''The Judgment of Paris'' is an

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 ...

tic

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

William Congreve William Congreve (24 January 1670 – 19 January 1729) was an English playwright and poet of the Restoration period. He is known for his clever, satirical dialogue and influence on the comedy of manners style of that period. He was also a min ...

. It was set by four British

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

composers – John Weldon, John Eccles,

Daniel Purcell Daniel Purcell (c. 1664 – buried 26 November 1717) was an English Baroque composer, the younger brother or cousin of Henry Purcell. Biography Like Henry Purcell before him, Daniel Purcell joined the choir of the Chapel Royal at about the age of ...

and

Gottfried Finger Gottfried Finger (ca. 1655-6 – buried 31 August 1730), also Godfrey Finger, was a Moravian Baroque composer. He was also a virtuoso on the viol, and many of his compositions were for the instrument. He also wrote operas. Finger was born in ...

– as part of a music competition held in 1700-1701.

Thomas Arne Thomas Augustine Arne (; 12 March 17105 March 1778) was an English composer. He is best known for his patriotic song "Rule, Britannia!" and the song "A-Hunting We Will Go", the latter composed for a 1777 production of ''The Beggar's Opera'', whic ...

later composed a score to the libretto in 1742.

Roles

Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

, messenger of the gods *

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, a shepherd *

Juno Juno commonly refers to: *Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods *Juno (film), ''Juno'' (film), 2007 Juno may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters *Juno, in the film ''Jenny, Juno'' *Ju ...

, goddess of marriage *

Pallas Pallas may refer to: Astronomy * 2 Pallas asteroid ** Pallas family, a group of asteroids that includes 2 Pallas * Pallas (crater), a crater on Earth's moon Mythology * Pallas (Giant), a son of Uranus and Gaia, killed and flayed by Athena * Pa ...

, goddess of war *

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...

, goddess of love *Chorus

Synopsis

Setting:

Mount Ida In Greek mythology, two sacred mountains are called Mount Ida, the "Mountain of the Goddess": Mount Ida in Crete, and Mount Ida in the ancient Troad region of western Anatolia (in modern-day Turkey), which was also known as the '' Phrygian Ida'' ...

The god Mercury descends from the sky with the

golden apple of Discord An apple of discord is the core, kernel, or crux of an argument, or a small matter that could lead to a bigger dispute. It is a reference to the Golden Apple of Discord ( grc, ) in the story of the ''Judgement of Paris'' which, according to G ...

and asks the shepherd Paris to award it to whichever of the three goddesses – Juno, Pallas and Venus – he finds most worthy. Juno offers him worldly power, Pallas victory in war, and Venus the most beautiful woman in the world. Paris gives the golden apple to Venus. Houghton Mus 787

The "Musick Prize"

A group of English nobles headed by Lord Halifax had become interested in promoting all-sung English opera (most English operas of the day took the form of

semi-opera The terms "semi-opera", "dramatic opera" and "English opera" were all applied to Restoration entertainments that combined spoken plays with masque-like episodes employing singing and dancing characters. They usually included machines in the manne ...

s mixing music and spoken drama). In an announcement in the ''London Gazette'' of 18 March 1700 they offered a "Musick Prize" for the best setting of Congreve's short libretto. First prize was 100 guineas, second 50, third 30, and fourth 20. Four composers entered the competition: John Weldon, John Eccles,

and

. Their works were performed individually during the spring of 1701, then staged together in a grand final at the

Dorset Garden Theatre The Dorset Garden Theatre in London, built in 1671, was in its early years also known as the Duke of York's Theatre, or the Duke's Theatre. In 1685, King Charles II died and his brother, the Duke of York, was crowned as James II. When the D ...

on 3 June 1703. The audience judged the winner. Eccles had been expected to win but in the event he came second to Weldon with Daniel Purcell third and Finger fourth. The competition had little long-term success in promoting all-sung opera in English. The London stage would soon be dominated by Italian opera and both Eccles and Daniel Purcell gave up writing theatre music. The competition was re-staged in the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

as part of the 1989

BBC Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...

season.

