Daphnis et Eglé

Jean-Philippe Rameau
Operas Hippolyte et Aricie (1733) Les Indes galantes (1735) Castor et Pollux (1737) Les fêtes d'Hébé (1739) Dardanus (1739) La princesse de Navarre (1745) Platée (1745) Les fêtes de Polymnie (1745) Le temple de la Gloire (1745) Les fêtes de Ramire (1745) Les fêtes de l'Hymen et de l'Amour (1747) Zaïs (1748) Les surprises de l'Amour (1748) Pigmalion (1748) Naïs (1749) Zoroastre (1749) La guirlande (1751) Acante et Céphise (1751) Daphnis et Eglé (1753) Les sibarites (1753) La naissance d'Osiris (1754) Anacréon (1754) Anacréon ( different version, 1757) Les Paladins (1760) Les Boréades (unperformed) Nélée et Myrthis (date unknown) Zéphire (date unknown) Io (unfinished, date unknown) Lost operas
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Daphnis et Eglé is an opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau, first performed on 30 October 1753 at Fontainebleau. It takes the form of a pastorale héroïque in one act. The librettist was Charles Collé, and this was the only artistic collaboration between Collé and Rameau. Paul F. Rice has commented that this collaboration was an unhappy one, and speculated that this was due to Rameau's demands that Collé edit his libretto. This caused Collé to harbor resentment towards Rameau, even after the composer's death.^[1]

The opera was the first which Rameau composed after the outbreak of the Querelle des Bouffons and some of the music shows Italian influence. The score contains 23 dance airs.^[1]

Roles

Synopsis

The opera tells the story of a shepherd, Daphnis, and a shepherdess, Eglé, who believe they are merely friends until Cupid reveals they are really in love with each other.

References

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} Rice, Paul F., "The Fontainebleau Operas of Jean-Philippe Rameau" (Spring, 1988). The Journal of Musicology, 6 (2): pp. 227-244.

Sources

• Girdlestone, Cuthbert, Jean-Philippe Rameau: His Life and Work, New York: Dover, 1969 (paperback edition)
• Holden, Amanda, (Ed.), The New Penguin Opera Guide, New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001. ISBN 0-140-29312-4
• Sadler, Graham, (Ed.), The New Grove French Baroque Masters Grove/Macmillan, 1988