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{{short description|Opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck}}
{{Gluck operas}}
{{Italic title}}
⚫
'''''Echo et Narcisse''''' (''Echo and Narcissus'') was the last original [[opera]], specifically a [[drame lyrique]], written by [[Christoph Willibald Gluck]], his sixth for the French stage. The libretto was written by [[Jean-Baptiste-Louis-Théodore de Tschudi|Louis-Théodore de Tschudi]].
⚫
[[File:GluckEchoEtNarcisseCover.jpg|thumb|Cover page of a 1779 edition of the opera's score]]
⚫
'''''Écho et Narcisse''''' (''Echo and Narcissus'') is a 1779 ''[[drame lyrique]]'' in three acts, the last original [[opera]] written by [[Christoph Willibald Gluck]], his sixth for the French stage. The libretto, written by [[Jean-Baptiste-Louis-Théodore de Tschudi|Louis-Théodore de Tschudi]], tells the story of the love between [[Echo (mythology)|Echo]] and [[Narcissus (mythology)|Narcissus]].


==Performance history==
==Performance history==
''Echo et Narcisse'' was first performed on 24 September 1779 by the [[Paris Opéra]] in the second [[Salle du Palais-Royal]]. It was a failure, discontinued after only 12 performances. Gluck decided to go back to [[Vienna]] and never returned to Paris. He revised the work for 8 August 1780, but this version only enjoyed nine performances.
''Écho et Narcisse'' was first performed on 24 September 1779 by the [[Paris Opéra]] in the second [[Salle du Palais-Royal]]. The opera is in the [[pastoral]] tradition, a genre not in favor at the Opéra at the time,<ref>Rushton 2001, p. 327.</ref> and it was a failure, discontinued after only 12 performances. Gluck decided to go back to Vienna and never returned to Paris. He revised the work for 8 August 1780, but this version only enjoyed nine performances.


A third version was presented to the public on 8 June 1781. This was better received. However, it was infrequently produced until [[René Jacobs]] revived it in 1987 at the [[Schwetzingen Festival]]. Jacobs used the revised version as the original one has not survived, except for the [[libretto]].
A third version was presented to the public on 8 June 1781. This was better received. However, it was infrequently produced until [[René Jacobs]] revived it in 1987 at the [[Schwetzingen Festival]]. Jacobs used the revised version as the original one has not survived, except for the libretto.


==Roles==
==Roles==
⚫
[[Image:GluckEchoEtNarcisseCover.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The cover page of a 1779 edition of the opera's score]]
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|+{{sronly|Roles, voice types, premiere cast}}
!Role
!Role
!Voice type
![[Voice type]]
!Premiere Cast, 24&nbsp;September&nbsp;1779 <br>(Conductor: - )
!Premiere cast, 24 September 1779<ref>{{Almanacco|dmy=24-09-1779|match=Écho et Narcisse}}</ref>
|-
|-
|Echo, ''a nymph, ruler of the woods and waters''
|Écho, ''a nymph, ruler of the woods and waters''
|[[soprano]]
|[[soprano]]
| [[Mademoiselle Beaumesnil|Mlle Beaumesnil]] (born Henriette Adélaïde de Villars)
| [[Mademoiselle Beaumesnil|Mlle Beaumesnil]]
|-
|-
|Aglaé, ''a nymph, friend of Echo''
|Aglaé, ''a nymph, friend of Écho''
|soprano
|soprano
|Adelaïde Gavaudan 'cadette'
|Adelaïde Gavaudan 'cadette'
|-
|-
|Eglé, ''a nymph, friend of Echo''
|Eglé, ''a nymph, friend of Écho''
|soprano
|soprano
|Anne-Marie-Jeanne Gavaudan, 'L'aînée'
|Anne-Marie-Jeanne Gavaudan, 'L'aînée'
|-
|-
|Amour (Cupid)
|Amour (Cupid)
Line 31: Line 33:
|-
|-
|Narcisse, ''a hunter, son of Cephisus''
|Narcisse, ''a hunter, son of Cephisus''
|[[tenor]]
|[[haute-contre]]
|[[Étienne Lainez]]
|[[Étienne Lainez]]
|-
|-
|Cynire, ''friend of Narcisse''
|Cynire, ''friend of Narcisse''
|[[haute-contre]]
|haute-contre
|[[Joseph Legros]]
|[[Joseph Legros]]
|-
|-
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|
|
|-
|-
|Two sylvans
| colspan="3" |''Sylphs, Zephyrs and attendants and followers of Amour, Echo and Narcisse.''
|[[Bass (voice type)|bass]]<br />haute-contre
|Auguste-Athanase (Augustin) Chéron<br />{{Interlanguage link|Jean-Joseph Rousseau|it}}<ref>[[Gustave Chouquet]], ''Histoire de la musique dramatique en France depuis ses origines jusqu'à nos jours'', Paris, Firmin Didot, 1873, p. 362 ([https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k9610634d/f384.item online] [[Gallica]])</ref>
|-
|-
| colspan="3" |'''Ballet'''<ref>Lajarte, 1878, p. 312</ref> - ''ballerinas'': [[Marie-Madeleine Guimard]], Anne Heinel, Marie Allard, Peslin; ''male dancers'': [[Gaetano Vestris]], [[Auguste Vestris]], [[Maximilien Gardel]], [[Jean Dauberval|Jean D'Auberval]]
| colspan="3" |''Sylphs, Zephyrs and attendants and followers of Amour, Écho and Narcisse.''
|-
| colspan="3" |Ballet<ref>[[Théodore Lajarte|Lajarte]], 1878, p. 312</ref> – ''ballerinas'': [[Marie-Madeleine Guimard]], Anne Heinel, Marie Allard, Peslin;<br />''male dancers'': [[Gaetano Vestris]], [[Auguste Vestris]], [[Maximilien Gardel]], [[Jean Dauberval|Jean D'Auberval]]
|-
|-
|}
|}