Anthony Rooley Anthony Rooley (born 10 June 1944 in Leeds) is a British lutenist. Career In 1969, Rooley founded and directed the early music ensemble The Consort of Musicke, which continues to be one of the chief vehicles for his inspiration, among many o ...

conducted the Consorte of Musicke and Concerto Köln in performances of the three surviving scores (Finger's has been lost). Once again, the audience decided the winner and this time they awarded first prize to Eccles.

Arne's version

Thomas Arne set ''The Judgement of Paris'' as part of a revival of interest in libretti by Congreve in the 1740s (

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

's ''

Semele Semele (; Ancient Greek: Σεμέλη ), in Greek mythology, was the youngest daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia (Greek goddess), Harmonia, and the mother of Dionysus by Zeus in one of his many origin myths. Certain elements of the cult of Dionysu ...

'' would appear in 1744). Arne's version was first performed at Drury Lane Theatre on 12 March 1742, with the composer's wife

Cecilia Young Cecilia Young (also Cecilia Arne) (January 1712 – 6 October 1789) was one of the greatest English sopranos of the eighteenth century, the wife of composer Thomas Arne, and the mother of composer Michael Arne. According to the music historian ...

in the role of Venus. Arne staged the work as a companion piece to his masque ''

Alfred Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interlu ...

'' in June of the same year in Dublin.''Viking'' p.33 The Arne version was performed by

Bampton Classical Opera Bampton Classical Opera is an opera company based in Bampton, Oxfordshire and founded in 1993. It specialises in the production of lesser known opera from the Classical period. Performances are always sung in English. ''Opera today'' called the c ...

in 2010 and 2016.

Recordings

*''The Judgment of Paris'' (Eccles' version) Benjamin Hulett, Roderick Williams,

Susan Bickley Susan Bickley is a British mezzo-soprano singer who performs in opera, Baroque and contemporary classical music. Personal life and education Susan Rochford Bickley was born into a Welsh family in Liverpool, England. Her father was a primary sch ...

, Claire Booth,

Lucy Crowe Lucy Crowe is an English soprano in opera and concert. She has performed at international opera houses and music festivals such as the Glyndebourne Festival and Rheingau Musik Festival. Career Born in Staffordshire, England, Crowe studied v ...

, Chorus and Orchestra of

Early Opera Company The Early Opera Company is a British ensemble dedicated to the performance of baroque operas using period instruments. It was founded in 1994 by Christian Curnyn. Handel's operas feature prominently in its repertoire, and the Company has given no ...

, conducted by

Christian Curnyn Christian Curnyn is a British conductor, harpsichordist and baroque music specialist. Early life Curnyn was born in Glasgow in April 1971. After reading Music at the University of York, he took postgraduate studies on the harpsichord at the Gu ...

(Chandos, 1 CD, 2009) *''The Judgment of Paris'' (Daniel Purcell's version) Anna Dennis (Venus), Amy Freston (Pallas), Ciara Hendricks (Juno), Samuel Boden (Paris), Ashley Riches (Mercury), Rodolfus Choir, Spiritato!, conducted by

Julian Perkins Julian Perkins is a British conductor and keyboard player ( harpsichord, fortepiano and clavichord). Shortlisted for the Gramophone Award in 2021, he is Artistic Director of the Portland Baroque Orchestra in the USA. He lives in London, Englan ...

(Resonus Classics, download-only version, 2014) *Arne ''The Judgment of Paris'' Mary Bevan (Venus), Susanna Fairbairn (Pallas), Gillian Ramm (Juno), Ed Lyon (Paris), Anthony Gregory (Mercury), Andrew Mahon (bass) The Brook Street Band, John Andrews Dutton 2019

References

Sources

*''The Viking Opera Guide'' ed. Holden (1993) *Booklet notes to the Eccles recording by Lindsay Kemp *"That strain again", article by Lindsay Kemp in ''Gramophone'' magazine (August, 2007, pages 28 and 29) {{DEFAULTSORT:Judgement of Paris, The Opera libretti Plays by William Congreve Operas by John Eccles