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Description
Senta (Carolyn Lawrence) jumps into the ocean after confessing that she loves the Dutchman (Tim Curry) who jumped in after her and the both ascend to heaven during a storm at sea.

Composition and Performance History:

The Flying Dutchman is a legendary ghost ship that can never make port and is doomed to sail the oceans forever. The myth is likely to have originated from the 17th-century golden age of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). The oldest extant version has been dated to the late 18th century. Sightings in the 19th and 20th centuries reported the ship to be glowing with ghostly light. If hailed by another ship, the crew of the Flying Dutchman will try to send messages to land, or to people long dead. In ocean lore, the sight of this phantom ship is a portent of doom.

What inspired Wagner to write The Flying Dutchman is that in 1839 he was on a ship called the Thetis traveling from Riga, Latvia bound for London, England. At that time, the 26-year-old composer was employed as a conductor a the court theater in Riga, his extravagant lifestyle plus the retirement from the stage of his actress wife Minna, caused him to run up huge debts that he couldn’t afford to pay. Wagner was composing Rienzi and came up with a plan to escape from his creditors in Riga, his plan was to escape to Paris via London and make his fortune by putting Rienzi on the stage at the Paris Opera, unfortunately his plan backfired because his passport had been seized by the authorities on behalf of his creditors, So Wagner and Mina had to make a dangerous and illegal crossing over the Prussian border, during which Minna suffered a miscarriage, the captain of the Thetis agreed to take them to Paris without passports but during the voyage the Thetis sailed through a dark and stormy sea and during the storm he thought how he could recreate the power of a thunderstorm with music, so his overture represents the crashing of waves on a ship and the booming of thunder. The Thetis took a beating during the storm causing damage to the hull, so it sailed to Tvedestrand, Norway for repairs and after a voyage of three weeks Wagner finally arrived in London before transferring to another ship to sail to Paris, but unfortunately when he got to Paris he was unable to get a job as a conductor and the opera houses didn’t want to produce Rienzi.

Wagner was very poor and he often borrowed money from his friends, and he had made a little money writing articles about music and copying scores. Then Wagner began composing The Flying Dutchman, he was also inspired by a satirical novel The Memoirs of Mister von Schnabelewopski which was written in 1833 by Heinrich Heine who was a German poet, journalist, essayist, and literary critic. He is best known outside of Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of Lieder (art songs) by composers such as Robert Schumann and Franz Schubert.

In Heine’s story, the narrator watches a performance of a fictitious play on the theme of a sea captain that was cursed to sail forever for blasphemy, Heine introduces the character as a Wandering Jew of the ocean, and also added the device taken up so vigorously by Wagner in this, and many subsequent operas: the Dutchman can only be redeemed by the love of a faithful woman.

By the end of May 1841 Wagner had completed the libretto or poem as he preferred to call it. Composition of the music had begun during May to July of the previous year, 1840, when Wagner wrote Senta's Ballad, the Norwegian Sailors' song in act 3 and the subsequent Phantom song of the Dutchman's crew in the same scene. Wagner composed the rest of The Flying Dutchman during the summer of 1841, with the Overture being written last, and by November 1841 the orchestration of the score was complete. While this score was designed to be played continuously in a single act, Wagner later divided the piece into a three-act work. In doing so, however, he did not alter the music significantly, but merely interrupted transitions that had originally been crafted to flow seamlessly. The Flying Dutchman was first performed at the Königliches Hoftheater in Dresden on January 2nd, 1843 and it marked the start of the mature Wagner canon.

Plot:

Far out at sea off the coast of Norway, Captain Daland is on his homeward journey when his ship is compelled by stormy weather. He leaves the helmsman on watch while he and the sailors retire for the night, the tired helmsman falls asleep at the wheel. A ghostly vessel called The Flying Dutchman appears astern and is dashed against Daland's ship by the sea and grappling irons hold the two ships together. Invisible hands furl the sails. A man of pale aspect, dressed in black, his face framed by a thick black beard, steps aboard, Daland emerges from his cabin and meets with the stranger who tells him that he is known as the Dutchman and that because he once insulted the devil, the Dutchman is cursed to sail the ocean forever without rest or piece, however an angel came to him and told him that every seven years he can go ashore and if he can find himself a single girl who would love him in return then his curse will be broken, if not he will continue sailing for all eternity.

