''La cigale et la fourmi'' (The Grasshopper and the Ant) is a three-act

opéra comique ''Opéra comique'' (; plural: ''opéras comiques'') is a genre of French opera that contains spoken dialogue and arias. It emerged from the popular '' opéras comiques en vaudevilles'' of the Fair Theatres of St Germain and St Laurent (and to a l ...

, with music by

Edmond Audran Achille Edmond Audran (12 April 184017 August 1901) was a French composer best known for several internationally successful comic operas and operettas. After beginning his career in Marseille as an organist, Audran composed religious music and ...

and words by

Henri Chivot Henri is an Estonian, Finnish, French, German and Luxembourgish form of the masculine given name Henry. People with this given name ; French noblemen :'' See the ' List of rulers named Henry' for Kings of France named Henri.'' * Henri I de Mont ...

and

Alfred Duru Henri Alfred Duru (22 November 1829 – 28 December 1889) was a 19th-century French playwright and operetta librettist who collaborated on more than 40 librettos for the leading French composers of operetta:Alfred Duru. In: ''The New Grove Diction ...

. Loosely based on

Jean de La Fontaine Jean de La Fontaine (, , ; 8 July 162113 April 1695) was a French fabulist and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. He is known above all for his ''Fables'', which provided a model for subsequent fabulists across Euro ...

's version of

Aesop's fable Aesop's Fables, or the Aesopica, is a collection of fables credited to Aesop, a slave and storyteller believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 564 BCE. Of diverse origins, the stories associated with his name have descended to ...

The Ant and the Grasshopper The Ant and the Grasshopper, alternatively titled The Grasshopper and the Ant (or Ants), is one of Aesop's Fables, numbered 373 in the Perry Index. The fable describes how a hungry grasshopper begs for food from an ant when winter comes and is ...

'', the opera shows the lives of two young women, one prudent, like the ant, the other improvident and reckless, like the grasshopper. Unlike the Aesop fable this version has a happy ending, with the "ant" looking after the destitute "grasshopper". The work was first performed at the Théâtre de la Gaîté, Paris on 3 October 1886, running for 141 performances. It was later adapted into English for a long-running production in London and productions in New York, Australia and New Zealand.

Background and first performance

After considerable success at the box-office with the

La mascotte ''La mascotte'' (''The Mascot'') is a three-act opéra comique with music by Edmond Audran and words by Alfred Duru and Henri Chivot. The story concerns a farm girl who is a "mascotte": someone with the mystic power to bring good luck to all aroun ...

'' (1880), Audran and his usual librettists,

and

, had written five shows in a row that failed to rival it. Of these, ''

Gillette de Narbonne ''Gillette de Narbonne'' is an '' opéra comique'' in three acts, with music by Edmond Audran and words by Alfred Duru and Henri Chivot. It is based on a fabliau from ''The Decameron'' and depicts a rejected bride posing as another woman to de ...

'' (1882) and '' Le grand mogol'' (1884) both ran for more than 100 performances – regarded as the criterion of reasonable success in Parisian theatres at the time – but a ''succès fou'' had proved elusive. Audran tried working with other collaborators –

Maurice Ordonneau Maurice Ordonneau (18 June 1854 – 14 November 1916) was a French dramatist and composer. The son of a merchant of eau de vie, Ordonneau was a prolific author in creating theatrical works. He composed, often with the collaboration of other playwr ...

(''Serment d'amour'', 1886) and

H. B. Farnie Henry Brougham Farnie (8 April 1836 – 21 September 1889), often called H. B. Farnie, was a British librettist and adapter of French operettas and an author. Some of his English-language versions of operettas became record-setting hits on the ...

(''Indiana'', 1886) – without conspicuous success, and returned to Chivot and Duru when commissioned to provide a piece for the Théâtre de la Gaîté in Paris."Edmond Audran"
Opérette – Théâtre Musical, Académie Nationale de l'Opérette (in French). Retrieved 9 December 2018 The title characters, the grasshopper and the ant, allude to

's retelling of

'', in which the improvident grasshopper sings away the summer, and starves in the winter, unlike the provident ant, who has gathered and stored food in readiness for the season. The biggest draw at the Gaîté was its leading lady,

Jeanne Granier Jeanne Granier (31 March 1852 – 18 or 19 December 1939) was a French soprano, born and died in Paris, whose career was centred on the French capital.Gänzl K. Jeanne Granier. In: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.'' Macmillan, London and ...

