1.
Jean-Philippe Rameau
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Jean-Philippe Rameau was one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the Baroque era. He replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of French opera and is considered the leading French composer for the harpsichord of his time. He was almost 50 before he embarked on the career on which his reputation chiefly rests today. His debut, Hippolyte et Aricie, caused a stir and was fiercely attacked by the supporters of Lullys style of music for its revolutionary use of harmony. Rameaus music had gone out of fashion by the end of the 18th century, today, he enjoys renewed appreciation with performances and recordings of his music ever more frequent. The details of Rameaus life are obscure, especially concerning his first forty years. He was a man, and even his wife knew nothing of his early life. Rameaus early years are particularly obscure and he was born on 25 September 1683 in Dijon, and baptised the same day. His father, Jean, worked as an organist in churches around Dijon. The couple had children, of whom Jean-Philippe was the seventh. Rameau was taught music before he could read or write and he was educated at the Jesuit college at Godrans, but he was not a good pupil and disrupted classes with his singing, later claiming that his passion for opera had begun at the age of twelve. Initially intended for the law, Rameau decided he wanted to be a musician, and his father sent him to Italy, on his return, he worked as a violinist in travelling companies and then as an organist in provincial cathedrals before moving to Paris for the first time. Here, in 1706, he published his earliest known compositions, the works that make up his first book of Pièces de clavecin. In 1709, he moved back to Dijon to take over his fathers job as organist in the main church, the contract was for six years, but Rameau left before then and took up similar posts in Lyon and Clermont. During this period, he composed motets for church performance as well as secular cantatas, in 1722, he returned to Paris for good, and here he published his most important work of music theory, Traité de lharmonie. This soon won him a reputation, and it was followed in 1726 by his Nouveau système de musique théorique. In 1724 and 1729, he published two more collections of harpsichord pieces. Rameau took his first tentative steps into composing music when the writer Alexis Piron asked him to provide songs for his popular comic plays written for the Paris Fairs
2.
Hippolyte et Aricie
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Hippolyte et Aricie was the first opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau. It was premiered to great controversy by the Académie Royale de Musique at its theatre in the Palais-Royal in Paris on October 1,1733, the French libretto, by Abbé Simon-Joseph Pellegrin, is based on Racines tragedy Phèdre. The opera takes the form of a tragédie en musique with an allegorical prologue followed by five acts. Early audiences found little else conventional about the work, I have been a follower of the stage since I was 12 years old. I only began work on an opera when I was 50, I still didnt think I was capable, I tried my hand, I was lucky, I continued. Rameau was almost 50 when he wrote Hippolyte et Aricie and there was little in his life to suggest he was about to embark on a new career as an opera composer. He was famous for his works on music theory as well as books of harpsichord pieces, the closest he had come to writing dramatic music was composing a few secular cantatas and some popular pieces for the Paris fairs for his friend Alexis Piron. Yet Rameaus eagerness to write an opera is shown by a letter he wrote in October 1727 to Antoine Houdar de La Motte asking for a libretto, the turning point finally came in 1732. In February that year, Michel Montéclairs tragédie en musique Jephté premiered at the Paris Opéra, Rameau was said to be so impressed by the opera that he approached its librettist, Pellegrin, for a tragédie en musique of his own. The result was Hippolyte et Aricie, in spring 1733, the new opera was given a run-through either at the house of Rameaus patron, La Pouplinière, or at that of the Prince de Carignan. It went into rehearsal at the Opéra in July, even at this stage there were problems and Rameau had to cut the second Trio des Parques in the second act because the performers found it too hard to play. This was just a foretaste of the difficulties to come when Hippolyte et Aricie received its premiere on 1 October, Tragédie en musique had been invented as a genre by Lully and his librettist Quinault in the 1670s and 1680s. Their works had held the stage ever since and come to be regarded as a French national institution, when Hippolyte et Aricie made its debut, many in the audience were delighted, praising Rameau as the Orpheus of our century. André Campra was struck by the richness of invention, There is enough music in this opera to make ten of them, others, however, felt the music was bizarre and dissonant. They saw Rameaus work as an assault on Lullian opera and French musical tradition, then suddenly the Ramellian aesthetic played havoc with the confidence of the French in their patrimony, assaulted their national opera that they hoped was unchangeable. Structurally, Hippolyte followed the established by Lully, a French overture followed by a prologue and five acts, each with its own divertissement containing dances, solos. Musically, however, it was different, especially the orchestration. Rameau had rethought everything apart from the recitative and petits airs, the dominant feeling among those hostile to the opera was that there was an excess of music, too much accompaniment, too many symphonies and too many notes
3.
