Les deux journées
Encyclopedia
Les deux journées, ou Le porteur d'eau (The Two Days, or The Water Carrier) is an opera in three acts by Luigi Cherubini
with a libretto by Jean-Nicolas Bouilly
. It takes the form of an opéra comique
, meaning not that the subject matter is humorous, but that the piece is a mixture of spoken dialogue and musical numbers. Bouilly claimed he took the story from a real life incident during the French Revolution
but, for fear of censorship, he moved the action back to 1647 and the time of Cardinal Mazarin. The opera was first performed at the Théâtre Feydeau in Paris
in 16 January 1800.
Les deux journées is sometimes considered Cherubini's most successful opera, though revivals have been rare in the past hundred years. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
and Ludwig van Beethoven
both felt that Bouilly's libretto was one of the best of its day; Beethoven kept Cherubini's score on his desk and copied out passages from it while composing Fidelio
.
Mikeli, is a Savoyard
water carrier living in Paris. Mikeli's son, Antonio, tells how as a child his life was saved by an unknown Frenchman. He is interrupted when Count Armand, a member of the French parliament, enters with his wife, Constance, begging Mikeli to save him from Cardinal Mazarin's soldiers. Mikeli willingly offers his assistance. He tells Armand that Antonio is due to be married the next day to Angelina, who lives in Gonesse. He plans to smuggle Armand and Constance out of the city, which is ringed by Mazarin's men, by disguising Constance as Antonio's sister, Marcelina, and hiding Armand in his own water cart. Antonio enters and, to his delight, recognises Armand as the Frenchman who saved him as a child.
Mazarin's soldiers are stopping passersby in their search for political fugitives. After some delay, they let Antonio and his "sister" through, but they are suspicious of Mikeli's cart. While Mikeli distracts them, Armand slips out of the cart and through the gate. Mikéli is turned back.
The villagers are preparing for Angelina and Antonio's wedding. A patrol of soldiers enter as Antonio, Armand and Constance arrive. Armand hides in a tree but gives himself up when they arrest his wife. At this point, Mikeli appears with news that the queen has offered a free pardon to all the members of parliament. All ends happily.
Luigi Cherubini
Luigi Cherubini was an Italian composer who spent most of his working life in France. His most significant compositions are operas and sacred music. Beethoven regarded Cherubini as the greatest of his contemporaries....
with a libretto by Jean-Nicolas Bouilly
Jean-Nicolas Bouilly
Jean-Nicolas Bouilly was a French playwright, librettist, children's writer, and politician of the French Revolution...
. It takes the form of an 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...
, meaning not that the subject matter is humorous, but that the piece is a mixture of spoken dialogue and musical numbers. Bouilly claimed he took the story from a real life incident during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
but, for fear of censorship, he moved the action back to 1647 and the time of Cardinal Mazarin. The opera was first performed at the Théâtre Feydeau in 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...
in 16 January 1800.
Les deux journées is sometimes considered Cherubini's most successful opera, though revivals have been rare in the past hundred years. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long...
and Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
both felt that Bouilly's libretto was one of the best of its day; Beethoven kept Cherubini's score on his desk and copied out passages from it while composing Fidelio
Fidelio
Fidelio is a German opera in two acts by Ludwig van Beethoven. It is Beethoven's only opera. The German libretto is by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly which had been used for the 1798 opera Léonore, ou L’amour conjugal by Pierre Gaveaux, and for the 1804 opera Leonora...
.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, January 1800 (Conductor: - ) |
|---|---|---|
| Mikeli | 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... |
|
| Armand | 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... |
|
| Antonio | tenor | |
| Constance | 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... |
|
| Marcelina | soprano | |
| Angelina | soprano | |
| Daniel, Mikeli's father | bass | |
| Sémos, Angelina's father | bass | |
| Two Italian commanders | basses | |
| Two Italian soldiers | basses | |
| Chorus: soldiers and villagers | ||
Act 1
Mikeli's homeMikeli, is a Savoyard
Savoyard
Savoyard is a Romance language group with several distinct varieties that form a linguistic subgroup from the Arpitan language family. It is spoken in some territories of the historical Duchy of Savoy, nowadays a geographic area spanning France , Switzerland , and Italy...
water carrier living in Paris. Mikeli's son, Antonio, tells how as a child his life was saved by an unknown Frenchman. He is interrupted when Count Armand, a member of the French parliament, enters with his wife, Constance, begging Mikeli to save him from Cardinal Mazarin's soldiers. Mikeli willingly offers his assistance. He tells Armand that Antonio is due to be married the next day to Angelina, who lives in Gonesse. He plans to smuggle Armand and Constance out of the city, which is ringed by Mazarin's men, by disguising Constance as Antonio's sister, Marcelina, and hiding Armand in his own water cart. Antonio enters and, to his delight, recognises Armand as the Frenchman who saved him as a child.
Act 2
The gates of ParisMazarin's soldiers are stopping passersby in their search for political fugitives. After some delay, they let Antonio and his "sister" through, but they are suspicious of Mikeli's cart. While Mikeli distracts them, Armand slips out of the cart and through the gate. Mikéli is turned back.
Act 3
In GonesseThe villagers are preparing for Angelina and Antonio's wedding. A patrol of soldiers enter as Antonio, Armand and Constance arrive. Armand hides in a tree but gives himself up when they arrest his wife. At this point, Mikeli appears with news that the queen has offered a free pardon to all the members of parliament. All ends happily.
Recordings
- Les deux journées (Christoph Spering, Chorus Musicus Köln, Das Neue Orchester, Opus 111, 2002)
- Les deux journées (Sir Thomas Beecham, BBC Theatre Chorus, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, recorded 1947, various reissues since)