Tancrède
Tancrède is a 1702 tragédie en musique (a French opera in the lyric tragedy tradition) in a prologue and five acts by composer André Campra and librettist Antoine Danchet, based on Gerusalemme liberata by Torquato Tasso.
The opera contains 23 dances in addition to the singing. It is famous for having the alleged first contralto role in French opera. (However, in modern terms it is considered more of a mezzo-soprano range.)[1] The role was written for Julie d'Aubigny, known as 'La Maupin', the most colorful singer of this era. It's also notable for the unusual choice of three low-lying voices for the main male parts, probably due to the unavailability of leading hautes-contre in the Paris Opera ensemble at the time.
Performance history
Tancrède was first performed on 7 November 1702 by the Académie Royale de Musique at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal in Paris. It was successful and remained in the repertoire until the 1760s.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 7 November 1702[2] (Conductor: Marin Marais) |
|---|---|---|
| A sage enchanter/A warrior | haute-contre | Jacques Cochereau |
| Peace | soprano | Mlle Clément l'aînée |
| Followers of Peace | sopranos | Mlles Clément la cadette and Loignon |
| Tancrède, a crusader | bass-baritone | Gabriel-Vincent Thévenard |
| Argante, Saracen leader | bass-baritone | Charles Hardouin |
| Clorinde, Saracen princess | bas-dessus (contralto)[1] | Julie d'Aubigny (La Maupin) |
| Herminie, daughter of the king of Antioch | soprano | Marie-Louise Desmatins |
| Ismenor, Saracen magician | bass-baritone | Jean Dun "père" |
| Female warriors | sopranos | Mlles Dupeyray, Lallemand and Loignon |
| A sylvan from the enchanted forest | haute-contre | Jean Boutelou |
| A warrior from Tancrède's retinue | haute-contre | Jacques Cochereau |
| Two dryads | sopranos | Mlles Loignon and Bataille |
| A nymph | soprano | Mlle Dupeyray |
| Vengeance | tenor (travesti) | Claude Desvoix (0r Desvoyes) |
References
- Notes
- 1 2 The part of Clorinde is notated in the soprano clef (original score, p. 71), but, although it never descends below d′, tradition has it that it was the first major bas-dessus (contralto) role in the French opera history (Sadie, Julie Anne, Maupin, in Sadie, Stanley (ed), op. cit., III, p. 274).
- ↑ According to the original libretto, pp. V and XIII–XIV.
- Sources
- Original libretto: Tancrede , tragedie, representée par l'Academie royale de musique. Le septiéme jour de novembre 1702. Paris: Ballard. 1702. Retrieved 21 July 2026.
- Original printed score: Tancrede, tragedie, mise en musique par Monsieur Campra. Représentée pour la premiere fois par l'Academie royale de musique le septiéme jour de novembre 1702, Paris, Ballard, 1702
- Anthony, James R (1992), 'Tancrède' in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Stanley Sadie (London) ISBN 0-333-73432-7
- Casaglia, Gherardo (2005). "Tancrède, 7 November 1702". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
- Le magazine de l'opéra baroque, page: Tancrède
External links
- University of Texas page Archived 2009-09-25 at the Wayback Machine
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