Les Indes galantes
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Les Indes galantes is a ballet héroïque by Jean-Philippe Rameau with libretto by Louis Fuzelier. The ballets Premier Menuet was used in the soundtrack of the 2006 film Marie Antoinette, in 1725, French settlers in Illinois sent Chief Agapit Chicagou of the Mitchigamea and five other chiefs to Paris. On 25 November 1725, they met with King Louis XV, Chicagou had a letter read pledging allegiance to the crown. They later danced three kinds of dances in the Théâtre-Italien, inspiring Rameau to compose his rondeau Les Sauvages, the premiere met with a lukewarm reception from the audience and, at the third performance, a new entrée was added under the title Les Fleurs. However, this caused further discontent because it showed the hero disguised as a woman, as a result, it was revised for the first time and this version was staged on 11 September. Nevertheless, when it was mounted again on 10 March 1736, now in something approaching a definitive form, the opera enjoyed six performances in March and was then mounted again as of 27 December. Further revivals were held in 1743-1744,1751 and 1761 for a total of 185 billings. The prologue, Les Incas and Les Sauvages were last given respectively in 1771,1772 and 1773, in the 1st Entrée, Jacqueline Brumaire sang Emilie, Jean Giraudeau was Valère and Hugo Santana was Osman, the dancers were Mlle Bourgeois and M Legrand. In the 2nd Entrée, Marisa Ferrer was Phani, Georges Noré was don Carlos, the 3rd Entrée, had Janine Micheau as Fatima, side by side with Denise Duval as Zaïre. Giraudeau was Tacmas and Jacques Jansen, the famous Pelléas, was Ali, with Mlle Bardin dancing as the Rose, Mlle Dayde as the Butterfly, Ritz as Zéphir and Renault as a Persian. The 4th Entrée, had Mme Géori Boué, as Zima, with José Luccioni as Adario, Raoul Jobin as Damon, the dancing for this act was executed by Mlles Darsonval, Lafon and Guillot and Messieurs Kalioujny and Efimoff. Scene, The palace of Hebe in the background and her gardens in the wings Hebe, goddess of youth, young French, Spanish, Italians and Poles rush to celebrate with a series of dances, including a musette. The ballet is interrupted by the noise of drums and trumpets and it is Bellona, goddess of war, who arrives on the stage accompanied by warriors bearing flags. Bellona calls on the youths to seek out military glory, Hebe prays to Cupid to use his power to hold them back. Cupid descends on a cloud with his followers and he decides to abandon Europe in favour of the Indies, where love is more welcome. Osman urges her to give up hope that her fiancé is still alive, the sky turns dark as a storm brews, Émilie sees the violent weather as an image of her despair. A chorus of shipwrecked sailors is heard, Émilie laments that they too will be taken captive. She recognises one of the sailors as her fiancé Valère and their joy at their reunion is tempered by sadness at the thought they are both slaves now
4.