==Synopsis==
==Synopsis==
The nymph Echo is loved by Narcisse, but also desired by Apollo. Apollo puts a spell on Narcisse so he falls in love with his own reflection, but Cupid is eventually successful in securing a happy ending by re-uniting Echo and Narcisse.
The nymph Écho is loved by Narcisse, but also desired by Apollo. Apollo puts a spell on Narcisse so he falls in love with his own reflection, but Cupid is eventually successful in securing a happy ending by re-uniting Écho and Narcisse.


==References==
==References==
Line 59: Line 65:
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
'''Sources'''
'''Sources'''
* [[Théodore Lajarte|Lajarte, Théodore]], [https://archive.org/stream/bibliothquemusi01lajagoog#page/n340/mode/2up/ "Écho et Narcisse''"], ''Bibliothèque Musicale du Théatre de l'Opéra. Catalogue Historique, Chronologique, Anecdotique'', Paris, Librairie des bibliophiles, 1878, pp.&nbsp;311–312, vol. I {{in lang|fr}}
*{{it icon}} [http://www.amadeusonline.net/almanacco.php?Start=0&Giorno=24&Mese=09&Anno=1779&Giornata=&Testo=&Parola=Stringa Amadeus Almanac, accessed 1 February 2010]
* [[Rushton, Julian]] (2001). "Christoph Willibald Gluck", pp.&nbsp;313–327, in ''The New Penguin Opera Guide'', edited by [[Amanda Holden (writer)|Amanda Holden]]. London: Penguin Books. {{ISBN|9780140514759}}.
⚫
*Hayes, Jeremy (1992), 'Echo et Narcisse' in ''The [[New Grove Dictionary of Opera]]'', ed. Stanley Sadie (London) ISBN 0-333-73432-7

* {{fr icon}} Lajarte, Théodore de, ''Bibliothèque Musicale du Théatre de l'Opéra. Catalogue Historique, Chronologique, Anecdotique'', Paris, Librairie des bibliophiles, 1878, Tome I (accessible online for free at [http://www.scribd.com/doc/13265696/Bibliotheque-musicale-du-Theatre-de-lOpera-Tome-I-Theodore-de-Lajarte scribd.com] – accessed 11 February 2011)
==Further reading==
⚫
*Hayes, Jeremy (1992), "''Écho et Narcisse''" in ''[[The New Grove Dictionary of Opera]]'', ed. [[Stanley Sadie]] (London) {{ISBN|0-333-73432-7}}


==External links==
==External links==
* {{IMSLP|work=Écho et Narcisse, Wq.47 (Gluck, Christoph Willibald)|cname=''Écho et Narcisse'' (Gluck)}}
* [http://www.karadar.com/index.php/it/component/resource/article/5-librettos/999933627-echo-et-narcisse-librettopdf.html Libretto] (French)
* [http://www.karadar.com/index.php/it/component/resource/article/5-librettos/999933627-echo-et-narcisse-librettopdf.html Libretto] (French)
* [http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc13/m1/9/?q=Echo%20et%20Narcisse Score (for free)]
* [https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc13/m1/9/?q=Echo%20et%20Narcisse Score]

