I am not trying to be necessarily religious with this post (I am not trying to avoid it either). But, O selige wonne lends itself to such. So, I must start out by saying that our faith determines our actions. It goads our efforts. It ignites our moods.
What is faith? What do I mean by that? The Bible in the book of Hebrews defines it as such: “Being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (11:1) Even if you are not religious this definition is perfect.
No one knows what the future holds, but we have certain hopes for it. And, these hopes guide our life. The more certainty we have in our hopes, the more influence they have over our decision making. In turn those hopes turn into faith. I do not know for sure tomorrow will come, but I’m pretty confident it will. I have faith I will see tomorrow. Consequently, I know it would not be wise for me to blow all my money tonight (or my wife’s money, that is). Vice versa, little confidence in certain hopes can not be considered faith. I may ‘hope’ to win the lottery, so in turn I might buy ticket. However, if losing the lottery meant I was to lose my life, I will not by one.
So, faith is stronger. And in spite of what people proclaim, faith is based on something. It is not blind. (One can argue the credibility of the source material.) And, we humans are constantly interpreting experiences, signs and feelings, to the point where we grow angry, bitter and/or violent toward anyone who tells us we are wrong.
Whatever we believe, our faith determines our actions. Faith in sacred texts and traditions. Faith in the material. Faith in our experiences. Faith in ourselves. Or Faith in love. These are the sources by which we gain any hint of certainty in the chaotic world. Yet, at times don’t even our strongest beliefs waiver between an invisible spectrum of hope and faith. When it shifts toward the less certain, it loses it affect.
And thus, I come to the trio O selige wonne. Zaide and Gomatz took a giant step of faith. With Allazim at their side, they make their escape from the tyranny of the sultan. In the midst of fleeing, the three are interpreting the signs of their escape. The tone starts out hopeful (notice I did not say faithful). They all know what they want. What they hope for. And at first the signs confirm their actions were right. The rising sun, the rainbow, the fluffy hippy feelings.
Then, as if the horse you have been walking beside drops its ears back, takes off a kicks you in the thigh (personal experience), the music shifts. Zaide’s voice cries out filled with terror. “Look, a bloody comet.” “Listen, thunder!”
Allazim and Gomatz respond, “God will protect us.” Their voices do nothing to reassure Zaide. She is filled with fear for the remainder of the trio. Even in the more hopeful place, fear still shakes her voice. Did she ‘lose’ faith? We can quibble over all kinds of terms, but I would say that she didn’t. Her faith shifted. At that point, no one knew what was going to happen. (No one knows the future.) She was now certain doom loomed.
Was she right? Did she interpret the signs in a credible way? That’s is the hard question. And not knowing how the opera ends, we ourselves can never know. In the short run, yes, she was right. The three are captured. But, is there a bigger picture? And, if so how big?
So often we base our faith on consequences, but is there a point where our faith can guide us regardless of the consequences? Even the most religious, make decisions with some set of eternal consequence in mind. I don’t know if it is really possible to not have some sort of outcome expectations.. The purely material humanist might sacrifice his or her life in order that the world may one day be a better place, but the action is still outcome based.
Zaide’s immediate rightness in her fears ultimately did nothing to change her outcome. Maybe, that is why so many try not to think about what’s to come. They have the mentality of the slaves in the cantor. “You can’t do anything about it, so we may as well be happy.” That isn’t good enough for Zaide. That is good enough for many. Hence her key revelation in Trostlos schluchet philomele, “Who can punish her when she finds what she is looking for.”
Ultimately, isn’t that the pinnacle of faith, the point when we have found that ‘thing’ (horrible word, but nothing is as all-encompassing) that no one can take away from us. I think Mozart desperately wanted that. Some say it is a passion. Others think it is a principle. Other say it’s a legacy. And still others believe it is the supernatural.
I believe Mozart thought love was that ‘thing.’ I can’t say he was wrong, but that’s a term with a myriad definitions. I mean ‘what is love?’ (Stop bobbing your head.) Is love sacrificing whatever it takes to offer a beloved that one ‘thing’ that can never be taken away? Offering it, even though he or she may reject it?
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