Castor et Pollux
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Castor et Pollux is an opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau, first performed on 24 October 1737 by the Académie royale de musique at its theatre in the Palais-Royal in Paris. The librettist was Pierre-Joseph-Justin Bernard, whose reputation as a salon poet it made and this was the third opera by Rameau and his second in the form of the tragédie en musique. Rameau made substantial cuts, alterations and added new material to the opera for its revival in 1754, experts still dispute which of the two versions is superior. Whatever the case, Castor et Pollux has always regarded as one of Rameaus finest works. Dill notes that in contrast, the 1754 version begins with more background behind the story of Telaires love for Castor. The events in Act I of the 1737 version appear in Act II of the 1754 version, Dill claims that Voltaire was more interested in music than action in opera. Moreover, Dill notes a difference in the plots between in the two versions, in the 1737 version, the main concern is for the moral dilemma between love and duty that Pollux faces, should he pursue his love of Telaira or rescue his brother. Of course, he chooses the latter, while some scholars have assumed that the 1754 version was superior, Dill argues that Rameau made the changes of 1754 at a different point in his career. In 1737, he was testing the limits of tragedie lyrique, thus, Dill proposes that there may have been some commercial concerns behind the change in aesthetic in 1754, as the revised version conformed more to the traditional Lullian aesthetic. He comments that many see the revision as more innovative. Castor et Pollux appeared in 1737 while the controversy ignited by Rameaus first opera Hippolyte et Aricie was still raging, conservative critics held the works of the father of French opera, Jean-Baptiste Lully, to be unsurpassable. They saw Rameaus radical musical innovations as an attack on all they held dear and this controversy ensured that the premiere of Castor would be a noteworthy event. Rameau had not altered the structure of Lullys tragédie lyrique genre. He had simply expanded the resources available to French opera composers. While some welcomed Rameaus new idiom, more conservative listeners found it unappealing, on the one hand, Rameaus supporter Diderot remarked, Old Lulli is simple, natural, even, too even sometimes, and this is a defect. Young Rameau is singular, brilliant, complex, learned, too learned sometimes, on the other hand, the complaint of the Lullistes was that Rameaus musical idiom was far more expressive that Lullys and went so far as to call it distastefully Italianate. For example, where Lully has contained musical expression, Rameaus recitative style included much wider melodic leaps in contrast to Lullys more declamatory style. This can be heard clearly, for example, in the opening recitative between Phoebe and Cleone in Act I, scene 1 of the 1754 revised version, additionally, he added a richer harmonic vocabulary that included ninth chords
5.
Dardanus (opera)
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Dardanus is a tragédie lyrique in five acts by Jean-Philippe Rameau. The French libretto was by Charles-Antoine Leclerc de La Bruère and it was first performed by the Académie de musique at its theatre in the Palais-Royal in Paris on 19 November 1739. It received 26 performances, mainly because of the support from Rameaus followers in the dispute between the styles of Rameau and Lully, critics accused Rameaus original opera of lacking a coherent plot. The inclusion of the sea monster also violated the French operatic convention of having a purpose for encounters with supernatural beings. In 1744, and again in 1760, Dardanus was revised extensively in an attempt to correct its shortcomings, large portions of the score were sacrificed in favour of plot but some scenes as arresting as the Prison scene were added in the process. The opera was produced in Sydney in November-December 2005, by Pinchgut Opera. In France it was revived again in October-November 2009, at Lille, Caen and Dijon, conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm, the original story is loosely based on that of Dardanus. However, in the opera, Dardanus is at war with King Teucer, Dardanus and Iphise meet, through the intervention of the magician Isménor, and fall in love. Dardanus attacks a monster ravaging Teucers kingdom, saving the life of Anténor who is attempting, unsuccessfully, Teucer and Dardanus make peace, the latter marrying Iphise. 1980, Raymond Leppard recorded Dardanus with Frederica von Stade as Iphise, Leppard otherwise followed the 1744 version of the opera. Also in the cast are Christiane Eda-Pierre, Georges Gautier, José van Dam, Roger Soyer,1998, Marc Minkowski recorded Dardanus with John Mark Ainsley as Dardanus, Véronique Gens as Iphise and Laurent Naouri as Anténor. Minkowskis Musiciens du Louvre used period instruments in this recording and Minkowski followed the original 1739 version of the opera with the addition of two numbers from the 1744 version, the recording has been described as an invaluable addition to the Rameau discography. The role of Dardanus was played by British tenor Paul Agnew, with Paul Whelan as Antenor, Kathryn McCusker as Iphise, conducted by Antony Walker, the performance was the first production of a Rameau opera in Australia on period instruments. The production was recorded by ABC Classics, lajarte, Théodore, Bibliothèque Musicale du Théatre de lOpéra. Catalogue Historique, Chronologique, Anecdotique, Paris, Librairie des bibliophiles,1878, Tome I, ad nomen, pp
6.
