Andromède (Holmès)
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''Andromède'' (''Andromeda'') is a French verse play in a prologue and five acts by
Pierre Corneille Pierre Corneille (; 6 June 1606 – 1 October 1684) was a French tragedian. He is generally considered one of the three great seventeenth-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine. As a young man, he earned the valuable patronag ...
, first performed on 1 February 1650 by the
Troupe Royale de l'Hôtel de Bourgogne Troupe may refer to: General *Comedy troupe, a group of comedians *Dance troupe, a group of dancers **Fire troupe, a group of fire dancers *Troupe system, a method of playing role-playing games *Theatrical troupe, a group of theatrical performers ...
at the Théâtre Royal de Bourbon in Paris. The story is taken from Books IV and V of Ovid's '' Metamorphoses'' and concerns the transformation of
Perseus In Greek mythology, Perseus (Help:IPA/English, /ˈpɜːrsiəs, -sjuːs/; Greek language, Greek: Περσεύς, Romanization of Greek, translit. Perseús) is the legendary founder of Mycenae and of the Perseid dynasty. He was, alongside Cadmus ...
and Andromeda. The play has rarely been revived and is mostly remembered today for the set of six engravings by
François Chauveau François Chauveau (10 May 1613 – 3 February 1676) was a French artist, known as a burin engraver, draftsmen and painter. Life François Chauveau was born 10 May 1613 in Paris, as the second son of the impoverished noble, Lubin Chauveau a ...
depicting the elaborate
Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
set designs Scenic design (also known as scenography, stage design, or set design) is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but in recent years, are mostly train ...
of Giacomo Torelli.


Background

The play was commissioned by Cardinal Mazarin in 1648 but wasn't finished until 1650. Corneille dedicated the piece to an unknown woman designated by four uppercase M's. According to
Abel Lefranc Maurice Jules Abel Lefranc (27 July 1863 – 26 November 1952) was a historian of French literature, expert on Rabelais, and the principal advocate of the Derbyite theory of Shakespeare authorship. Early life Lefranc was born in Élincourt-Sa ...
, the M's represent
Madame de Motteville Madame may refer to: * Madam, civility title or form of address for women, derived from the French * Madam (prostitution), a term for a woman who is engaged in the business of procuring prostitutes, usually the manager of a brothel * ''Madame'' ( ...
, the confidante of Anne of Austria.


Plot

*Prologue: Respects to the King *Act I: Venus predicts the marriage of Andromeda while a final victim will be chosen for the monster Cetus. *Act II: Andromeda is designated as the victim. *Act III:
Perseus In Greek mythology, Perseus (Help:IPA/English, /ˈpɜːrsiəs, -sjuːs/; Greek language, Greek: Περσεύς, Romanization of Greek, translit. Perseús) is the legendary founder of Mycenae and of the Perseid dynasty. He was, alongside Cadmus ...
kills the monster; the Nereids promise to avenge it. *Act IV: Phineus wants to kill Perseus and gets the aid of
Juno Juno commonly refers to: *Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods *Juno (film), ''Juno'' (film), 2007 Juno may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters *Juno, in the film ''Jenny, Juno'' *Ju ...
. *Act V: Perseus astounds Phineus; all the characters ascend to heaven to become gods.


Characters

The list of characters is from Corneille.


Gods in the Machines

* Jupiter, ''King of the Gods'' * Junon, ''Goddess of Marriage, Jupiter's wife'' *
Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times ...
, ''God of the Sea'' * Mercure, ''God of Messages'' * Le Soleil (The Sun) * Vénus, ''Goddess of Love and Beauty'' *
Melpomène In Greek mythology, Melpomene (; grc, Μελπομένη, Melpoménē, to sing' or 'the one that is melodious), initially the muse of chorus, eventually became the muse of tragedy, and is now best known in that association. Etymology Melp ...
, '' Muse of Tragedy'' * Aeole, ''Keeper of the Winds'' * Cymodoce, ''first Nereid'' * Ephyre, ''second Nereid'' * Cydippe, ''third Nereid'' * Eight Vents (Winds)


Mortals

* Cephée, ''King of Ethiopia'' * Cassiope, ''Queen of Ethiopia'' * Andromède, ''their daughter'' * Phinée, ''Prince of Ethiopia'' * Persée, ''son of Jupiter and
Danaë In Greek mythology, Danaë (, ; ; , ) was an Argive princess and mother of the hero Perseus by Zeus. She was credited with founding the city of Ardea in Latium during the Bronze Age. Family Danae was the daughter and only child of King Acris ...
'' * Timante, ''Captain of the Royal Guards'' * Ammon, ''friend of Phinée'' * Aglante, ''a nymph of Andromède'' * Cephalie, ''a nymph of Andromède'' * Liriope, ''a nymph of Andromède'' * A page of Phinée * Chorus of People * Retinue of the King


