''Pirame et Thisbé'' (''Pyramus and Thisbe'') is an opera by the French composers

François Francoeur François Francœur (8 September 1698 – 5 August 1787) was a French composer and violinist. Biography François Francœur was born in Paris, the son of Joseph Francœur, a basse de violon player and member of the '' 24 violons du roy''. Franc ...

and

François Rebel François Rebel (19 June 17017 November 1775) was a French composer of the Baroque era. Born in Paris, the son of the leading composer Jean-Féry Rebel, he was a child prodigy who became a violinist The following lists of violinists are availab ...

, first performed at the Académie Royale de Musique (the Paris Opera) on 17 October 1726. It takes the form of a ''

tragédie en musique Tragédie en musique (, ''musical tragedy''), also known as tragédie lyrique (, ''lyric tragedy''), is a genre of French opera introduced by Jean-Baptiste Lully and used by his followers until the second half of the eighteenth century. Operas in ...

'' in a prologue and five acts. The libretto, by

Jean-Louis-Ignace de La Serre Jean-Louis-Ignace de La Serre, sieur de Langlade, was an 18th-century French novelist and playwright born in Cahors in 1662 and died 30 September 1756. Royal censor, he authored a biography of Molière. He was wrongly attributed some works by Ma ...

, is based on the story of

Pyramus and Thisbe Pyramus and Thisbe are a pair of ill-fated lovers whose story forms part of Ovid's ''Metamorphoses''. The story has since been retold by many authors. Pyramus and Thisbe are two lovers in the city of Babylon who occupy connected houses. Their r ...

Ovid Pūblius Ovidius Nāsō (; 20 March 43 BC – 17/18 AD), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of the older Virgil and Horace, with whom he is often ranked as one of the th ...

's ''Metamorphoses''. The role of Thisbé was created by

Marie Pélissier Marie Pélissier or sometimes Pelissier (1706/1707 – March 21, 1749) was a French operatic soprano. At the Paris Opera in 1722, she began her career, which was noted for her artistic skill and a scandal, until her retirement in 1741. Career ...

Recording

*''Pirame et Thisbé'', Thomas Dolié, Judith van Wanroij, Jeffrey Thompson, Katia Velletaz, Jean Teitgen, Ensemble Stradivaria, Chœur de l'Académie Baroque, conducted by Daniel Cuiller (2 CDs, Mirare, 2008)

Sources

Libretto at "Livrets baroques"

Félix Clément and Pierre Larousse ''Dictionnaire des Opéras'', Paris, 1881
p.559. French-language operas Tragédies en musique Operas Operas based on Metamorphoses 1726 operas {{french-opera-stub