{"id":43,"date":"2022-11-08T22:00:56","date_gmt":"2022-11-08T22:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/thebibleandmusic\/chapter\/romance-in-the-bible-ruth-and-boaz-samson-and-delilah\/"},"modified":"2023-01-26T23:26:49","modified_gmt":"2023-01-26T23:26:49","slug":"romance-in-the-bible-ruth-and-boaz-samson-and-delilah","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/thebibleandmusic\/chapter\/romance-in-the-bible-ruth-and-boaz-samson-and-delilah\/","title":{"raw":"Romance in the Bible? Ruth and Boaz, Samson and Delilah","rendered":"Romance in the Bible? Ruth and Boaz, Samson and Delilah"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"romance-in-the-bible?-ruth-and-boaz,-samson-and-delilah\">\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--learning-objectives\"><header class=\"textbox__header\">\r\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">In this chapter you will<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li class=\"import-sbbl\">consider why stories about men and women in the Bible are often dramatized as romances when this is not an explicit part of the stories in the texts<\/li>\r\n \t<li class=\"import-sbbll\">prepare to contrast the texts and music with those in the next chapter, which focuses on settings of the Bible\u2019s erotic poetry<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<p class=\"import-pf\">The story of Ruth has been explored as a drama about the romance between Ruth and Boaz, yet there is little basis for that in the biblical text. The story told in the book of Ruth is much more about widowed women\u2019s vulnerability in the time the story is set and the resourcefulness with which they cope with their challenging circumstances. It is also a story of loyalty, as Ruth, who is from Moab, accompanies her mother-in-law, Naomi, back to her homeland in Israel to not only worship her God but eventually become part of the history of her people as she ends up being among the ancestors of King David. There is probably also a message of inclusion that challenges what other parts of the Scriptures say, such as <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId399\" href=\"https:\/\/biblehub.com\/deuteronomy\/23-3.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">Deuteronomy 23:3<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> excluding Moabites from the assembly of God\u2019s people even to the tenth generation.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"import-p\" style=\"text-indent: 36pt;\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId400\" href=\"https:\/\/www.milkenarchive.org\/music\/volumes\/view\/odes-and-epics\/work\/naomi-and-ruth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco\u2019s<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> <a class=\"rId401\" href=\"https:\/\/www.milkenarchive.org\/music\/volumes\/view\/odes-and-epics\/work\/naomi-and-ruth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em class=\"import-url-i\">Naomi and Ruth<\/em><\/a><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId402\" href=\"https:\/\/www.milkenarchive.org\/music\/volumes\/view\/odes-and-epics\/work\/naomi-and-ruth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">, op. 137<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>, focuses on the female characters and is a setting of the biblical text of Ruth 1:1\u201317.[footnote]This recording was provided to YouTube by NAXOS of America.[\/footnote]<\/p>\r\n[embed]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SuWIITgWJ5k[\/embed]\r\n<p class=\"import-p\" style=\"text-indent: 36pt;\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId404\" href=\"https:\/\/mugi.hfmt-hamburg.de\/receive\/mugi_person_00000477\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">Luise Adolpha Le Beau\u2019s<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> <a class=\"rId405\" href=\"https:\/\/imslp.org\/wiki\/Ruth%2C_Op.27_(Le_Beau%2C_Luise_Adolpha)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em class=\"import-url-i\">Ruth: Biblical Scenes<\/em><\/a><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId406\" href=\"https:\/\/imslp.org\/wiki\/Ruth%2C_Op.27_(Le_Beau%2C_Luise_Adolpha)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">, op. 27<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>; C\u00e9sar Franck\u2019s <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><em class=\"import-i\">Ruth, eglogue biblique<\/em><\/span>; Lennox Berkeley\u2019s <a class=\"rId407\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=6T1yjWwHWkw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em class=\"import-url-i\">Ruth<\/em><\/a><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId408\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=6T1yjWwHWkw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">, op. 50<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>; <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId409\" href=\"https:\/\/imslp.org\/wiki\/Ruth,_Op.50_(Schumann,_Georg)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">Georg Schumann\u2019s opera<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> <a class=\"rId410\" href=\"https:\/\/imslp.org\/wiki\/Ruth,_Op.50_(Schumann,_Georg)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em class=\"import-url-i\">Ruth<\/em><\/a><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId411\" href=\"https:\/\/imslp.org\/wiki\/Ruth,_Op.50_(Schumann,_Georg)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">, op. 20<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>; and <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId412\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=FiwRkU2Hb4I\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">Susan Bingham\u2019s chancel opera<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> <a class=\"rId413\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=FiwRkU2Hb4I\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em class=\"import-url-i\">Ruth<\/em><\/a> all