Le bourgeois de Calais
Encyclopedia
Le bourgeois de Calais is an opéra comique
in three acts of 1887, with music by André Messager
and a French
libretto by Ernest Dubreuil, Paul Burani
.
It was first performed at the Théâtre des Folies-Dramatiques on 6 April 1887 and, despite the praise for Messager’s music, ran only for 17 performances. Le bourgeois de Calais has parallels with the contemporary French feelings towards loss of Alsace and Lorraine.
Henri II
recalls the Duc de Guise
from Italy and makes him Lieutenant General of the kingdom. The king and all France see de Guise as their protector - and he must live up this hope. On January 1st 1558, the French army reaches Calais
. The English garrison is weak. Two forts guard the city approaches, one by sea, one by land; they are captured at the same time on January 3rd after a few canon shots. The sea fortress, Risbanc, commanded the port and all communication between Calais and England. On January 6th the Duc de Guise and his men cross the harbour at low tide and lay siege
to the castle, Guise leaving there his best men. When the tide comes in, breaking the lines between the castle and the French army, the English try to retake the fort but are repulsed. The governor of Calais surrenders the town the day after. The English citizens are allowed to leave without their possessions. The town is French again after 210 years of English occupation.
By disguising himself in the clothes of the sailor André (fiancé of Marthe, daughter of Aubriet, an alderman of Calais), de Guise can enter the square and bring in his troops right under the nose of the English governor Lord Tréfort. In a subplot, the Comtesse believes – after a prophecy in Nostradamus - she may become the Duchess de Guise, while André thinks he has been duped by the Duke.
Of Messager’s score, contemporary writers particularly noted the quartet "Vous avez dans mon ame", the military finale of the first act, the introduction to the second, the scene of the swearing of allegiance, the couplets "C’est une merveilleuse idée", the third act romance "Je vais errant a l’aventure" and the comic song "L'Anglais, premier people du monde".
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...
in three acts of 1887, with music by André Messager
André Messager
André Charles Prosper Messager , was a French composer, organist, pianist, conductor and administrator. His stage compositions included ballets and 30 opéra comiques and operettas, among which Véronique, had lasting success, with Les p'tites Michu and Monsieur Beaucaire also enjoying international...
and a French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
libretto by Ernest Dubreuil, Paul Burani
Paul Burani
Paul Burani , born 26 March 1845 in Paris and died 9 October 1901, was a French author, actor, song-writer and librettist.He collaborated on libretti for the following operas:...
.
It was first performed at the Théâtre des Folies-Dramatiques on 6 April 1887 and, despite the praise for Messager’s music, ran only for 17 performances. Le bourgeois de Calais has parallels with the contemporary French feelings towards loss of Alsace and Lorraine.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, 6 April 1887 (Conductor: D Thibault) |
|---|---|---|
| Le duc de Guise | 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... |
Morlet |
| Lord Tréfort | 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... |
Gobin |
| André | baritone | Dechesne |
| Maître Aubriet | bass | Bellucci |
| Chevalier de Champagnolles | tenor | A Guyon |
| Kerkadec | baritone | Lauret |
| Mitonnet | baritone | Duhamel |
| Un sergent | tenor | Speck |
| D’Andelot | Milot | |
| Comtesse de Civrac | mezzo-soprano Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above... |
Juliette Darcourt |
| Marthe | 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... |
Lydie Borel |
| René | tenor | Fanzi |
| Chorus: Servants, Soldiers, Townspeople. | ||
Synopsis
The opera is set in January 1558.Henri II
Henry II of France
Henry II was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559.-Early years:Henry was born in the royal Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, the son of Francis I and Claude, Duchess of Brittany .His father was captured at the Battle of Pavia in 1525 by his sworn enemy,...
recalls the Duc de Guise
Francis, Duke of Guise
Francis de Lorraine II, Prince of Joinville, Duke of Guise, Duke of Aumale , called Balafré , was a French soldier and politician.-Early life:...
from Italy and makes him Lieutenant General of the kingdom. The king and all France see de Guise as their protector - and he must live up this hope. On January 1st 1558, the French army reaches Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
. The English garrison is weak. Two forts guard the city approaches, one by sea, one by land; they are captured at the same time on January 3rd after a few canon shots. The sea fortress, Risbanc, commanded the port and all communication between Calais and England. On January 6th the Duc de Guise and his men cross the harbour at low tide and lay siege
Siege of Calais (1558)
The Siege of Calais was fought in early 1558 during the Habsburg-Valois Wars. A French force commanded by the Duke of Guise captured the city of Calais from the English, who had ruled it since 1347.-See also:*Siege of Calais...
to the castle, Guise leaving there his best men. When the tide comes in, breaking the lines between the castle and the French army, the English try to retake the fort but are repulsed. The governor of Calais surrenders the town the day after. The English citizens are allowed to leave without their possessions. The town is French again after 210 years of English occupation.
By disguising himself in the clothes of the sailor André (fiancé of Marthe, daughter of Aubriet, an alderman of Calais), de Guise can enter the square and bring in his troops right under the nose of the English governor Lord Tréfort. In a subplot, the Comtesse believes – after a prophecy in Nostradamus - she may become the Duchess de Guise, while André thinks he has been duped by the Duke.
Of Messager’s score, contemporary writers particularly noted the quartet "Vous avez dans mon ame", the military finale of the first act, the introduction to the second, the scene of the swearing of allegiance, the couplets "C’est une merveilleuse idée", the third act romance "Je vais errant a l’aventure" and the comic song "L'Anglais, premier people du monde".