La fée Urgèle
Encyclopedia
La fée Urgèle, ou Ce qui plaît aux dames (The Fairy Urgèle, or What Pleases Women) is an opéra comique
(specifically a comédie mêlée d'ariettes
) in four acts by the composer Egidio Duni. The libretto
, by Charles-Simon Favart, is based on Voltaire
's Ce qui plaît aux dames and Chaucer's The Wife of Bath's Tale.
on 26 October 1765. The elaborate medieval staging cost 20,000 livres
according to Grimm
in his Correspondance littéraire. It was revived at the Comédie-Italienne
on 4 December 1765 and given over 100 times in the following years, popularizing medieval settings for other operas such as Richard Coeur-de-lion
and Aucassin et Nicolette
.
Opéra comique
Opéra comique is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged out of the popular opéra comiques en vaudevilles of the Fair Theatres of St Germain and St Laurent , which combined existing popular tunes with spoken sections...
(specifically a comédie mêlée d'ariettes
Comédie mêlée d'ariettes
Comédie mêlée d'ariettes is a form of French opéra comique that developed in the mid 18th century following the Querelle des Bouffons dispute over the respective merits of the French and Italian styles, between serious drama and comedy in opera.The best-known ones are Christoph Willibald Gluck's...
) in four acts by the composer Egidio Duni. The 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 Charles-Simon Favart, is based on Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
's Ce qui plaît aux dames and Chaucer's The Wife of Bath's Tale.
Performance history
The opera was first performed at the Théâtre Royal de la Cour at FontainebleauFontainebleau
Fontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the arrondissement of Fontainebleau...
on 26 October 1765. The elaborate medieval staging cost 20,000 livres
Livre tournois
The livre tournois |pound]]) was:#one of numerous currencies used in France in the Middle Ages; and#a unit of account used in France in the Middle Ages and the early modern period.-Circulating currency:...
according to Grimm
Friedrich Melchior, baron von Grimm
Friedrich Melchior, Baron von Grimm was a German-born French author.-Early years:Grimm was born at Regensburg, the son of a pastor...
in his Correspondance littéraire. It was revived at the Comédie-Italienne
Comédie-Italienne
Over time, there have been several buildings and several theatrical companies named the "Théâtre-Italien" or the "Comédie-Italienne" in Paris. Following the times, the theatre has shown both plays and operas...
on 4 December 1765 and given over 100 times in the following years, popularizing medieval settings for other operas such as Richard Coeur-de-lion
Richard Coeur-de-lion (opera)
Richard Coeur-de-lion is an opéra comique, described as a comédie mise en musique, by the Belgian composer André Grétry. was by Michel-Jean Sedaine. The work is generally recognised as Grétry's masterpiece and one of the most important French opéras comiques...
and Aucassin et Nicolette
Aucassin et Nicolette (opera)
Aucassin et Nicolette, ou Les moeurs du bon vieux tems is a French comédie mise en musique in four acts by André Grétry. The work was first performed at Versailles on 30 December 1779 and at the Comédie-Italienne...
.
Roles and role creators
- The old woman/Urgèle/Marton, sopranoSopranoA 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...
Marie FavartMarie FavartMarie-Justine-Benoîte Favart was an opera singer, actress, and dancer, the wife of the dramatist, Charles Simon Favart.... - Robert, a knight tenorTenorThe 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...
- Robinette, soprano
- Thérèse, soprano
- Berthe, soprano
- Lisette, soprano
- Philinte, tenor
- Licidas, tenor
- Lahire, bass
- Dennise, spoken
Synopsis
Robert is a knight imprisoned in a 7th century French court controlled by women. He must answer the question: what gives the most pleasure to women? He is obliged to agree to marry an old woman who is then transformed into the beautiful Marton.Sources
- Amadeus Online (in Italian)
- Cook, Elisabeth (1992), 'Fee Urgèle, La' in The New Grove Dictionary of OperaNew Grove Dictionary of OperaThe New Grove Dictionary of Opera is an encyclopedia of opera, considered to be one of the best general reference sources on the subject. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes....
, ed. Stanley Sadie (London) ISBN 0-333-73432-7