Page 263 - Weiss, Jernej, ur./ed. 2021. Opereta med obema svetovnima vojnama ▪︎ Operetta between the Two World Wars. Koper/Ljubljana: Založba Univerze na Primorskem in Festival Ljubljana. Studia musicologica Labacensia, 5
P. 263
national stereotypes and political issues in polnische hochzeit by joseph beer
slav is dressed in a simple national costume), “Nationalkostüm mit Degen”
(a national costume with a sabre).11
A more thorough analysis of the libretto reveals a series of allusions to
Polish tradition and culture, showing in-depth knowledge of the national
background. It seems that it was Beer himself who contributed to this, as
he grew up in Poland and among Polish people. In the context of an op-
eretta in the German language, such a situation is rather e xceptional, as
in a number of other works with Polish themes there are just broad stere-
otypes of Poland and Poles. In Polnische Hochzeit such elements are also
found, though they are not used simply to add a superficial, attractive lo-
cal colour, but also present an actual picture of Polish culture in the in-
terwar period.
The most potent allusions to Polish realities can be noticed in the lan-
guage used by the characters. In the context of a light-hearted intrigue,
what draws our attention is a comment in the stage directions on Mietek
Oginski’s way of speaking: “he speaks with a slight Polish accent” (“spricht
mit leichtem polnischen Akzent”), which introduces a comic element but
also presents the character’s ethnic background to German-speaking au-
diences. Moreover, phrases and words in Polish are used over the course
of the operetta on numerous occasions, and contribute to the local colour
with expressions such as “Schlachzizen” [noble men], “Der Pan” [Sir], “Der
Starost” [the Starost]. They clearly accompany the character of Boleslav, es-
pecially when he gives in to emotion upon his return home, singing in the
mazurka rhythm about beloved homeland and addressing it in his native
Polish language [Table 1].
The feeling of happiness from Boleslav’s song is a result of both his joy
at returning home and rapture over the beauty and temperament of Pol-
ish girls. The list of female names given by Boleslav in the last verse of the
song is a very good example of how a realistic approach in an operetta is
combined with literary fiction and national stereotypes. Most of the names
are derived from Polish tradition and are actually used in reality either in
their official (Maria) or diminutive versions (Halka, Kasia, Stasia, Mania).
Still, some of them, like Talka, Stania or Karia, are used very rarely, are col-
loquial and their introduction in this context should be assumed as a suc-
cessful example of linguistic stylisation, as well as due to the use of a list in
11 For a very well-documented study on the development of images and stereotypes
of Polish people in the eyes of Germans see: Hubert Orłowski, Polnische Wirtschaft:
zum deutschen Polendiskurs der Neuzeit (Wiesbaden: Harrasowitz Verlag, 1996).
261
slav is dressed in a simple national costume), “Nationalkostüm mit Degen”
(a national costume with a sabre).11
A more thorough analysis of the libretto reveals a series of allusions to
Polish tradition and culture, showing in-depth knowledge of the national
background. It seems that it was Beer himself who contributed to this, as
he grew up in Poland and among Polish people. In the context of an op-
eretta in the German language, such a situation is rather e xceptional, as
in a number of other works with Polish themes there are just broad stere-
otypes of Poland and Poles. In Polnische Hochzeit such elements are also
found, though they are not used simply to add a superficial, attractive lo-
cal colour, but also present an actual picture of Polish culture in the in-
terwar period.
The most potent allusions to Polish realities can be noticed in the lan-
guage used by the characters. In the context of a light-hearted intrigue,
what draws our attention is a comment in the stage directions on Mietek
Oginski’s way of speaking: “he speaks with a slight Polish accent” (“spricht
mit leichtem polnischen Akzent”), which introduces a comic element but
also presents the character’s ethnic background to German-speaking au-
diences. Moreover, phrases and words in Polish are used over the course
of the operetta on numerous occasions, and contribute to the local colour
with expressions such as “Schlachzizen” [noble men], “Der Pan” [Sir], “Der
Starost” [the Starost]. They clearly accompany the character of Boleslav, es-
pecially when he gives in to emotion upon his return home, singing in the
mazurka rhythm about beloved homeland and addressing it in his native
Polish language [Table 1].
The feeling of happiness from Boleslav’s song is a result of both his joy
at returning home and rapture over the beauty and temperament of Pol-
ish girls. The list of female names given by Boleslav in the last verse of the
song is a very good example of how a realistic approach in an operetta is
combined with literary fiction and national stereotypes. Most of the names
are derived from Polish tradition and are actually used in reality either in
their official (Maria) or diminutive versions (Halka, Kasia, Stasia, Mania).
Still, some of them, like Talka, Stania or Karia, are used very rarely, are col-
loquial and their introduction in this context should be assumed as a suc-
cessful example of linguistic stylisation, as well as due to the use of a list in
11 For a very well-documented study on the development of images and stereotypes
of Polish people in the eyes of Germans see: Hubert Orłowski, Polnische Wirtschaft:
zum deutschen Polendiskurs der Neuzeit (Wiesbaden: Harrasowitz Verlag, 1996).
261