La princesse de Navarre
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La princesse de Navarre is a comédie-ballet with music by Jean-Philippe Rameau and words by Voltaire, first performed on 23 February 1745 at La Grande Ecurie, Versailles. It was commissioned to celebrate the marriage of the Infanta Maria Teresa Rafaela of Spain to Louis, La princesse de Navarre opened the wedding festivities, while another new Rameau opera, Platée, closed them. The piece takes the form of a comédie-ballet, effectively a play with an amount of incidental music, recalling the collaborations of Molière. Voltaire was an admirer of Rameau, even considering him too good a composer for such a task. Nevertheless, Rameau wrote around an hour of music for the play, including an overture, little of it has much bearing on the main action of the drama which concerns the complicated love life of the eponymous mediaeval princess. Voltaire found Rameau to be a demanding and critical collaborator, leading the dramatist to declare, the production was a spectacular one, involving no less than 180 extras. Voltaire complained about the acoustics of the hall in which it was staged claiming the ceiling was so high that the actors appeared pygmies, nevertheless, the music was a critical success. Much of the material was reworked to produce another opera, Les fêtes de Ramire and she manages to escape from prison in disguise and takes refuge with Don Morillo, but she is recognised by the young Alamir. Alamir falls in love with Constance and rejects Don Morillo’s daughter Sanchette, the act ends with a divertissement in which warriors, gypsies and astrologers entertain the lords and ladies. The king demands the return of Constance but Alamir vows to protect her, Alamir’s army, in alliance with the French, defeats the Castilians. Constance feels herself falling more and more in love with Alamir but she is reluctant to hurt Sanchette, the Graces distract her from her cares with a divertissement. Alamir returns from battle in triumph and reveals his identity as the Duke of Foix. He and Constance can now marry and the ends with a divertissement led by Cupid against the backdrop of the Pyrenees. ISBN 0-14-029312-4 Sadler, Graham, The New Grove French Baroque Masters Grove/Macmillan,1988 Sawkins, Lionel, Booklet notes to the McGegan recording
7.
Le temple de la Gloire
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Le temple de la Gloire is an opéra-ballet by Jean-Philippe Rameau with a libretto by Voltaire. The work was first performed in a version on 27 November 1745 at the Grande Écurie. It transferred, unsuccessfully, to the Paris Opéra on 7 December 1745, a revised version, in a prologue and three acts, appeared at the Opéra on 19 April 1746. Apollo condemns Envy to be chained eternally to the foot of the temple, the prologue ends with a celebration of peace and the arts. Scene, The grove of the Muses with the Temple of Glory in the background King Bélus has deserted his love, Lydie seeks consolation with the Muses and the local shepherds and shepherdesses try to comfort her with their dances. The gods have rejected his claim to enter the Temple of Glory because of his tyranny, Lydie and the shepherds persuade him that a true king should spread happiness among his people rather than wage war. Scene, Outside the Temple of Glory Bacchuss followers celebrate his conquest of Asia, Bacchus boasts of his invention of wine to his lover Érigone. As he approaches the Temple of Glory the High Priest forbids him to enter, he may have won fame by spreading drunken debauchery, undiscouraged, Bacchus and his followers set off on their travels again. Scene, The city of Artaxata, partially in ruins, the Emperor Trajans wife Plautine has followed him to Armenia where he is fighting to crush a rebellion by five kings. Plautine persuades the priests of Mars and the priestesses of Venus to pray for Trajans success in battle, Trajan returns victorious with the conquered kings in chains, but he magnanimously forgives them and has them freed. Glory descends from the skies to offer Trajan a laurel wreath, Trajan says he is not worthy of such a great honour and asks for the gods to transform it into the Temple of Happiness for all the world instead. ISBN 0-14-029312-4 Sadler, Graham, The New Grove French Baroque Masters Grove/Macmillan,1988 Rameau Le Site
8.
