August Schlegel sobre o coro

 Especiamente a Lecture III de 

Course of Lectures on Dramatic Art and Literature. Trad. John Black.

Londres: J. Templeman, 1840.  

Über dramatische Kunst und Litteratur. Vorlesungen Drei Bände. Mohr & Zimmer, Heidelberg 1809–11.

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Lecture I

The object which we propose to ourselves in these Lectures is to investigate the principles of dramatic literature, and to consider whatever is connected with
the fable, composition, and representation, of theatrical productions. 1

2-aula

Was ist dramatisch? Die Antwort dürfte Vielen sehr leicht dünken: wo verschiedene Personen redend eingeführt werden, der Dichter aber in eigner Person gar nicht spricht. Dieß ist indessen nur die erste äußere Grundlage der Form; fie ist dialogisch. 

What is dramatic? To many the answer will seem very easy: where various persons are introduced conversing together, and the poet does not speak in his own person. This is, however, merely the first external foundation of the form; it is dialogue. 

Al this brings us to the idea of the theatre. It is evident that in the form of dramatic poetry, that is, in the representation of an action by dialogue without any relation, the ingredient of a theatre is essentially n e c e s s a ry. 24

The Portuguese again, who in other branches of poetry rival

the Spaniards, have hardly done anything in this department, and have never even had a national theatre; they were from time to time visited by strolling Spanish players; and they chose rather to listen to a foreign dialect, which if not taught them they could not always understand, than to invent, or at least to translate and imitate, for themselves. 28.

Lecture 2

After this rapid view of what may be called the map of dramatic Literature, we return to the examination of the principal idea. We have already shown that the supposition of a visible representation is essential to the dramatic form; and a dramatic work can therefore be considered in a double point of view, how far it is poetical, and how far it is theatrical. 31

Hence the dramatic poet, as well as the orator, must at the very commencement produce such a strong impression as to draw his hearers from themselves, and become masters, as it were, of their bodily attention. There is a species of poetry capable of producing a soft emotion in mind turned to solitary contemplation, as the gentle breezes draw forth accordant sounds from an Aeolian harp. However excellent this poetry may be in itself, without some other accompaniment its tones would be lost on the stage.

The melting harmonica is not calculated to regulate the march of an army, and kindle its military enthusiasm. For this we must have piercing instruments, but above all a decided rhythmus, ot quicken the pulsation and give a more rapid motion to the senses. The grand requisite in a drama is to make this rhythmus visible in its progress. 33

The theatre, where the magic of many combined arts can be displayed; where the most elevated and profound poetry has the most finished action for its interpreter, action which is at once eloquence and a living picture; while architecture lends her splendid receptacle, and painting her perspective deceptions, and even music contributes its assistance to attemper the minds, or to heighten by its melody the agitation into which they are already t h r o w n ; the theatre, in short, where the whole of the social cultivation and art of a nation, the fruits of centuries of

continued exertions, may be represented in a few hours -has an extraordinary charm for every age, sex, and rank, and was ever the most delightful amusement of

cultivated nations. 38

The dramatic poet represents external events as well as the epic, but he represents them as real and present. He also claims our participation, though not so exclusively as the lyric poet; but he excites a much more immediate feeling of joy and sorrow.

41

That I may return to a more simple and intelligible language, the tragic and comic bear the same relation to one another as earnestness and mirth. 41

In tragedy, we shall first consider what constituted its most distinctive peculiarity among the ancients: the ideality of the representation, the prevailing idea of destiny, and the chorus; and we shall lastly treat of their mythology as the materials of tragic poetry. We shall then proceed to characterize, in the tragedians still remaining, the different styles; that is, the necessary epochs in the history of the tragic art. 52

Lecture 3

Die Theater der Griechen waren oben ganz offen, ihre Schauspiele wurden immer am hellen Tage und unter freiem Himmel aufgeführt.