, for whom Audran and his partners wrote the role of Thérèse, the extravagant, feckless heroine. The

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

lead, Charlotte, the thoughtful "ant", was sung by , for whom the collaborators had written before, in ''Le grand mogol'' (1884) and ''Pervenche'' (1885). ''La cigale et la fourmi'' opened on 3 October 1886 and ran for 141 performances, taking just over half a million francs at the box-office, putting it roughly on a par with ''Le grand mogol'' but not approaching the success of ''La mascotte''.

Original cast

*Thérèse –

*Charlotte – Louise Thuillier-Leloir *La duchesse de Fayensberg – Mdlle. Fassi *La Frivolini – Mddle. Paula *La mère Catherine – Mddle. Baudu *Le chevalier Frantz de Bernheim – Georges Mauguière *Vincent – M. Alexandre *Le duc de Fayensberg – M. Raiter *Guillaume – M. Petit *Mathias – M. Scipion *An old beggar – M. Gobereau ::Source: Vocal score.Audran ''et al''
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Synopsis

The opera is set in the 18th century in a small

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

village near the city of

Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...

, and later in the city. Act I
''The village, and later, Bruges'' The villagers are celebrating the wedding of Guillaume and Charlotte. The latter – like the ant of the fable – is prudent and moderate. Her beloved cousin and foster sister, Thérèse, is like the grasshopper: impulsive, generous and improvident. The girls' uncle, Mathias, has come from Bruges to attend the wedding. He is the maître d'hôtel of the Faisan d'Or, Bruges's grandest hotel. Thérèse is thrilled by Mathias's description of Bruges and its metropolitan delights. Her admirer, Vincent, son of the village schoolmaster, is sad at the prospect that Thérèse will inevitably be drawn away from the village in search of adventure in the city. The benevolent Mathias encourages Vincent to declare his love to Thérèse, which he does, but she says she is not ready to settle down to marriage yet. She conceals herself in Mathias's carriage and gets to Bruges. She persuades her uncle to set her up as a florist in the lobby of the hotel, and spends her first earnings on going to the opera, which fascinates her and excites an ambition to become an opera singer. Two weeks after Thérèse's arrival in Bruges there is a grand masked ball at the Faisan d'Or, an event much favoured by the local nobility for its scope for amorous intrigue. The Chevalier Frantz de Bernheim comes to rendezvous with the Duchesse de Fayensberg, whose husband is otherwise engaged in a liaison with the dancer La Frivolini. The duke intrudes into Frantz's tête-à-tête with the duchess, who quickly hides behind a screen. The duke is amused to find his friend in an intrigue and does not realise with whom. After the duke leaves, the duchess, shaken at her narrow escape, insists that Frantz should conspicuously flirt with another woman, to put the duke off the scent. Thérèse gains entry to the ball to sell flowers. The duke concludes that she is the object of Frantz's interest, and Frantz plays up to this misapprehension. Thérèse sings for the assembled company, and the duke vows that he will get her into the opera company: the guests drink a champagne toast to the duke's new protégée. Act II
''Bruges'' Guillaume and Charlotte have come for their first visit to the city. They are surprised to bump into Vincent who is supposed to be on an educational tour of the country but has followed Thérèse to Bruges. He tells them that they will find her much changed. With the duke's influence she has become a star of the opera, and lives a lavish lifestyle. Both Frantz and the duke are distinctly interested in her, much to the duchess's displeasure. Charlotte, Guillaume and Vincent overhear the duchess in conversation with Frantz, and are horrified to discover that Thérèse is being used to furnish a smoke-screen for an aristocratic affair. Thérèse is reluctant to believe them, but the manoeuvrings of the duchess and Frantz make it clear that the story is true. At the duke's ball that evening she takes her revenge by singing a song about a rose who wanted to hide its love affair with a butterfly and so bade him make love to a little grasshopper. She then shocks the guests by declaring that Frantz is the butterfly and she is the grasshopper; she does not name the rose but leaves people to guess that it is the duchess. She flees the ballroom and leaves Bruges. Act III
''Three months later, in the village'' Charlotte and Guillaume continue to live their busy, contented rural life. Mathias has come to join them, driven from Bruges by embarrassment about the events at the duke's ball. Vincent has spent much of the three months since the incident searching for Thérèse, but she has vanished from Bruges. So too have Frantz and the duke. The duke has been banished by his Prince, shocked at the scandal in the ducal family, and Frantz, like Vincent, has been searching for Thérèse, having realised that his pretended love for her has become a compelling reality. When there is nobody about, Thérèse enters. She is weary and down-at-heel, having been walking the country scraping a living as a street singer. She is too nervous to knock at the door of her cousin, and falls asleep outdoors, wrapping her tattered coat around her. She dreams that she has called on Charlotte for aid and been cruelly rejected and, in her sleep, she cries out in despair. The cry wakes the family who hurry outside to find her lying unconscious. When Thérèse wakes she finds herself in bed in the room that she occupied as a young girl, and the horror of the dream is soothed away by the care of her loving family. It is Christmas, and Thérèse is able to enjoy a simple family Christmas again. Frantz and the duke turn up, and the talk turns to matters of the heart. Vincent suggests that it is time for Thérèse to marry and settle down. But he is not putting himself forward as a suitor: he recognises the devotion displayed by Frantz, whose proposal of marriage Thérèse accepts. The duke receives a letter from the duchess telling him that she has persuaded the Prince to lift his banishment, and all ends happily. :Source: ''The Era'' and ''Gänzl's Book of the Musical Theatre''.