Les surprises de l'Amour
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Les surprises de lAmour is an opéra-ballet in two entrées and a prologue by the French composer Jean-Philippe Rameau. It was first performed in Versailles on 27 November 1748, the opera is set to a libretto by Gentil-Bernard. In its first form, the work was composed of an allegorical prologue relating to the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, Le retour d’Astrée, and of two entrées, La lyre enchantée and Adonis. Les surprises de l’amour was the first opera written by Rameau for the Théâtre des Petits Appartements and was also his first work that was given in the course of its programmes. The work was revived at the Paris Opéra in 1757 to inaugurate the new directors, François Francœur, the prologue, which was no longer relevant, was cut, and a new overture was performed in its place. The two original entrées were heavily revised, Adonis was renamed L’enlèvement d’Adonis and a third entry and its first run lasted until 14 August 1757, but only its second and third entrées were performed after 10 July. Spire Pitou partly shared Sadler’s appreciation, he states that Rameau’s most striking passage in Les Surprises de l’Amour was the music in concluding act. Cupid himself descends into the forest and approaches Adonis in order to him from Diana and to hand him over to Venus. When Venus arrives upon the scene, she succeeds in getting the better of Adonis’ scruples and, supported by Cupid. When Diana enters the scene, she charges Cupid with the abduction of credulous Adonis and entreats vengeance of heaven, since Adonis refuses to reveal himself, Diana decides to withdraw for fear of possibly choosing Cupid, her bitterest enemy. The entrée ends in a chorus accompanied by a general dance. Topic, struggle between love and indifference The scene is laid in a valley at the foot of Montparnasse. The muse re-enters looking for Linus and picks the instrument, a simple touch being enough to make her sing a song of love for him despite herself. The entrée closes with a performed by the Muses and Sirens under the guidance of Terpsichore. As the Bacchantes go off the stage and Lycoris, as a symbol of love, is driven away, a ravishing sweet music slowly sends the whole drunken party to sleep. In his dreams Anacreon is visited by Cupid and informed that Lycoris is dying of grief because she has been deserted for Bacchus by the man she is in love with. As he realises he is such a man, Anacreon throws himself at Cupid’s feet imploring the god to return Lycoris to him, the entrée ends in a chorus and in a contredanse accompanied by sistrums and other Bacchic instruments. Les surprises de lAmour The orchestra and chorus of Les Nouveaux Caractères, notes Sources Lever, Évelyne, Madame de Pompadour, Perrin, Paris,2000, ISBN 978-2-262-01225-0 Pitou, Spire, The Paris Opéra
9.
Pigmalion (opera)
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For the opera by Georg Benda see Pygmalion Pigmalion is an opera in the form of a one-act acte de ballet by Jean-Philippe Rameau first performed on 27 August 1748 at the Opéra in Paris. The libretto is by Ballot de Sauvot, the work has generally been regarded as the best of Rameaus one-act pieces. He was said to have composed the work in eight days, the story is based on the myth of Pygmalion as told in Ovids Metamorphoses. In Rameau and de Sovots version, the sculptor Pigmalion creates a statue to which he declares his love. His girlfriend, Céphise, begs for attention, Pigmalion spurns her, magically the statue enlivens, sings, and dances, Cupid arrives and praises Pigmalion for his artistry and faith in his powers. Much celebratory dancing and singing follows, attesting to the power of love, Cupid helpfully finds another lover for Céphise. ISBN 0-14-029312-4 Lajarte, Théodore Bibliothèque Musicale du Théatre de lOpéra, catalogue Historique, Chronologique, Anecdotique, Tome 1, Paris, Librairie des bibliophiles,1878 Sadler, Graham, ed. The New Grove French Baroque Masters Grove/Macmillan,1988 Lambert, Kevin, Hearing Pygmalion’s Kiss, A Scientific Object at the Paris Opéra, Physics in Perspective 16, no
10.
Zoroastre
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Zoroastre is an opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau, first performed on 5 December 1749 by the Opéra in the first Salle du Palais-Royal in Paris. The libretto is by Louis de Cahusac, Zoroastre was the fourth of Rameaus tragédies en musique to be staged and the last to appear during the composers own lifetime. Audiences gave the version a lukewarm reception, so Rameau. This time the work was a success and this is the version generally heard today. Zoroastres premiere in 1749 was not a success, despite the magnificence of the staging, Rameau and Cahusac decided to rework the opera completely before offering it to the public again in 1756. Acts 2,3 and 5 were heavily rewritten and there were modifications to the plot. Zoroastre was chosen to open the new Paris opera house on January 26,1770 and it was also translated into Italian by Casanova for a performance in Dresden in 1752, although some of Rameaus music was replaced by that of the ballet master Adam. Its first modern revival was in a version at the Schola Cantorum. There was good reason for this, as Graham Sadler writes, the opera is a thinly disguised portrayal of Freemasonry. Cahusac, the librettist, was a leading French Mason and many of his works celebrate the ideals of the Enlightenment, including Zoroastre. When the opera opens, Bactria is in chaos after the death of its king, both are in love with Zoroastre, who is devoted to Amélite. Abramane has taken the opportunity to send Zoroastre into exile, the sorcerer also plots to seize the throne with Erinice, who wants revenge on Zoroastre for rejecting her love. Abramane conjures up demons to capture Amélite, Zoroastre is in exile at the palace of the king of the good genies, Oromasès. Oromasès tells Zoroastre to go and rescue Amélite and destroy the forces of evil and he puts Zoroastre through a magic initiation ritual to prepare him for the task. In the dungeons of the fortress of Bactria, Abramane and Erinice are torturing Amélite to force her to renounce the throne and he releases Amélite and destroys the fortress with his magic powers. Amélite is presented as queen to her joyful Bactrian subjects, Abramane and Erinice quarrel over the disaster that has befallen their plans. Abramane hides Erinice in a cloud, at dawn, Zoroastre, Amélite and the Bactrian people assemble to worship the Supreme Being then celebrate the marriage of Zoroastre and Amélite. As the wedding takes place, Abramane arrives on a fiery chariot
11.