The theatres of the Greeks were quite open above, and their dramas were always acted in open day, and beneath the canopy of heaven. 54

But the principal reason for this observance was that publicity, according to the republican notion of the Greeks, was essential to a grave and important transaction. This is clearly proved by the presence of the chorus,whose remaining on many occasions when secret transactions were going on has been judged of according to rules of propriety inapplicable to that country, and most undeservedly censured. 56

Der Chor hatte seine Eingänge unten an der Orchestra, wo auch sein gewöhnlicher Aufenthalt war, und in welcher er hin und her gehend während der Chorgesänge seinen feierlichen Tanz aufführte. Vorn in der Orchestra, der Mitte der Scene gegenüber, stand eine altarähnliche Erhöhung mit Stufen, eben so hoch wie die Bühne, Thymele genannt. Diese war der Sammelplag des Chores, wenn er nicht sang, sondern theilnehmend der Handlung zuschaute. Der Chorführer stellte sich alsdann auf die Fläche der Thymele, um zu sehen, was auf der Bühne vorgieng, und mit den dort befindlichen Personen zu reden. Denn der Chorgesang war zwar gemeinschaftlich, wo er aber in den Dialog eingriff, führte nur Einer statt aller Uebrigen das Wort: daher auch die wechselnden Anreden mit du und ihr. Die Thymele lag eben am Centrum des ganzen Baues, alle Vermessungen giengen von da aus, und der Halbkreiß der Size für die Zuschauer ward aus diesem Punkte beschrieben. Es war also sehr bedeutsam, daß der Chor, welcher ja der idealische Stellvertreter der Zuschauer war, gerade da seinen Plag hatte, wo alle Radien von deren Sigen zusammenliefen.

O coro tinha suas entradas abaixo da orquestra, que também era sua residência habitual, e na qual, andando de um lado para o outro, executava sua dança solene durante o canto coral. Na frente da orquestra, em frente ao centro da cena, havia uma elevação em forma de altar com degraus tão altos quanto o palco, chamada de thymele. Esse era o maior problema da tarefa quando não estava cantando, mas simpaticamente observando a ação. O líder do coro então ficou na superfície do thymele para ver o que estava acontecendo no palco e conversar com as pessoas ali presentes. Porque o canto coral era partilhado, mas onde intervinha no diálogo, apenas um falava em vez de todos os outros: daí a mudança de endereços com você e ela. O Thymele ficava bem no centro de todo o edifício, todas as medições eram feitas a partir daí, e o semicírculo do tamanho para os espectadores era descrito a partir desse ponto. Era, portanto, muito significativo que o coro, que era o representante ideal dos espectadores, tivesse seu problema exatamente onde convergiam todos os raios de seus sigens.

{The entrances of the chorus were beneath in the orchestra, in which it generally remained, and in which also it performed its solemn dance, going backwards and forwards during the choral songs. In the front of the orchestra, opposite to the middle of the scene, there was an elevation with steps, resembling an altar, as high as the stage, which was called thymele. This was the station of the chorus when it did not sing, but merely took an interest in the action. The leader of the chorus then took his station on the top of the thymele, to see what was passing on the stage, and to communicate with the characters. For though the choral song was common to the whole, yet when it entered into the dialogue one person spoke for the rest; and hence we are to account for the shifting from thou to ye in addressing them. The thymele was situated in the very centre of the building; all the measurements were calculated from it, and the semicircle of the amphitheatre was described round that point.It was, therefore, an excellent contrivance to place the chorus, who were the ideal representatives of the spectators, in the very situation where all the radii were concentrated, As entradas do coro ficavam abaixo na orquestra, na qual geralmente permanecia, e na qual também executava sua dança solene, indo e voltando durante os cantos corais. Na frente da orquestra, oposta ao meio da cena, havia um alçado com degraus, semelhante a um altar, tão alto quanto o palco, que se chamava thymele. Esta era a posição do coro quando não cantava, mas apenas se interessava pela ação. O líder do coro então se posicionou no topo do thymele, para ver o que estava acontecendo no palco e se comunicar com os personagens. Pois, embora a música coral fosse comum ao todo, quando entrava no diálogo, uma pessoa falava pelo resto; e, portanto, devemos explicar a mudança de você para você ao abordá-los. O thymele estava situado bem no centro do edifício; todas as medidas foram calculadas a partir dele, e o semicírculo do anfiteatro foi descrito em torno desse ponto. Foi, portanto, um excelente artifício colocar o coro, que eram os representantes ideais dos espectadores, na própria situação em que toda seus raios estava concentrada.}

The thymele was situated in the very centre of the building; all the measurements were calculated from it, and the semicircle of the amphitheatre was described round that point. It was, therefore, an excellent contrivance to place the chorus, who were the ideal representatives of the spectators, in the very situation where all the radii were concentrated. 63

The ancient tragedy has also been frequently compared with the opera, because it was accompanied with music and dancing. But this betrays the most complete ignorance of the spirit of classical antiquity. Their dancing and music had nothing in common with ours, but the name. In tragedy the chief object was the

poetry, and every other thing was strictly subordinate to it. (...)  This anarchy of the arts, where music, dancing, and decoration endeavor to surpass dack other by the most profuse display of darling charms, constitutes the very essence of the opera.(...)

