Les surprises de l'Amour
Encyclopedia
Les surprises de l'Amour is an opéra-ballet
in two entrées (three or four in later versions) 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
. According to the usage of the time, it was originally just billed as a "ballet" and was only later classified by scholars as an opéra-ballet, although its content might more precisely ascribe it to the ballet héroïque genre.
to celebrate the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
and premiered at the third-season opening of her Théâtre des Petits Appartements for the inauguration of the Theatre's new venue upon the Grand Escalier des Ambassadeurs (Ambassadors’ Grand Staircase) in the Palace of Versailles
, starring Madame De Pompadour herself in two of the original soprano roles, Urania and Venus. 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 specially written for the Théâtre des Petits Appartements and was also the first work by Rameau that was given in the course of its programmes. It was not particularly successful: scenery, costumes, machinery and the new theatre venue were much admired, but the opera itself got the king to openly yawn and to confess he "would like better a comedy".
The work was revived at the Paris Opéra
in 1757 to inaugurate the new directors, François Francœur and François Rebel
. 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" ("The rape of Adonis") and a third entry, "Anacréon
", was added. Its first run lasted until 14 August 1757, but only its second and third entrées were performed after 10 July (the original La lyre enchantée was replaced by a version of Les sibarites
, an acte de ballet by Rameau to a libretto by Jean-François Marmontel
, first performed in 1753). The different entrées were swapped around at various times for later performances and the "self-sufficiency of each portion of Les Surprises de l’Amour made the tripartite work a likely source of material for the programs of fragments growing popular in the years before the Revolution.
Writing in Grove Music Online
, Graham Sadler considers the air "Nouvelle Hébé, charmante Lycoris" for Anacreon's bass part and the "ravishing, chromatic sommeil" to be "especially fine", and that whole entrée to be the best piece of the opera. Despite Charles Collé
’s remark that the 1757 version "smelt of old age" (Rameau was by then 73), Sadler believes that "the new and revised music is almost invariably more interesting than that of the original", and that "the airs de ballet are, as always, amazingly inventive". Spire Pitou partly shared Sadler’s appreciation, he states that "Rameau’s most striking passage in Les Surprises de l’Amour was the 'sleep music' in [the] concluding act".
The scene is laid in a vast forest sacred to Diana
, where Adonis
(soprano en travesti), as a follower of the chaste goddess, abhors love as a terrible monster jeopardizing humans’ peace of mind, but at the same time complains about no longer feeling the lure of sylvan life. Cupid
himself (soprano en travesti) descends into the forest and approaches Adonis in order to tear him from Diana and to hand him over to Venus
, who is in love with him. When Venus (soprano) arrives upon the scene, she easily succeeds in getting the better of Adonis’ scruples and, supported by Cupid, they resolve to flee in order to shun Diana’s dreadful wrath. When Diana (soprano) enters the scene, she charges Cupid with the abduction of credulous Adonis and entreats vengeance of heaven and hell. Mercury
(haute-contre
) then descends onto the scene assuring the enraged goddess that Venus will return Adonis to her, and the goddess of love re-enters over a cloud accompanied by Cupid and Adonis disguised as Cupid, so that Diana cannot tell them apart. Since Adonis refuses to reveal himself, Diana decides to withdraw for fear of possibly choosing the Cupid, her bitterest enemy. The entrée goes on firstly to a ballet celebrating the coming wedding of Venus and Adonis, as in the distance Diana herself (ballerina) is shown to be falling in love with a sleeping Endymion
(male dancer), and then to further more elaborate ballets representing Diana and Cupid’s(ballerina en travesti) meeting, Cupid's wakening Endymion and eventually Endymon's making love to Diana and his admission onto her cart. The entrée ends in a festive chorus accompanied by a general dance.