Numbers

Act I *Overture *Chorus – "Ils ont dit oui" – They said yes *Song (Charlotte) – "Au temps passé les animaux parlaient" – In times past the animals spoke *Song (Thérèse) – "Ah! vive la chanson d'été" – Hurrah for the song of summer *Duet (Thérèse, Vincent) – "Allons, parlez, je vous écoute" – Speak – I am listening *Ensemble (Charlotte, Thérèse, Vincent, Guillaume, Mathias – "Au revoir" – Goodbye *Air (Thérèse) – "Mon oncle, la chose est certaine" – Uncle, the thing is certain *Frantz – "Le Duc d'humeur fort inconstante" – The Duke is of a very inconstant mood *Chorus – "Le grelot de la folie" – The bell of madness *Thérèse – "Un jour Margot" – One day Margot *Finale (Thérèse, Frantz, Vincent, Guillaume, Mathias) – "O vin charmant qui pétille!" – O charming sparkling wine! Act II *Chorus – "C'est le jour de kermesse" – It's the day of the fair *Duet (Charlotte, Guillaume) – "Le père Antoine un matin" – Father Antoine one morning *Rondo (Vincent) – "Je souffle" – I breathe *Chorus – "Les mirlitons, les crécelles" – Reed pipes and rattles *Gavotte (Thérèse) – "Ma mère j'entends le violon" – Mother, I hear a violin *Villanelle (Charlotte) – "J'aime mieux notre humble foyer" – I prefer our humble home *Duet (Charlotte, Thérèse) – "Petit Noël avec mystère" – Father Christmas with mystery *Quartet (Charlotte, Thérèse, Vincent, Guillaume) – "Tu n'as pas, j'en ai l'assurance" – You do not have, I'm sure *Couplets (Thérèse, Frantz) – "On m'a dit que vous me trompez" – I was told that you deceived me *Chorus – "En cette demeure spendide" – In this splendid house *Finale (Thérèse) – "C'est l'histoire d'une cigale" – This is the story of a grasshopper Act III *Chorus – "Que dans cette ferme" – What in this farm *Couplets (Charlotte) – "Le soir lorsque chacun a rempli sa journée" – In the evening when everyone has filled their day *Romance (Frantz) – "Oui, la raison guidant son coeur" – Yes, the reason guiding his heart *Dream (Thérèse, Charlotte) – "Frapper à cette porte … Je suis sans pain et sans asile" – Knock on this door ... I am without bread or a place to go *Chorus of children – "Le cloches en carillon" – The carillon bells *Duet (Thérèse, Charlotte) – "Petit Noël avec mystère" – Father Christmas with mystery *Finale (Thérèse) – "O jour béni" – O blessed day ::Source: Vocal score.

Revivals and adaptations

The piece was revived at the Gaîté in 1887 with Mme Morin, and in 1904 with

Juliette Simon-Girard Juliette-Joséphine Simon-Girard (8 May 1859 – 1954) was a French soprano, principally in operetta.Gänzl K. Juliette Simon-Girard. In: The New Grove Dictionary of Opera. Macmillan, London and New York, 1997. Her father, , was an actor at the ...

