Le roi l'a dit
Encyclopedia
Le roi l'a dit is an opéra comique
in three acts by Léo Delibes
to a French libretto
by Edmond Gondinet
. It is a lively comedy, remarkably requiring 14 singers – six men and eight women. The libretto had first been offered in 1871 to Offenbach; the title also went through various permutations (Le Talon rouge, Si le Roi le savait, Le Roi le sait) before settling on its final name. The 1885 revival brought further modifications to the libretto.
in Paris, and was seen there until 1900, totalling 79 performances there. The 1885 production including Lucien Fugère
, Molé-Truffier and Barnolt
and was conducted by Jules Danbé
. The revival on 23 March 1898 was in a 2-act version by Philippe Gille
. A series of performances took place at the Trianon Lyrique, Paris in December 1911.
It was seen in Antwerp in 1873, Vienna, Carlsruhe and Prague in 1874, Riga in 1876, and in Budapest, Berlin and Copenhagen in 1877, and was occasionally revived in the 20th century. On 20 December 1958, French Radio recorded Le roi l'a dit with soloists, chorus and the Orchestre Radio Lyrique de la RTF
conducted by André Girard.
When they are gone, Benoit, a young peasant, comes to see Javotte, his sweetheart. He wishes to enter the Marquis’ service. Javotte thinks him too awkward, but promises to ask Miton, a dancing-master, who enters as Benoit disappears. He has instructed the graceful Javotte in all the graces of the noble world, and when he rehearses the steps and tricks of his art with her, he is so delighted that he pronounces her manners worthy of a princess. When Javotte tells him that she loves a peasant, he is disgusted and sends her packing. His real pupils, the four daughters of the Marquis enter, and while the lesson goes on, Miton hands a billet-doux from some lover to each of them. The two elder, Agatha and Chimène, are just in the act of reading theirs, when they hear a serenade outside, and shortly the two lovers are in the room, having slipped in through the window. The Marquis Flarembel and his friend, the Marquis de la Bluette are just making an ardent declaration of love, when Mme la Marquise enters to present to her elder daughters the two men she has chosen for them. The young men hide behind the ample dresses of the young ladies, and all begin to sing with great zeal, Miton beating the measure, so that some time elapses, before the Marquise speak. Her words excite terror, and the girls retreat with their lovers and receive the two elderly suitors, Baron de Merlussac and Gautru, a rich old financier, with coolness and refusal of their costly gifts. When the suitors are gone, the two young strangers are found out and the angry mother decides at once to send her daughters to a convent, which they will only be able to leave on their wedding-day.
When they have gone, the old Marquis returns from his audience with the King. His Majesty had been so peremptory in his questioning about the Marquis' son and heir, that the Marquis lost all presence of mind, and promised to present his son to Court on the King's demand. The only question now is where to find a son, as the Marquis has only four daughters! Miton presents Benoit to the parents, engaging himself to drill the peasant into a true cavalier. Benoit takes readily to his new position; he is fitted out and when the merchants come, offering their best in cloth and finery, he treats them with an insolence worthy of the proudest seigneur. He even turns from his sweetheart Javotte.
Benoit learns from them that he has four charming sisters, who have been sent to a convent, and he at once promises to assist his new friends. Meanwhile Javotte appears disguised as an oriental queen and Benoit makes love to her, but is amazed when she takes off her mask, and he recognizes Javotte. She laughingly turns away from him, when the youth's new parents appear, to reproach him with his levity. Benoit rushes away, telling the Marquis that he intends to visit his sisters in the convent. Miton tries in vain to recall him. Then the old suitors of Agathe and Chimène appear, to complain that their deceased wife and grand-mother were invited, and while the Marquis explains his son's mistake, the four daughters rush in, liberated by their lovers and their unknown brother, whom they greet with a fondness very shocking to the old marchioness. The elderly suitors withdraw, swearing to take vengeance on the inopportune brother.
The girls, well aware that they owe their happiness to their adopted brother, are glad to provide him with ample means for his marriage with Javotte, and the opera ends to everybody's satisfaction.
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 by Léo Delibes
Léo Delibes
Clément Philibert Léo Delibes was a French composer of ballets, operas, and other works for the stage...
to a French libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
by Edmond Gondinet
Edmond Gondinet
Edmond Gondinet was a French playwright and librettist. This author, nearly forgotten today, produced forty plays of which several were successful...
. It is a lively comedy, remarkably requiring 14 singers – six men and eight women. The libretto had first been offered in 1871 to Offenbach; the title also went through various permutations (Le Talon rouge, Si le Roi le savait, Le Roi le sait) before settling on its final name. The 1885 revival brought further modifications to the libretto.
