Performance arts are often based on traditions and narratives that have inspired human history throughout the ages. It is no surprise then that the Bible has played a role in creating a myriad of musical and artistic works by a diverse array of writers and composers. Several of those compositions have become famous operas.
1. Nabucco
King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon ruled from 605 to 562 BCE, and he became known for successfully capturing Jerusalem as well as for commissioning extensive construction projects across his empire. Many of his initiatives sought to invigorate religious worship in Babylon, but his lasting fame as a figure of religious tradition relates more often to his role as described in the Hebrew Bible rather than the traditions that he personally practiced.
Nebuchadnezzar is a critical character in the stories of the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament. Many in the Jewish and Christian traditions have viewed him as a villain because he repeatedly honored himself above the God of Israel and destroyed the first temple built by Solomon, according to the Biblical account. Some understand Nebuchadnezzar to be an instrument, tool, or even servant of God’s divine work on earth: in the Book of Jeremiah, God states:
“And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the very time of his land come” (Jeremiah 27:6-7).”
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Giuseppe Verdi composed his opera, Nabucco in the early 19th century with a libretto by Temistocle Solera. The work premiered in Milan at Teatro alla Scala in 1842. Nabucco’s story takes inspiration from the Books of Jeremiah, 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Daniel, and Psalms, but several details, including the majority of the cast of ancient characters, are not rooted in the Biblical text.
Verdi’s Nabucco is still a very popular opera. It has been performed on the Metropolitan Opera stage in New York City several times and it is often a production of grand scale. Musical selections from Verdi’s opera have been used in various ways across popular and political cultures, particularly the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves or, “Va, pensiero.”
2. Samson and Delilah
A story of seduction, betrayal, and divine forces, it is no surprise that the Biblical duet between the blessed Nazirite, Samson, and the beautiful Philistine, Delilah, became an opera beloved by generations of audiences.
According to the Bible, Samson was a faithful man gifted by God with incredible physical strength. He remained a powerful weapon against the enemy Philistines until Delilah seduced him and forced him to reveal the secret to his strength. In revealing this secret, Samson betrayed his people and his God. The Philistines capture him, shave his hair—where his strength was secretly stored—and gouge out his eyes. As a kind of vengeance, Samson managed to use his strength one last time to pull down the Philistines’ temple, killing many and himself along with them. According to Judges 15, Samson prayed to God, saying,
“…Sovereign LORD, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.”
Composer Camille Saint-Saëns wrote Samson and Delilah in the late 19th century with a libretto by Ferdinand Lemaire. The plot of the opera remains relatively close to its Biblical foundation, and Delilah is brought to life as an intriguing femme-fatale, particularly through her renowned aria, “Mon coeur s’ouvre a ta voix.”
The production has opened multiple seasons at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City over the years and is beloved by many international audiences.
3. Salome
The young daughter of Herodias and stepdaughter of Herod Antipas is best known for an impressive dance performance that led to the death of John the Baptist, as told by the books of Matthew and Mark. The dark yet dutiful princess is not named in the Bible’s brief accounts of John the Baptist’s death, but scholars and artists have attributed the name “Salome” to her and interpreted her part in the story through a variety of contexts and artistic productions.
According to the Bible, John the Baptist expressed disapproval of Herod Antipas’s marriage to Herodias, which angered them both, though they did not kill him for his remarks. When Herodias’s daughter performs a dance for Herod Antipas, he is so overcome with her abilities that he grants her one wish of her choosing.
The Bible portrays the princess as a daughter who was very loyal to the wishes of her mother, as demonstrated in her reaction to Herod’s promise of any wish fulfilled:
“So she went out and said to her mother, ‘What shall I ask?’ And she said, ‘The head of John the Baptist!’” (Mark 6:24)
Richard Strauss composed Salome in the early twentieth century with a libretto from Oscar Wilde’s one-act play of the same name translated by Hedwig Lachmann and with edits from the composer himself. The opera premiered at Dresden Court Opera in Germany in 1905 and, as was the case with Oscar Wilde’s play, received a mix of awe-inspired and repulsed reviews for several years. The leading lady Salome can be portrayed as quite seductive, and she longs for John the Baptist herself, in these renditions of the story.
Strauss’s Salome earned its unique reputation through its dissonant and sometimes cacophonous sounds as well as for its distinctive “Dance of the Seven Veils,” a prominent section of the work that represents Salome’s powerful dance performance.
Salome is one of the most challenging roles for a singer to play, written to reach both highs and lows of the voice and requiring a physically skilled performer to create the infamous dance.
4. Susannah
Susanna’s story can be found as part of the Book of Daniel, and as part of the Apocrypha for some Christian denominations. It is not featured in the Jewish Tanakh, though some still recognize the account as part of Jewish tradition.