La guirlande
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La guirlande is an opera by the French composer Jean-Philippe Rameau with a libretto by Jean-François Marmontel. It takes the form of an acte de ballet and it debuted on 21 September 1751 at the Paris Opéra. The primary theme is faithfulness, as shown by the characters of two pastoral shepherds, the story occurs in Arcadia, an idealized area of Greece that was a popular setting in the pastoral literature of the time. This was the first of Rameaus stage works to be revived in the modern era, after witnessing this performance, Debussy declared, Vive Rameau. Zélide and her lover Myrtil have magic garlands which will stay fresh, however, Myrtil falls for Amaryllis and his garland begins to wither and die. Regretting his action, Myrtil places his garland on the altar of Cupid in the hope that the god will rejuvenate it, Zélide finds Myrtils wilted garland and swaps it for her own. Upon returning to the altar, Myrtil finds his garland apparently restored to life, praising the god, he returns to Zélide, only to find her with a withered garland of her own. Myrtil refuses to believe Zélide has been unfaithful to him, despite evidence to the contrary and it is this forgiveness that eventually saves the day. Both the lovers garlands are restored and they all happily ever after. La Guirlande was the first of several collaborations between Rameau and Marmontel, much of the music was borrowed from an earlier opera by Rameau, Le temple de la gloire, which had been a failure. The modern musicologist Cuthbert Girdlestone described the work thus, It is a piece of Dresden-china Rameau. ISBN 0-14-029312-4 Sadler, Graham, Booklet notes to the Christie recording
12.
Les sibarites
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Les sibarites is an opera in the form of a one-act acte de ballet by Jean-Philippe Rameau, first performed on 13 November 1753 at Fontainebleau. The libretto is by Jean-François Marmontel and it tells the story of a war between Sybaris and Croton. The conflict ends when the king and queen of the two fall in love with each other. The work was incorporated into a revival of Rameaus opéra-ballet Les surprises de lAmour in 1757. Scene, The stage shows a verdant amphitheatre covered with trees forming a bower, in the background is a throne covered by a canopy of flowers. Queen Hersilide is sitting on the throne, the people of Sybaris celebrate the coronation of their new queen. Agis and Philoé trust she will maintain the Sybarite tradition of devotion to pleasure, Hersilide pledges that her reign will bring love and happiness. The Sybarite festivities are interrupted by the noise of war. Agis brings news that the city of Crotone is invading Sybaris. Hersilide is undaunted and tells her people to offer flowers to the belligerent Crotoniates, left alone, she prays to Cupid to aid her. The Crotoniates arrive under their leader Astole, who rejects the Sybarites flowers, however, when he sees Hersilide he begins to fall in love with her. Astole says he has come to teach the Sybarites to throw off their idleness and acquire a thirst for glory, eventually, he agrees to let the Sybarites live under their own laws and confesses the power of Cupid. The opera ends with the Sybarites and the Crotoniates celebrating together, ISBN 0-14-029312-4 Sadler, Graham, The New Grove French Baroque Masters Grove/Macmillan,1988
13.
