''Psyché'' is an opera (''tragédie lyrique'') in a prologue and five acts composed by

Jean-Baptiste Lully Jean-Baptiste Lully ( – 22 March 1687) was a French composer, dancer and instrumentalist of Italian birth, who is considered a master of the French Baroque music style. Best known for his operas, he spent most of his life working in the court o ...

to a

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) 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 th ...

by Thomas Corneille (adapted from

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...

's original play for which Lully had composed the intermèdes). Based on the love story of

Cupid and Psyche Cupid and Psyche is a story originally from ''Metamorphoses'' (also called ''The Golden Ass''), written in the 2nd century AD by Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis (or Platonicus). The tale concerns the overcoming of obstacles to the love between Psy ...

, ''Psyché'' was premiered on April 19, 1678 by the Académie Royale de Musique at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal in Paris.

Background

According to the '' Mercure Galant'', the opera ''Psyché'' was composed in three weeks; libretto, score and all. Although it is impossible to verify the truth of this statement, there is every reason to believe that Lully was in a hurry when writing this opera. In effect, the opera reuses the ''intermèdes'' from

's play. Since these ''intermèdes'' had met with such spectacular success seven years earlier, Lully must have felt that given his lack of time, he could at the very least attract a crowd with the promise of reviving the ''plainte italienne'' and the final ''divertissement''. All that was required was a synthesis of Molière's play (Molière had died in 1673) that could coherently string together the existent ''intermèdes''. Such a text would have to be one third the length of the original — that is, 600 rather than 1800 lines long — and composed in varied ''rimes'' and rhythms rather than the ''alexandrines'' in riming couplets used in spoken declamation. Lully's usual librettist, Philippe Quinault, was inconveniently in disgrace at court over his previous opera ''

Isis Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

'', and so the task fell to Thomas Corneille, likely at the bidding of the same cabal that had sought to disgrace Quinault. Whether by choice or of necessity Corneille's text emerged not as a synthesis of the Molière but rather as a different plot for a profoundly different genre. Corneille's nephew,

Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle (; ; 11 February 1657 – 9 January 1757), also called Bernard Le Bouyer de Fontenelle, was a French author and an influential member of three of the academies of the Institut de France, noted especially for his ...

, is believed to have collaborated; it is impossible to know to what extent. No anecdote speaking of ''Psyché'' mentions Fontenelle. Nevertheless the latter placed the libretto among his complete works without mention of his uncle. Conversely none of Corneille's three opera librettos appear in any of the editions of his works or theatre.

Roles

;Prologue *

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...

(

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

) * L'Amour (mute) *

Flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

(soprano) * Vertumne (

haute-contre The ''haute-contre'' (plural ''hautes-contre'') was the primary French operatic tenor voice, predominant in French Baroque and Classical opera, from the middle of the seventeenth century until the latter part of the eighteenth century. History ...

) *

Palemon The Palemonids () were a legendary dynasty of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The legend was born in the 15th or 16th century as proof that Lithuanians and the Grand Duchy were of Roman origins. History Jan Długosz (1415–1480) wrote that th ...

(

taille The ''taille'' () was a direct land tax on the French peasantry and non-nobles in ''Ancien Régime'' France. The tax was imposed on each household and was based on how much land it held, and was paid directly to the state. History Originally ...

) *

Nymph A nymph (; ; sometimes spelled nymphe) is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, land ...

s of Flora (sopranos) *Deities of land and water (chorus) ;TragedyAccording to Arnason, p. 59. *

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 Jupiter mass, mass more than 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined a ...

(

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

) *Venus (soprano) *L’Amour (

boy soprano A boy soprano (British and especially North American English) or boy treble (only British English) is a young male singer with a voice in the soprano range, a range that is often still called the treble voice range (in North America too) no m ...

/haute-contre) * Mercure (haute-contre) * Vulcain (haute-contre) * Zéphir (haute-contre) *The king, father of Psyché (bass) *Psyché (soprano) *Aglaure, Psyché's sister (soprano) *Cidippe, Psyché's sister (soprano) *Licas (bass) *The god of a river (bass) *Nymphs, Zephyruses & Amours (boy sopranos) *Two nymphs of

Acheron The Acheron ( or ; ''Acheron'' or Ἀχερούσιος ''Acherousios''; ''Acherontas'') is a river in the Epirus (region), Epirus region of northwest Greece. It is long, and has a drainage area of . The river's source is located near the vil ...

