The Dramaturgical Function of the Mezzo-Soprano in the Opera of the Second Half of the 19th Century: Image of Ortruda in Richard Wagner’s "Lohengrine"

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to elucidate the dramatic function of the mezzo-soprano voice in opera of the second half of the 19th century, using the example of Ortrud in Richard Wagner’s Lohengrin. It also analyses the musical expressive means by which the mezzo-soprano creates a semantic field of otherness and powerful intentions. Particular attention is paid to the interaction of the vocal part with the orchestral texture, leitmotif system, and tonal organisation as factors in the development of a new mezzo-soprano type in operatic poetry of the second half of the 19th century. The methodological basis of the study is based on historical-stylistic, analytical-musicological, and hermeneutic methods, as well as a comparative analysis of vocal-dramatic models of operatic music of the second half of the 19th century. The study utilises an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on music-theoretical, cultural, and semantic interpretations. The theoretical basis for this study is provided by the works O. Markova, O. Muravska, D. Mangi, S. Oliinyk, M.E. Brener, C. Clement, C. Osborne and other authors devoted to the problems of operatic dramaturgy, the typology of female voices, and Wagner’s leitmotif system. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that for the first time, the character of Ortrud in Richard Wagner’s opera Lohengrin is examined through the prism of the development of the mezzo-soprano type as a bearer of the semantics of dramatic otherness in opera in the second half of the 19th century. A comprehensive analysis of the interaction of the mezzo-soprano vocal part with the orchestral texture, leitmotif system, and tonal organization is conducted as a holistic mechanism for the musical characterisation of the character. An interpretation of the mezzo-soprano as a conceptual instrument of operatic dramaturgy, representing ideas of power, is proposed. Conclusions. In the second half of the 19th century, the mezzo-soprano acquired a fundamentally new dramatic function in opera. In Richard Wagner’s opera Lohengrin, the character of Ortrud emerges as one of the first typologically significant mezzo-soprano characters, in which vocal specificity is directly linked to ideological and psychological characterisation. Her musical language is shaped by chromaticism, diminished chords, three-tone relationships, unstable tonal planes, and a darkened orchestration. The vocal part is characterised by intervallic leaps, a tense tessitura, and dynamic contrasts, which enhance the expressive and conflicting nature of the character. The contrast with the diatonically lyrical sphere of Elsa actualises the dramatic opposition of faith and doubt. The character of Ortrud cements the mezzo-soprano as an important aesthetic category in the development of operatic dramaturgy in the second half of the 19th century.