La naissance d'Osiris
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La naissance dOsiris, ou La fête Pamilie is a one-act opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau, first performed on 12 October 1754 at Fontainebleau to celebrate the birth of the future King Louis XVI. The libretto is by Rameaus frequent collaborator Louis de Cahusac, Cahusac styled the work a ballet allégorique, but it is usually categorised as an acte de ballet. Its slender plot tells of Jupiters announcement to a group of Egyptian shepherds of the birth of the god Osiris, who symbolises the baby prince. The piece may have started life as part of a work, Les beaux jours de lAmour. Musicologists now think that Rameau and Cahusac originally intended La naissance dOsiris to be part of a multi-act opéra-ballet called Les beaux jours de lAmour, there is some evidence this work was substantially complete by May 1751, but for unknown reasons it was never staged. The other acts were Nélée et Myrthis and Anacréon, first performed separately at Fontainebleau on 23 October 1754, the Rameau scholar Sylvie Bouissou believes that La naissance would have been the first act of Les beaux jours de lAmour. Like Anacréon, La naissance dOsiris was salvaged for performance before the court at Fontainebleau and it thus became one of a series of operas celebrating the births of the children of the Dauphin of France and his wife Maria Josepha. On this occasion the royal baby was the Duc de Berry, the conductor Hugo Reyne notes the historical irony of identifying Louis XVI with Osiris, a god who was murdered, just as Louis was to be guillotined in 1793. The opera appeared on 12 October 1754 as part of a bill alongside revivals of Rameaus Pigmalion. Documents show it went into rehearsal on 26 August, three days after the birth of the prince, the manuscripts show it was adapted for the occasion from Les beaux jours de lAmour, originally Pamilie was merely an unnamed shepherdess. A lengthy account of the premiere appeared in the October 1754 edition of the journal Le Mercure de France and this hero was Osiris, whom Pamyles brought up and who was subsequently one of the most illustrious benefactors of humanity. To preserve the memory of this event, the Egyptians established the Festival of Pamylia, Osiris had already featured in the first act of Rameaus opéra-ballet Les fêtes de lHymen et de lAmour. The reviewer in Le Mercure de France described the richness of the scenery in La naissance, the pillars of the temple were carved with hieroglyphics, there were sphinxes and a palm-tree. He also gave an account of the final dance in which the ballerina Mademoiselle Catinon played Cupid. The reviewer praised the singing of the prima donna Marie Fel as Pamylie, there is no evidence La naissance dOsiris was ever revived in the 18th century, probably because it was too closely linked with the occasion of the premiere. However, Rameau did reuse some of the music in his works, Anacréon, Les Paladins. The work is predominantly pastoral in style, containing four musettes, La flamme des éclairs, les éclats du tonnerre is unusually virtuosic for a bass aria. It appears that the performers found some of the music so technically challenging that it was omitted from the premiere, the overture too shows Italian influence, it is in three parts and the music of the last section is reprised in the final chorus of the opera
14.
Les Paladins
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Les Paladins is an opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau first performed on 12 February 1760 at the Paris Opera. The author of the libretto is not known for sure but was one of the Duplat de Monticourt brothers. Rameau called Les Paladins a comédie lyrique, putting it in the category as his earlier work Platée. The identity of the librettist is uncertain, in the 18th century, Charles Collé relayed the rumour that the author was Gentil-Bernard. In her 2014 biography of the composer, the Rameau specialist Sylvie Bouissou inclines slightly to the belief it was Pierre-Jacques, given his greater experience of writing for the theatre. The plot is based on a tale by La Fontaine, Le petit chien qui secoue de largent et des pierreries. Scene, An old castle near a forest Argie is in love with the paladin Atis, but her guardian, Anselme, wants to marry her himself and is holding Argie captive along with her friend Nérine. Nérine tries to charm their jailor, Orcan, into releasing them, Atis and his fellow paladins arrive disguised as pilgrims, he intends to carry Argie away with him on a pilgrimage of love. He easily overcomes Orcan, but at this moment, Anselme returns, scene, A hamlet near Anselmes castle Orcan warns Anselme about the pilgrims. Argie confesses her love for Atis to Anselme, Anselme pretends that he will give her his blessing, but once she has left, he tells Orcan to kill her. Orcan is reluctant and Nérine, realising Anselmes plan, again distracts him by pretending she is in love with him, the band of paladins, disguised as demons, give Orcan a beating. Scene, The same as Act 2 The paladins are celebrating their success when Anselme appears with a group of armed followers, Argie, Atis and their friends take refuge in the castle, which Anselme then besieges. They are saved by the fairy Manto, whom Atis once rescued, Manto magically transforms the castle into a superb palace and uses this luxury to help seduce Anselme. Argie can now point to Anselmes infidelity and he admits defeat, Argie and Atis are reunited and the opera ends with a celebration of their love. ISBN 0-14-029312-4 Sadler, Graham, The New Grove French Baroque Masters Grove/Macmillan,1988