The fantastic magic of the opera consists altogether in the luxurious competition of the different means, and in the perplexity of an overpowering superfluity. 71

 The choruses and lyrical songs, in general, are the part the most difficult to understand of the ancient tragedy, and they must have also been the most difficult to contemporary authors. 72

Ich komme auf eine andre Eigenheit, welche die alte Tragödie von der unsrigen unterscheidet: den Chor. Wir müßen ihn begreifen als den personificierten Gedanken über die dargestellte Handlung, die verkörperte und mit in die Darstellung aufgenommene Theilnahme des Dichters, als des Sprechers der gesammten Menschheit. Dieß ist seine allgemeine poetisch gültige Bedeutung, welche uns hier allein angeht, und der es keinen Eintrag thut, daß der Chor eine örtliche Veranlaßung in den Festlichkeiten des Bacchus hatte, und bei den Griechen auch immer eine besondere nationale Bedeutung behielt. Nämlich, wie schon oben bemerkt worden, bei ihrem republikanischen Geiste gehörte für sie zur Vollständigkeit einer Handlung auch deren Oeffentlichkeit. 

Chego a outra peculiaridade que distingue a velha tragédia da nossa: o coro. Devemos entendê-lo como o pensamento personificado sobre a ação representada, a simpatia corporificada do poeta, incorporada à representação, como porta-voz de toda a humanidade. Este é o seu significado poeticamente válido geral, que nos preocupa apenas aqui, e não importa que o coro tenha uma ocasião local nas festividades de Baco, e também sempre manteve uma importância nacional especial entre os gregos. A saber, como já comentado acima, com seu espírito republicano, para eles, a completude de uma ação incluía também sua publicidade.

I come now to another peculiarity which distinguishes the tragedy of the ancients from ours, I mean the chorus. We must consider it as the personification of opinion on the action which is going on; the incorporation into the representation itself of the sentiments of the poet, as the interpreter for the whole human race. This is the general poetical character which we must here assign to it, and that character is by no means affected by the circumstance that the chorus had a local origin in the feasts of Bacchus, and that it always had a peculiar national signification with the Greeks. We have already said that, with their republican way of thinking, publicity was considered essential to every important transaction. 79

Auf diese Art wurde nun die Einführung des Chores bewerkstelligt, welche sich, da das Ganze den Schein der Wirklichkeit haben sollte, den jedesmaligen Bedingungen der dargestellten Geschichte fügen mußte. Was er auch in dem einzelnen Stücke Besondres sein und thun mochte, so stellte er überhaupt und zuvörderst den nationalen Gemeingeist, dann die allgemeine menschliche Theilnahme vor. Der Chor ist mit einem Worte der idealisierte Zuschauer. Er lindert den Eindruck einer tief erschütternden oder tief rührenden Darstellung, indem er dem wirklichen Zuschauer seine eignen Regungen schon lyrisch, also musikalisch ausgedrückt entgegenbringt, und ihn in die Region der Betrachtung hinaufführt.

The chorus was therefore introduced to give the whole that appearance of reality which was most consistent with the fable. Whatever it might be in particular pieces, it represented in general, first the national spirit, and then the general participation of mankind. In a word, the chorus is the ideal spectator. It mitigates the impression of a heart rending or moving story, while it conveys to the actual spectator & lyrical and musical expression of his own emotions, and elevates him to the region of consideration.80

Assim se fez a introdução do coro, que, como se pretendia que tudo tivesse aparência de realidade, teve que se conformar às condições da história apresentada na época. O que quer que ele fosse e fizesse em particular na peça individual, ele representava em geral e antes de tudo o espírito da comunidade nacional, depois a simpatia humana geral. Em uma palavra, o coro é o espectador idealizado. Ele suaviza a impressão de uma performance profundamente perturbadora ou profundamente tocante, expressando suas próprias emoções em termos líricos, ou seja, expressas musicalmente, para o espectador real e conduzindo-o à região da contemplação.

Modern poets of the very first rank, since the revival of the study of the ancients, have often attempted to introduce the chorus in their pieces, for the most part without a correct, and always without a vivid idea of its destination. But we have no suitable singing or dancing, neither have we, as our theatres are constructed, any place for it ; and it will hardly ever succeed, therefore, in becoming naturalized with us. 81