ABSTRACT
The colour of the opera was meant to be Oriental, which, after the Turkish wars in South Germany and Austria, had become so popular. Many of the religious themes developed by Meyerbeer in his French operas are already present in Jephthas Gelübde. Both Meyerbeer's first two operas had been Singspiele: the first, despite its modest format, had tuned into a heritage deriving from Handel, Gluck, Mozart and Cherubini. The second likewise acknowledges Mozart and Weber in its realization of Turkish ideas. Jephtha's internal agony at the outcome of his vow is illustrated by convulsed leaps of sevenths and ninths in the vocal part. With his first opera Meyerbeer, because of the his of spoken dialogue, appeared formally to adhere to the generic limits of the Singspiel. The little Singspiel is set in Berlin. People are awaiting the return of the king from the defeated France.
