''Les arts florissants'' ( H.487) is a short

chamber opera Chamber opera is a designation for operas written to be performed with a Chamber music, chamber ensemble rather than a full orchestra. Early 20th-century operas of this type include Paul Hindemith's ''Cardillac'' (1926). Earlier small-scale operas ...

(also described by the composer as ') in five scenes by

Marc-Antoine Charpentier Marc-Antoine Charpentier (; 1643 – 24 February 1704) was a French Baroque composer during the reign of Louis XIV. One of his most famous works is the main theme from the prelude of his ''Te Deum'' ''H.146, Marche en rondeau''. This theme is st ...

History

It was written in

1685 Events January–March * January 6 – American-born British citizen Elihu Yale, for whom Yale University in the U.S. is named, completes his term as the first leader of the Madras Presidency in India, administering the colony ...

for the group of musicians employed by

Marie de Lorraine, Duchess of Guise Marie de Lorraine (15 August 1615 – 3 March 1688) was the daughter of Charles de Lorraine, Duke of Guise and Henriette Catherine de Joyeuse and the last member of the House of Guise, a branch of the House of Lorraine. Biography Marie de Lo ...

, at her residence in Paris. The reason behind the creation of this work, as well as its place of performance, remain a matter for speculation. The French

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

, written by an unknown author, is

allegorical As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory throughou ...

in nature and draws on aspects of mythological and natural symbolism familiar to 17th-century audiences to add depth to a superficially simple plot. The story of the

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

concerns the eponymous Arts, shown flourishing under the beneficent and peaceful reign of

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

, as they and a group of warriors become drawn into a dispute between the central characters of ' (Peace) and ' (Discord). After a brief struggle in which Discord and his

Furies The Erinyes ( ; , ), also known as the Eumenides (, the "Gracious ones"), are chthonic goddesses of vengeance in ancient Greek religion and mythology. A formulaic oath in the ''Iliad'' invokes them as "the Erinyes, that under earth take v ...

gain the upper hand, Peace appeals to

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a Jupiter mass, mass more than 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined a ...

to intervene on her behalf. Discord and his followers are chased back into

Hades Hades (; , , later ), in the ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, is the god of the dead and the king of the Greek underworld, underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea ...

by a hail of thunderbolts, and Peace holds sway once more.

Analysis

The opera is scored for seven solo voices, five-part

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

, two

flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

s (or recorders), two treble

viol The viola da gamba (), or viol, or informally gamba, is a bowed and fretted string instrument that is played (i.e. "on the leg"). It is distinct from the later violin family, violin, or ; and it is any one of the earlier viol family of bow (m ...

s and

basso continuo Basso continuo parts, almost universal in the Baroque era (1600–1750), provided the harmonic structure of the music by supplying a bassline and a chord progression. The phrase is often shortened to continuo, and the instrumentalists playing th ...

. The manuscript score also calls for two choruses in the form of a ' (Troop of Warriors) and a ' (Chorus of singing Furies), to be sung by all available singers,The vocal forces usually employed by Marie de Lorraine (Hitchcock suggests there were never more than fourteen singers at a time, and usually fewer) would otherwise have been too small to make this proliferation of choruses feasible. In Charpentier's manuscript, the various vocal lines of each chorus are labelled with the names of the seven soloists, which would seem to confirm that they were required to double as both choruses. See Hitchcock and Charpentier. and a troupe of ' (Dancing Furies, if desired). The instrumentalists are included in the original character list under the entry ', and the overture is labelled ' (for the orchestral players in Music's following).

Roles

Selected recordings

*Charpentier: ''Les Arts Florissants'' H.487 / William Christie, Les Arts Florissants. CD

Harmonia Mundi Harmonia Mundi is a record label that specializes in classical music, jazz, and world music (on the World Village label). It was founded in France in 1958 and is now a subsidiary of PIAS Entertainment Group, which is itself owned by Universal M ...

1982 report Musique D'abord 1987. *Charpentier: ''les Arts Florissants'' H.487'', La Couronne de Fleurs'' H.486, (excerpts) ''/'' Gaétan Jarry, Ensemble Marguerite Louise. CD Château de Versailles spectacles 2017/2018. *Charpentier '': Les Arts Florissants'' H.487, '' Les Plaisirs de Versailles'' H.480, Teresa Wakim, Jesse Blumberg, Virginia Warnken, Boston early Music Festival Vocal & Chamber Ensembles / Paul O’Dette,

Stephen Stubbs Stephen Stubbs (born 1951) is a lutenist and music director and has been a leading figure in the American early music scene for nearly thirty years. Born in Seattle, he studied harpsichord and composition at the University of Washington where, at ...

. CD CPO 2019. *Charpentier : ''Les Arts Florissants'' H.487, Haley Sicking, Patrick Gnage, Dallas Bach Society, New York Baroque Dance Company, conducted by James Richman. CD Rubicon 2024

Bibliography

: "Les Arts florissans", ''Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Œuvres complètes'', ser.I vol.7 (facs.), ed. H. Wiley Hitchcock (Paris: Minkoff France, 1996) 120-164 *Marc-Antoine Charpentier, H. Wiley Hitchcock, Oxford University press 2001. Also in

Grove Music online ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and t ...

. *Shirley Thompson, ''New perspectives on Marc-Antoine Charpentier,'' New York, routledge, 2010/2016, 600 p.

Notes

Sources

* H. Wiley Hitchcock: "Marc-Antoine Charpentier 1. Life", ''

Grove Music Online ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and t ...

'' ed. L. Macy (Accessed August 25, 2006)
www.grovemusic.com
(subscription access) *John S. Powell: "Les Arts florissants", ''

'' ed. L. Macy (Accessed August 25, 2006)
www.grovemusic.com
(subscription access)

External links

* Patricia M. Ranum: "The 'Guise Music': some thumbnail sketches of the members of Mlle de Guise's ensemble", ''Ranums' Panat Times'' website (Accessed August 25, 2006)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arts florissants, Les French-language operas Chamber operas Operas by Marc-Antoine Charpentier 1685 operas Operas