have librettos that expand on the biblical text. Franz Waxman explored the story twice: in <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId414\" href=\"https:\/\/franzwaxman.com\/music-performance\/ruth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">a work for narrator and orchestra<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> as well as <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId415\" href=\"https:\/\/franzwaxman.com\/music-performance\/story-of-ruth-the\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">a film score for<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> <a class=\"rId416\" href=\"https:\/\/franzwaxman.com\/music-performance\/story-of-ruth-the\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em class=\"import-url-i\">The Story of Ruth<\/em><\/a>. There is also an interesting <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId417\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=NHdI8JYu0JY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">cantata<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> by <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId418\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LzEYKFByKgA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">Isabella Parker<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>. Ruth is also included in <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId419\" href=\"https:\/\/www.milkenarchive.org\/music\/volumes\/view\/intimate-voices\/work\/hagiographa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">Frederick Jacobi\u2019s<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> <a class=\"rId420\" href=\"https:\/\/www.milkenarchive.org\/music\/volumes\/view\/intimate-voices\/work\/hagiographa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em class=\"import-url-i\">Hagiographa<\/em><\/a>, and Ruth and Naomi feature in <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId421\" href=\"https:\/\/www.milkenarchive.org\/music\/volumes\/view\/symphonic-visions\/work\/four-biblical-tableaux\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">Aaron Avshalomov\u2019s<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> <a class=\"rId422\" href=\"https:\/\/www.milkenarchive.org\/music\/volumes\/view\/symphonic-visions\/work\/four-biblical-tableaux\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em class=\"import-url-i\">Four Biblical Tableaux<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"import-p\" style=\"text-indent: 36pt;\">The story of Samson and Delilah provides a more promising basis for exploring romance, although the focus is on the antagonism between their two peoples, the Israelites and Philistines. Delilah is often depicted in misogynistic ways, being conformed to the type of the \u201cfemme fatale.\u201d This is true in movies such as <a class=\"rId423\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=PkRNuTBIi8U\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em class=\"import-url-i\">Samson and Delilah<\/em><\/a>, <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId424\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=PkRNuTBIi8U\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\"> with a soundtrack by Victor Young<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>, as well as operas such as <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId425\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=nGLZZz61aOM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">Camille Saint-Saens<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>\u2019s <a class=\"rId426\" href=\"https:\/\/imslp.org\/wiki\/Samson_et_Dalila,_Op.47_(Saint-Sa%C3%ABns,_Camille)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em class=\"import-url-i\">Samson et Dalila<\/em><\/a>. There are also modern songs, such as <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId427\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zS4a-DOuU9g\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">Blind Willie Johnson\u2019s \u201cSamson and Delilah\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> (most famous in the <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId428\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=RMwTK6IgXUo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">rendition by the Grateful Dead<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>). It is due to patriarchal presuppositions that a powerful, independent, seductive woman tends to be evaluated or even prejudged negatively. There are several striking songs by female songwriters and vocalists about Samson sung from the perspective of Delilah or that at least take that as their starting point for a broader exploration of a romantic relationship. Listen to <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId429\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=p62rfWxs6a8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">Regina Spektor\u2019s \u201cSamson\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> and also this <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId430\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2018\/05\/samson-and-cain-songs-by-madi-blair.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">song by Madi Blair<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> written as a project in the class the author teaches at Butler University. There is also an <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId431\" href=\"https:\/\/imslp.org\/wiki\/Samson,_HWV_57_(Handel,_George_Frideric)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">oratorio<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>, <a class=\"rId432\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=vTDLmXh_fUU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em class=\"import-url-i\">Samson<\/em><\/a> by G. F. Handel. The chapters that follow on Song of Songs \/ Song of Solomon and Salome will explore other examples of romance in (or introduced into the elaboration of stories in) the Bible in conjunction with the musical treatment thereof.