Performance history
The opera was first performed on 24 May 1873 at the Opéra-ComiqueOpéra-Comique
The Opéra-Comique is a Parisian opera company, which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with, and for a time took the name of its chief rival the Comédie-Italienne at the Hôtel de Bourgogne, and was also called the...
in Paris, and was seen there until 1900, totalling 79 performances there. The 1885 production including Lucien Fugère
Lucien Fugère
Lucien Fugère was a French baritone, particularly associated with the French repertory and Mozart roles, he enjoyed an exceptionally long career, singing into his 80s.- Life and career :...
, Molé-Truffier and Barnolt
Barnolt
Barnolt was the stage name of Paul Fleuret , a French operatic tenor associated with the Opéra-Comique in Paris.-Career:After a year of study at the Paris Conservatoire, where his teachers included Charles Bataille, Barnolt made his debut at the Folies-Marigny and further appearances at the...
and was conducted by Jules Danbé
Jules Danbé
Jules Danbé was a French conductor, mainly of opera, born in Caen on 16 November 1840, and died 30 October 1905. Trained as a violinist, he was a pupil of Girard and Savard, in 1859 winning a first prize for violin...
. The revival on 23 March 1898 was in a 2-act version by Philippe Gille
Philippe Gille
Philippe Gille was a French dramatist and opera librettist. He wrote over twenty librettos between 1857 and 1893, the most famous of which are Massenet's Manon and Delibes' Lakmé.-Librettos by Philippe Gille:...
. A series of performances took place at the Trianon Lyrique, Paris in December 1911.
It was seen in Antwerp in 1873, Vienna, Carlsruhe and Prague in 1874, Riga in 1876, and in Budapest, Berlin and Copenhagen in 1877, and was occasionally revived in the 20th century. On 20 December 1958, French Radio recorded Le roi l'a dit with soloists, chorus and the Orchestre Radio Lyrique de la RTF
Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française
Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française was the French national public broadcasting organization established on 9 February 1949 to replace the post-war "Radiodiffusion Française" , which had been founded in 1945...
conducted by André Girard.
Roles
| Role | Voice type Voice type A voice type is a particular kind of human singing voice perceived as having certain identifying qualities or characteristics. Voice classification is the process by which human voices are evaluated and are thereby designated into voice types... |
Premiere cast, 24 May 1873 (Conductor Conducting Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble... : Adolphe Deloffre Adolphe Deloffre Louis Michel Adolphe Deloffre was a French violinist and conductor active in London and Paris, who conducted several important operatic premieres in the latter city, particularly by Charles Gounod and Georges Bizet.... ) |
|---|---|---|
| Javotte | 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... |
Marguérite Priola |
| Benoit | 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... |
Paul Lhérie Paul Lhérie Paul Lhérie , was a French tenor, then baritone, later a vocal teacher, most famous for creating the role of Don José in Bizet's Carmen.-Life and career:... |
| Marquis de Moncontour | bass Bass (voice type) A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C... |
Jean-Vital Ismaël |
| Marquise de Moncontour | 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... |
Antoinette-Jeanne Révilly |
| Marquis de Florembelle | soprano (travesty En travesti Travesti is a theatrical term referring to the portrayal of a character in an opera, play, or ballet by a performer of the opposite sex. Some sources regard 'travesti' as an Italian term, some as French. Depending on sources, the term may be given as travesty, travesti, or en travesti... ) |
Ganetti |
| Marquis de la Bleuette | mezzo-soprano (travesty) | Julia Reine |
| Chimène | soprano | J Nadaud |
| Agathe | soprano | Guillot |
| Philomèle | soprano | Marguérite Chapuy Marguérite Chapuy Marguérite Chapuy was a French operatic soprano, born 1850, the daughter of a former dancer at the Opéra, whose short professional career was concentrated on Paris but included appearances in London; she created several roles at the Opéra Comique.... |
| Miton | tenor | Charles-Louis Sainte-Foy |
| Gautru | bass | Joseph Thierry |
| Angélique | soprano | Thibault |
| Baron de Merlussac | bass | François Bernard |
| Pacôme | tenor | Barnolt Barnolt Barnolt was the stage name of Paul Fleuret , a French operatic tenor associated with the Opéra-Comique in Paris.-Career:After a year of study at the Paris Conservatoire, where his teachers included Charles Bataille, Barnolt made his debut at the Folies-Marigny and further appearances at the... |
| Chorus: servants, courtiers, tradespeople. | ||
Act 1
