''Ernelinde, princesse de Norvège'' (''Ernelinde, Princess of Norway'') is a three-act

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 ...

tic

tragédie lyrique This is a glossary list of opera genres, giving alternative names. "Opera" is an Italian word (short for "opera in musica"); it was not at first ''commonly'' used in Italy (or in other countries) to refer to the genre of particular works. Most c ...

, by the French composer

François-André Danican Philidor François-André Danican Philidor (7 September 1726 – 31 August 1795), often referred to as André Danican Philidor during his lifetime, was a French composer and chess player. He contributed to the early development of the ''opéra comique''. ...

. 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 ...

was by Antoine-Alexandre-Henri Poinsinet, after opera libretto ''La fede tradita, e vendicata''.

Performance history

The work was first performed on 24 November 1767 by the

Paris Opera The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be ...

at the

Salle des Machines Salle is the French word for 'hall', 'room' or 'auditorium', as in: *Salle des Concerts Herz, a former Paris concert hall *Salle Favart, theatre of the Paris Opéra-Comique *Salle Le Peletier, former home of the Paris Opéra *Salle Pleyel, a Paris ...

in the

Palais des Tuileries The Tuileries Palace (french: Palais des Tuileries, ) was a royal and imperial palace in Paris which stood on the Rive Droite, right bank of the River Seine, directly in front of the Louvre. It was the usual Parisian residence of most List of ...

in Paris. The first version was given about eighteen times, with the final performance on 10 January 1768. Revised as ''Sandomir, prince de Dannemarck'', it was given in the same theatre on 24 January 1769. This version was also performed in Brussels in 1772. The libretto was further revised in five acts by

Michel-Jean Sedaine Michel-Jean Sedaine (2 June 1719 – 17 May 1797) was a French dramatist and librettist, especially noted for his librettos for '' opéras comiques'', in which he took an important and influential role in the advancement of the genre from th ...

, this time as ''Ernelinde'' with fully orchestrated recitatives by Philidor, and given at the Théâtre Gabriel at the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 19 ...

on 11 December 1773 and in Brussels in 1774. Philidor and Sedaine revised the five-act version for another set of performances given by the Paris Opera at the second

Salle du Palais-Royal Salle is the French word for 'hall', 'room' or 'auditorium', as in: *Salle des Concerts Herz, a former Paris concert hall *Salle Favart, theatre of the Paris Opéra-Comique *Salle Le Peletier, former home of the Paris Opéra *Salle Pleyel, a Paris ...

beginning on 8 July 1777. It was last revived in June 1778. The 1777 performances, with their exotic Viking setting, excited enough interest to provoke parodies. One by

Jean-Étienne Despréaux Jean-Étienne Despréaux (31 August 1748 – 26 March 1820) was a French ballet dancer, choreographer, composer, singer and playwright. Biography The son of an oboist of the orchestra of the Académie royale de musique, he made here his début ...

, entitled ''Berlingue'', was performed at the Théâtre Royal de la Cour at the

Château de Choisy The Château de Choisy was a royal French residence in the commune of Choisy-le-Roi in the Val-de-Marne department, not far from Paris. The commune was given its present name by Louis XV, when he purchased the manor of Choisy and its château in Oc ...

on 13 September, another anonymous work called ''Sans dormir'' was given by the Comédie Italienne at the Hôtel de Bourgogne on 12 October.

Roles

Synopsis

A Viking-era saga about the struggle for control of Norway, Sweden and Denmark – and for the hand of the Norwegian princess Ernelinde.

References

Notes Sources *

Rushton, Julian Julian Gordon Rushton (born 22 May 1941) is an English musicologist, born in Cambridge. He has contributed the entry on Mozart in ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' and several other articles in ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians' ...

(1992), 'Ernelinde, princesse de Norvège' in ''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 (London) *Rushton Julian (1994): ''Ernelinde : Tragédie Lyrique (1767).'' (French Opera in the 17th & 18th Centuries‚ No. 8) Pendragon Press,

External links

*
1767 libretto
(as ''Ernelinde, princesse de Norvege'') at Gallica
1769 libretto
(as ''Sandomir, prince de Dannemarck'') at Gallica {{DEFAULTSORT:Ernelinde Princesse De Norvege Operas by François-André Danican Philidor Tragédies en musique French-language operas 1767 operas Operas