The Dutchman asks Daland if he had a daughter and he told him about his daughter Senta who is single. The Dutchman then asks for Senta’s hand in marriage, offering Daland a chest full of treasure as a gift. Tempted by the gift, Daland gives his consent and both of their ships set their course to Norway. Meanwhile in Norway Senta and her friends are spinning wool at Daland’s house, Senta dreamily gazes upon a painting of the legendary Dutchman, she heard about his curse and she desires to save him somehow, little did she know that The Dutchman was seeking her hand in marriage to break the curse. Senta then tells her friends the story of The Flying Dutchman. A hunter named Erik arrives and the friends depart. Erik tells her about a dream he had in which Daland returned with a mysterious stranger who would then carry Senta off to sea. She listens with delight and Erik leaves in despair.

Daland arrives with the Dutchman and he and Senta stare at each other in silence. Daland is scarcely noticed Senta even when he presents his guest as her betrothed, Senta confesses her love to the Dutchman and swears to be true till death.

That night, the girls bring Daland’s crew to the tavern for food and merriment, they then invite the Dutchman’s crew to join them but in vain since many of them are ghosts and can’t eat or drink. The girls went into the tavern in wonder while Daland’s men retreat in fear. Senta arrives, followed by Erik, who reproves her for deserting him as she had formerly loved him and vowed constancy. When the Dutchman, who has been eavesdropping, hears these words he is heartbroken as he thinks that Senta loves Erik more then him, He summons his crew, tells Senta of the curse which she already knows about and to the consternation of Daland and his crew declares that he is the Flying Dutchman.

As the Dutchman sets sail, Senta jumps into the ocean, claiming that she will be faithful to him unto death. The Dutchman jumps in after her, the ghost ship disappears and Senta and The Dutchman ascend to heaven.

The Flying Dutchman in popular culture:

The legend of The Flying Dutchman appeared in every media from plays, to operas (Including Wagner’s) to literature to cinema, perhaps its best-known cinematic portrayal is in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean film series, the filmmakers were inspired by the original legend of a ship that is doomed to sail for all eternity but they took a different approach with the creation of the villain Davy Jones who is based on the superstition of Davy Jones' Locker which is a term referring to the bottom of the sea, especially regarded as the grave of those drowned at sea.

Davy Jones was a sailor who fell in love with a goddess named Calypso who entrusted him with the task of ferrying the souls of those who died at sea to the next world. Calypso gave him the Flying Dutchman to accomplish this task. She swore that after ten years, she would meet him, and they would spend one day together before he returned to his duties. However, when Jones returned to shore after ten years, Calypso failed to appear. Believing Calypso had betrayed him, a heartbroken and enraged Davy Jones turned the Pirate Brethren against her, saying that if she were removed from the world, they would be able to claim the seas for themselves. They assembled in the First Brethren Court and Jones taught them how to imprison her into her human form, however Despite betraying her, Jones still loved Calypso, and in despair and guilt for what he had done, he carved out his own heart from his chest and placed it in the "Dead Man's Chest". The Chest was sealed and placed within a larger wooden chest, along with Jones' numerous love letters to Calypso and all other items having to do with her, except his matching musical locket. The chest was then buried on Isla Cruces. Jones kept the chest's key with him at all times. With Calypso gone, Jones abandoned his duties and returned to the Seven Seas. As a result of this, Jones gradually became monstrous, his physical appearance merging with various aquatic fauna. Sailors everywhere would fear him to the death, for Davy Jones had turned fierce and cruel, with an insatiable taste for all things brutal. Jones recruits dying sailors by promising them a reprieve from death in exchange for 100 years of service aboard the Dutchman.

Wagner’s Dutchman is similar to Davy Jones except he was cursed to sail the ocean for all eternity after he insulted the devil and only if he fell in love with a girl who loved him in return his curse would be broken. Davy Jones was already in love with Calypso, but he was heartbroken after he thought Calypso betrayed him and he was also cursed to sail for eternity after he betrayed Calypso, but he had a mixture of aquatic animals all over his body, ones' most striking feature is his cephalopod-like head, with octopus-like appendages giving the illusion of a thick beard. A prominent sac bulges from under his barnacle-encrusted tricorne hat. The Dutchman can only go on land every seven years and Davy Jones can only go on land every ten years.

