Question on Turn of the Screw
WDSmithDM
thought haunting and beautiful. However, the mysterious song sung by the boy
starts each line with the word "malo." Neither the material that came with the
DVD nor Kobbe explained what that word means. As I recall, it comes after
practicing some rhymes about Latin, so I wonder if it is Latin. Does it have
the same meaning as in Spanish- bad or evil? That would certainly make sense,
since Quint apparently taught the song to the boy. Anyhow, could someone
enlighten me?
A Tsar Is Born
"WDSmithDM" <wdsm...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20031101022711...@mb-m17.aol.com...
Good guess. (You were obviously paying attention!)
Malus, mala, malum = bad (or evil, or wicked) in Latin
Malo or mala does it in Italian.
You're quite right that he's doing it to tease the governess.
Hans Lick
Andante teneramente
I think "malo" comes from the irregular verb "malle", which means "to
prefer". IMO you could translate "malo" as "I rather want". So it
sounds as though Miles begins the song in Latin and continues in
English, but repeating the beginning.
"Malo --- I'd rather be."
(If malo comes from the adjective malus it is Dative or Ablative
singular (for m. or n.) which doesn't quite fit IMO.)
The text, without the malo is:
"I would rather be in an apple tree than a naughty boy in adversity."
I can't agree that Miles teases the Governess here. It's a real sad
song. It is accomanied by the English Horn, the traditional instrument
for elegiac moments, which, if memory serves, we hear at this moment
for the first time in the opera.
When Miles sings the Malo song, the governess has already learned that
Miles mustn't return to his school because he is "bad" but did not talk
about it to the boy. She has seen Quint from the tower and peering into
the window (or at least she thinks she has seen him), and has heard
from Mrs Grose that Quint possibly comes for little Miles.
To me Miles's song means: Don't believe what you heard about me, I'm
not really bad; or maybe: I'm not bad on purpose, it's not my doing, it
was someone else who depraved me.
If the song is understood along these lines it makes sense that the
governess sings it right after Miles's death.
--
Regards
Cub Driver
>If the song is understood along these lines it makes sense that the
>governess sings it right after Miles's death.
Does she too sing "malo"?
From your exegesis, I should think that "malo" was a clever pun (if
that's the appropriate word) on Britten's part, if it can mean *bad*
in Latin and *I would prefer" in Italian.
all the best -- Dan Ford
email: piperc...@eudoramail.com
see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com
Andante teneramente
>
>>If the song is understood along these lines it makes sense that the
>>governess sings it right after Miles's death.
>
> Does she too sing "malo"?
Yes, at the end of the opera.
> From your exegesis, I should think that "malo" was a clever pun (if
> that's the appropriate word) on Britten's part, if it can mean *bad*
> in Latin and *I would prefer" in Italian.
In a way, yes.
--
Regards
Alcindoro
and in the exquisite film version THE INNOCENTS -- one becomes quite certain
that something means/is one way, and then when one goes back and looks at it
again, it seems to be something quite different.
Here is a link to a thought provoking (and just plain provoking) analysis of
the Latin used in Myfanwy Piper's libretto. Have fun!
Nora Renka
> >If the song is understood along these lines it makes sense that the
> >governess sings it right after Miles's death.
>
> Does she too sing "malo"?
>
> From your exegesis, I should think that "malo" was a clever pun (if
> that's the appropriate word) on Britten's part, if it can mean *bad*
> in Latin and *I would prefer" in Italian.
There's a full little rhyme that I learned, and Britten is using part
of, and in each line, 'malo' is the Latin way to say it:
Malo: I would rather be (malo simply means 'I prefer', first person
singular)
Malo: In an apple tree (ablative singular of malus, apple tree)
Malo: Than a naughty boy (ablative of comparison from 'malus' meaning
bad)
Malo: In adversity. (ablatival usage as an adverb)
So it's built into the Latin to have all of these meanings, and
Britten plays on them rather expertly. I know there's also something
really somewhat odd going on in the string of Latin words that Miles
and Flora sing when they're reciting their vocabulary, but I'll have
to get back to you all on that, if anyone's interested.
I knew I could put that Classics degree to good use even now!
-Nora
Valfer
as a feminine noun means apple tree. Malus as a masculine noun means
mast(as in a ship),also an euphemism for penis. Malum can mean either
apple, calamity or punishment.
It is a clever play of Latin words with meanings at many levels.
