UC Riverside

Spanish nationalist composer Joaquín Turina (1882-1949) is renowned for his Franco-Andalusian style; however, much less is known about his life and compositions before he studied in Paris and developed his signature sound. Turina’s early zarzuelas, La Copla (1904) and Fea y con gracia (1905), are often regarded as his earliest stage works; however, they are predated by a little-known opera called La Sulamita. Written during Turina’s teenage years in Seville, La Sulamita is an opera in three acts that is very different from any other stage work that he ever composed. The young Turina had intended for it to be staged in Madrid; however, it was never published or performed. Often mentioned in passing, La Sulamita is seldom discussed beyond these points in most accounts and biographies of Turina’s life. La Sulamita is nevertheless a significant work with the potential to say a lot about Turina’s early compositional style. Although it contains some of the exotic and romantic themes that appear in his later works, La Sulamita is unusual in its depiction of biblical themes in Pedro Balgañón’s libretto given Turina’s conservative and religious upbringing. It demonstrates that his ambition to compose a work of great influence and magnitude took root long before the successes of Margot (1914) and Jardín de Oriente (1923). This project aims to situate La Sulamita in the broader context of Turina’s works and shed light upon this seldom-remarked-upon era of Turina’s life. It begins with an introduction to Turina’s early life followed by a side-by-side Spanish and English translation of the libretto and a literary analysis of its plot and characters. It offers a transcription of the first act as well as a list of considerations and modifications to facilitate modern performance. A final, fourth chapter offers creative suggestions for incorporating La Sulamita and other nearly forgotten stage works in an educational and community setting.