Premiere

The premiere production incorporated spectacular scenery, set changes, and special effects, designed by Giacomo Torelli. Many of the sets were recycled from Torelli's production of
Luigi Rossi Luigi Rossi (c. 1597 – 20 February 1653) was an Italian Baroque composer. Born in Torremaggiore, a small town near Foggia, in the ancient kingdom of Naples, at an early age he went to Naples where he studied music with the Franco-Flemish comp ...
's opera '' Orfeo'', performed at the
Palais-Royal The Palais-Royal () is a former royal palace located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. The screened entrance court faces the Place du Palais-Royal, opposite the Louvre. Originally called the Palais-Cardinal, it was built for Cardinal ...
in 1647. A series of six engravings created by
François Chauveau François Chauveau (10 May 1613 – 3 February 1676) was a French artist, known as a burin engraver, draftsmen and painter. Life François Chauveau was born 10 May 1613 in Paris, as the second son of the impoverished noble, Lubin Chauveau a ...
, depicting scenes from the prologue and five acts of ''Andromède'', were published in
Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...
in 1651, both separately and with the second edition of the play. Charles d'Assoucy composed
incidental music Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as t ...
, which included airs, duets, and choruses, that primarily functioned to cover up the noise of the stage machinery during scene changes and special effects, such as the descent of Jupiter,
Juno Juno commonly refers to: *Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods *Juno (film), ''Juno'' (film), 2007 Juno may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters *Juno, in the film ''Jenny, Juno'' *Ju ...
and
Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times ...
in the final act. Corneille did not look too favorably on the music: "I have employed music only to satisfy the ear while the eyes are looking at the machines, but I have been careful to have nothing sung that is essential to the understanding of the play because the words are generally badly understood in music." Most of the music has been lost, except for two choruses published in ''Airs à quatre parties'' (Robert Ballard, Paris, 1653).


Engravings by Chauveau

File:Set design Prologue of Andromède by P Corneille 1650 - Gallica 2010.jpg, Prologue:
Melpomène In Greek mythology, Melpomene (; grc, Μελπομένη, Melpoménē, to sing' or 'the one that is melodious), initially the muse of chorus, eventually became the muse of tragedy, and is now best known in that association. Etymology Melp ...
, flying in the sky, and the Sun in his "luminously bright chariot" File:Set design Act1 of Andromède by P Corneille 1650 - Gallica 2010.jpg, Act 1: Vénus in her "glory" File:Set design Act2 of Andromède by P Corneille 1650 - Gallica 2010.jpg, Act 2: Aeole and eight Venti raise Andromède into the clouds amid thunder and lightning File:Set design Act3 of Andromède by P Corneille 1650 - Gallica 2010.jpg, Act 3: Persée rescues the rock-bound Andromède from the Sea Monster File:Set design Act4 of Andromède by P Corneille 1650 - Gallica 2010.jpg, Act 4:
Juno Juno commonly refers to: *Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods *Juno (film), ''Juno'' (film), 2007 Juno may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters *Juno, in the film ''Jenny, Juno'' *Ju ...
in her chariot
assures Phinée of her protection File:Set design Act5 of Andromède by P Corneille 1650 - Gallica 2010.jpg, Act 5: Juno with Cephée and Persée, Jupiter, and
Neptune Neptune is the eighth planet from the Sun and the farthest known planet in the Solar System. It is the fourth-largest planet in the Solar System by diameter, the third-most-massive planet, and the densest giant planet. It is 17 times ...
with Cassiope and Andromède,
in the heavens


Later productions

* 1655: ''Andromède'' was revived at the
Théâtre du Marais The Théâtre du Marais has been the name of several theatres and theatrical troupes in Paris, France. The original and most famous theatre of the name operated in the 17th century. The name was briefly revived for a revolutionary theatre in 1791, ...
with machinery and sets designed by Denis Buffequin. * 1682: A revival at the
Théâtre Guénégaud The Salle de la Bouteille or Salle du Jeu de Paume de la Bouteille, later known as the Hôtel eGuénégaud or Guénégaud Theatre, was a 1671 theatre located in Paris, France, between the rue de Seine and the rue des Fossés de Nesle (now 42 ...
by the Comédie-Française with music composed by Marc-Antoine Charpentier included a live horse flying through the air. According to the Parfaict brothers, the horse was persuaded to portray a "warlike ardor" by a severe fast, and "when he appeared a theatre employee was in the wings sifting oats. The horse overcome by hunger, neighed, stamped his feet and thus acted exactly as it was wished he should. ..This acting on the part of the horse greatly contributed to the success the tragedy enjoyed at that time."Howarth 1997, pp. 355, 357.


Notes


Bibliography

* Coeyman, Barbara (1998). "Opera and Ballet in Seventeenth-Century French Theatres: Case Studies of the Salle des Machines and the Palais Royal Theater", pp. 37–71, in ''Opera in Context: Essays on Historical Staging from the Late Renaissance to the Time of Puccini'', edited by Mark A. Radice. Portland, Oregon: Amadeus Press. . * Corneille, Pierre (1651a). ''Andromède'', 1st edition. Rouen: Laurens Maurry
Copy
at Gallica. * Corneille, Pierre (1651b). ''Andromède'', 2nd edition with engravings. Rouen: Laurens Maurry
Copy
at Gallica. * Garreau, Joseph E. (1984). "Corneille, Pierre", vol. 1, pp. 545–554, in ''McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Drama'', Stanley Hochman, editor in chief. New York: McGraw-Hill. . * Howarth, William D., editor (1997). ''French Theatre in the Neo-classical Era, 1550–1789''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. . * Isherwood, Robert M. (1973). ''Music in the Service of the King. France in the Seventeenth Century''. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. . * John, Richard (1996). "Torelli, Giacomo", vol. 31, pp. 165–166, in '' The Dictionary of Art'' (34 volumes), edited by Jane Turner. New York: Grove. . Also a
Oxford Art Online
(subscription required). * Powell, John S. (2000). ''Music and Theatre in France 1600–1680''. Oxford: Oxford University Press. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Andromede (Corneille) Plays by Pierre Corneille 1650 plays