''David et Jonathas'' (''David and Jonathan''), H. 490, is an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

in five acts and a prologue by the French composer

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'', ''Marche en rondeau''. This theme is still us ...

, first performed at the

Collège Louis-le-Grand In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 15. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for children between ...

, Paris, on 28 February

1688 Events January–March * January 2 – Fleeing from the Spanish Navy, French pirate Raveneau de Lussan and his 70 men arrive on the west coast of Nicaragua, sink their boats, and make a difficult 10 day march to the city of Oco ...

. The

libretto A libretto (Italian for "booklet") 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 the t ...

, by Father François Bretonneau, is based on the

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

story of the friendship between

David and Jonathan David and Jonathan were, according to the Hebrew Bible's Books of Samuel, heroic figures of the Kingdom of Israel, who formed a covenant, taking a mutual oath. Jonathan was the son of Saul, king of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, and David w ...

. Although the opera takes the form of a typical French ''

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 t ...

'' it has also been referred to as a ''tragédie biblique'' because of its

Biblical The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

subject matter. ''David et Jonathas'' was first performed at a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

college in combination with a spoken drama in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, ''Saul'', by Father Étienne Chamillard (1656–1730). Each act of the opera was followed by one act from the play. Charpentier's work was so successful, it was reprised at other Jesuit colleges in 1706, 1715 and 1741. The opera received its American premiere in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

in 2005.

Pinchgut Opera Pinchgut Opera is a chamber opera company in Sydney, Australia, presenting opera from the 17th and 18th centuries performed on period instruments. Founded in 2002, Pinchgut stages two operas each year in Sydney's City Recital Hall. It also perfor ...

performed the Australian premiere in 2008; a recording was released on

ABC Classics ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

."Review: Pinchgut Opera, ''David + Jonathan''"
by Brian Wilson, April 2010, musicweb-international.com A staging at the

Aix-en-Provence Festival The Festival d'Aix-en-Provence is an annual international music festival which takes place each summer in Aix-en-Provence, principally in July. Devoted mainly to opera, it also includes concerts of orchestral, chamber, vocal and solo instrumenta ...

, France, with William Christie as musical director, was filmed in 2012. In 2022, a new staging by Marshall Pynkovski (with costumes created by Christian Lacroix) is released at the Château de Versailles, France with Gaëtan Jarry as musical director.

Roles

Synopsis

;Prologue: Saul, King of Israel, visits the "Pythoness" (the Witch of Endor in the Bible) in disguise to learn the outcome of his forthcoming battle against the

Philistines The Philistines ( he, פְּלִשְׁתִּים, Pəlīštīm; Koine Greek (LXX): Φυλιστιείμ, romanized: ''Phulistieím'') were an ancient people who lived on the south coast of Canaan from the 12th century BC until 604 BC, when ...

. The Pythoness raises the ghost of the prophet Samuel, who predicts that Saul will lose everything: his children, his friends and his crown. ;Act 1: David has been banished by the jealous Saul and has taken refuge with the Philistines. He returns to the Philistine camp from a victory. A chorus of warriors, shepherds and captives he has freed sing his praises. David only wishes that, whatever may come, his best friend Jonathan (Saul's son) should be spared. The Philistine king tells David that a truce has been arranged between the Philistines and Saul to discuss whether there shall be peace or war. ;Act 2: During the truce, David and Jonathan seek each other out. The Israelite general Joabel is jealous of David and challenges him to single combat, which David refuses. Joabel plots against him and decides to tell Saul that the proposed peace is merely a trick by David. ;Act 3: Joabel easily persuades the jealous Saul that David is plotting his downfall. Saul accuses David of treason and he is forced to leave. ;Act 4: Saul decides to fight the Philistines and destroy David. The two armies, stirred up by Joabel, are also eager for war. David reluctantly parts from Jonathan, promising he will do all he can to save him and his father. ;Act 5: The battle is fought and Saul loses. Jonathan is mortally wounded and dies in David's arms. Saul falls on his own sword to evade capture. Achis tells David he is the new king of the Israelites but this is little consolation in his grief for Jonathan.

Recordings

*1982:

Paul Esswood Paul Lawrence Vincent Esswood (born 6 June 1942) is an English countertenor and conductor. He is best known for his performance of Bach cantatas and the operas of Handel and Monteverdi. Along with his countrymen Alfred Deller and James Bowman ...

(David),

Colette Alliot-Lugaz Colette Alliot-Lugaz (born 20 July 1947) is a French soprano, particularly associated with Mozart. Career Born in Notre-Dame-de-Bellecombe, she began her musical studies in Bonneville (Haute Savoie), and later in Geneva, with Magda Fonay-Besson. ...