The scene is laid in a country valley at the foot of Montparnasse
. The siren
Parthenope (soprano) is in love with the musician Linus
(haute-contre), but Urania
(soprano), the Muse
of astrology, urges him to beware of traps of love passions, for gods alone can come through them unharmed, while they will always cost humans their peace of mind. However, after her departure, Linus and Parthenope meet and confess their mutual love, whereupon the siren proposes taking vengeance on the Muses and on their enduring struggle against love ardour: for such a purpose she will leave her enchanted lyre
behind, so that Urania may fall under its magic spell. The muse re-enters looking for Linus and picks the instrument, a simple touch being enough to immediately make her sing a song of love for him despite herself. Yet, to her great shame, he maintains his love to Parthenope and only Apollo
’s (basse-taille) arrival gets to settle the matter: he gives Urania his lyre so as to break the spell and invites the Muses and Sirens to combine their respective talents to form "the sweet chains that lead to pleasures". The entrée closes with a ballet performed by the Muses and Sirens under the guidance of Terpsichore
(ballerina).
The scene is laid in Teos
at the poet Anacreon's house, where a feast is being held: the landlord (basse-taille), his guests, Agathocle (haute-contre) and Euricles (haute-contre), and the rest of his suite are celebrating Bacchus
, the local patron god. Anacreon addresses to his beautiful slave girl, Lycoris (ballerina), a warm request that she cheer up the party with the bloom of her youth and that she be the priestess of all gods he adores, including Cupid as well as Bacchus (aria: "Nouvelle Hébé, charmante Lycoris"). As she is dancing and Anacreon singing, however, an inflamed symphony is suddenly heard and the priestess of Bacchus bursts into the scene, followed by the Maenad
s, objecting to the festivities on account of their profane character and of their mingling together the cults of their god and of Cupid. A ballet follows thereupon representing the confrontation between Anacreon’s suite and Bacchus’ followers, but eventually Anacreon and his guests yield to the priestess’ demands and agree to worship Bacchus alone. 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 (soprano en travesti) and informed that Lycoris is dying of grief because she has been deserted for Bacchus by the insensitive 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, for he is willing to forgo everything else for her. Lycoris re-enters the stage accompanied by the Graces
, but, as Anacreon is singing Cupid’s praises, a prelude
foretells the return of Bacchus’ followers: they cannot however shrink from bowing down before the present god of love and paying homage to his statue, while Cupid’s retinue pay homage to Bacchus’ as well, and the two dancing parties mingle together under the guidance of Lycoris. The entrée ends in a chorus and in a contredanse
accompanied by sistrum
s and "other Bacchic instruments".
Opéra-ballet
Opéra-ballet was a popular genre of French Baroque opera, "that grew out of the ballets à entrées of the early seventeeth century". It differed from the more elevated tragédie en musique as practised by Jean-Baptiste Lully in several ways...
in two entrées (three or four in later versions) and a prologue by the French
French classical music
French classical music began with the sacred music of the Roman Catholic Church, with written records predating the reign of Charlemagne. It includes all of the major genres of sacred and secular, instrumental and vocal music...
composer Jean-Philippe Rameau
Jean-Philippe Rameau
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 also considered the leading French composer for the harpsichord of his time, alongside François...
. It was first performed in Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
on 27 November 1748. The opera is set to a libretto by Gentil-Bernard
Pierre-Joseph-Justin Bernard
Pierre-Joseph-Justin Bernard , called Gentil-Bernard by Voltaire for the measured grace of his discreetly erotic verses, was a French military man and salon poet with the reputation of a rake, the author of several libretti for Rameau...
. According to the usage of the time, it was originally just billed as a "ballet" and was only later classified by scholars as an opéra-ballet, although its content might more precisely ascribe it to the ballet héroïque genre.
Performance history
The work was commissioned by Madame de PompadourMadame de Pompadour
Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour, also known as Madame de Pompadour was a member of the French court, and was the official chief mistress of Louis XV from 1745 to her death.-Biography:...
to celebrate the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)
The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle of 1748 ended the War of the Austrian Succession following a congress assembled at the Imperial Free City of Aachen—Aix-la-Chapelle in French—in the west of the Holy Roman Empire, on 24 April 1748...
and premiered at the third-season opening of her Théâtre des Petits Appartements for the inauguration of the Theatre's new venue upon the Grand Escalier des Ambassadeurs (Ambassadors’ Grand Staircase) in the Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles , or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. In French it is the Château de Versailles....
, starring Madame De Pompadour herself in two of the original soprano roles, Urania and Venus. 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 specially written for the Théâtre des Petits Appartements and was also the first work by Rameau that was given in the course of its programmes. It was not particularly successful: scenery, costumes, machinery and the new theatre venue were much admired, but the opera itself got the king to openly yawn and to confess he "would like better a comedy".