In the end, Senta confessed her love to the Dutchman and not only was his curse broken they both ascended to heaven, Davy Jones tells Calypso that his heart will always belong to her. Calypso, unaware that Jones betrayed her to the first Brethren Court, says that after her release, she will fully give her love to him. After Calypso is freed, Will Turner reveal that Jones betrayed her. She escapes, refusing to aid either the pirates or Jones. Her fury creates a monstrous maelstrom. The Flying Dutchman and The Black Pearl enter it and battle. Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones sword fight on the rigging of The Flying Dutchman. Jack acquires both the Chest and the key while Jones battles Will and Elizabeth. Jones quickly overpowers Elizabeth and is subsequently impaled through the back by Will. Jones, unharmed, holds Will at sword-point. Jack threatens to stab the heart, and Jones cruelly stabs Will. Remembering Will as his son, Bootstrap Bill briefly fights and overpowers Jones, but is quickly defeated. Jones attempts to kill Bootstrap, but Jack helps Will stab the heart. Jones then calls out for Calypso, before falling to his death in the maelstrom.

The Pirates of The Caribbean’s music was composed by Hans Zimmer who is highly influenced in Wagner’s music and operas. For the Flying Dutchmen’s scenes Hans used a pipe organ and a male choir representing a very eerie feeling about the ghost ship, random sustained notes are played on the cello to create a sense of suspense and nervousness. Davy Jones keeps a music box by his side to remind him of his love for Calypso, Hans used a solo celesta that is then over lapped by the oboe and strings representing the love deep down in Davy Jones’s sole.

In the 1957 cartoon What’s Opera Doc? the overture from the Flying Dutchman can be heard at the very beginning when Elmer Fudd is conjuring up a thunder storm in the mountains before he sang his signature line “Be vewy qwiet, I'm hunting wabbits" in recitative. The overture was also used at the end of the cartoon when Elmer Fudd conjured up lightning, typhoons, hurricanes, earthquakes and smog to "stwike de wabbit!".

Description
Senta (Carolyn Lawrence) jumps into the ocean after confessing that she loves the Dutchman (Tim Curry) who jumped in after her and the both ascend to heaven during a storm at sea.

Composition and Performance History:

The Flying Dutchman is a legendary ghost ship that can never make port and is doomed to sail the oceans forever. The myth is likely to have originated from the 17th-century golden age of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). The oldest extant version has been dated to the late 18th century. Sightings in the 19th and 20th centuries reported the ship to be glowing with ghostly light. If hailed by another ship, the crew of the Flying Dutchman will try to send messages to land, or to people long dead. In ocean lore, the sight of this phantom ship is a portent of doom.

What inspired Wagner to write The Flying Dutchman is that in 1839 he was on a ship called the Thetis traveling from Riga, Latvia bound for London, England. At that time, the 26-year-old composer was employed as a conductor a the court theater in Riga, his extravagant lifestyle plus the retirement from the stage of his actress wife Minna, caused him to run up huge debts that he couldn’t afford to pay. Wagner was composing Rienzi and came up with a plan to escape from his creditors in Riga, his plan was to escape to Paris via London and make his fortune by putting Rienzi on the stage at the Paris Opera, unfortunately his plan backfired because his passport had been seized by the authorities on behalf of his creditors, So Wagner and Mina had to make a dangerous and illegal crossing over the Prussian border, during which Minna suffered a miscarriage, the captain of the Thetis agreed to take them to Paris without passports but during the voyage the Thetis sailed through a dark and stormy sea and during the storm he thought how he could recreate the power of a thunderstorm with music, so his overture represents the crashing of waves on a ship and the booming of thunder. The Thetis took a beating during the storm causing damage to the hull, so it sailed to Tvedestrand, Norway for repairs and after a voyage of three weeks Wagner finally arrived in London before transferring to another ship to sail to Paris, but unfortunately when he got to Paris he was unable to get a job as a conductor and the opera houses didn’t want to produce Rienzi.

