''Les arts florissants'' (H. 487) is a short

chamber opera Chamber opera is a designation for operas written to be performed with a chamber ensemble rather than a full orchestra. Early 20th-century operas of this type include Paul Hindemith's ''Cardillac'' (1926). Earlier small-scale operas such as Pergoles ...

(also described by the composer as ') in five scenes by

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 ...

History

It was written in

1685 Events January–March * January 6 – American-born British citizen Elihu Yale, for whom Yale University in the U.S. is named, completes his term as the first leader of the Madras Presidency in India, administering the colony ...

for the group of musicians employed by

Marie de Lorraine, Duchess of Guise Marie de Lorraine (15 August 1615 – 3 March 1688) was the daughter of Charles de Lorraine, Duke of Guise and Henriette Catherine de Joyeuse and the last member of the House of Guise, a branch of the House of Lorraine. Biography Marie de Lor ...

, at her residence in Paris. The reason behind the creation of this work, as well as its place of performance, remain a matter for speculation. The French

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 ...

, written by an unknown author, is

allegorical As a literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a hidden meaning with moral or political significance. Authors have used allegory th ...

in nature and draws on aspects of mythological and natural symbolism familiar to 17th-century audiences to add depth to a superficially simple plot. The story of the

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 ...

concerns the eponymous Arts, shown flourishing under the beneficent and peaceful reign of

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Vers ...

, as they and a group of warriors become drawn into a dispute between the central characters of ' (Peace) and ' (Discord). After a brief struggle in which Discord and his

Furies The Erinyes ( ; sing. Erinys ; grc, Ἐρινύες, pl. of ), also known as the Furies, and the Eumenides, were female chthonic deities of vengeance in ancient Greek religion and mythology. A formulaic oath in the ''Iliad The ''Il ...

gain the upper hand, Peace appeals to

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but ...

to intervene on her behalf. Discord and his followers are chased back into

Hades Hades (; grc-gre, ᾍδης, Háidēs; ), in the ancient Greek religion and myth, is the god of the dead and the king of the underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea, although this also ...

by a hail of thunderbolts, and Peace holds sway once more.

Analysis

The opera is scored for seven solo voices, five-part

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

, two

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

s (or

recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a news ...

s), two treble

viol The viol (), viola da gamba (), or informally gamba, is any one of a family of bowed, fretted, and stringed instruments with hollow wooden bodies and pegboxes where the tension on the strings can be increased or decreased to adjust the pitc ...

s and

basso continuo Basso continuo parts, almost universal in the Baroque era (1600–1750), provided the harmonic structure of the music by supplying a bassline and a chord progression. The phrase is often shortened to continuo, and the instrumentalists playing th ...

. The manuscript score also calls for two choruses in the form of a ' (Troop of Warriors) and a ' (Chorus of singing Furies), to be sung by all available singers,The vocal forces usually employed by Marie de Lorraine (Hitchcock suggests there were never more than fourteen singers at a time, and usually fewer) would otherwise have been too small to make this proliferation of choruses feasible. In Charpentier's manuscript, the various vocal lines of each chorus are labelled with the names of the seven soloists, which would seem to confirm that they were required to double as both choruses. See Hitchcock and Charpentier. and a troupe of ' (Dancing Furies, if desired). The instrumentalists are included in the original character list under the entry ', and the overture is labelled ' (for the orchestral players in Music's following).

Roles

Selected recordings

*Charpentier: ''Les Arts Florissants'' H.487 / William Christie, Les Arts Florissants. 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 ...

1982 report Musique D'abord 1987. *Charpentier: ''les Arts Florissants'' H.487'', La Couronne de Fleurs'' H.486, (excerpts) ''/'' Gaétan Jarry, Ensemble Marguerite Louise. CD Château de Versailles spectacles 2017/2018. *''Charpentier : Les Arts Florissants'' H.487, ''

Les Plaisirs de Versailles ''Les plaisirs de Versailles'' H.480 (English: ''The Pleasures of Versailles'') is a short opera (or ''divertissement'') by the French composer Marc-Antoine Charpentier. It was intended for performance at the new courtly entertainment known as ''l ...

'' H.480, Teresa Wakim, Jesse Blumberg, Virginia Warnken, Boston early Music Festival Vocal & Chamber Ensembles / Paul O’Dette,

Stephen Stubbs Stephen Stubbs (born 1951) is a lutenist and music director and has been a leading figure in the American early music scene for nearly thirty years. Born in Seattle, he studied harpsichord and composition at the University of Washington where, a ...

. CD CPO 2019.

Bibliography

: "Les Arts florissans", ''Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Œuvres complètes'', ser.I vol.7 (facs.), ed. H. Wiley Hitchcock (Paris: Minkoff France, 1996) 120-164 *Marc-Antoine Charpentier, H. Wiley Hitchcock, Oxford University press 2001. Also in

Grove Music online ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language ''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and theo ...

. *Shirley Thompson, ''New perspectives on Marc-Antoine Charpentier,'' New York, routledge, 2010/2016, 600 p.

Notes

Sources

H. Wiley Hitchcock Hugh Wiley Hitchcock (September 28, 1923 in Detroit, Michigan – December 5, 2007 in New York, New York) was an American musicologist. He is best known for founding the Institute for Studies in American Music at Brooklyn College of the City Uni ...

: "Marc-Antoine Charpentier 1. Life", ''

Grove Music Online ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language ''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and theo ...

'' ed. L. Macy (Accessed August 25, 2006)
www.grovemusic.com
(subscription access) *John S. Powell: "Les Arts florissants", ''

'' ed. L. Macy (Accessed August 25, 2006)
www.grovemusic.com
(subscription access)

External links

* Patricia M. Ranum: "The 'Guise Music': some thumbnail sketches of the members of Mlle de Guise's ensemble", ''Ranums' Panat Times'' website (Accessed August 25, 2006)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arts florissants, Les French-language operas Chamber operas Operas by Marc-Antoine Charpentier 1685 operas Operas