. A production opened at the Lyric Theatre, London, on 9 October 1890, under the title ''La Cigale'', in a version by

F. C. Burnand Sir Francis Cowley Burnand (29 November 1836 – 21 April 1917), usually known as F. C. Burnand, was an English comic writer and prolific playwright, best known today as the librettist of Arthur Sullivan's opera ''Cox and Box''. The son of ...

and Gilbert à Beckett, starring

Geraldine Ulmar Geraldine Ulmar (June 23, 1862 – August 13, 1932) was an American singer and actress, best known for her performances in soprano roles of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Life and career Annie Geraldine ...

, Eric Lewis and

Lionel Brough Lionel "Lal" Brough (10 March 1836 – 8 November 1909) was a British actor and comedian. After beginning a journalistic career and performing as an amateur, he became a professional actor, performing mostly in Liverpool during the mid-1860s. He ...

. Some additional songs were composed by

Ivan Caryll Félix Marie Henri Tilkin (12 May 1861 – 29 November 1921), better known by his pen name Ivan Caryll, was a Belgian-born composer of operettas and Edwardian musical comedies in the English language, who made his career in London and later N ...

for this production. The London run lasted for 423 performances.Traubner, pp. 89–90 The same adaptation was presented at the Casino Theatre, New York, on 26 October 1891, starring

Lillian Russell Lillian Russell (born Helen Louise Leonard; December 4, 1860 or 1861 – June 6, 1922), was an American actress and singer. She became one of the most famous actresses and singers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, known for her beauty ...

, who headed the cast in a revival there the following year. The opera was first produced in Australia, also in the Burnand and à Beckett adaptation, at the

Princess Theatre, Melbourne The Princess Theatre, originally Princess's Theatre, is a 1452-seat theatre in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Established in 1854 and rebuilt in 1886 to a design by noted Melbourne architect William Pitt, it is the oldest surviving entertain ...

, on 13 February 1892, and was given in New Zealand in 1895 by the Williamson and Musgrove company, starring

Nellie Stewart Nellie Stewart, born Eleanor Stewart Towzey (20 November 1858 – 21 June 1931) was an Australian actress and singer, known as "Our Nell" and "Sweet Nell". Born into a theatrical family, Stewart began acting as a child. As a young woman, she ...

. The opera was given in Italian as ''La Cicala e la Formia'' by the Angelini-Gattini Opera Company of Milan at the Century Theatre, New York in April 1913.

Critical reception

The Paris correspondent of the London paper '' The Era'' commented that although ''La cigale et la fourmi'' was billed as a comic opera, it was in reality "a compound of operetta, vaudeville, drama and extravaganza rolled together somewhat confusedly"."The Drama in Paris", ''The Era'', 6 November 1886, p. 9 He found the story puerile and the dialogue lacking any kind of sparkle; he judged the score to be good in parts, but one that did not advance Audran's reputation. The annual review of Parisian productions ''

Les Annales du théâtre et de la musique ''Les Annales du Théâtre et de la Musique'' ("The Annals of Theatre and Music") was an annual French periodical which covered French dramatic and lyric theatre for 42 years, from 1875 to 1916. The volumes also covered concert series and ne ...

'' also considered the libretto puerile, and thought Audran had done well to rescue it with a score full of happy discoveries and pleasing melodies. Reviewing the London production, ''The Era's'' London critic was more enthusiastic: "A more exquisite comic opera than ''La Cigale'' has not been seen in London for many years." Burnand's adaptation of the libretto was judged "pretty, refined, innocent and sympathetic", and Audran's score "the best comic opera music the composer has written". The critic of ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'' called the piece "a genuine comic opera, characterised by the vivacity and dainty grace of the music and the splendour of its ''mise-en-scène''".

Recordings

The earliest recording of music from the opera was issued on wax cylinder: Marguerite Revel sings the gavotte "Ma mère j'entends le violin".Edison Moulés sur or cylinder A complete recording of the opera, made in 1955, starring

Liliane Berton Liliane Berton (11 July 1924, Bully-les-Mines, Pas-de-Calais - Paris, 22 April 2009) was a French soprano, known principally on the opera stage, but also active in radio recordings and as a teacher. Career Although considering a dramatic career, ...

, conducted by

Marcel Cariven Marcel Auguste Antoine Cariven, (18 April 1894, Toulouse – 5 November 1979, Crosne near Paris)French-language operas Operas by Edmond Audran 1886 operas Opéras comiques Operas