Burlesque de Quixotte

Burlesque de Quixotte (Don Quixote Suite) TWV 55:G10

Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann

Date of publication: c.1761

As a Burlesque (comedic parody), Telemann's Don Quixote Suite is, by definition, program music dedicated to Cervantes's El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha (The Ingenious Low-Born Noble Don Quixote of La Mancha) novel, meaning its movements are written to specifically portray certain events or themes of the novel. This explains the suite's overall light and jolly mood -- fitting characteristics for Cervante's comedic critique of chivalry about a somewhat senile Alonso Quijano who takes up the name of Don Quixote after reading one too many romance novels. Don Quixote sets out on various "adventures" with his squire Sancho Pansa, where his imagination is let loose, mistaking windmills for giants, inns for castles, a woman that he has never talked to before as his soulmate, etc. The two of them almost always end up beaten by end of their adventures, and eventually Don Quixote is forced home, where he falls ill and renounces chivalry. Composed for strings, this 6 movement piece begins with a typical French Style Ouverture in D minor that hints to future movements (via slow a slow and steady opening similar to Don Quixote Awakens and Sighs of love for Princess Dulcinea and a faster second half with steady streams of 16th notes, which Telemann revists in Don Quixote Attacks The Windmills). Next, Don Quixote Awakens in the next movement, setting out on his adventures as a chivalrous knight. His daydreaming is portrayed through a leisurely tempo, light and calm mood, and numerous pauses. In the following movemetn, Don Quixote begins his attack on the windmills, which he believes are evil giants. The intensity of the piece peaks here with a fast and bright melody backed by a rhythmic accompaniment that clashes and tries to play over the melody. Afterwards, the tempo becomes much more relaxed in his Sighs of Love movement. The imagery of his sighs are vividly expressed via 2 eight note motifs, with the emphasis on the first one. In the next movement, Sancho, Don Quixote's trusty squire is swindled and mocked by villagers, characterized by the piece's playful tone and ascending scales that mimic laughter. Following this, the next movement explores the galloping of Rosinante (Don Quixote's horse) and Sancho Pansa's Mule through a rhythmic motif of a quarter note and eight note that emulates the horses' hooves. Finally, the suite ends with Alonso Quijano being put to sleep in a slow, calm movement where he happily dreams of his adventures as Don Quixote.

Movements:

I. Overture

II. Don Quixote Awakens

III. Don Quixote Attacks

IV. The Windmills

V. Sighs of Love for Princess Dulcinea

VI. Sancho Pansa Swindled

VII. The Galloping Of Rosinante and Sancho Pansa's Mule

VIII. The Sleep Of Don Quixote