Aucassin et Nicolette (opera)
Encyclopedia
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
. Paris
, on 3 January 1780.
The libretto
was by Michel-Jean Sedaine
after the early medievalist Jean-Baptiste de La Curne de Sainte-Palaye
's Les amours du bon vieux tems.
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 30 December 1779 and 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...
. 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 3 January 1780.
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...
was by Michel-Jean Sedaine
Michel-Jean Sedaine
Michel-Jean Sedaine was a French dramatist, was born in Paris.- Biography :His father, who was an architect, died when Sedaine was quite young, leaving no fortune, and the boy began life as a mason's labourer...
after the early medievalist Jean-Baptiste de La Curne de Sainte-Palaye
Jean-Baptiste de La Curne de Sainte-Palaye
Jean-Baptiste de La Curne de Sainte-Palaye was a French historian, classicist, philologist and lexicographer.-Life:...
's Les amours du bon vieux tems.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 30 December 1779 (Conductor: - ) |
Paris cast, 3 January 1780 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicolette | 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... |
Rose-Louise Dugazon Louise-Rosalie Lefebvre Louise-Rosalie Lefebvre , also known as Madame Dugazon, was a French operatic mezzo-soprano, actress and dancer.... |
Rose-Louise Dugazon |
| Aucassin | 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-Baptiste Guignard "Clairval" | |
| Vicomte Beaucaire | tenor | ||
| Marcou | tenor | ||
| Comte Garin | bass | ||
| Comte Bongars | bass | ||
| Bredau | bass | ||
| Shepherd | bass | ||