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--key-takeaways\"><header class=\"textbox__header\">\r\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">For Further Reading<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\r\n<p class=\"import-sbul hanging-indent\" style=\"margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 36pt;\">Clanton, Dan W. <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><em class=\"import-i\">Daring, Disreputable, and Devout: Interpreting the Bible\u2019s Women in the Arts and Music<\/em><\/span>. New York: T &amp; T Clark\/Continuum, 2009.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"import-sbul hanging-indent\" style=\"margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 36pt;\">Fauquet, Jo\u00ebl-Marie. \u201cLes Deux Versions De \u2018Ruth\u2019 (1845\/1871). Essai D\u2019interpr\u00e9tation D\u2019un Double Succ\u00e8s.\u201d <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><em class=\"import-i\">Revue Belge De Musicologie \/ Belgisch Tijdschrift Voor Muziekwetenschap<\/em><\/span> 45 (1991): 97\u2013108.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"import-sbul hanging-indent\" style=\"margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 36pt;\">Leneman, Helen, <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><em class=\"import-i\">The Performed Bible: The Story of Ruth in Opera and Oratorio<\/em><\/span>. Sheffield, UK: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2007.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"import-sbul hanging-indent\" style=\"margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 36pt;\">Locke, Ralph P. \u201cConstructing the Oriental \u2018Other\u2019: Saint-Sa\u00ebns\u2019s \u2018Samson et Dalila.\u2019\u201d <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><em class=\"import-i\">Cambridge Opera Journal<\/em><\/span> 3, no. 3 (1991): 261\u2013302.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"import-sbul hanging-indent\" style=\"margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 36pt;\">Sallinger, E. \u201cSaint-Saens\u2019 \u2018Other\u2019: Orientalism in Samson et Dalila.\u201d MA thesis, Duquesne University, 2010.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<\/div>","rendered":"<div class=\"romance-in-the-bible?-ruth-and-boaz,-samson-and-delilah\">\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--learning-objectives\">\n<header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">In this chapter you will<\/p>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"import-sbbl\">consider why stories about men and women in the Bible are often dramatized as romances when this is not an explicit part of the stories in the texts<\/li>\n<li class=\"import-sbbll\">prepare to contrast the texts and music with those in the next chapter, which focuses on settings of the Bible\u2019s erotic poetry<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"import-pf\">The story of Ruth has been explored as a drama about the romance between Ruth and Boaz, yet there is little basis for that in the biblical text. The story told in the book of Ruth is much more about widowed women\u2019s vulnerability in the time the story is set and the resourcefulness with which they cope with their challenging circumstances. It is also a story of loyalty, as Ruth, who is from Moab, accompanies her mother-in-law, Naomi, back to her homeland in Israel to not only worship her God but eventually become part of the history of her people as she ends up being among the ancestors of King David. There is probably also a message of inclusion that challenges what other parts of the Scriptures say, such as <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId399\" href=\"https:\/\/biblehub.com\/deuteronomy\/23-3.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">Deuteronomy 23:3<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> excluding Moabites from the assembly of God\u2019s people even to the tenth generation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"import-p\" style=\"text-indent: 36pt;\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId400\" href=\"https:\/\/www.milkenarchive.org\/music\/volumes\/view\/odes-and-epics\/work\/naomi-and-ruth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco\u2019s<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> <a class=\"rId401\" href=\"https:\/\/www.milkenarchive.org\/music\/volumes\/view\/odes-and-epics\/work\/naomi-and-ruth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em class=\"import-url-i\">Naomi and Ruth<\/em><\/a><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId402\" href=\"https:\/\/www.milkenarchive.org\/music\/volumes\/view\/odes-and-epics\/work\/naomi-and-ruth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">, op. 137<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>, focuses on the female characters and is a setting of the biblical text of Ruth 1:1\u201317.<a class=\"footnote\" title=\"This recording was provided to YouTube by NAXOS of America.