(sopranos) *The three

Furies The Erinyes ( ; , ), also known as the Eumenides (, the "Gracious ones"), are chthonic goddesses of vengeance in ancient Greek religion and mythology. A formulaic oath in the ''Iliad'' invokes them as "the Erinyes, that under earth take v ...

(haute-contre, taille and bass) ;Final '' divertissement'' *

Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

n (haute-contre) *

Bacchus In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; ) is the god of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre. He was also known as Bacchus ( or ; ) by the Gre ...

(soprano)The part is notated in the soprano clef, but it was originally sung by the baritenor Gaye, who also performed the role of Palemon in the prologue (Arnason, p. 59, note 86). * Mome (bass) *

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

(haute-contre) *Two

Muse In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...

s (sopranos) * Silène (soprano) *Two

satyr In Greek mythology, a satyr (, ), also known as a silenus or ''silenos'' ( ), and sileni (plural), is a male List of nature deities, nature spirit with ears and a tail resembling those of a horse, as well as a permanent, exaggerated erection. ...

s (taille and bass)

Synopsis

The prologues to the two works are identical up until the arrival of Venus. In Corneille's text, Venus banishes the followers of Flora who had summoned her and calls her son Cupid to punish Psyché, whom mortals revere as a second Venus. In the first act, Psyché's sisters learn with the spectators that Psyché must be sacrificed to a dragon that has been ravaging the kingdom. The ''plainte italienne'' from Molière's play is sung to represent the mourning of the people. The sisters flee at Psyché's arrival and it is her father who informs her of the oracle that has pronounced her doom. Psyché unhesitatingly climbs the rock to offer herself in sacrifice, much to her father's consternation, and is carried away by Zephyrs. Act two opens with Vulcan and a group of cyclops who are building a palace for Psyché at Cupid's bidding. Just before Vulcan can complete the palace, he is surprised by his wife Venus who discovers that her son has betrayed her. She quarrels with her husband and vows revenge against her son. Psyché awakes and is courted by Cupid. The act ends in a happy love scene, but Cupid must hide his identity and begins a ''divertissement'' sung by three nymphs to divert Psyché's attention. In act three, Venus disguises herself as a Nymph and gives Psyché a lamp with which to discover the identity of her lover. Psyché is overjoyed to discover that her lover is Cupid himself, but the light of the lamp awakes the god who flees. At the same time, the palace disappears and Psyché is left in a desolate wilderness. Venus exposes her treachery to Psyché and further accuses her of trying to marry her way into immortality. She forces her to descend to hell and recover a box wherein Proserpine keeps her beauty. Psyché, in despair, attempts to drown herself, but is saved by the River God who peacefully accompanies her to the underworld. In act four, Psyché resists the torture of the three Furies in order to meet the Nymphs of the Acheron. These nymphs banish the Furies, give Psyché the box she is looking for and conduct her to Venus's garden where act five is set. In act five, Psyché opens the box, hoping to restore any beauty she might have lost during her recent hardships. But instead of beauty, the box exudes a poisonous vapour that kills Psyché. Venus appears to rejoice and brings Psyché back to life in order to gloat and torture her further. She is amazed to see that Psyché is still in love with her son despite so many hardships. But she is resolved to continue punishing her. Mercury descends and begs her to stop, recounting the chaos and suffering in the universe that has been produced by Cupid's displeasure. Venus takes no heed and Jupiter descends himself to calm the goddess and pronounce Psyché immortal. The lovers are united and the opera ends with a magnificent ballet, identical to the one closing the 1671 version.

