Baal was the first full-length play written by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. A play, or stageplay, is a form of Literature written by a Playwright, almost always consisting of Dialogue between Fictional characters Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Modernism describes an array of Cultural movements rooted in the changes in Western society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century A playwright, also known as a dramatist, is a person who writes dramatic literature or Drama. (born; 10 February 1898&ndash14 August 1956 was a German Poet, Playwright, and Theatre director. [1] Set in Berlin's underworld, it concerns a wastrel youth who becomes involved in several sexual affairs and at least one murder. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. It was written in 1918, when Brecht was a 20-year-old student at Munich University,[2] in response to the expressionist drama The Loner (Der Einsame) by the soon-to-become-Nazi dramatist Hanns Johst. Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München also known as LMU, is a University in Munich and with more Expressionism is the tendency of an artist to distort reality for an Emotional effect it is a subjective art form Hanns Johst ( July 8, 1890 – November 23, 1978) was a German playwright and Nazi Poet Laureate. [3] Baal did not receive a theatrical performance until 1923, when it opened on the 8th December at the Altes Theater in Leipzig (in a production directed by Alwin Kronacher in which Brecht participated for most rehearsals). Year 1923 ( MCMXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This sort of fix restores section edit linkpoints to where they belong [4] Brecht wrote Baal prior to developing the dramaturgical techniques of 'epic theatre' that characterize his later work. Dramaturgy is the art of Dramatic composition and the representation of the main elements of drama on the stage He wrote a revised version with Elisabeth Hauptmann in 1926 for a brief production at Max Reinhardt's Deutsches Theater in Berlin, where he had worked recently as a dramaturg. Elisabeth Hauptmann ( June 20 1897 in Peckelsheim, Westphalia – April 20 1973 in East Berlin) was a German Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Max Reinhardt ( September 9, 1873 - October 30, 1943) was an Austrian (later naturalised American) theatre and film The Deutsches Theater in Berlin is a well-known German Theatre. A dramaturge or dramaturg is a position within a theatre that deals mainly with research and development It opened on the 14th February for a single matinée performance. It was performed by the Junge Bühne and directed by Brecht and Oskar Homolka (who also played the title role), with set-design by Caspar Neher. Oskar Homolka ( August 12, 1898 &ndash January 27, 1978) was an Austrian film and theatre Actor. Scenic design (also known as stage design, set design or production design) is the creation of theatrical, as well as Film or Caspar Neher (born Rudolf Ludwig Caspar Neher 11 April 1897 in Augsburg; died 30 June 1962 in Wien) was a Austrian [5]
The story traces the decline of a drunken and dissolute poet, Baal, an anti-hero who rejects the conventions and trappings of polite society. This honors the German Sturm und Drang tradition which celebrates the cult of the genius living outside the conventions of society that would later destroy him. "The outcast, the disillusioned tough becomes the hero; he may be criminal, he may be semi-human," argues John Willett, "but in plays like Baal he can be romanticized into an inverted idealist, blindly striking out at the society in which he lives. John Willett was a translator and a Scholar who is famous for translating the work of Bertolt Brecht into English. "[6] Baal roams the countryside, womanizing and brawling. He seduces Johanna, who subsequently drowns herself. He spurns his pregnant mistress Sophie and abandons her. He murders his friend Ekart, becoming a fugitive from the police. Defiantly aloof from the consequences of his actions, Baal is nonetheless brought low by his debauchery, dying alone in a forest hut, hunted and deserted, and leaving in his wake the corpses of deflowered maidens and murdered friends.
The play is written in a form of heightened prose and includes four songs and an introductory choral hymn ("Hymn of Baal the Great"), set to melodies composed by Brecht himself. For the Wikipedia guideline regarding editing articles see WikipediaManual of Style. A chorale was originally a Hymn of the Lutheran church sung by the entire congregation In Music, a melody (from Greek μελῳδία - melōidía, "singing chanting" also tune, voice, or [1]
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Characters
- as per the Bentley/Esslin translation
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Setting
- About 1911, in Augsburg, Germany and the surrounding region.
BBC production
In 1982, musician/actor David Bowie played the title role for a BBC television production of Baal. David Bowie (ˈboʊiː born David Robert Jones on 8 January 1947 is an English Musician, actor producer, and arranger. John WIllett provided the English translation and screenplay. Bowie's recordings of the play's five songs were released as an EP, David Bowie in Bertolt Brecht's BAAL. An extended play ( EP) is a Vinyl record, CD, or Music download which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify Baal was an EP by David Bowie, comprising recordings of songs written for Bertolt Brecht ’s play Baal.
Notes
References
- Sacks, Glendyr. 1994. "A Brecht Calendar. " In Thomson and Sacks (1994, xvii-xxvii).
- Thomson, Peter. 1994. "Brecht's Lives". In Thomson and Sacks (1994, 22-39).
- Thomson, Peter and Glendyr Sacks, eds. 1994. The Cambridge Companion to Brecht. Cambridge Companions to Literature Ser. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521414466.
- Willett, John. John Willett was a translator and a Scholar who is famous for translating the work of Bertolt Brecht into English. 1967. The Theatre of Bertolt Brecht: A Study from Eight Aspects. Third rev. ed. London: Methuen, 1977. ISBN 041334360X.
- Willett, John and Ralph Manheim. John Willett was a translator and a Scholar who is famous for translating the work of Bertolt Brecht into English. Ralph Manheim ( 4 April 1907 - 26 September 1992) was an American Translator of German and French literature 1970. "Introduction. " In Collected Plays: One by Bertolt Brecht. Ed. John Willett and Ralph Manheim. Bertolt Brecht: Plays, Poetry and Prose Ser. London: Methuen. ISBN 0416 03280 X. p. vii-xvii.
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