Ba-ta-clan
Encyclopedia
Ba-ta-clan is a "chinoiserie
musicale", or operetta
, in one act by Jacques Offenbach
to an original French
libretto
by Ludovic Halévy
. It was first performed at Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens
, Paris
, on 29 December 1855. The operetta uses set numbers and spoken dialogue and runs about one hour.
Ba-ta-clan was Offenbach's first big success. The witty piece satirised everything from contemporary politics to grand opera conventions. It was frequently revived in Paris, London and New York for decades, and Offenbach eventually expanded it as a full-length piece with a cast of eleven. Offenbach's early operettas were small-scale one-act works, since the law in France limited musical theatre works (other than grand opera
) to one-act pieces with no more than three singers and, perhaps, some mute characters.http://www.musicals101.com/operetta.htm In 1858, this law was changed, and Offenbach was able to offer full-length works, beginning with Orpheus in the Underworld
.
-speaking kingdom, become embroiled in a plot to overthrow the king. After a lot of difficulty communicating, a bit of dancing and revolutionary singing, and a little conjugation, all ends happily.
)
Jacques Offenbach: Ba-Ta-Clan, L'ensemble instrumental de Basse-Normandie
Chinoiserie
Chinoiserie, a French term, signifying "Chinese-esque", and pronounced ) refers to a recurring theme in European artistic styles since the seventeenth century, which reflect Chinese artistic influences...
musicale", or operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
, in one act by Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
to an original French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Ludovic Halévy
Ludovic Halévy
Ludovic Halévy was a French author and playwright. He was half Jewish : his Jewish father had converted to Christianity prior to his birth, to marry his mother, née Alexandrine Lebas.-Biography:Ludovic Halévy was born in Paris...
. It was first performed at Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens
Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens
The Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens is a Parisian theatre which was founded in 1855 by the composer Jacques Offenbach for the performance of opéra bouffe and operetta. The current theatre is located in the 2nd arrondissement at 4 rue Monsigny with an entrance at the back at 65 Passage Choiseul. In...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, on 29 December 1855. The operetta uses set numbers and spoken dialogue and runs about one hour.
Ba-ta-clan was Offenbach's first big success. The witty piece satirised everything from contemporary politics to grand opera conventions. It was frequently revived in Paris, London and New York for decades, and Offenbach eventually expanded it as a full-length piece with a cast of eleven. Offenbach's early operettas were small-scale one-act works, since the law in France limited musical theatre works (other than grand opera
Grand Opera
Grand opera is a genre of 19th-century opera generally in four or five acts, characterised by large-scale casts and orchestras, and lavish and spectacular design and stage effects, normally with plots based on or around dramatic historic events...
) to one-act pieces with no more than three singers and, perhaps, some mute characters.http://www.musicals101.com/operetta.htm In 1858, this law was changed, and Offenbach was able to offer full-length works, beginning with Orpheus in the Underworld
Orpheus in the Underworld
Orphée aux enfers is an opéra bouffon , or opéra féerie in its revised version, by Jacques Offenbach. The French text was written by Ludovic Halévy and later revised by Hector-Jonathan Crémieux....
.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, December 29, 1855 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Fé-an-nich-ton | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
Dalmont |
| Ké-ki-ka-ko | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
Jean-François Berthelier |
| Ko-ko-ri-ko | baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... |
Guyot |
| Fé-ni-han | tenor | Pradeau |
| First conspirator | tenor | |
| Second conspirator | tenor | |
Synopsis
Two French expatriates in "Che-i-noor," a distant ChineseChinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
-speaking kingdom, become embroiled in a plot to overthrow the king. After a lot of difficulty communicating, a bit of dancing and revolutionary singing, and a little conjugation, all ends happily.
Recordings
Jacques Offenbach: Ba-Ta-Clan, Orchestre Jean-François Paillard, Chorale Philippe Caillard- Conductor: Marcel Couraud
- Principal singers: Huguette Boulangeot (Fé-an-nich-ton), Raymond Amade (Ké-ki-ka-ko), Rémy Corazza (Fé-ni-han), René Terrasson (Ko-ko-ri-ko)
- Recording date: 1959
- Label: ERATO 063-19 989-2 (CD, with
Les bavards
Les bavards is an opéra bouffe, or operetta, by Jacques Offenbach, with a French libretto by Charles-Louis-Étienne Nuitter based on a story originally by Cervantes, ‘Los dos habladores’.-Performance history:...
)
Jacques Offenbach: Ba-Ta-Clan, L'ensemble instrumental de Basse-Normandie
- Conductor: Dominique Debart
- Principal singers: Maryse Castets (Fé-an-nich-ton), Vincent Vittoz (Ké-ki-ka-ko), Bernard van der Meersch (Fé-ni-han), Michel Hubert (Ko-ko-ri-ko)
- Recording date: 1986
- Label: Pluriel PL 3374 (CD)
See also
- Libretto in WikiSource
- Fisch-Ton-KanFisch-Ton-KanFisch-Ton-Kan is an opéra bouffe in one act by Emmanuel Chabrier of which only some numbers survive. The French libretto was by Paul Verlaine, and probably Lucien Viotti, after the 'parade chinoise' Fich-Tong-Khan ou L'orphelin de le Tartarie of 1835 by Thomas Sauvage and Gabriel de Lurieu .The...
by Emmanuel ChabrierEmmanuel ChabrierEmmanuel Chabrier was a French Romantic composer and pianist. Although known primarily for two of his orchestral works, España and Joyeuse marche, he left an important corpus of operas , songs, and piano music as well...
. First performed in 1875.