The work was revived at the Paris Opéra
Paris Opera
The Paris Opera is the primary opera company of Paris, France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the Académie d'Opéra and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and renamed the Académie Royale de Musique...
in 1757 to inaugurate the new directors, François Francœur and François Rebel
François Rebel
François Rebel was a French composer of the Baroque era. Born in Paris, the son of the leading composer Jean-Féry Rebel, he was a child prodigy who became a violinist in the orchestra of the Paris Opera at the age of 13...
. The prologue, which was no longer relevant, was cut, and a new overture
Overture
Overture in music is the term originally applied to the instrumental introduction to an opera...
was performed in its place. The two original entrées were heavily revised: "Adonis" was renamed "L’enlèvement d’Adonis" ("The rape of Adonis") and a third entry, "Anacréon
Anacréon (1757)
Anacréon is an opera by the French composer Jean-Philippe Rameau, first performed at the Opéra, Paris, on 31 May 1757 as part of a revised version of the opéra-ballet Les surprises de l'Amour. It takes the form of a one-act acte de ballet and has a libretto by Pierre-Joseph-Justin Bernard . Rameau...
", was added. Its first run lasted until 14 August 1757, but only its second and third entrées were performed after 10 July (the original La lyre enchantée was replaced by a version of Les sibarites
Les sibarites
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. It tells the story of a war between Sybaris and Croton. The conflict ends when the king and queen of the two...
, an acte de ballet by Rameau to a libretto by Jean-François Marmontel
Jean-François Marmontel
Jean-François Marmontel was a French historian and writer, a member of the Encyclopediste movement.-Biography:He was born of poor parents at Bort, Limousin...
, first performed in 1753). The different entrées were swapped around at various times for later performances and the "self-sufficiency of each portion of Les Surprises de l’Amour made the tripartite work a likely source of material for the programs of fragments growing popular in the years before the Revolution.
Writing in Grove Music Online
Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart, it is the largest single reference work on Western music. The dictionary has gone through several editions since the 19th century...
, Graham Sadler considers the air "Nouvelle Hébé, charmante Lycoris" for Anacreon's bass part and the "ravishing, chromatic sommeil" to be "especially fine", and that whole entrée to be the best piece of the opera. Despite Charles Collé
Charles Collé
Charles Collé was a French dramatist and songwriter.The son of a notary, he was born in Paris. He became interested in the rhymes of Jean Heguanier, the most famous writer of couplets in Paris. From a notary's office, Collé was transferred to that of the receiver-general of finance, where he...
’s remark that the 1757 version "smelt of old age" (Rameau was by then 73), Sadler believes that "the new and revised music is almost invariably more interesting than that of the original", and that "the airs de ballet are, as always, amazingly inventive". Spire Pitou partly shared Sadler’s appreciation, he states that "Rameau’s most striking passage in Les Surprises de l’Amour was the 'sleep music' in [the] concluding act".
Roles
| Role | Voice type/ dancing character |
Premiere cast, 27 November 1748 (conductor:) |
Cast of the Palais-Royal first performance, 31 May 1757 (conductor: ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prologue: "Le Retour d'Astrée" ("Astrée’s return") | |||
| unperformed | |||
| Vulcain | basse-taille (bass-baritone Bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three Wagnerian roles: the Dutchman in Der fliegende... ) |
the Duke of Ayen | |
| Astrée | 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... |
Mme de Brancas | |
