''Les dragons de Villars'' (''The Dragoons of Villars'') is an

opéra-comique The Opéra-Comique is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief rival, the Comédie-Italienne ...

in three acts by Aimé Maillart to a

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 ...

Lockroy Joseph-Philippe Simon, called Lockroy (February 17, 1803 – January 19, 1891)Death notice
in ''

Eugène Cormon Pierre-Étienne Piestre, known as Eugène Cormon (5 May 1810 – March 1903), was a French dramatist and librettist. He used his mother's name, Cormon, during his career. Cormon wrote dramas, comedies and, from the 1840s, libretti; around 15 ...

. The story of the opera was said to have been borrowed from ''La Petite Fadette'' by

George Sand Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin de Francueil (; 1 July 1804 – 8 June 1876), best known by her pen name George Sand (), was a French novelist, memoirist and journalist. One of the most popular writers in Europe in her lifetime, bein ...

, updated by the librettists to the time 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 ...

. It was premiered by the

Théâtre Lyrique The Théâtre Lyrique was one of four opera companies performing in Paris during the middle of the 19th century (the other three being the Opéra, the Opéra-Comique, and the Théâtre-Italien). The company was founded in 1847 as the Opéra-N ...

in Paris on 19 September 1856."Maillart, Aimé" in Sadie 1992, vol. 3, p. 156. It is also known by the English title ''The Hermit's Bell''

Background

The piece was first offered to the director of the Opéra-Comique,

Émile Perrin Émile-César-Victor Perrin was a French painter, mainly known as a theatre director and impresario, born in Rouen on 9 January 1814, died 8 October 1885.Dean W. ''Bizet.'' London, JM Dent & Sons, 1978. His son-in-law was Camille du Locle. Bio ...

, who found it too dark, even after having the composer play some of it to him. It was next offered to one of the Seveste brothers at the Théâtre-Lyrique. They also rejected it, as did their successor Pierre Pellegrin. Some years later, the authors met

Léon Carvalho Léon Carvalho (18 January 1825 – 29 December 1897) was a French impresario and stage director. Biography Born Léon Carvaille in Port Louis, British Mauritius, he came to France at an early age. He studied at the Paris Conservatory and sa ...

, who had just taken over the direction of the Théâtre-Lyrique, and who accepted the completed piece without reading a word or hearing a note.

Performance history

The premiere of ''Les dragons de Villars'' was very successful. It was the debut of Juliette Borghèse, who was said "to have created an enthusiasm" as Rose Friquet. The opera, which had notched up 153 performances at the Théâtre Lyrique by 1863, was to become popular throughout Europe, as well as being staged in New Orleans (1859) and New York (1868). Revived at the

Opéra-Comique The Opéra-Comique is a Paris opera company which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with – and for a time took the name of – its chief rival, the Comédie-Italienne ...

in 1868, it achieved 377 performances at that theatre by 1917.Wolff 1953, p. 64. The work was given in London in French by a visiting French company in 1875 and in English as ''The Dragoons'' in 1879.

Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...

conducted the work in Budapest in 1888, and

Wilhelm Furtwängler Gustav Heinrich Ernst Martin Wilhelm Furtwängler ( , , ; 25 January 188630 November 1954) was a German conductor and composer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest symphonic and operatic conductors of the 20th century. He was a major ...

conducted it in Strasbourg in 1910. A production was mounted at the

Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin The Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin is a venerable theatre and opera house at 18, Boulevard Saint-Martin in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. History It was first built very rapidly in 1781 under the direction of (1726–1810) to house t ...

in Paris on 3 June 1935. The opera was in the repertory of the Opéra de la Monnaie in Brussels from 1942 to 1953. It was staged in 1986 in the composer's native

Montpellier Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...

by the Théâtre Lyrique du Midi.

Roles

Juliette Borghèse as Rose Friquet in 'Les dragons de Villars' by Maillart - Gallica (cropped)

Synopsis

''The scene is laid in a French mountain-village near the frontier with Savoy towards the close of the war in the Cévennes in 1704.''