{{Christoph Willibald Gluck}}
{{Echo and Narcissus}}
{{Portal bar|Opera}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Écho et Narcisse}}
[[Category:Operas by Christoph Willibald Gluck]]
[[Category:Operas by Christoph Willibald Gluck]]
[[Category:French-language operas]]
[[Category:French-language operas]]
[[Category:1779 operas]]
[[Category:1779 operas]]
[[Category:Operas]]
[[Category:Operas]]
[[Category:Operas based on Greco-Roman mythology]]
[[Category:Operas based on classical mythology]]
[[Category:Opera world premieres at the Paris Opera]]
[[Category:Opera world premieres at the Paris Opera]]
[[Category:Operas based on Metamorphoses]]

Latest revision as of 23:15, 26 November 2023

Cover page of a 1779 edition of the opera's score

Écho et Narcisse (Echo and Narcissus) is a 1779 drame lyrique in three acts, the last original opera written by Christoph Willibald Gluck, his sixth for the French stage. The libretto, written by Louis-Théodore de Tschudi, tells the story of the love between Echo and Narcissus.

Performance history

[edit]

Écho et Narcisse was first performed on 24 September 1779 by the Paris Opéra in the second Salle du Palais-Royal. The opera is in the pastoral tradition, a genre not in favor at the Opéra at the time,[1] and it was a failure, discontinued after only 12 performances. Gluck decided to go back to Vienna and never returned to Paris. He revised the work for 8 August 1780, but this version only enjoyed nine performances.

A third version was presented to the public on 8 June 1781. This was better received. However, it was infrequently produced until René Jacobs revived it in 1987 at the Schwetzingen Festival. Jacobs used the revised version as the original one has not survived, except for the libretto.

Roles

[edit]
Roles, voice types, premiere cast
Role Voice type Premiere cast, 24 September 1779[2]
Écho, a nymph, ruler of the woods and waters soprano Mlle Beaumesnil
Aglaé, a nymph, friend of Écho soprano Adelaïde Gavaudan 'cadette'
Eglé, a nymph, friend of Écho soprano Anne-Marie-Jeanne Gavaudan, 'L'aînée'
Amour (Cupid) soprano Gertrude Girardin
Narcisse, a hunter, son of Cephisus haute-contre Étienne Lainez
Cynire, friend of Narcisse haute-contre Joseph Legros
Sylphie, a nymph soprano
Thanais, a nymph soprano
Two sylvans bass
haute-contre 		Auguste-Athanase (Augustin) Chéron
Jean-Joseph Rousseau [it][3]
Sylphs, Zephyrs and attendants and followers of Amour, Écho and Narcisse.
Ballet[4] – ballerinas: Marie-Madeleine Guimard, Anne Heinel, Marie Allard, Peslin;
male dancers: Gaetano Vestris, Auguste Vestris, Maximilien Gardel, Jean D'Auberval

Synopsis

[edit]

The nymph Écho is loved by Narcisse, but also desired by Apollo. Apollo puts a spell on Narcisse so he falls in love with his own reflection, but Cupid is eventually successful in securing a happy ending by re-uniting Écho and Narcisse.

References

[edit]

Notes

  1. ^ Rushton 2001, p. 327.
  2. ^ Casaglia, Gherardo (2005). "Écho et Narcisse, 24 September 1779". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
  3. ^ Gustave Chouquet, Histoire de la musique dramatique en France depuis ses origines jusqu'à nos jours, Paris, Firmin Didot, 1873, p. 362 (online Gallica)
  4. ^ Lajarte, 1878, p. 312

Sources

  • Lajarte, Théodore, "Écho et Narcisse", Bibliothèque Musicale du Théatre de l'Opéra. Catalogue Historique, Chronologique, Anecdotique, Paris, Librairie des bibliophiles, 1878, pp. 311–312, vol. I (in French)
  • Rushton, Julian (2001). "Christoph Willibald Gluck", pp. 313–327, in The New Penguin Opera Guide, edited by Amanda Holden. London: Penguin Books. ISBN 9780140514759.

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
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