Miles is saying many things with the repetition of one latin word.
Valfer
"A Tsar Is Born" <Atsarisb...@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<lxJob.32644$294....@nwrdny03.gnilink.net>...
Andante teneramente
Thanks very much for that link!
The part about the "Malo" song is a real eye opener. I should have
known that my Latin is too shaky :-( .
I'm in doubt about the rest of the article.
Firstly, I am convinced that Britten's homosexuality played a role
when he chose the subjects for TOTS, Billy Budd and Peter Grimes.
But I'm afraid the article basically shows that a couple of words in
Latin have a "second" sexual meaning.
Apparently Britten took all the Latin nouns with -is from a Latin
textbook without even a change of their order. I don't know
Britten's thoughts and associations about clunis, caulis, follis,
vectis and cucumis, but I don't think he tried to communicate
something to the audience with them.
--
Regards
Mark D Lew
nre...@yahoo.com (Nora Renka) wrote:
> Britten plays on them rather expertly. I know there's also something
> really somewhat odd going on in the string of Latin words that Miles
> and Flora sing when they're reciting their vocabulary, but I'll have
> to get back to you all on that, if anyone's interested.
I, for one, am interested.
> I knew I could put that Classics degree to good use even now!
Care to give us your parsing of "Digna est intrari"?
mdl
Karen Mercedes
Malo in Latin means "to choose" or "to prefer".
Karen Mercedes
http://www.radix.net/~dalila/index.html
____________________________
I have been to the Opera six
times; and I still live.
- George Bernard Shaw
Slrdsyj
Weigl ("The Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk," "A Village Romeo and Juliet," "Eugene
Onegin", and "Winterreise")? For those who have seen it, was it any good?
Cub Driver
> That reminds me, wasn't Britten's "Turn of Screw" made into a movie by Petr
>Weigl ("The Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk," "A Village Romeo and Juliet," "Eugene
>Onegin", and "Winterreise")? For those who have seen it, was it any good?
Ten or fifteen years ago, a dramatic version of Turn of the Screw was
broadcast on PBS. Likely that's the film you have in mind. I thought
it was wonderful. I particularly liked the way the governess's dress
gradually changed from white to black as the scenes progressed.
all the best -- Dan Ford
email: piperc...@eudoramail.com (put CUB in subject line)
Alcindoro
white to black as the scenes progressed.<
Good film version of the opera. Weigl is Viennese of Rumanian parents and the
design of the piece reflects this. Filmed in a Central European mansion and
using Czech actors miming to English and American singers - sometimes
noticeable, especially when those pesky English w's and qu's arise but on whole
rather well done - the sets and costumes look rather more decoratively lush,
less austere
than the Jamesian source would indicate.
It works nicely, though. The comment about the Governess' dress: as the story
progresses and she becomes more immersed in her terrible conviction (less
"innocent") her costumes become progressively more engulfed by black lace, like
a creeping fungus. And (if I recall correctly) all the scenes are filmed in
daylight, avoiding the standard nocturnal
spookiness of a ghost story. Well worth seeing, but DO try and see the
wonderful 1962 film version of the original story, THE INNOCENTS, starring
Deborah Kerr, with a screenplay by Truman Capote based upon the stage play by
William Archibald. Interestly, Capote's screenplay actually borrows some ideas
from Piper's libretto for the opera.
Slrdsyj
I very much would like to see this film of "Turn of the Screw" by Weigl. I
didn't know that Weigl was of Viennese descent. He is a talented director
who's wrought some fine opera films and other music-related works. I wish I
had seen the PBS airing of this film and wish PBS would once more re-air it.
I've even contacted Philips and Decca requesting that they re-issue and
re-release this film.
Cub Driver
>And (if I recall correctly) all the scenes are filmed in
>daylight, avoiding the standard nocturnal
>spookiness of a ghost story.
As I recall the film, the spookiest moment involved a tower in the
garden. Presumably the governess is looking at it, and perhaps the
children; in any event, Quint appears atop the tower. I distinctly
remember the hair rising on the back of my neck. This has never
happened to me in a opera otherwise, and I'm not sure that it has ever
happened otherwise while watching broadcast television.
Thanks for your recollections of the film. This was several years
before I became hooked on opera, so such niceties as the dubbing of
voices quite escaped me.
When I began collecting opera videos, I briefly looked for this
production, but couldn't find it. Is it anywhere available?