As the Biblical narrative goes, through a conniving plot, two of the community elders trap Susanna while she is preparing to bathe in the garden. Her servants have momentarily left her, and the elders force her to either sleep with them or suffer accusations of her infidelity.
In the Book of Daniel, Susanna faithfully declares to the wicked elders,
“‘I choose not to do it; I will fall into your hands, rather than sin in the sight of the Lord.’” (Daniel 13:23)
She cries out, knowing she has been trapped, and her servants return to hear the false tale against her.
Susanna is put on trial, and she looks to heaven for help. God inspires a man named Daniel to call for a cross-examination of the two accusing elders, and the truth of their treachery is revealed through their diverging accounts of what took place in the garden. Susanna’s innocence is proven, and Daniel gains credit in the community for his intervention and builds a strong reputation.
American composer and librettist Carlisle Floyd created Susannah, a 20th-century opera loosely based on the Biblical tale of Susanna and the elders, with the help of faculty at Florida State University. Susannah Polk is an 18-year-old girl living in Tennessee who is accused of sinful behavior by members of her community. The elders claim that Susannah has attempted to seduce innocent men, and she is raped by a local preacher. The community does not believe in her innocence, but Susannah defends herself by threatening anyone who comes for her with a shotgun.
Susannah has become one the world’s most famous American operas, from its premiere in 1955 at Florida State University to its run at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City featuring Renée Fleming.
5. Die Königin von Saba
The Biblical story of an international meeting between two prominent monarchs, King Solomon of the Israelites and the Queen of Sheba, has inspired a multitude of cultural myths and artistic representations. Although there remains little evidence to prove or disprove the existence of the famous queen and the events of her interactions with the Biblical hero Solomon, interest in her history, identity, and influence has retained momentum for centuries.
In the Biblical text, the mysterious queen is featured in 1 Kings and Chronicles. According to the text, she visited King Solomon from a southern region and was astounded by the blessed nature of the Israelite king with his gifts of wisdom and his prosperity from his God. Though she herself is noted as a successful and beautiful ruler, the queen’s remarks on Solomon serve as an exemplary outsider’s perspective on one bearing a close relationship with the God of the Israelites. Additionally, many Bible scholars believe that Jesus refers to the Queen of Sheba in the Gospel of Matthew, saying that she will be present on the Day of Judgment yet to come:
“On Judgment Day, the Queen of Sheba will come forward and bring evidence that will condemn this generation, because she traveled from a far corner of the earth to listen to wise Solomon. Wisdom far greater than Solomon’s is right in front of you, and you quibble over ‘evidence.’” (Matthew 12:42)
Karl Goldmark composed Die Königin von Saba in the late 19th century with a libretto by Salomon Hermann Mosenthal. The opera premiered in 1875 at the Vienna State Opera in Vienna, Austria.
Salomon Hermann Mosenthal’s libretto adds a love triangle to the Biblical narrative of Solomon’s meeting with the Queen of Sheba along with a few additional characters. The queen is entangled with another woman’s fiance, leading to a disastrous wedding and poor relations.
While Goldmark’s rendition of the Queen of Sheba’s tale is not the only operatic interpretation in existence, the premiere of his work was quite successful and has been produced in multiple international opera houses.
6. David
David is a Biblical figure often referenced in popular culture for his part in the famed story of David and Goliath. He was a small yet faithful shepherd boy who managed to defeat the mighty Philistine soldier, Goliath, with a simple slingshot. David’s life is told in detail through the books of Samuel, and he is also revered for being a mighty king of Israel.
According to Biblical tradition, David rose to political power through his divinely gifted talents and his loyalty to the God who bestowed them upon him. King Saul, who had turned away from God, became jealous of David’s skills and successes, and he tried to murder him several times. Saul suffered a brutal death on the battlefield, and his son reigned as his successor for a short period of time until his own death. David had been governing the southern kingdom of Judah, but he traveled to Jerusalem following the death of Solomon’s son to unite the kingdoms and establish the city as a political and religious capital.
As stated in 2 Samuel:
“David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for forty years.” (2 Samuel 5:4).
French composer Darius Milhaud composed his opera, David, based on the stories told about David’s life in the First and Second Book of Samuel, ending with the succession of his son, Solomon. The libretto was created by a friend of the composer named Armand Lunel. It is a large body of work consisting of five acts and twelve scenes. It was first performed in concert in 1954 during a festival in Israel to commemorate the establishment of Jerusalem as a political and religious capital under the reign of King David.
Although Milhaud’s opera has not been staged many times since its premiere, the composer and his work have stood as unique examples of Jewish music and historical tradition.