(Jonathas),

Philippe Huttenlocher Philippe Huttenlocher (born 29 November 1942) is a Swiss baritone. Life and career He was born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland. He first studied violin at the conservatory in Neuchâtel, and then voice in Fribourg. In 1972, he won the international ...

(Saül),

René Jacobs René Jacobs (born 30 October 1946) is a Belgian musician. He came to fame as a countertenor, but later in his career he became known as a conductor of baroque and classical opera. Biography Countertenor Born in Ghent, Jacobs began his music ...

(La Pythonisse),

Roger Soyer Roger Soyer (born 1 September 1939) is a French operatic bass-baritone, particularly associated with the French repertory and with Mozart. Soyer was born in Thiais, and first studied privately with G. Daum, before entering the Conservatoire de Pa ...

(Achis),

Opéra National de Lyon The Opéra National de Lyon, marketed as Opéra de Lyon during the last decade, is an opera company in Lyon, based and performing mostly at the Opéra Nouvel, an 1831 theater that was modernized and architecturally transformed in 1993. The inaugu ...

Chorus, English Bach Festival Baroque Orchestra, Maitrise de l'Opéra de Lyon, conducted by

Michel Corboz Michel Corboz (14 February 1934 – 2 September 2021) was a Swiss conductor. Life Corboz was born in Marsens, Switzerland, and educated in his native canton of Fribourg. He studied vocal performance and composition at the conservatory in Fribourg ...

(2 CD

Erato In Greek mythology, Erato (; grc, Ἐρατώ) is one of the Greek Muses, which were inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. The name would mean "desired" or "lovely", if derived from the same root as Eros, as Apollonius o ...

, report 2010) *1988:

Gérard Lesne Gérard Lesne (; born 15 July 1956) is a French countertenor. He is also the founder and artistic director of the baroque music ensemble, Il Seminario Musicale. Life and career Gérard Lesne was born in Montmorency, Val-d'Oise. He was originall ...

(David),

Monique Zanetti Monique Zanetti (born 13 June 1961) is a French soprano. She studied at the University of Metz, then with Elisabeth Grümmer. She first came to attention singing in the same first generation of French early music singers with Agnès Mellon and Gé ...

(Jonathas), Jean-François Gardeil (Saül),

Dominique Visse Dominique Visse (born 30 August 1955) is a French countertenor and founder of the Ensemble Clément Janequin. Life and career Dominique Visse was a chorister at the Notre-Dame de Paris and studied organ and flute at the Versailles Conservatory. ...

(La Pythonisse),

Bernard Deletré Bernard Deletré is a French operatic bass- baritone . Life After studying flute and singing in the North of France, followed by a first prize in singing at the Conservatoire de Paris, Deletré performed with the Groupe Vocal de France before ...

(Achis), Les Arts Florissants, conducted by William Christie (2 CD

Harmonia Mundi Harmonia Mundi is an independent record label which 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. Its Latin name ''ha ...

, report 2012) *2009:

Anders J. Dahlin Anders J. Dahlin (born March 12, 1975) is a Swedish tenor. He studied at the in Sweden, at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, and at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen. Music career In 1998 he made his operatic debut at the N ...

(David),

Sara Macliver Sara Macliver is an Australian soprano singer, born and raised in Perth, Western Australia. Macliver is a versatile artist, appearing in operas, concert and recital performances and on numerous recordings. She is regarded as one of the leading ...

(Jonathan), Dean Robinson (Saul), Paul Mcmahon (La Pythonisse), Richard Anderson (Achis),

David Parkin David Alex Parkin, OAM (born 12 September 1942) is a former Australian rules footballer and coach who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and for the Subiaco Football Club in the Western Australian Nati ...

(Ghost of Samuel), Simon Lobelson (Joabel) ;

, Orchestra of the Antipodes & Cantillation conducted by Antony Walker, (2 CD

, cat. 4763691) *2012: Pascal Charbonneau (David), Ana Quintans (Jonathas), Neal Davies (Saül), Dominique Visse (la Pythonisse), Frédéric Caton (Achis), Krešimir Špicer (Joabel), Les Arts Florissants, conducted by William Christie, (1 DVD Bel Air classiques,

). ''ffff'' Télérama, International Opera awards 2014

References

External links

*
Libretto facsimile
at Gallica
''David et Jonathas''
by John S. Powell, ''

The New Grove Dictionary of Opera ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' is an encyclopedia of opera, considered to be one of the best general reference sources on the subject. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volu ...

'', ed.

Stanley Sadie Stanley John Sadie (; 30 October 1930 – 21 March 2005) was an influential and prolific British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the '' Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' (1980), which was publ ...

Libretto
(French/English)
Le magazine de l'opéra baroque by Jean-Claude Brenac (in French
{{Authority control French-language operas Operas by Marc-Antoine Charpentier Tragédies en musique 1688 operas Operas Operas based on the Bible Cultural depictions of David Witch of Endor