Reception

Accounts of the success of the opera vary greatly. The '' Mercure Galant'' states that the opera was extremely well received; that audiences were enthralled by Lully's music as always and that they would never have guessed that Corneille had composed the libretto in so little time as three weeks. On the other hand, the Frères Parfraict in their ''Histoire de l'académie royale de musique'' claim that the opera is "irremediably cold" and that "the diabolical character of Venus ruins what little galantry there is to be found" in it. These reports are both equally difficult to believe when one considers, on the one hand, that Thomas Corneille was one of the chief editors of the ''Mercure Galant'' and, on the other hand, in what contempt the Parfaict brothers held all authors of the 17th century other than Pierre Corneille, Molière, Jean Racine and, for opera, Philippe Quinault. Might they have felt obligated to condemn Thomas Corneille's libretto out of fidelity to his brother, Molière and most of all Quinault whose place Thomas Corneille may have thought he was usurping indefinitely? The Parfaict brothers' attitude seems to have remained the dominant one since the 18th century. Robert Fajon, in his ''Opéra à Paris du Roi Soleil à Louis le Bien-Aimé'', even goes so far as to accuse Thomas Corneille of being responsible for Lully's only operatic failure. Concretely, however, none of Lully's operas were a failure. Their success continued to daunt operatic composers well into the 18th century. It is true that ''Psyché'', unlike many of Lully's operas, was not created at court and was only revived twice (once in 1703 and again in 1713). ''Thésée'', by comparison was revived ten times and remained in the repertoire of the Académie royale de musique until 1744.

Recordings

*''Psyché'', Carolyn Sampson (Psyché), Karina Gauvin (Vénus), Aaron Sheehan (L’Amour), Amanda Forsythe (Aglaure), Colin Blazer (Vulcain), Mireille Lebel (Cidippe), Yulia Van Doren (Femme affligée), Olivier Laquerre, Jason McStoots, Matthew Shaw, Aaron Engebreth; Boston Early Music Festival Chorus and Orchestra, conducted by

Paul O'Dette Paul Raymond O'Dette (born February 2, 1954) is an American lutenist, conductor, and musicologist specializing in early music. Biography O'Dette, who was born in Pittsburgh, began playing the electric guitar in a rock band in Columbus, Ohio, ...

and Stephen Stubbs (CPO, 3 CDs, 2008) *''Psyché'', Ambroisine Bré (Psyché), Bénédicte Tauran (Vénus), Eugénie Lefebvre (Flore, Cidippe), Déborah Cachet (Amour, Aglaure), Cyril Auvity (Vertumne, Amour jeune homme), Robert Getchell (Vulcain), Fabien Hyon (Palémon, Silène), Zachary Wilder (Apollon, Zéphire), Philippe Estèphe (Jupiter, homme affligé), Anas Séguin (Lycas, Le Roi), Matthieu Heim (Mars), Dominique Bonnetain, Benoît Porcherot; Les Talens Lyriques, conducted by

Christophe Rousset Christophe Rousset (; born 12 April 1961) is a French harpsichordist and conducting, conductor, who specializes in the performance of Baroque music on Authentic performance, period instruments. He is also a musicologist, particularly of opera and ...

(Chateau de Versailles Spectacles 86 CDs145 minutes, 2022)

Notes

Sources

*Arnason, Luke, ''Psyché. De Thomas Corneille'', critical edition of the 1678 libretto, master's thesis at the Sorbonne
pdf copy
at the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a public research university in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Founded in 1877, it is the first university of Western Canada. Both by total student enrolment and campus area, the University of ...

) *Gaines, James F. (2002)
''The Molière Encyclopedia''
Greenwood Publishing Group. *Midgette, Anne (June 16, 2007)

''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' *Powell, John S. (2000)
''Music and Theatre in France, 1600-1680''
Oxford University Press. *Sadie, Julie Anne (1998)
''Companion to Baroque Music''
University of California Press.

External links

Le magazine de l'opéra baroque by Jean-Claude Brenac

on Playbill Arts.
Full scores
in both the hand-copied version by the Atelier Philidor (1702), scanned by Bibliothèques de Versailles and in a typeset version by Nicolas Sceaux. Note that the third complete score listed on the page, scanned by the Bibliothèque de Toulouse, appears to be Lully's music for the 1671 Molière play of the same name. {{DEFAULTSORT:Psyche Operas by Jean-Baptiste Lully French-language operas Operas based on classical mythology Opera world premieres at the Paris Opera Operas 1678 operas Operas based on works by Molière Cupid and Psyche Works based on The Golden Ass Silenus