''L'ancêtre'' ("The Ancestor") is a 1905 in 3 acts by

Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (; 9 October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano C ...

to a libretto by Lucien Augé de Lassus (1841-1914). The opera premiered at the on February 24, 1906, and was directed by

Raoul Gunsbourg Raoul Samuel Gunsbourg (born January 6, 1860 in Bucharest - died May 31, 1955 in Monte Carlo) was a Jewish-Romania-bornBorn in Bucharest, Gunsbourg is a son of a French father and Romanian mother. His grandfather was a rabbi. opera director, impr ...

and conducted by

Léon Jehin Léon Jehin (17 July 1853 – 14 February 1928) was a conductor and composer, especially associated with the opera house in Monte Carlo.Favre G. ''Histoire Musicale de la Principauté de Monaco du XVIe au XXe siècle.'' Éditions des Archives ...

. Celebrated soprano

Geraldine Farrar Alice Geraldine Farrar (February 28, 1882 – March 11, 1967) was an American lyric soprano who could also sing dramatic roles. She was noted for her beauty, acting ability, and "the intimate timbre of her voice." She had a large following a ...

created the role of Margarita. The vocal score, published in 1906 by Durand et Fils of Paris has a dedication to

Albert I, Prince of Monaco Albert I (Albert Honoré Charles Grimaldi; 13 November 1848 – 26 June 1922) was Prince of Monaco from 10 September 1889 until his death. He devoted much of his life to oceanography, exploration and science. Alongside his expeditions, Albert I ...

.Saint-Saëns, Camille. ''L'ancêtre.'' vocal score title page. Paris: Durand et Fils, 1906. The plot is set during the

First French Empire The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Eu ...

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

, which composer and librettist visited together, looking for local colour.

Roles

* (baritone) * (tenor) * (bass) * (soprano) * (soprano) * (contralto) Parents, serviteurs des deux familles Piétra Néra et Fabiani ("Parents, servants of the two families: Piétra Néra and Fabiani")

Roles

References

See also