Musical Illuminations of Genesis Narratives

Helen Leneman examines the stories of Genesis in music, showing how musical settings can illuminate many well-known biblical tales. Leneman studies oratorios, operas, and songs (and their librettos) to shed light on how Genesis has been understood and experienced over time. Whilst the book covers Genesis as a whole, it does not purport to be a comprehensive coverage of all musical uses of Genesis, but rather to present several of the more surprising and interesting musical settings, chiefly from the 19th century.

First, Leneman shows how Eve's inner thoughts are explored in works by two well-known French composers, Jules Massenet and Gabriel Fauré. She then enters the deep waters of Noah's flood in examination of several compositions, including two unusual settings by Igor Stravinsky and Benjamin Britten as well as more conventional settings by Saint-Saëns and Donizetti. Two major 19th-century oratorio settings of Abraham's story by lesser-known German composers Martin Blumner and Karl Mangold provide fascinating illuminations of the Abraham narratives, whereas parts of Rebecca's story are found in works by César Franck, Ferdinand Hiller, and most unusually, by a French woman composer, Celine Carissan. Finally, Leneman shows how Joseph's story was set in numerous oratorios (including by Handel) but that one of the more important works based on his story is an opera by 18th-century French composer Etienne Méhul. In addition to discussing these larger works, Leneman also examines several interesting atonal 20th-century works based on the stories of Eve and the Flood.