| un Plaisir ("a Pleasure") | soprano | Mme de Marchais | |
| Le Temps ("Time") | basse-taille | the Marquis of La Salle | |
| First (1757: Second) entrée: "La lyre enchantée" ("The enchanted lyre") | |||
| Uranie | soprano | Mme de Pompadour | Marie-Jeanne Fesch "Mlle Chevalier" |
| l’Amour ("Cupid") | soprano | Mme de Marchais | |
| Parténope | soprano | Marie Fel Marie Fel Marie Fel was a French opera singer, daughter of the organist Henri Fel.Marie Fel was born at Bordeaux. She made her debut at the Paris Opera in 1733 and sang regularly at the Concert Spirituel... |
|
| Linus | basse-taille (1748)/ haute-contre Haute-contre The haute-contre is a rare type of high tenor voice, predominant in French Baroque and Classical opera until the latter part of the eighteenth century.-History:... (1757) |
M. de la Salle | François Poirier |
| Apollon | basse-taille | Henri Larrivée | |
| Terpsichore | dancer | Louise-Madeleine Lany | |
| les Muses | dancers | Mlles Coupée, Marquise, Chevrier, Riquet | |
| sirènes ("sirens") | dancers | Mlles Deschamps, Mopin, Pagés, Chaumart | |
| élèves de Terpsichore ("Terpsichore’s pupils") | dancers | Mrs Dubois, Lelièvre, Balety, Beat | |
| sylvains et Dryades ("sylvans and Dryads") | dancers | Melles Lyonois, Fleury, Morel, Armand, Thételingre; Mrs Lyonois, Rivet, Trupty, Dupré (fils), Hus |
|
| Second (1757: First) entrée: "Adonis" (1748) or "L'enlèvement d'Adonis" ("The rape of Adonis") (1757) | |||
| Vénus | soprano | Mme de Pompadour | Mlle Davaux |
| l’Amour ("Cupid") | soprano | Mme de Marchais | Marie-Jeanne Lemière |
| Diane | soprano | Mme de Brancas | Louise Jacquet |
| Adonis | basse-taille (1748)/ soprano (1757) |
the Duke of Ayen | Mlle Dubois |
| Mercure /suivant de Diane ("a follower of Diane") | haute-contre | the Viscount of Rohan (?) | Godart |
| a nymph | soprano | Mlle Lhéritier | |
| Endymion (ballet) | dancer | Gaétan Vestris Gaétan Vestris Gaetano Apolline Baldassarre Vestris , French ballet dancer, was born in Florence and made his debut at the opera in 1749.... |
|
| Diane (ballet) | dancer | Marie-Françoise-Thérèse Vestris | |
| l'Amour ("Cupid") (ballet) | dancer | Mlle Guimard | |
| les Grâces ("the Graces") | dancers | Mlles Marquise, Coupée, Chevrier | |
| nymphes & chasseurs ("nymphs and hunters") | dancers | Mlles Louise-Madeleine Lany, Fleury, Morel, Thételingre; Mrs Laval, Lyonois, Rivet, Trupty, Dupré |
|
| Jeux & Plaisirs ("Gamblings and Pleasures") | dancers | Mlles Riquet, Pagés, Chomart, Mopin, Deschamps; Mrs Dubois, Hamoche, Beat, Balety, Galodier |
|
| Third entrée: Anacréon (1757) | |||
| unperformed | |||
| l’Amour ("Cupid") | soprano | Marie-Jeanne Lemière | |
| Anacréon | basse-taille | Nicolas Gélin | |
| la pretresse de Bacchus ("priestess of Bacchus") | soprano | Mlle Davaux | |
| Lycoris | dancer | Mlle Puvigné | |
| Agathocle | haute-contre | François Poirier | |
| Euricles | haute-contre | Muguet | |
| un convive ("a guest") | (?) | Mr Poussint | |
| autre convive ("another guest") | (?) | Mr Robin | |
| esclaves d'Anacréon ("Anacréon’s slaves") | dancers | Mlles Pagés, Chomart, Mopin, Deschamps; Mrs Galodier, Hamoche, Feuillade, Gaétan Vestris |
|
| les Grâces ("the Graces") | dancers | Mlles Marquise, Coupée, Chevrier | |
| Egypans & Ménades ("Egypans and Maenads") | dancers | Mlles Lyonois, Riquet, Dumirey, Morel, Fleury; Mrs Jean-Barthélémy Lany, Laval, Rivet, Hus, Dupré, Trupty |
|
| Jeux & Plaisirs ("Gamblings and Pleasures") | dancers | Mrs Dubois, Lelièvre, Beat, Balety | |
1st entrée: "L'enlèvement d'Adonis" ("The rape of Adonis")
Topic: struggle between love and chastityThe scene is laid in a vast forest sacred to Diana
Diana (mythology)
In Roman mythology, Diana was the goddess of the hunt and moon and birthing, being associated with wild animals and woodland, and having the power to talk to and control animals. She was equated with the Greek goddess Artemis, though she had an independent origin in Italy...