The Marquis de Moncontour has long wished to be presented to King Louis XIV, and, having recently caught the escaped parrot of Mme de Maintenon, he is at last to have his wish fulfilled. In preparation for his audience he tries to learn the latest way of bowing, and the Marquise, her four daughters and Javotte, the maid, assist him. The old gentleman finally succeeds in making his bow to his own satisfaction, and he is put into a litter, and sent off.When they are gone, Benoit, a young peasant, comes to see Javotte, his sweetheart. He wishes to enter the Marquis’ service. Javotte thinks him too awkward, but promises to ask Miton, a dancing-master, who enters as Benoit disappears. He has instructed the graceful Javotte in all the graces of the noble world, and when he rehearses the steps and tricks of his art with her, he is so delighted that he pronounces her manners worthy of a princess. When Javotte tells him that she loves a peasant, he is disgusted and sends her packing. His real pupils, the four daughters of the Marquis enter, and while the lesson goes on, Miton hands a billet-doux from some lover to each of them. The two elder, Agatha and Chimène, are just in the act of reading theirs, when they hear a serenade outside, and shortly the two lovers are in the room, having slipped in through the window. The Marquis Flarembel and his friend, the Marquis de la Bluette are just making an ardent declaration of love, when Mme la Marquise enters to present to her elder daughters the two men she has chosen for them. The young men hide behind the ample dresses of the young ladies, and all begin to sing with great zeal, Miton beating the measure, so that some time elapses, before the Marquise speak. Her words excite terror, and the girls retreat with their lovers and receive the two elderly suitors, Baron de Merlussac and Gautru, a rich old financier, with coolness and refusal of their costly gifts. When the suitors are gone, the two young strangers are found out and the angry mother decides at once to send her daughters to a convent, which they will only be able to leave on their wedding-day.
When they have gone, the old Marquis returns from his audience with the King. His Majesty had been so peremptory in his questioning about the Marquis' son and heir, that the Marquis lost all presence of mind, and promised to present his son to Court on the King's demand. The only question now is where to find a son, as the Marquis has only four daughters! Miton presents Benoit to the parents, engaging himself to drill the peasant into a true cavalier. Benoit takes readily to his new position; he is fitted out and when the merchants come, offering their best in cloth and finery, he treats them with an insolence worthy of the proudest seigneur. He even turns from his sweetheart Javotte.
Act 2
Benoit, dressed like a fine cavalier, gives a masked ball in his father's gardens. Half Versailles is invited, but he has mistakenly invited many people from the Court Almanac who have long been dead. Those who do appear seem to him to be very insipid, and wanting some friends with whom he can enjoy himself, the useful Miton presents the Marquis de la Bluette and de Flarembel, who are delighted to make the acquaintance of their sweethearts' brother.Benoit learns from them that he has four charming sisters, who have been sent to a convent, and he at once promises to assist his new friends. Meanwhile Javotte appears disguised as an oriental queen and Benoit makes love to her, but is amazed when she takes off her mask, and he recognizes Javotte. She laughingly turns away from him, when the youth's new parents appear, to reproach him with his levity. Benoit rushes away, telling the Marquis that he intends to visit his sisters in the convent. Miton tries in vain to recall him. Then the old suitors of Agathe and Chimène appear, to complain that their deceased wife and grand-mother were invited, and while the Marquis explains his son's mistake, the four daughters rush in, liberated by their lovers and their unknown brother, whom they greet with a fondness very shocking to the old marchioness. The elderly suitors withdraw, swearing to take vengeance on the inopportune brother.
Act 3
Benoit appears in his father's house after having spent the night amongst gay companions and met Gautru and de Merlussac successively, who have both fought him and believe they have killed him – Benoit having feigned to be dead on the spot. When the old Marquis enters, he is astonished to receive two letters of condolence from his daughter's suitors. Miton appears in mourning, explaining that Mme de Maintenon's visit being expected, they must all wear dark colours as she prefers these. Meanwhile Benoit has met Javotte and declared his undiminished love and he at once asks his father to give him Javotte as his wife, threatening to reveal the Marquis' deceit to the King if his request is not granted. In this dilemma, help comes in the persons of the two young Marquises, who present their King's condolences to old Moncontour. This gentleman hears to his great relief, that his son is supposed to have fallen in a duel, and so he is disposed of. Nobody is happier than Javotte, who now claims Benoit for her own, while the Marquis, who receives a Duke's title from the King in compensation for his loss, gladly gives his two elder daughters to their young and noble lovers.The girls, well aware that they owe their happiness to their adopted brother, are glad to provide him with ample means for his marriage with Javotte, and the opera ends to everybody's satisfaction.