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Io (opera)
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Io is an unfinished opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau in the form of a one-act acte de ballet. The date of its composition is unknown and it was probably unperformed during Rameaus lifetime and its unfinished state meant that it was once believed to be Rameaus last opera, but Io contains a duet which appears in revised form in Les fêtes de Polymnie. Mercury warns Jupiter that his jealous wife Juno is approaching, Jupiter tells Mercury his new love is the young nymph Io, whom he plans to seduce in the guise of a shepherd, Hylas. He has a rival in the god Apollo, who has also been wooing Io, Io enters and tells Hylas that she prefers him to Philemon, but when Philemon expresses his despair she feels sorry for him. When Jupiter conjures it away, Io realises that Hylas must be a god, the two declare their love for each other. In the next scene, La Folie announces that Apollo has abandoned Mount Parnassus, at this point, the opera breaks off. Girdlestone, Cuthbert, Jean-Philippe Rameau, His Life and Work, New York, Dover,1969 Holden, Amanda, The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York, Penguin Putnam,2001. ISBN 0-14-029312-4 Sadler, Graham, The New Grove French Baroque Masters Grove/Macmillan,1988 Sadler, Graham The Rameau Compendium Libretto at Livrets baroques
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Lost operas by Jean-Philippe Rameau
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The musical scores to several operas by the French composer Jean-Philippe Rameau have been lost. They include two major tragédies en musique, Samson and Linus, and a pastoral opera Lisis et Délie. The music to these pieces was substantially complete and was performed in rehearsal, Rameau also wrote a divertissement for Alexis Pirons play Les courses de Tempé, which did appear at the theatre in 1734. The music to all these works has been almost completely lost, Rameau also began other operatic projects, which were either abandoned at an early stage or broken up to form shorter works. Samson was a tragédie en musique in five acts and a prologue with a libretto by Voltaire, the work was never staged due to censorship, although Voltaire later printed his text. Rameau intended the opera on the theme of Samson and Delilah as the successor to his debut Hippolyte et Aricie, Voltaire had become a great admirer of Rameaus music after seeing Hippolyte and suggested a collaboration with the composer in November 1733. The opera was complete by late summer 1734 and went into rehearsal, however, a work on a religious subject with a libretto by such a notorious critic of the Church was bound to run into controversy and Samson was banned. An attempt to revive the project in a new version in 1736 also failed, Rameau recycled some of the music from Samson in his later operas. Les courses de Tempé was a drama by Alexis Piron. Both Piron and Rameau came from Dijon and the two were close friends, Rameau had provided incidental music for a number of Pirons plays at the Paris fairs in the 1720s. Les courses de Tempé was their last collaboration and it premiered at the Comédie-Française on 30 August 1734 in a double bill with a comedy called Lamant mystérieux. Rameau wrote the music for the final divertissement, which had choreography by Antoine-François Dangeville, only the vocal parts have survived. Linus was a tragédie en musique in five acts with a libretto by Charles-Antoine Leclerc de La Bruère, for reasons which remain unclear it was never staged and the music is almost completely lost. Only two manuscript copies of the libretto and two copies of the violin part survive. La Bruère completed most of the libretto by October 1749 and he initially offered it to Mondonville before handing it to Rameau in April 1750. Rameau finished the score by November and Linus went into rehearsal at the house of the Marquise de Villeroy on 10 May 1751, the rehearsals revealed some problems with the words and music of the fifth act and revisions were needed before the opera could be staged. However, this never happened because the score was lost or stolen from the Marquise de Villeroys house during confusion caused by an illness. The illness was probably Rameaus rather than Madame de Villeroys as the composer is known to have been seriously indisposed in early 1751, Lisis et Délie was a one-act pastoral opera with a libretto by Jean-François Marmontel
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