Judith is a solo work created by dancer/choreographer Martha Graham. William Schuman composed the music. Charles Hyman designed the original set, which was replaced almost immediately by one conceived by Isamu Noguchi. He also added jewelry and a headdress. Jean Rosenthal provided the lighting. The piece premiered on January 4, 1950, at the Columbia Auditorium in Louisville, Kentucky.
Contents
Concept and theme
The idea for a "dance concerto" was proposed by Louise Kain, a patroness of the arts and a board member of the Louisville Philharmonic Orchestra. She suggested Graham perform with the musicians in the manner of a musical concerto, with the dancer replacing the solo instrument. The plan was met with enthusiasm by all parties.
Taken from the deuterocanonical books of the Bible (Apocrypha), the ballet is a dance dramatization of the story of Judith, the Hebrew widow who saves the city of Bethulia by seducing and beheading the invading Assyrian tyrant Holofernes.
Synopsis and musical structure
In 1949, Graham turned to William Schuman for the score. They had collaborated two years earlier on the highly successful Night Journey.
The music and dance advance in in five uninterrupted movements. Graham performed in front of the orchestra, which was partially obscured behind a translucent panel.
Critical reception
Judith debuted to a sold-out house that included nationally known music critics. Time and Newsweek, as well as the New York and local papers ran feature articles on Graham and Schuman's achievement. "A triumphant success…a new form for the theatre…the dance concerto…," wrote Robert Sabin. "The two artists worked in close and careful collaboration, having benefited by their labors on Night Journey. The result is a theatre piece in which dance and movement are fused in seamless unity."
Two decades later and in spite of his artistic competition with her, Graham's former husband and dance partner Erick Hawkins praised Judith as "a magnificent work."