\" id=\"return-footnote-43-1\" href=\"#footnote-43-1\" aria-label=\"Footnote 1\"><sup class=\"footnote\">[1]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"oembed-1\" title=\"Naomi and Ruth, Op. 137\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SuWIITgWJ5k?feature=oembed&#38;rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p class=\"import-p\" style=\"text-indent: 36pt;\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId404\" href=\"https:\/\/mugi.hfmt-hamburg.de\/receive\/mugi_person_00000477\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">Luise Adolpha Le Beau\u2019s<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> <a class=\"rId405\" href=\"https:\/\/imslp.org\/wiki\/Ruth%2C_Op.27_(Le_Beau%2C_Luise_Adolpha)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em class=\"import-url-i\">Ruth: Biblical Scenes<\/em><\/a><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId406\" href=\"https:\/\/imslp.org\/wiki\/Ruth%2C_Op.27_(Le_Beau%2C_Luise_Adolpha)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">, op. 27<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>; C\u00e9sar Franck\u2019s <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><em class=\"import-i\">Ruth, eglogue biblique<\/em><\/span>; Lennox Berkeley\u2019s <a class=\"rId407\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=6T1yjWwHWkw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em class=\"import-url-i\">Ruth<\/em><\/a><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId408\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=6T1yjWwHWkw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">, op. 50<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>; <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId409\" href=\"https:\/\/imslp.org\/wiki\/Ruth,_Op.50_(Schumann,_Georg)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">Georg Schumann\u2019s opera<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> <a class=\"rId410\" href=\"https:\/\/imslp.org\/wiki\/Ruth,_Op.50_(Schumann,_Georg)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em class=\"import-url-i\">Ruth<\/em><\/a><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId411\" href=\"https:\/\/imslp.org\/wiki\/Ruth,_Op.50_(Schumann,_Georg)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">, op. 20<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>; and <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId412\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=FiwRkU2Hb4I\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">Susan Bingham\u2019s chancel opera<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> <a class=\"rId413\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=FiwRkU2Hb4I\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em class=\"import-url-i\">Ruth<\/em><\/a> all have librettos that expand on the biblical text. Franz Waxman explored the story twice: in <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId414\" href=\"https:\/\/franzwaxman.com\/music-performance\/ruth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">a work for narrator and orchestra<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> as well as <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId415\" href=\"https:\/\/franzwaxman.com\/music-performance\/story-of-ruth-the\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">a film score for<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> <a class=\"rId416\" href=\"https:\/\/franzwaxman.com\/music-performance\/story-of-ruth-the\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em class=\"import-url-i\">The Story of Ruth<\/em><\/a>. There is also an interesting <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId417\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=NHdI8JYu0JY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">cantata<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> by <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId418\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LzEYKFByKgA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">Isabella Parker<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>. Ruth is also included in <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId419\" href=\"https:\/\/www.milkenarchive.org\/music\/volumes\/view\/intimate-voices\/work\/hagiographa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">Frederick Jacobi\u2019s<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> <a class=\"rId420\" href=\"https:\/\/www.milkenarchive.org\/music\/volumes\/view\/intimate-voices\/work\/hagiographa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em class=\"import-url-i\">Hagiographa<\/em><\/a>, and Ruth and Naomi feature in <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId421\" href=\"https:\/\/www.milkenarchive.org\/music\/volumes\/view\/symphonic-visions\/work\/four-biblical-tableaux\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">Aaron Avshalomov\u2019s<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> <a class=\"rId422\" href=\"https:\/\/www.milkenarchive.org\/music\/volumes\/view\/symphonic-visions\/work\/four-biblical-tableaux\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em class=\"import-url-i\">Four Biblical Tableaux<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"import-p\" style=\"text-indent: 36pt;\">The story of Samson and Delilah provides a more promising basis for exploring romance, although the focus is on the antagonism between their two peoples, the Israelites and Philistines. Delilah is often depicted in misogynistic ways, being conformed to the type of the \u201cfemme fatale.\u201d This is true in movies such as <a class=\"rId423\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=PkRNuTBIi8U\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em class=\"import-url-i\">Samson and Delilah<\/em><\/a>, <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId424\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=PkRNuTBIi8U\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\"> with a soundtrack by Victor Young<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>, as well as operas such as <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId425\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=nGLZZz61aOM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">Camille Saint-Saens<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>\u2019s <a class=\"rId426\" href=\"https:\/\/imslp.org\/wiki\/Samson_et_Dalila,_Op.47_(Saint-Sa%C3%ABns,_Camille)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em class=\"import-url-i\">Samson et Dalila<\/em><\/a>. There are also modern songs, such as <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId427\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zS4a-DOuU9g\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">Blind Willie Johnson\u2019s \u201cSamson and