The Birth of "The Nightingale"

by Lola Danielson, dramaturg Hans Christen Andersen, as I stated in my last post, based many of his stories on events and people from his own life. The Nightingale is no different. The Nightingale (Nattergalen in Danish) was first published in 1844 and tells the story of a Chinese emperor who trades his real nightingale for a mechanical one. The emperor begins to die and longs to hear the nightingale, but the mechanical bird has broken. As Death attempts to take the emperor, the real nightingale returns and sings to save the emperor from Death. The Chinese motif for the story came from Andersen's time in the Tivioli Gardens that were opened in Copenhagen in August 1843. Andersen had never traveled further than Istanbul and stayed mostly in Europe during his travels abroad; so, his knowledge of China came from the decorative styles that were popular in Europe at that time. Andersen visited Tivioli Gardens again in October and wrote in his datebook that night that he had begun writing his Chinese fairytale. He finished the story in two days. [caption id="attachment_1847" align="aligncenter" width="640"]

The Pagoda at Tivioli Gardens in Copenhagen, August 2012.[/caption] Many believe that Andersen's model for the nightingale was Jenny Lind, a famous Swedish opera soprano. Andersen first met Lind in 1840 and developed an unrequited love for her. Due to Andersen's belief that he was not interesting or attractive to the opposite sex, he had great difficulty when it came to expressing his affection. He was very shy and found it difficult to propose to Lind. Andersen finally managed his proposal through a letter he handed to Lind while she was boarding a train to an opera concert. Lind did not return his affections but often wrote to Andersen that she wished him well, as a sister to a brother. [caption id="attachment_1848" align="alignright" width="274"]

Jenny Lind was approximately 20 years old when Andersen, 35, first met her. This is a rendering of Lind in 1840, the year Andersen met her.

Jenny Lind was approximately 20 years old when Andersen, 35, first met her. This is a rendering of Lind in 1840, the year she and Andersen met.[/caption] After Andersen published The Nightingale, Lind was given the title of "Swedish Nightingale." Her voice, like the nightingale, is said to sing so sweetly about good and evil that even death was affected by her voice. So, given the rumored healing power of Lind's vocal ability, it has become a common belief that Andersen based the nightingale in his story on Lind and the love of the emperor for the bird speaks of his feelings for Lind. While Andersen was often in love, he never married. His disposition was of such a nature that he felt everything so deeply. Perhaps that is why there is so much feeling in his stories and why we read them - to see beyond the ordinary and to feel something extraordinary.

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by Emme Corbett, dramaturg As a senior student studying history at BYU. One of the first concepts you learn as a history major is that when you study history, it is vital that you do not bring your modern-day biases with you. As strange as some past behaviors or occurrences may be to our modern eyes, understanding the reality of what life was like in historical societies allows for a more authentic and rich study of the past. It also becomes evident fairly quickly that no matter what point in time you’re studying or where you are in the world, there will be commonalities across many cultures. The shared similarity of the human experience allows these connections to occur, so it is no surprise that researching various time periods could be related back to Caesar in Ancient Rome. It was necessary in our dramaturgical research to explore three major time periods that are encompassed within this play in one way or another. These time periods are first, 49 B.C. Rome, when Julius Caesar first became a dictator of Ancient Rome, and the setting for the original script. Second, 1599 England, when William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar was first performed, most likely at the Globe Theatre. And third, 1919 Italy, when Italy was recovering from participating in the First World War, and the setting for our performance at BYU. This weakened state created a situation where authoritarianism could ensue. It was an interesting experience to be able to connect the culture of Ancient Rome to that of Italy in the early 20th century. The reason for choosing this production of Julius Caesar to take place in 1919 Italy is not random. The significance of that time period is to draw upon the reality that history repeats itself. An aspect of history that is repeatedly detrimental to countless societies is when a group of people finds itself weak and vulnerable--whether that is due to lack of resources, a change in leadership, exiting a war, or simply evolving generations--and a power vacuum is created. This moment in time when desperation allows for someone to assume leadership (based purely on the need to rely on anybody) and provide temporary relief is often too quickly turned into an authoritarian government. The third time period that we also had to account for in this production was the time of Shakespeare in 1599 England. Some of the questions we had to ask ourselves were: Why Julius Caesar? What elements from the story of Caesar’s assassination did Shakespeare feel would resonate with his audience? From these questions and further research on the Elizabethan period, we discovered that, like in 1919 Italy, there was a concern with the succession to the Crown. Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne at the time and created conflict among the people beyond her just being a woman in power. Queen Elizabeth never married and subsequently never bore any children, thus failing to secure a successor who was in her direct line. Another element of the play that related to Shakespeare’s audience was the role of the plebeians. Their behavior in the play could symbolize how the lower class in the Elizabethan Era, while uneducated and changeable, contribute largely to the success of their society.

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The Birth of "The Nightingale"

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