Act 1

Peasant women in the service of Thibaut, a rich country squire, are collecting fruit. Georgette, Thibaut's young wife, controls their work. She treats them to a favourite Provençal song, in which a young girl, forgetting her vows made to a young soldier, gives her hand to another suitor. She is interrupted by the sound of trumpets. Thibaut hurries in and tells the women to hide themselves at once, because soldiers are marching into the village. He conceals his own wife in the pigeon-house. A detachment of dragoons arrive, and Belamy, their corporal, asks for food and wine at Thibaut's house. He learns that there is nothing to be had and also that all the women have fled, fearing the unprincipled soldiers of King Louis XIV who have been sent in pursuit of a group of Protestant fugitives – or

Camisard Camisards were Huguenots (French Protestants) of the rugged and isolated Cévennes region and the neighbouring Vaunage in southern France. In the early 1700s, they raised a resistance against the persecutions which followed Louis XIV's Revocation ...

s – hiding in the mountains; and that the 'Dragons de Villars' are said to be an especially wild and dissolute set. Belamy, disgusted, and after having had dinner and a sleep in Thibaut's own bed, decides to march on. The squire gladly offers to accompany the soldiers to St Gratien's grotto near the hermitage, where they have orders to search for the Huguenot refugees. While Belamy is sleeping, Thibaut calls his servant Sylvain and scolds him because he has now repeatedly been absent over-long on his errands; finally he orders him to saddle the mules. Sylvain stammers out that they have gone astray in the mountains, but he is sure of their being found. While Thibaut expresses his fear that they have been stolen by the fugitives, Rose Friquet, an orphan-girl and poor goat-keeper, brings the mules, riding on the back of one of them. Thibaut reproaches her, but Sylvain thanks her warmly, and though she mockingly repudiates his thanks, he discovers that she has taken the mules to divert Thibaut's attention from Sylvain's secret missions to bring food each day to the refugees. Sylvain carries food every day to the refugees, and Rose , despised and supposed to be wicked and malicious, protects him because he once intercepted a stone, which was meant for her head. While the soldiers are eating, Belamy, who has found Georgette's bonnet, demands an explanation. Thibaut finds a pretext for going out, but Rose lets out to Belamy Georgette's hiding-place. The young wife cries for help and Rose runs in to fetch Thibaut. Belamy is delighted with the pretty Georgette, but she tells anxiously, that all the women in the village must remain true to their husbands, for the hermit of St Gratien (though dead for two hundred years), is keeping watch, and at any case of infidelity will ring a little bell, which is heard far and wide. Belamy would like to try the experiment with Georgette, and asks her to accompany him to the hermitage instead of her husband. After having found the other women in the village, the soldiers, to Thibaut's annoyance, decide to stay and amuse themselves. But Sylvain rejoices, and after a sign from Rose resolves to warn the refugees in the evening.

Act 2

Rose and Sylvain meet near St Gratien. Rose tells him that all the paths are blocked by sentries, but promises to show the refugees a path that only she and her goats know. Sylvain, thanks her and tries to induce her to care more for her appearance, praising her pretty features. Rose is delighted to hear this, and there follows a charming duet. Sylvain promises to be her friend and then leaves to seek the Camisards. Thibaut now appears, seeking his wife, whom he has seen going away with Belamy. Finding Rose, he imagines he has mistaken her for his wife, but she laughingly corrects him and he proceeds to search for Georgette. Belamy now comes and courts Thibaut's wife. But Rose, seeing them, resolves to free the path for the others. No sooner has Belamy tried to snatch a kiss from his companion than Rose pulls the rope of the hermit's bell until Georgette takes flight, while Thibaut rushes up at the sound of the bell. Belamy reassures him, intimating that the bell may have rung for Rose (though it never rings for maids) and accompanies him to the village. But he turns to look for the supposed hermit, and instead finds Rose, who does not see him. To his great surprise Sylvain leads the whole troop of refugees and presents Rose to them as their deliverer and vows to make her his wife. Rose leads them to the secret path, while Sylvain returns to the village, leaving Belamy triumphant at his discovery.

