For this comparative essay, I have chosen Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise Op. 34 No. 14, published in 1915, and Alexandre Cabanel’s The Fallen Angel, painted in 1847. Firstly, Cabanel’s work is a blend of emotion and passion that captures the exact moment of Lucifer’s expulsion from Heaven. This Romantic work differs from previous depictions of this character, which usually emphasized great dramatism, fire, brimstone, and demonic grotesqueness. Nevertheless, Cabanel, instead of presenting an artwork with these characteristics, exhibits an angel endowed with tremendous beauty, reclining in sorrowful contemplation. On the one hand, the body of this supernatural being showcases mighty power, but on the other hand, it is curled inward with gestures that convey wounded pride and grief. In addition, Lucifer’s gaze, filled with hatred, reveals unshed tears; depicting the unique psychological depth of his character.
In the background, the author paints the heavenly realm rejoicing while Lucifer agonizes in exile. Inch by inch, Lucifer’s body loses beauty, grace, and light. The angelic wings invested before with vivid colors, like a hummingbird, become darker and uglier, such as a bat. His body, once crowned with heavenly glory, becomes pale and insipid while lying in darkness. Finally, his unique red hair is opaque, hiding a gaze of sadness, grief, wounded pride, and hatred. The very face that was in front of the Creator of stars and light, witnessed His glory, and experienced His love, is now in total isolation and sorrow. In other words, this painting not only captures the fall of an angel but also the fall of an idea; the loss of perfection and the irreversible consequences of actions. It is here where fate plays an antagonistic role.
Secondly, Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise Op. 34 No. 14 was written as the final movement of his Fourteen Romances, Op. 34. This musical work uses a key signature in C-sharp minor, written for voice – usually for soprano or tenor – with piano accompaniment. This piece has an absence of concrete language. Indeed, this piece is sung using only one vowel. However, the mere fact that it does not use Russian in comparison to the other Romances does not mean that it is not a universal expression of emotion that speaks directly to the heart.
The melody is gentle but sorrowful, floating with a sense of yearning. It is carried by either voice or instrument and moves in long variations on the central theme. Rachmaninoff’s musical work evokes nostalgic, sad, and unhappy feelings, capturing the dramatism of someone who has lost something or someone who has made a bad decision. The duet between the piano and the melody gradually exudes exuberance yet is always tinged with sadness, reinforcing the main theme with bittersweet variations.
Something remarkable to mention is that the Russian composer dedicated this final piece of his Opus 34 to the soprano singer Antonina Nezhdanova. Nonetheless, a question that strikes me is why this piece is so tragic. What were Sergei’s feelings for the Russian singer? What is the background to this dramatic end? Answers to these questions are mere speculations because of the lack of records about the mysterious relationship between the composer and the singer.
Both Cabanel’s Fallen Angel and Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise reflect both artists’ intrinsic talent; whether in the performance of music or the tremendous depiction on the canvas. However, what do these two pieces have in common? No matter the musical form or the master brushstrokes on the canvas, both artists portray uniquely profound melancholy, tragic fate, and sadness. In Cabanel’s painting, Lucifer bears, in a certain way, the marks of his lost divine past, yet he sits in the darkness of his upcoming future despair. In Vocalise, the music elevates the listener with a high register of celestial notes but simultaneously carries the unmistakable weight of mourning and grief.
Nevertheless, both pieces achieve the balance between light and darkness. On the one hand, Cabanel uses soft colors against Lucifer’s facial features, and melancholic expression. On the other hand, Rachmaninoff presents a lyrical and straightforward melody with deep harmonies since there is piano accompaniment for the solo part. The expression of the Fallen Angel’s gaze is speechless, and unspoken, portraying a blend of feelings and emotions that are impossible to explain with words. This expression resonates with Vocalise, which is a wordless voice composition, where the absence of lyrics embodies the impossibility of the Fallen Angel to express in a logical and clear way all these emotions within his heart.
Furthermore, the rhythm of Vocalise mirrors the body language of The Fallen Angel. The melody is peaceful, slow, and controlled, much like Lucifer’s body is posed, tense, but resigned. In the melody, there is no sudden explosion of sound, just as there is no violent motion in Cabanel’s artwork; embodying this sense of suppressed turmoil and pain. Finally, the romanticized vision of sorrow is one of the most striking connections between these two masterpieces. Formally speaking, Cabanel belongs to the Romantic Art Period in Western Europe. However, Rachmaninoff is a late Russian Romantic, but in the end, both are Romantics trying to portray passionate, sublime, and idealized visions of the world; whether musically or artiscally. Neither Cabanel nor Rachmaninoff present suffering as something grotesque. Instead, they find a mysterious beauty in it. In Cabanel’s Fallen Angel, Lucifer is beautiful, even in his fall, and in Rachmaninoff’s Vocalise is delightful, even in its sorrow. This is not suffering for suffering’s sake; this is suffering elevated to art; a tragic loss of glory transformed into something paradoxically exquisite.
In conclusion, both masterpieces capture the same essence of the fall from grace, echoing a past of splendor and glory transformed into tragedy with heartbreaking beauty. The Fallen Angel whispers its sorrow through Cabanel’s brushstrokes, while Vocalise expresses nostalgia and sadness in an endless melody that speak the same universal language of the heart.
Bibliography
- A. Cabanel, The Fallen Angel, Oil on Canvas, Musée Fabre, Montpellier, France, Romantic Painting, 1847.
- S. Rachmaninoff, Vocalise Op. 34, 14, Russia, Late Russian Romanticism, 1915.