Wagner was very poor and he often borrowed money from his friends, and he had made a little money writing articles about music and copying scores. Then Wagner began composing The Flying Dutchman, he was also inspired by a satirical novel The Memoirs of Mister von Schnabelewopski which was written in 1833 by Heinrich Heine who was a German poet, journalist, essayist, and literary critic. He is best known outside of Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of Lieder (art songs) by composers such as Robert Schumann and Franz Schubert.

In Heine’s story, the narrator watches a performance of a fictitious play on the theme of a sea captain that was cursed to sail forever for blasphemy, Heine introduces the character as a Wandering Jew of the ocean, and also added the device taken up so vigorously by Wagner in this, and many subsequent operas: the Dutchman can only be redeemed by the love of a faithful woman.

By the end of May 1841 Wagner had completed the libretto or poem as he preferred to call it. Composition of the music had begun during May to July of the previous year, 1840, when Wagner wrote Senta's Ballad, the Norwegian Sailors' song in act 3 and the subsequent Phantom song of the Dutchman's crew in the same scene. Wagner composed the rest of The Flying Dutchman during the summer of 1841, with the Overture being written last, and by November 1841 the orchestration of the score was complete. While this score was designed to be played continuously in a single act, Wagner later divided the piece into a three-act work. In doing so, however, he did not alter the music significantly, but merely interrupted transitions that had originally been crafted to flow seamlessly. The Flying Dutchman was first performed at the Königliches Hoftheater in Dresden on January 2nd, 1843 and it marked the start of the mature Wagner canon.

Plot:

Far out at sea off the coast of Norway, Captain Daland is on his homeward journey when his ship is compelled by stormy weather. He leaves the helmsman on watch while he and the sailors retire for the night, the tired helmsman falls asleep at the wheel. A ghostly vessel called The Flying Dutchman appears astern and is dashed against Daland's ship by the sea and grappling irons hold the two ships together. Invisible hands furl the sails. A man of pale aspect, dressed in black, his face framed by a thick black beard, steps aboard, Daland emerges from his cabin and meets with the stranger who tells him that he is known as the Dutchman and that because he once insulted the devil, the Dutchman is cursed to sail the ocean forever without rest or piece, however an angel came to him and told him that every seven years he can go ashore and if he can find himself a single girl who would love him in return then his curse will be broken, if not he will continue sailing for all eternity.

The Dutchman asks Daland if he had a daughter and he told him about his daughter Senta who is single. The Dutchman then asks for Senta’s hand in marriage, offering Daland a chest full of treasure as a gift. Tempted by the gift, Daland gives his consent and both of their ships set their course to Norway. Meanwhile in Norway Senta and her friends are spinning wool at Daland’s house, Senta dreamily gazes upon a painting of the legendary Dutchman, she heard about his curse and she desires to save him somehow, little did she know that The Dutchman was seeking her hand in marriage to break the curse. Senta then tells her friends the story of The Flying Dutchman. A hunter named Erik arrives and the friends depart. Erik tells her about a dream he had in which Daland returned with a mysterious stranger who would then carry Senta off to sea. She listens with delight and Erik leaves in despair.

Daland arrives with the Dutchman and he and Senta stare at each other in silence. Daland is scarcely noticed Senta even when he presents his guest as her betrothed, Senta confesses her love to the Dutchman and swears to be true till death.

That night, the girls bring Daland’s crew to the tavern for food and merriment, they then invite the Dutchman’s crew to join them but in vain since many of them are ghosts and can’t eat or drink. The girls went into the tavern in wonder while Daland’s men retreat in fear. Senta arrives, followed by Erik, who reproves her for deserting him as she had formerly loved him and vowed constancy. When the Dutchman, who has been eavesdropping, hears these words he is heartbroken as he thinks that Senta loves Erik more then him, He summons his crew, tells Senta of the curse which she already knows about and to the consternation of Daland and his crew declares that he is the Flying Dutchman.

As the Dutchman sets sail, Senta jumps into the ocean, claiming that she will be faithful to him unto death. The Dutchman jumps in after her, the ghost ship disappears and Senta and The Dutchman ascend to heaven.

The Flying Dutchman in popular culture:

The legend of The Flying Dutchman appeared in every media from plays, to operas (Including Wagner’s) to literature to cinema, perhaps its best-known cinematic portrayal is in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean film series, the filmmakers were inspired by the original legend of a ship that is doomed to sail for all eternity but they took a different approach with the creation of the villain Davy Jones who is based on the superstition of Davy Jones' Locker which is a term referring to the bottom of the sea, especially regarded as the grave of those drowned at sea.