Act 3

On the following morning the villagers talk of nothing but Sylvain's wedding with Rose and the hermit's bell ringing. Nobody knows who was the culprit; Thibaut, having learned that the soldiers had been commanded to saddle their horses in the midst of the dancing the night before, and that Belamy, sure of his prey, has come back, he believes that Rose has betrayed the Camisards in order to win the price set on their heads. To keep Belamy away from Georgette, the squire has taken him to the wine-cellar, and the officer, now half-drunk, admits to having had a rendez-vous with Rose. When Thibaut has retired, Belamy again kisses Georgette – but the bell does not ring! Meanwhile Rose comes down the hill, neatly clad and glowing with joy. Georgette, disregarding Thibaut's reproofs, offers her the wedding-garland. The whole village is assembled to see the wedding, but Sylvain appears and when Rose radiantly greets him, he pushes her back fiercely, believing Thibaut's whispers that she betrayed the refugees, who are, as he has heard, caught. Rose is too proud to defend herself, but when Georgette tries to console her, she silently produces a paper proving that the refugees have safely crossed the frontier; Sylvain is ashamed. Suddenly Belamy enters, beside himself with rage, for his prey has escaped and he has lost his rank together with the prize of 200 pistoles. He at once orders Sylvain to be shot, but Rose bravely defends her lover, threatening to reveal the dragoon's neglect of duty at the hermitage. When Belamy's superior appears to hear the news, his corporal is only able to stammer out that nothing in particular has happened, and so after all, Georgette is saved from discovery, and Rose becomes Sylvain's happy bride.

Recordings

* 1948 (in German):

Maria Madlen Madsen Maria Madlen Madsen (23 March 1905 – 23 March 1990), temporarily also under the stage name Gerda Hansi, was a German operatic soprano, theatre, film and television actress. Life Training period Born in Krefeld, Madsen grew up in Hamburg, w ...

(Rose Friquet), Hanna Clauss (Georgette), Franz Fehringer (Sylvain), Kurt Gester (Belamy), Willi Hofmann (Thibaut); conducted by

Kurt Schröder Kurt Schröder (1888–1962) was a German composer and conductor. Schröder composed a number of film scores. During the 1930s he worked in Britain for Alexander Korda's London Film Productions, and scored the company's breakthrough hit ''The Pri ...

. * 1961: Susanne Lafaye (Rose Friquet), Andrée Esposito (Georgette), André Mallabrera (Sylvain), Julien Haas (Belamy), Pierre Héral (Thibaut); conducted by Richard Blareau.LP listing with cast list:

References

Notes Sources * Annesley, Charles (1904). ''The Standard-Operaglass containing The Detailed Plots of One Hundred and Thirty Eight Celebrated Operas.'' London: Sampson Low, Marston
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. * * Cohen, H. Robert; Gigou, Marie-Odile (1986). ''Cent ans de mise en scène lyrique en France (env. 1830–1930)''. Pendragon. . * * Lockroy; Cormon, Eugène (1856). ''Les dragons de Villars'', libretto. Paris: Michel Lévy
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* * Maillart, Aimé; Lockroy; Cormon, Eugène (1856). ''Les dragons de Villars'', vocal score. Paris: C. Joubert.

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at Commons. *

Sadie, Stanley 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 ...

, editor (1992). ''

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 ...

''. London: Macmillan. . * Soubies, Albert; Malherbe, Charles (1892). ''Histoire de l'opéra comique: La seconde salle Favart 1840–1860.'' Paris: Librairie Marpon et Flammarion
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Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

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. * Soubies, Albert; Malherbe, Charles (1893). ''Histoire de l'opéra comique: La seconde salle Favart 1860–1887.'' Paris: Librairie Marpon et Flammarion
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. *

Walsh, T. J. Thomas Joseph Walsh (20 November 1911 – 8 November 1988) was an Irish doctor, writer, and founder and director of the Wexford Opera Festival.Boydell, B.: "Walsh, T(homas) J(oseph)", in: ''New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' (London and New York: Ma ...

(1981). ''Second Empire Opera: The Théâtre Lyrique Paris 1851–1870''. New York: Riverrun Press. . * Wolff, Stéphane (1953). ''Un demi-siècle d'Opéra-Comique (1900–1950).'' Paris: André Bonne.

External links

''Les dragons de Villars''

Boosey & Hawkes Boosey & Hawkes is a British music publisher purported to be the largest specialist classical music publisher in the world. Until 2003, it was also a major manufacturer of brass, string and woodwind musical instruments. Formed in 1930 throu ...

* *,

BBC Philharmonic The BBC Philharmonic is a national British broadcasting symphony orchestra and is one of five radio orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation. The Philharmonic is a department of the BBC North Group division based at MediaC ...

conducted by

Yan Pascal Tortelier Yan Pascal Tortelier (born 19 April 1947) is a French conductor and violinist. Biography Born in Paris, Tortelier is the son of the cellist Paul Tortelier, and the brother of Maria de la Pau. Tortelier began piano and violin studies at age 4. ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dragons de Villars, Les Compositions by Aimé Maillart French-language operas Opéras comiques Operas 1856 operas Opera world premieres at the Théâtre Lyrique