Pomone (opera)
Encyclopedia
Pomone is an opera in a prologue and five acts by Robert Cambert
with a libretto
by Pierre Perrin
. It has been described as "effectively the first French opera." It was first performed in Paris at the Jeu de Paume de la Bouteille theatre belonging to Cambert and Perrin's Académie d'Opéra on 3 March 1671. The production had set designs and machinery by Alexandre de Rieux, marquis de Sourdéac. The novelty of the work drew large audiences and the opera enjoyed 146 performances over the eight months of its run. The score of Pomone has only partially survived.
to France in the mid-17th century but French audiences had disliked the genre, preferring their own form of stage music drama, the ballet de cour, a ballet containing sung elements. Nevertheless, some French composers began to experiment with developing opera which would better suit national tastes. On 28 June 1669, King Louis XIV had granted Perrin and his Académie d'Opéra the monopoly on performing operas on the Parisian stage. Pomone was the first production by the Académie. It contained many of the features audience were used to in the ballet de cour: dance, spectacular stage effects and rich costumes. The innovations were the replacement of spoken dialogue by recitative
and the use of more complicated vocal ensembles. The pastoral
theme of the work was not new, for instance Cambert had already composed music for a stage work called the Pastorale d'Issy in 1659. In spite of Pomones success, Perrin soon ran into financial difficulties. The Académie staged another opera with music by Cambert, Les peines et les plaisirs de l'Amour, in early 1672, but the king then revoked Perrin's monopoly on opera production and transferred it to his favourite composer, Jean-Baptiste Lully
, who would have more success in establishing a lasting French operatic tradition. Cambert moved to London with his pupil Louis Grabu
, where he staged a version of Pomone with additional music by Grabu.
, Bacchus
. He only succeeds when he disguises himself as Beroé, because Pomone cannot refuse her old nurse a kiss.
's Les fêtes de l'Amour et de Bacchus (Accord, 2004)
Robert Cambert
Robert Cambert was a French composer principally of opera. His opera Pomone was the first actual opera in French.Born in Paris in 1628, he studied music under Chambonnières, His first position was as organist at the church of St. Honor in Paris...
with a 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 Pierre Perrin
Pierre Perrin
Pierre Perrin was a French poet and librettist.Sometimes known as L'Abbé Perrin although he never belonged to the clergy...
. It has been described as "effectively the first French opera." It was first performed in Paris at the Jeu de Paume de la Bouteille theatre belonging to Cambert and Perrin's Académie d'Opéra on 3 March 1671. The production had set designs and machinery by Alexandre de Rieux, marquis de Sourdéac. The novelty of the work drew large audiences and the opera enjoyed 146 performances over the eight months of its run. The score of Pomone has only partially survived.
Background and performance history
Attempts had been made to introduce Italian operaItalian opera
Italian opera is both the art of opera in Italy and opera in the Italian language. Opera was born in Italy around the year 1600 and Italian opera has continued to play a dominant role in the history of the form until the present day. Many famous operas in Italian were written by foreign composers,...
to France in the mid-17th century but French audiences had disliked the genre, preferring their own form of stage music drama, the ballet de cour, a ballet containing sung elements. Nevertheless, some French composers began to experiment with developing opera which would better suit national tastes. On 28 June 1669, King Louis XIV had granted Perrin and his Académie d'Opéra the monopoly on performing operas on the Parisian stage. Pomone was the first production by the Académie. It contained many of the features audience were used to in the ballet de cour: dance, spectacular stage effects and rich costumes. The innovations were the replacement of spoken dialogue by recitative
Recitative
Recitative , also known by its Italian name "recitativo" , is a style of delivery in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms of ordinary speech...
and the use of more complicated vocal ensembles. The pastoral
Pastoral
The adjective pastoral refers to the lifestyle of pastoralists, such as shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasturage. It also refers to a genre in literature, art or music that depicts such shepherd life in an...
theme of the work was not new, for instance Cambert had already composed music for a stage work called the Pastorale d'Issy in 1659. In spite of Pomones success, Perrin soon ran into financial difficulties. The Académie staged another opera with music by Cambert, Les peines et les plaisirs de l'Amour, in early 1672, but the king then revoked Perrin's monopoly on opera production and transferred it to his favourite composer, Jean-Baptiste Lully
Jean-Baptiste Lully
Jean-Baptiste de Lully was an Italian-born French composer who spent most of his life working in the court of Louis XIV of France. He is considered the chief master of the French Baroque style. Lully disavowed any Italian influence in French music of the period. He became a French subject in...