Delilah\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> (most famous in the <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId428\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=RMwTK6IgXUo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">rendition by the Grateful Dead<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>). It is due to patriarchal presuppositions that a powerful, independent, seductive woman tends to be evaluated or even prejudged negatively. There are several striking songs by female songwriters and vocalists about Samson sung from the perspective of Delilah or that at least take that as their starting point for a broader exploration of a romantic relationship. Listen to <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId429\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=p62rfWxs6a8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">Regina Spektor\u2019s \u201cSamson\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> and also this <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId430\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionprof\/2018\/05\/samson-and-cain-songs-by-madi-blair.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">song by Madi Blair<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span> written as a project in the class the author teaches at Butler University. There is also an <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><a class=\"rId431\" href=\"https:\/\/imslp.org\/wiki\/Samson,_HWV_57_(Handel,_George_Frideric)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><span class=\"import-url\">oratorio<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>, <a class=\"rId432\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=vTDLmXh_fUU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em class=\"import-url-i\">Samson<\/em><\/a> by G. F. Handel. The chapters that follow on Song of Songs \/ Song of Solomon and Salome will explore other examples of romance in (or introduced into the elaboration of stories in) the Bible in conjunction with the musical treatment thereof.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--key-takeaways\">\n<header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<p class=\"textbox__title\">For Further Reading<\/p>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<p class=\"import-sbul hanging-indent\" style=\"margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 36pt;\">Clanton, Dan W. <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><em class=\"import-i\">Daring, Disreputable, and Devout: Interpreting the Bible\u2019s Women in the Arts and Music<\/em><\/span>. New York: T &amp; T Clark\/Continuum, 2009.<\/p>\n<p class=\"import-sbul hanging-indent\" style=\"margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 36pt;\">Fauquet, Jo\u00ebl-Marie. \u201cLes Deux Versions De \u2018Ruth\u2019 (1845\/1871). Essai D\u2019interpr\u00e9tation D\u2019un Double Succ\u00e8s.\u201d <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><em class=\"import-i\">Revue Belge De Musicologie \/ Belgisch Tijdschrift Voor Muziekwetenschap<\/em><\/span> 45 (1991): 97\u2013108.<\/p>\n<p class=\"import-sbul hanging-indent\" style=\"margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 36pt;\">Leneman, Helen, <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><em class=\"import-i\">The Performed Bible: The Story of Ruth in Opera and Oratorio<\/em><\/span>. Sheffield, UK: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2007.<\/p>\n<p class=\"import-sbul hanging-indent\" style=\"margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 36pt;\">Locke, Ralph P. \u201cConstructing the Oriental \u2018Other\u2019: Saint-Sa\u00ebns\u2019s \u2018Samson et Dalila.\u2019\u201d <span style=\"border: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0;\"><em class=\"import-i\">Cambridge Opera Journal<\/em><\/span> 3, no. 3 (1991): 261\u2013302.<\/p>\n<p class=\"import-sbul hanging-indent\" style=\"margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 36pt;\">Sallinger, E. \u201cSaint-Saens\u2019 \u2018Other\u2019: Orientalism in Samson et Dalila.\u201d MA thesis, Duquesne University, 2010.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<hr class=\"before-footnotes clear\" \/><div class=\"footnotes\"><ol><li id=\"footnote-43-1\">This recording was provided to YouTube by NAXOS of America. <a href=\"#return-footnote-43-1\" class=\"return-footnote\" aria-label=\"Return to footnote 1\">&crarr;<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/div>","protected":false},"author":3,"menu_order":7,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"part":110,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/thebibleandmusic\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/43"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/thebibleandmusic\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/thebibleandmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/thebibleandmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/thebibleandmusic\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/43\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":913,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/thebibleandmusic\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/43\/revisions\/913"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/thebibleandmusic\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/110"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/thebibleandmusic\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/43\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/thebibleandmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/thebibleandmusic\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=43"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/thebibleandmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=43"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/thebibleandmusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=43"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}