Susanne, a cantata by Élisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre

Susanna (also known as Susanna and the Elders) is a Second Temple story about a righteous Hebrew woman named Susanna who is wrongly accused of adultery by two dishonest, lecherous men who sexually harass and threaten her while she is bathing in her back garden. Sentenced to death for her supposed adultery, through cross examination of the two men, Daniel, drawing upon laws in the Torah about justice, shows that the men bore false witness against her, and in doing so Daniel proves Susanna’s innocence, saves her life, and restores her good reputation.
The story is included as a later addition to the Book of Daniel. It is recognized as Chapter 13 in Catholicism, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Orthodox Churches. Protestants place Susanna as part of the Apocrypha. The story is considered outside of the canon to Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, and Anabaptists. The narrative of Susanna is not included in the Jewish tradition, but was apparently part of the original Septuagint (Greek Bible translation) from the 2nd century BCE and later revised by Theodotion, a Hellenistic Jewish scholar, around 150 CE.
This project is part of our series “Fabulous Females on the Fringe” exploring female composers, female artists & their contemporaries, and female characters depicted through music and art.
Susanne
Cinquième cantate à voix seule (Livre premier, 1708)
by
Élisabeth-Claude Jacquet de La Guerre (1665-1729)
Performed by:
Aisling Kenny, soprano
Sarah Groser, viola da gamba
Yonit Kosovske, harpsichord & artistic direction
Special thanks to:
Joe Ó Dubhghaill, sound recording & mixing
Wolodymyr Smishkewych, video & editing
Filmed at the Limerick City Gallery of Art, Ireland
October 2021
A project of:
H.I.P.S.T.E.R.
hipsterireland...
Historically Informed Performance Series, Teaching, Education & Research
&
Now and Then Media, Ltd.
nowandthenmedi...
The original French text is by Antoine Houdar de Lamotte (1672-1731)
English Translation by Yonit Kosovske:
In the exceedingly hot summer
Susanna cooled herself off in a clear pool of water;
Meanwhile, two lecherous old men hid nearby to spy on her,
Aroused while gazing on her, fixated.
Indiscreet youth,
Which follows love,
Do not believe that old age
Protects you from desire.
He whom love leads
In the youthful springtime,
Forever drags his chain
Until his old age.
Susanna’s beauty ignites their courage,
The lustful men reveal themselves;
Their desire, combined with threats,
Attempt to intimidate or weaken her.
Surrender, you must give yourself
To our burning desires;
Can you defend yourself
Against our advances?
Relieve our aching pain,
Or else on this very day
Expect an extreme animosity
Equal to our desire.
They must accuse her of adultery
Which is punishable by death;
To defeat her virtuous innocence
That their threatening blackmail employs.
Savages, is this how you operate?
Susanna, such a dangerous ordeal!
What will you do?
If you give in to their wrath
To avoid death,
Do you deserve it?
No, says the persistent heroine,
You can make me perish,
But if I have to die,
At least I’d know my innocence.
Let the same strength inspire us;
A pure heart fears nothing;
No, for the day is pleasant
When it can be enjoyed without crime.