Le devin du village
| Le devin du village | |
|---|---|
Château de Fontainebleau |
Le devin du village ("The Village Soothsayer") is a one-act French
Académie Royale de Musique for which the text and music were by the same author.[1]
It was first performed on 18 October 1752 before the royal court at
Fontainebleau, and for the public, on 1 March 1753 at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal in Paris. King Louis XV loved the piece so much that he offered Rousseau the great honor of a life pension. Rousseau refused the honor. However, the opera became one of the most popular of its day and brought him both wealth and fame. The opera was also performed at the wedding of the future Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette
.
An English translation by
Mozart
.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 18 October 1752[2] (Conductor:) |
|---|---|---|
| Colin | haute-contre | Pierre Jélyotte |
| Colette | soprano | Marie Fel |
| The Soothsayer | basse-taille (bass-baritone) | Cuvillier fils[3] |
Synopsis
Colin and Colette love one another, yet they suspect each other of being unfaithful — in Colin's case, with the lady of the manor, and in Colette's with a courtier. They each seek the advice and support of the village soothsayer in order to reinforce their love. After a series of deceptions, Colin and Colette reconcile and are happily married.
Recordings
- Michel Roux as the soothsayer, Louis de Fromentconductor. Recorded April 1956. cpo 999 559-2
- Gabriela Bürgler as Colette, Michael Feyfar as Colin, Dominik Wörner as the soothsayer, Andreas Reize conducting the Cantus Firmus Consort, on period instruments. Recorded live August 2006. cpo 777 260-2
References
Notes
- ^ Pitou 1985, p. 158.
- ^ Parfaict 1767, vol. 6, p. 227 and Pitou, p. 159.
- ^ The ascription of the role to Louis-Antoine Cuvelier père, proposed by "Performances: "Le Devin de village" at césar Archived 2012-07-24 at archive.today, is to be considered inaccurate: the singer, who was a tenor and not a basse-taille, had been retired in 1750 (Pitou, p. 130).
Sources
- .
- Pitou, Spire, The Paris Opéra. An Encyclopedia of Operas, Ballets, Composers, and Performers – Rococo and Romantic, 1715-1815, Greenwood Press, Westport/London, 1985 (ISBN 0-313-24394-8)
- Robinson, Philip EJ (1992), 'Devin du Village. Le' in The ISBN 0-333-73432-7
External links
- Libretto (in French) at the Wayback Machine (archived April 23, 2009). (Originally at the ATHENA site.)
- Listening examples of Le devin du village
- Le Devin du village: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
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