Davy Jones was a sailor who fell in love with a goddess named Calypso who entrusted him with the task of ferrying the souls of those who died at sea to the next world. Calypso gave him the Flying Dutchman to accomplish this task. She swore that after ten years, she would meet him, and they would spend one day together before he returned to his duties. However, when Jones returned to shore after ten years, Calypso failed to appear. Believing Calypso had betrayed him, a heartbroken and enraged Davy Jones turned the Pirate Brethren against her, saying that if she were removed from the world, they would be able to claim the seas for themselves. They assembled in the First Brethren Court and Jones taught them how to imprison her into her human form, however Despite betraying her, Jones still loved Calypso, and in despair and guilt for what he had done, he carved out his own heart from his chest and placed it in the "Dead Man's Chest". The Chest was sealed and placed within a larger wooden chest, along with Jones' numerous love letters to Calypso and all other items having to do with her, except his matching musical locket. The chest was then buried on Isla Cruces. Jones kept the chest's key with him at all times. With Calypso gone, Jones abandoned his duties and returned to the Seven Seas. As a result of this, Jones gradually became monstrous, his physical appearance merging with various aquatic fauna. Sailors everywhere would fear him to the death, for Davy Jones had turned fierce and cruel, with an insatiable taste for all things brutal. Jones recruits dying sailors by promising them a reprieve from death in exchange for 100 years of service aboard the Dutchman.

Wagner’s Dutchman is similar to Davy Jones except he was cursed to sail the ocean for all eternity after he insulted the devil and only if he fell in love with a girl who loved him in return his curse would be broken. Davy Jones was already in love with Calypso, but he was heartbroken after he thought Calypso betrayed him and he was also cursed to sail for eternity after he betrayed Calypso, but he had a mixture of aquatic animals all over his body, ones' most striking feature is his cephalopod-like head, with octopus-like appendages giving the illusion of a thick beard. A prominent sac bulges from under his barnacle-encrusted tricorne hat. The Dutchman can only go on land every seven years and Davy Jones can only go on land every ten years.

In the end, Senta confessed her love to the Dutchman and not only was his curse broken they both ascended to heaven, Davy Jones tells Calypso that his heart will always belong to her. Calypso, unaware that Jones betrayed her to the first Brethren Court, says that after her release, she will fully give her love to him. After Calypso is freed, Will Turner reveal that Jones betrayed her. She escapes, refusing to aid either the pirates or Jones. Her fury creates a monstrous maelstrom. The Flying Dutchman and The Black Pearl enter it and battle. Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones sword fight on the rigging of The Flying Dutchman. Jack acquires both the Chest and the key while Jones battles Will and Elizabeth. Jones quickly overpowers Elizabeth and is subsequently impaled through the back by Will. Jones, unharmed, holds Will at sword-point. Jack threatens to stab the heart, and Jones cruelly stabs Will. Remembering Will as his son, Bootstrap Bill briefly fights and overpowers Jones, but is quickly defeated. Jones attempts to kill Bootstrap, but Jack helps Will stab the heart. Jones then calls out for Calypso, before falling to his death in the maelstrom.

The Pirates of The Caribbean’s music was composed by Hans Zimmer who is highly influenced in Wagner’s music and operas. For the Flying Dutchmen’s scenes Hans used a pipe organ and a male choir representing a very eerie feeling about the ghost ship, random sustained notes are played on the cello to create a sense of suspense and nervousness. Davy Jones keeps a music box by his side to remind him of his love for Calypso, Hans used a solo celesta that is then over lapped by the oboe and strings representing the love deep down in Davy Jones’s sole.

In the 1957 cartoon What’s Opera Doc? the overture from the Flying Dutchman can be heard at the very beginning when Elmer Fudd is conjuring up a thunder storm in the mountains before he sang his signature line “Be vewy qwiet, I'm hunting wabbits" in recitative. The overture was also used at the end of the cartoon when Elmer Fudd conjured up lightning, typhoons, hurricanes, earthquakes and smog to "stwike de wabbit!".