Le jeune sage et le vieux fou
Encyclopedia
Le jeune sage et le vieux fou (The Wise Young Man and the Old Fool) is an opera by the French composer Étienne Méhul
with a libretto by François-Benoît Hoffman. It takes the form of a comédie mêlée de musique (a type of opéra comique
) in one act. It was first performed at the Théâtre Favart
on 28 March 1793. A revised version appeared in 1801.
The opera was well received. A review in the Chronique de Paris of 1 April described the music as "by turns original, witty and romantic." According to David Cairns
, this marks the first reference to Romanticism
in music. The overture musically depicts the two main characters: unaccompanied flutes represent the wise young man and cellos, trombones and basses the old fool. Variations on these themes recur throughout the score.
Étienne Méhul
Etienne Nicolas Méhul was a French composer, "the most important opera composer in France during the Revolution." He was also the first composer to be called a "Romantic".-Life:...
with a libretto by François-Benoît Hoffman. It takes the form of a comédie mêlée de musique (a type of opéra comique
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...
) in one act. It was first performed at the Théâtre Favart
Opéra-Comique
The Opéra-Comique is a Parisian opera company, which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with, and for a time took the name of its chief rival the Comédie-Italienne at the Hôtel de Bourgogne, and was also called the...
on 28 March 1793. A revised version appeared in 1801.
The opera was well received. A review in the Chronique de Paris of 1 April described the music as "by turns original, witty and romantic." According to David Cairns
David Cairns
David Cairns may refer to:*David Cairns , British politician*David Cairns , rugby league footballer*David Cairns , music critic and writer...
, this marks the first reference to Romanticism
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
in music. The overture musically depicts the two main characters: unaccompanied flutes represent the wise young man and cellos, trombones and basses the old fool. Variations on these themes recur throughout the score.
Recordings
The overture appears on: Méhul Overtures, Orchestre de Bretagne, conducted by Stefan Sanderling (ASV, 2002) Catalogue number CD DCA 1140.Sources
- Adélaïde de Place Étienne Nicolas Méhul (Bleu Nuit Éditeur, 2005)
- Nicole Wild and David Charlton Théâtre de l'Opéra-Comique, Paris: Repertoire 1762-1972 (Editions Mardaga, 2005)
- Booklet notes to the Sanderling recording by Ates Orga