Cold War era. Readers will find it fascinating to learn about the historical backgrounds of these operas and the messages their composers sought to convey.

Histopera | Written by Yang Jinmo | ChaekgwaHamkke | 360 pages | 25,000 won