Le Devin du village
Le Devin du village (Eng. " The village soothsayer " ) is the title of a designated as Intermède act opera by Jean -Jacques Rousseau. The premiere took place in the castle Fontainebleau on 18 October 1752.
Prehistory
As an Italian opera troupe in August 1752 has performed in Paris, the old argument about the supremacy of Italian or French opera flared up again, which was a political between the Royalists and their opponents in the core. On this occasion the opera composer as yet unsuccessful, but winning by his treatise on the sciences and the arts already famous philosopher Rousseau wrote music and lyrics in a small opera, which promised to save the French language the glory. It was adopted by the Paris Opera House immediately. However, the Court insisted on his right to a premiere in the exclusive setting of Castle Theatre in Fontainebleau.
Action
The shepherdess Colette was abandoned by her lover Colin, who has a noble lady facing in the city. The advice sought by Colette village soothsayer prophesies that Colin return unto her, but gives her the advice, it first must be dismissed because the 'll rekindle his love to her again. When Colin returns because he courtly pomp but prefers the pastoral dress, Colette doing what was told her, and succeed. Everyone is happy.
Effect
Both the courtly world premiere and the subsequent public performances were a great success. The programmatic simplicity shows a change of image of the French court: In contrast to Louis XIV, who was considered the best dancers of his kingdom, that the king Louis XV. the melodies of the Devin du village with the most false voice of his kingdom sung. The Marquise de Pompadour played in their court theater the role of Colin.
Le Devin du village gave the French opéra comique social standing, although subject matter and style took only a limited impact on these species. The musical style is still very baroque, has absorbed not many Italian innovations (such as Rousseau's model of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi ). Some of the tunes were, however, known as " timbres " in the vaudeville of the time, namely, a kind of pop song. Direct model were probably the pieces of the Paris fairground theater. Marie Duroncerays Funfair parody of Rousseau's play Les amours de Bastien et Bastienne was set to music in 1767 by Mozart as Bastien and Bastienne. The English composer Charles Burney in 1766 brought an administration under the title The Cunning Man at the Drury Lane Theatre for the performance.
Interesting are the recitatives in which Rousseau tried to connect the French language with the flow of Italian recitative. Of the divertissements that decided the piece according to the fashion that deserves a little ballet with special attention in the fight, a nobleman and a citizen about a woman who unite in the end but in the common dance.
Rousseau did not want to apply as a royalist. That's why he moved the following year in Buffonistenstreit very violent position for the Italian and against the French opera, which he had "rescued" with his own piece. The Paris Opera kept the work in the repertoire until 1829. Famous, not busy is the anecdote that Hector Berlioz was at a performance of Devin a wig thrown on stage and this opera so exposed as outdated.