, where Adonis
Adonis
Adonis , in Greek mythology, the god of beauty and desire, is a figure with Northwest Semitic antecedents, where he is a central figure in various mystery religions. The Greek , Adōnis is a variation of the Semitic word Adonai, "lord", which is also one of the names used to refer to God in the Old...
(soprano en travesti), as a follower of the chaste goddess, abhors love as a terrible monster jeopardizing humans’ peace of mind, but at the same time complains about no longer feeling the lure of sylvan life. Cupid
Cupid
In Roman mythology, Cupid is the god of desire, affection and erotic love. He is the son of the goddess Venus and the god Mars. His Greek counterpart is Eros...
himself (soprano en travesti) descends into the forest and approaches Adonis in order to tear him from Diana and to hand him over to Venus
Venus (mythology)
Venus is a Roman goddess principally associated with love, beauty, sex,sexual seduction and fertility, who played a key role in many Roman religious festivals and myths...
, who is in love with him. When Venus (soprano) arrives upon the scene, she easily succeeds in getting the better of Adonis’ scruples and, supported by Cupid, they resolve to flee in order to shun Diana’s dreadful wrath. When Diana (soprano) enters the scene, she charges Cupid with the abduction of credulous Adonis and entreats vengeance of heaven and hell. Mercury
Mercury (mythology)
Mercury was a messenger who wore winged sandals, and a god of trade, the son of Maia Maiestas and Jupiter in Roman mythology. His name is related to the Latin word merx , mercari , and merces...
(haute-contre
Haute-contre
The haute-contre is a rare type of high tenor voice, predominant in French Baroque and Classical opera until the latter part of the eighteenth century.-History:...
) then descends onto the scene assuring the enraged goddess that Venus will return Adonis to her, and the goddess of love re-enters over a cloud accompanied by Cupid and Adonis disguised as Cupid, so that Diana cannot tell them apart. Since Adonis refuses to reveal himself, Diana decides to withdraw for fear of possibly choosing the Cupid, her bitterest enemy. The entrée goes on firstly to a ballet celebrating the coming wedding of Venus and Adonis, as in the distance Diana herself (ballerina) is shown to be falling in love with a sleeping Endymion
Endymion (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Endymion , was variously a handsome Aeolian shepherd or hunter or a king who ruled and was said to reside at Olympia in Elis, but he was also said to reside and was venerated on Mount Latmus in Caria, on the west coast of Asia Minor....
(male dancer), and then to further more elaborate ballets representing Diana and Cupid’s(ballerina en travesti) meeting, Cupid's wakening Endymion and eventually Endymon's making love to Diana and his admission onto her cart. The entrée ends in a festive chorus accompanied by a general dance.
2nd entrée: "La lyre enchantée" ("The enchanted lyre")
Topic: struggle between love and indifferenceThe scene is laid in a country valley at the foot of Montparnasse
Montparnasse
Montparnasse is an area of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail...
. The siren
Siren
In Greek mythology, the Sirens were three dangerous mermaid like creatures, portrayed as seductresses who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. Roman poets placed them on an island called Sirenum scopuli...
Parthenope (soprano) is in love with the musician Linus
Linus (mythology)
In Greek mythology Linus refers to the musical son of Oeagrus, nominally Apollo, and the Muse Calliope. As the son of Apollo and a Muse, either Calliope or Terpsichore, he is considered the inventor of melody and rhythm. Linus taught music to his brother Orpheus and then to Heracles. Linus went...
(haute-contre), but Urania
Urania
Urania was, in Greek mythology, the muse of astronomy. Some accounts list her as the mother of the musician Linus. She is usually depicted with a globe in her left hand. She is able to foretell the future by the arrangement of the stars...