, who would have more success in establishing a lasting French operatic tradition. Cambert moved to London with his pupil Louis Grabu
Louis Grabu
Louis Grabu, Grabut, Grabue, or Grebus was a Catalan-born, French-trained composer and violinist who was mainly active in England....
, where he staged a version of Pomone with additional music by Grabu.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 3 March 1671 |
|---|---|---|
| Pomone (Pomona), goddess of fruits | 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... |
Marie-Madeleine Jossier, called "Cartilly" |
| Flore (Flora Flora (mythology) In Roman mythology, Flora was a goddess of flowers and the season of spring. While she was otherwise a relatively minor figure in Roman mythology, being one among several fertility goddesses, her association with the spring gave her particular importance at the coming of springtime... ), goddess of flowers, Pomone's sister |
soprano | |
| Vertumne (Vertumnus Vertumnus In Roman mythology, Vertumnus — also Vortumnus or Vertimnus — is the god of seasons, change and plant growth, as well as gardens and fruit trees... ), god of Lares Lares Lares , archaically Lases, were guardian deities in ancient Roman religion. Their origin is uncertain; they may have been guardians of the hearth, fields, boundaries or fruitfulness, hero-ancestors, or an amalgam of these.... , in love with Pomone |
basse-taille Basse-taille Basse-taille is an enamelling technique in which the artist creates a low-relief pattern in metal, usually silver or gold, by engraving or chasing. The entire pattern is created in such a way that its highest point is lower than the surrounding metal... (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... ) |
François Beaumavielle François Beaumavielle François Beaumavielle was a French operatic bass-baritone.Trained in Toulouse, he was engaged at the Académie Royale de Musique in Paris by Pierre Perrin and Robert Cambert, where he created their opera Pomone in 1671.... |
| Faune (Faunus Faunus In ancient Roman religion and myth, Faunus was the horned god of the forest, plains and fields; when he made cattle fertile he was called Inuus. He came to be equated in literature with the Greek god Pan.... ), god of villagers, in love with Pomone |
basse-taille | Pierre Rossignol |
| Dieu des Jardins (God of gardens), in love with Pomone | ||
| Juturne, a nymph of Pomone | ||
| Venilie, a nymph of Pomone | ||
| Beroé, Pomone's nurse | ||
Synopsis
Vertumne is in love with Pomone and Pomone's nurse Beroé is in love with Vertumne. Vertumne assumes various disguises in his attempts to seduce Pomone: a dragon, PlutoPluto (mythology)
In ancient Greek religion and myth, Pluto was a name for the ruler of the underworld; the god was also known as Hades, a name for the underworld itself...
, Bacchus
Bacchus
Bacchus is the Roman name for Dionysus, the god of wine and intoxication.Bacchus can also refer to:* Temple of Bacchus, a Roman temple at a large classical antiquity complex in Baalbek, Lebanon...
. He only succeeds when he disguises himself as Beroé, because Pomone cannot refuse her old nurse a kiss.
Sources
- The Viking Opera Guide ed. Amanda Holden (Viking, 1993)
- Victoria Johnson Backstage at the Revolution: How the Royal Paris Opera Survived the End of the Old Regime (University of Chicago Press, 2008)
- Roger Parker (ed.) Oxford Illustrated History of Opera (Oxford University Press, 1994)
- Magazine de l'opéra baroque by Jean-Claude Brenac (in French)
Recording
The surviving 30 minutes of music was recorded by Hugo Reyne, conducting La Simphonie de Marais, on a 2-disc CD set also containing Jean-Baptiste LullyJean-Baptiste Lully
Jean-Baptiste de Lully was an Italian-born French composer who spent most of his life working in the court of Louis XIV of France. He is considered the chief master of the French Baroque style. Lully disavowed any Italian influence in French music of the period. He became a French subject in...
's Les fêtes de l'Amour et de Bacchus (Accord, 2004)