(soprano), the Muse
Muse
The Muses in Greek mythology, poetry, and literature, are the goddesses who inspire the creation of literature and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge, related orally for centuries in the ancient culture, that was contained in poetic lyrics and myths...
of astrology, urges him to beware of traps of love passions, for gods alone can come through them unharmed, while they will always cost humans their peace of mind. However, after her departure, Linus and Parthenope meet and confess their mutual love, whereupon the siren proposes taking vengeance on the Muses and on their enduring struggle against love ardour: for such a purpose she will leave her enchanted lyre
Lyre
The lyre is a stringed musical instrument known for its use in Greek classical antiquity and later. The word comes from the Greek "λύρα" and the earliest reference to the word is the Mycenaean Greek ru-ra-ta-e, meaning "lyrists", written in Linear B syllabic script...
behind, so that Urania may fall under its magic spell. The muse re-enters looking for Linus and picks the instrument, a simple touch being enough to immediately make her sing a song of love for him despite herself. Yet, to her great shame, he maintains his love to Parthenope and only Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
’s (basse-taille) arrival gets to settle the matter: he gives Urania his lyre so as to break the spell and invites the Muses and Sirens to combine their respective talents to form "the sweet chains that lead to pleasures". The entrée closes with a ballet performed by the Muses and Sirens under the guidance of Terpsichore
Terpsichore
In Greek mythology, Terpsichore "delight of dancing" was one of the nine Muses, ruling over dance and the dramatic chorus. She lends her name to the word "terpsichorean" which means "of or relating to dance". She is usually depicted sitting down, holding a lyre, accompanying the dancers' choirs...
(ballerina).
3rd entrée: Anacréon
Topic: struggle between love and inebrietyThe scene is laid in Teos
Teos
Teos or Teo was a maritime city of Ionia, on a peninsula between Chytrium and Myonnesus, colonized by Orchomenian Minyans, Ionians, and Boeotians. The city is situated on a low hilly narrow strip of land connecting two larger areas of land . Teos ranked among twelve cities comprising the Ionian...
at the poet Anacreon's house, where a feast is being held: the landlord (basse-taille), his guests, Agathocle (haute-contre) and Euricles (haute-contre), and the rest of his suite are celebrating Bacchus
Dionysus
Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, of ritual madness and ecstasy in Greek mythology. His name in Linear B tablets shows he was worshipped from c. 1500—1100 BC by Mycenean Greeks: other traces of Dionysian-type cult have been found in ancient Minoan Crete...
, the local patron god. Anacreon addresses to his beautiful slave girl, Lycoris (ballerina), a warm request that she cheer up the party with the bloom of her youth and that she be the priestess of all gods he adores, including Cupid as well as Bacchus (aria: "Nouvelle Hébé, charmante Lycoris"). As she is dancing and Anacreon singing, however, an inflamed symphony is suddenly heard and the priestess of Bacchus bursts into the scene, followed by the Maenad
Maenad
In Greek mythology, maenads were the female followers of Dionysus , the most significant members of the Thiasus, the god's retinue. Their name literally translates as "raving ones"...
s, objecting to the festivities on account of their profane character and of their mingling together the cults of their god and of Cupid. A ballet follows thereupon representing the confrontation between Anacreon’s suite and Bacchus’ followers, but eventually Anacreon and his guests yield to the priestess’ demands and agree to worship Bacchus alone. 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 (soprano en travesti) and informed that Lycoris is dying of grief because she has been deserted for Bacchus by the insensitive 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, for he is willing to forgo everything else for her. Lycoris re-enters the stage accompanied by the Graces
Charites
In Greek mythology, a Charis is one of several Charites , goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity and fertility. They ordinarily numbered three, from youngest to oldest: Aglaea , Euphrosyne , and Thalia . In Roman mythology they were known as the Gratiae, the "Graces"...
, but, as Anacreon is singing Cupid’s praises, a prelude
Prelude (music)
A prelude is a short piece of music, the form of which may vary from piece to piece. The prelude can be thought of as a preface. It may stand on its own or introduce another work...
foretells the return of Bacchus’ followers: they cannot however shrink from bowing down before the present god of love and paying homage to his statue, while Cupid’s retinue pay homage to Bacchus’ as well, and the two dancing parties mingle together under the guidance of Lycoris. The entrée ends in a chorus and in a contredanse
English Country Dance
English Country Dance is a form of folk dance. It is a social dance form, which has earliest documented instances in the late 16th century. Queen Elizabeth I of England is noted to have been entertained by "Country Dancing," although the relationship of the dances she saw to the surviving dances of...
accompanied by sistrum
Sistrum
A sistrum is a musical instrument of the percussion family, chiefly associated with ancient Iraq and Egypt. It consists of a handle and a U-shaped metal frame, made of brass or bronze and between 76 and 30 cm in width...
s and "other Bacchic instruments".